If you’re looking for one of the easiest to access wadis in Oman, this is it. And Wadi Bani Khalid isn’t just popular because it’s easy to get to, it’s also absolutely gorgeous. With crystal clear emerald pools and beautifully sculpted golden cliffs, it really is stunning.
You can choose to hike the canyon or do a mix of hiking, swimming and wading and even a five minute easy walk will bring you the first pool.
The only thing that may make your trip to Wadi Bani Khalid less enjoyable is the crowds, but there are ways to combat that which we’ll go into later in this guide.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Wadi Bani Khalid.
The Wadi Bani Khalid hike
The stats
Distance: 1.3km each way
Elevation gain: 50m
Difficulty: Easy
Summary: The hike to Wadi Bani Khalid can be divided into three sections: the first pools, the canyon and the cave. The first pools are a quick easy stroll, the canyon is generally easy, but has a few stairs and you will be walking on uneven terrain.
Reaching the cave requires a couple of easy stream crossings, which in normal times have very low water levels. There is no mandatory swimming in this wadi, so if you prefer to stay dry you can still see the whole wadi.
The route is easy by Oman standards and even visiting the first pool (which you can swim across to an even nicer pool) is worth it.
It’s worth noting we’re describing the typical route into Wadi Bani Khalid, if you’re looking for a more demanding hike (which is usually done with a guide) you can also take a back route which explores much quieter parts of the wadi. You can even do a two day hike all the way to Wadi Tiwi!
Starting the trail: to the first pool
Distance: 450m
From the parking area you head along a concrete path and will quickly see the three coloured dashes on the rock which mark the trail.
The first 250m of the walk are along a flat paved path before it gives way to a falaj (water channel). You can walk along the side of the falaj, or walk on the stony area beside it instead.
After another 150m you’ll see water on your left and you’re now just 50m from the first pool. You’ll see a brown sign indicating you’ve reached the wadi and 50m later you’ll be standing at the water’s edge.
The water here might be beautiful, but it’s not especially picturesque because of the development surrounding it - there are little huts as well as a restaurant and what appears to be an abandoned hotel on the top of the cliff.
Unspoilt it isn’t and I have to say I felt a little disappointed. However, all that changes when you walk or swim a little further into the wadi.
You can either opt to follow the path or head straight into the water at this point. I opted to swim and Joe opted to walk.
The walk is now on smooth rock, but it’s not slippery like so many of the other wadis. The path heads along the rock platform and you’ll pass the little shade huts into a more pristine part of the canyon.
If you prefer to swim, accessing the first pool is easy you can step off the path and onto a muddy/sandy ledge. From here you can step straight into the water which is shallow at first before quickly getting very deep.
In November the water was warm and the pool is free from rocks and perfect for a long leisurely swim. You’ll head under the little bridge you can see from the water’s edge and into the canyon.
Continuing the first swim/hike
If you’re swimming, after going under the bridge you’ll come to a narrower channel between the cliff walls. After a couple of minutes you’ll arrive at another large pool, which is much more beautiful than the first.
I couldn’t measure the distance of the swim, but the walking trail between the bridge and second pool was 100m, however the swim is more direct so it would be a bit less than this.
You can swim a little further up to a small cascade. You could probably scramble up this, but I chose to backtrack and hike the next section as I wasn’t sure about doing this bit on my own.
The walk takes you gently uphill on a rock platform and as mentioned, when dry, it is not slippery. You’ll be higher than the pools and have a good birds-eye view down into them.
From the second pool you’ll continue along the smooth rock and come to a set of stairs after 130m. The stairs descend to another pool, this one has a bigger waterfall and a rope attached to the rocks beside it.
I saw the rope and thought it might be tricky to get in and out, so didn’t venture into the water. It was only on the way back when we were already late to check out of our hotel that I noticed there were tiered rocks beside it, which looked like they might lead quite nicely down into the water.
