The Oman Drive off

Tripoto
25th Jul 2014
Photo of The Oman Drive off 1/13 by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of The Oman Drive off 2/13 by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of The Oman Drive off 3/13 by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of The Oman Drive off 4/13 by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of The Oman Drive off 5/13 by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of The Oman Drive off 6/13 by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of The Oman Drive off 7/13 by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of The Oman Drive off 8/13 by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of The Oman Drive off 9/13 by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of The Oman Drive off 10/13 by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of The Oman Drive off 11/13 by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of The Oman Drive off 12/13 by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of The Oman Drive off 13/13 by Mrudula Gummuluri

The drive to Oman from Dubai is a smooth one. The smooth border control procedures and the scenic roads tempt you to just keep driving, even without breaks. Make sure you cross the border only where they stamp exit and entry, else returning back home is a problem. 

While at Oman, make sure you have a guide for your adventure into the Wadi... the wadi can be quite a danger unless tread on a known path.

On the whole we spent USD 550 including fuel, food and stay. We shared 1 delux room and ate vegetarian food :)

Day 1: we took off from dubai at 4 am, and reached the border at 5:45 am. Got our visas stamped and were on the road again at 6:20 am. We reached the Wadi Shab Resort by 11:15 am, driving through the beautiful mountain roads. We could not resist the sight of the sea touching the boundary walls of the resort and changed and went to the beach, only to be surprised by the difficult pebbly terrain. The sea was rough and difficult to swim in... :( After innumerable failed attempts of making friends with the waves (that brought back pebbles which bruised us), we decided to chill at the hotel pool for a bit, before we took off to wadi Tiwi. The hotel manager Ahmed, offered to drive us around wadi Tiwi and Tiwi village, where we met the locals, ate fruit from their trees and sat with our feet in pools where tiny fish kissed us. We then drove down to Sur, a town 50 km down south of Tiwi, where we sat by the beach (no! we did not dare to get into the water). Ahmed joined us post iiftaar and took us to the local souk, where we saw the dingy market streets abuzz with Eid shoppers and were treated to local street food such as Raw Mango (yummmmmmm). We had dinner at a local "Indian" restaurant and drove back home. We were told that the turtle beach at Sur is very nice, but it is not the season for turtles yet and so we did not go there.
Photo of Wadi Tiwi, Ash Sharqiyah North Governorate, Oman by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of Wadi Tiwi, Ash Sharqiyah North Governorate, Oman by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of Wadi Tiwi, Ash Sharqiyah North Governorate, Oman by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of Wadi Tiwi, Ash Sharqiyah North Governorate, Oman by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of Wadi Tiwi, Ash Sharqiyah North Governorate, Oman by Mrudula Gummuluri
On saturday, Ahmed's brother, Mohammed, accompanied us to Wadi Shab. He insisted we carry water and snacks, despite our resistance... and ooh we bless him well for his advice. Our trip started at 9 am with a boat ride to enter the wadi.. we trekked for 3.5 km along the mountain gorges absorbing the beauty and clicking away. Shaili and Mohammed jumped off the cliff into a pool of water mid way, raising enthusiasm levels. The sight of the first pool that we needed to wade through was refreshing. The blue clear waters were the perfect retreat after the long trek in the humid weather. We swam through 4 pools before we finally reached "THE CAVE"... our ultimate destination. The entrance to the cave was narrow, deep and illuminated from the water underneath.. Simply breathtaking. The cave had a waterfall and a small skylight above the waterfall. I swear i could have lived there for ever. We spent around 30 mins at the cave an head back. The trek back home seemed much shorter. We were super charged. We went back to the hotel at around 1:30 pm. We hit the road to Muscat at 4:00 pm. Stayed over at Muscat and drove bk to DXB. All in all, a great 2 day break!!
Photo of Wadi Shab Resort, Tiwi, Ash Sharqiyah North Governorate, Oman by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of Wadi Shab Resort, Tiwi, Ash Sharqiyah North Governorate, Oman by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of Wadi Shab Resort, Tiwi, Ash Sharqiyah North Governorate, Oman by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of Wadi Shab Resort, Tiwi, Ash Sharqiyah North Governorate, Oman by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of Wadi Shab Resort, Tiwi, Ash Sharqiyah North Governorate, Oman by Mrudula Gummuluri
Photo of Wadi Shab Resort, Tiwi, Ash Sharqiyah North Governorate, Oman by Mrudula Gummuluri