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Aqua RELIEF One of the wadis

Mind you, a lot of these wadis are bone dry most of the year under the unforgiving desert sun. You can drive your four-wheel drive vehicle (in which mechanical power is transmitted to all four wheels) through these river beds, over the rounded stones that have been polished over centuries by the water that flows when the rains come (this is popularly known as ‘wadi bashing’ in local slang).

But there are some that magically seem to have water flowing through them anytime of the year, even when the rains haven’t come. Like mirages in the desert they appear suddenly, after a while of off-road travel through Oman’s signature and starkly beautiful rocky terrain. You know they’re coming when you see the sudden effusion of rushes springing out of nowhere on the river bed.

Perhaps the most gorgeous of these wadis are those with ‘blue pools’. It’s hard to describe the feeling of stumbling upon cool, calm pools of brilliant blue or aquamarine water in the midst of an arid landscape (the colour is said to come from light reflecting off the calcite deposits in the pools).

Wadi Abyadh, about 90 km from the capital city of Muscat along the Batinah coast, has many such pools. Between the pools flows a gurgling stream that runs all year through. You can take a long walk along this wadi, taking in the pretty pink Oleander bushes that grow in abundance. Or go for a picnic and lunch under the shade of the date palms growing in green clusters here and there.

A trip up the mountains to Wadi Bani Khalid offers you a chance to walk through the picturesque Omani village of Moqal with its mud and brick houses, one of the many villages lining this wadi. The water of the wadi irrigates Moqal’s palm plantation through the ancient falaj system (estimated by some to be over a thousand years old) still used by villagers. Walk through the terraced plantation and you will come to deep, green rock pools nestled amidst rocks, boulders and rushes. If you’re adventurous, you can follow the old falaj system clinging to the side of the mountain up to the Moqal cave.

Civilization in Oman has been traced back to thousands of years ago (recent archaeological findings estimate 5,000 years). A trip to Wadi Bani Kharous gives you a sample of some ancient rock art. The wadi cuts deep into the rock strata of surrounding hills, and on the imposing cliff faces rising steeply on either side of the river bed are etched drawings of animals, human beings and weapons (some believe these are over 1,500 years old). Along the way, you pass a number of water pools and streams with shady greenery surrounding them, providing relief from the reddish-browns and greys of the cliffs.

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