I didn’t have time to check it out for myself, so I can’t be sure, but if you do go into this pool via the rocks, or rope you can swim through more of the canyon. This section has high cliff walls, so you’ll be wonderfully secluded.
I think this is probably one section of the wadi that even on busy days wouldn’t see many people, so it’s a way to escape the crowds if you haven’t managed to time your visit to avoid the masses.
The waterfall pool looked stunning so I’m a bit gutted I missed it, but hopefully you won’t make the same mistake!
Exploring the upper canyon and pools
Just 100m beyond the waterfall pool you’ll come to a little changing station and you can re-enter the water (if you’re swimming rather than hiking).
The changing rooms are two little tents which you can use to change discreetly, as it’s forbidden to change in public. There’s a small 100 Baiza (0.24 euro) charge to do this.
Entering the pool at this point is again really easy. It’s a stony bottom and shallow at first before it deepens.
This is a really beautiful and fun section of the canyon to swim through because you get to swim inbetween the narrow canyon walls.
It doesn’t last long but it is one of my favourite parts of the wadi and the water clarity was unbelievable. This swim lasts for around 100m before you have to briefly get out. If you’re hiking you’ll just follow the trail up and down a few stairs and across some rocks to a small metal bridge (1.05km into the trail).
From here whether walking or swimming you’ll follow the rocky trail for about 50m. Water shoes are ideal for this as it is a bit hard on your feet if you’re barefoot.
From here you have a couple of stream crossings in quick succession (one before the last pool and one just after). If you’re hiking you won’t get your boots wet unless the water is unusually high, as there are small rocks to use as stepping stones.
You can stick to the water for the next section if swimming, but the water gets very shallow (it’s more walking in water than it is swimming) until you reach a deeper pool with a giant boulder inside it.
This pool is deeper, but not really a swimming spot, more of a place to relax in the water.
This is the last pool and you’ll reach it around 1.1km into the walk. Continuing further will take you to the cave.
We weren’t sure it really was the last pool, but after checking with a couple of locals they confirmed it was (they mentioned there are more pools on what they described as ‘the other side of the mountain’, but we have no idea how far away they were!).
Continuing to Muqal Cave
Distance from final pool: 350m
It’s not much further to continue onto the cave and though it’s nothing to write home about we enjoyed walking more of the wadi.
You’ll have a second little stream crossing and then walk over a pebbly boulder strewn path, there are still occasional trail markers and you can’t really go wrong if you just keep heading straight. Everyone will likely choose a slightly different path, but none of it was challenging.
The cave is located on the right side of the wadi - you’ll probably be the left - and come to a dry stream bed.
Cross the stream bed (it can be a bit soft underfoot but not too muddy) and you’ll see a set of concrete stairs leading uphill, this is 1.45km from the car park (give or take as everyone will walk slightly differently in the canyon).
Follow the stairs uphill and along the edge of the cliff wall - it’s not exposed or particularly narrow. You’ll then see a cave opening which sadly is quite heavily graffitied (you shouldn’t have trouble finding it, but just in case the coordinates are 22.6240770, 59.0970686).
This may be the main entrance, but we continued fractionally (a minute or so) further and came to another larger opening. There are boulders sitting in the middle of the cave mouth, but they’re easy to move around.
As mentioned Muqal Cave isn’t really anything too special, but it is full of bats, which is pretty cool. It’s also strangely hot and after just a few steps very tight. How far you go depends on how you feel about tight spaces. We didn’t go far! You’ll need a torch (even just the one on your phone) as it does get dark pretty quickly.
After checking out the cave you simply retrace your steps back along the wadi.
The best time to visit Wadi Bani Khalid
First and foremost, as with all wadis/canyons, do not visit if rain is forecast or if there has been recent heavy rain due to the danger of flash flooding.
