Tuesday 30 / April / 2024
Located in the Sharqiyah Governorate, some three and a half hours away from the capital, Muscat, and about two hours away from the regional capital of Sur, Wadi Tiwi has long been a popular hangout zone for both foreigners and locals in Oman.
Now, with Oman looking to share its unique landscape with the world, Wadi Tiwi is fast becoming one of the most sought-after spots for tourists to enquire about, and it’s easy to see why.
According to Oman’s Ministry of Tourism, Wadi Tiwi features a “spectacularly deep and narrow gorge carved out of the mountains, running between towering cliffs right down to the sea,” and features “old traditional villages, surrounded by lush plantations of date and banana, and criss-crossed with a network of gurgling aflaj”.
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“The road into the wadi is being widened and modernised, running along the valley floor, between plantations and past the rock pools which collect between the huge boulders below. After around 5km you’ll reach the picturesque village of Harat Bidah, where the road narrows dramatically, squeezing its way between old houses and high stone walls. Past here the tarmac ends and a rough track climbs steeply for a further 5km up to the village of Mibam – a spectacular, if nerve-jangling, drive,” added the ministry.
Featuring lush green vegetation in the form of swaying palm fronds and low-lying scrub around crystal clear waters, Wadi Tiwi has long been the centre of discussions around road trips to Muscat, particularly on weekends and long public holidays.
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Spread over an area of 36 kilometres at the foot of the mountain village of Mibam, it is a fertile wadi that passes through a number of agricultural villages that grow dates, bananas and other local produce, and lie in the shadow of the Hajar Mountains. Climb to the top of these mountains and you can catch stunning views of the land below and the seashore.
The villages around Wadi Tiwi are home to the ancient irrigation falaj system, which have been earmarked as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. According to the Ministry of Tourism, “A falaj in Oman refers to water that runs through a channel dug in the earth. The source of falaj water is groundwater found in the subsoil or valleys. The plural of the word ‘falaj’ used in Oman is ‘aflaj’, which is a comprehensive term used to denote a system of irrigation. The falaj is an original Omani irrigation system, deep-rooted in the country’s land and history.”
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