The first time we tried to visit Wadi Bani Khalid it was actually in flood and you’ll know that’s the case before you even get there as the five (or so) fords on the road in will be full of water. The water coming off the mountains will also be brown, so you definitely wouldn’t want to visit! It doesn’t usually take too long for flood water to pass through, but it can take a number of days for the water clarity to come back.
In terms of crowds, you ideally don’t want to visit on a weekend (Friday and Saturday) as Wadi Bani Khalid is very popular with locals as well as tourists. As we had to come back for a second time we did have to come on a weekend, so we visited very early. We arrived at around 7am (and it’s worth noting that the pools will be in shadow at first, so the water colour doesn’t look at vibrant as it does when the sun shines directly on it).
We had the wadi to ourselves for a while but people started arriving from about 7.30am. It didn’t start to get properly busy until 10.30am though. The upper pools in the canyon were much more popular than the first pool on our visit.
That middle section I mentioned in the trail notes (with the waterfall rope pool) is likely to be pretty quiet even at busy times of day.
Facilities at Wadi Bani Khalid
Wadi Bani Khalid is well kitted out for tourists, with a restaurant and changing rooms on site, as well as toilets. However, once you leave the first pool the only facilities are the little tent changing rooms.
In terms of what to wear, Wadi Bani Khalid is popular with locals and there are signs up about conservative dress (covering upper legs and shoulders for women).
We visited very early in the morning and there was literally no one at all in the first set of pools. We went with the thought that if alone or only in the presence of westerners then a swimsuit was ok. Otherwise - such as on our return through the wadi later in the day - we covered up.
Finding the right Wadi Bani Khalid
One problem you’ll want to avoid is blinding following Google Maps for Wadi Bani Khalid. If you simply type in “Wadi Bani Khalid”, Google Maps will take you to a wide section of the river, which is 65km away from where you want to be!
To avoid this issue, make sure you put “Wadi Bani Khalid Parking Area” into Google Maps, as this will take you to the correct place. It’s also well marked with road signs, so follow it when you see the “Wadi Bani Khalid” junction on Highway 23 (it’s a short distance after Bidiyah).
The road to Wadi Bani Khalid
The good news is the road is fully paved all the way to the wadi. The only time a small car won’t make it is if the wadi is in flood, when the fords can become deep with fast moving water.
The road has intermittent speed bumps which makes it slow going at points, but it’s a very easy road to drive.
Wadi Bani Khalid is located around 235km and a 2 hours 40 minute drive from Muscat and 120km and 1 hour 45 minutes from Sur. It’s 46km and around a 55 minute drive from Bidiyah, the nearest town to Wahiba Sands. It makes sense logistically to do Wadi Bani Khalid before or after a desert trip if possible.
Where to stay near Wadi Bani Khalid
There aren’t many options in the area, at time of writing there are really only two. We stayed at Oriental Nights Rest House which is a 40 minute drive from Wadi Bani Khalid.
Oriental Nights Rest House
We ended up staying twice due to the aforementioned flood! The first time we stayed in a junior suite and the second time a king suite. Let’s start with the junior suite, I would only recommend this for heavy sleepers. The AC clicks on and off all night and it’s right above your head, you can also hear the main road. The curtains are really thin and let in the street lighting which is on all night. If these things don’t bother you, it’s a large room with decent bathroom and relatively inexpensive.
However, these things did bother me so we upgraded to the king suite on our second visit. This room was so much better as you have a living room, so you can keep the AC on in that room and avoid the clicking noises in the bedroom (ironically it also clicked less). There are proper blinds that block out all light and the pillows are much better. For us it was 100% worth the extra money, but I am a sensitive sleeper, so it does depend on that as it is a fair bit more expensive.
Both rooms were clean and the staff are friendly.
If you’d prefer something self contained I did look into this chalet the reviews are great and it’s a good deal if you’re travelling with more than two people, as there are two bedrooms and a private pool. For us it was a bit pricy, but worth checking out if you’re not a fan of budget hotels.
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