Shoof Oman: 007

The Desert Diva’s Oman Blog Series Number 7 – Wadi Driving

شوف (Arabic) shoof: look! see! (English)

Welcome to the Desert Diva’s Oman Blog Series, where I share some of the thousands of pictures I have taken over my many years of travelling in the Arabian Peninsula.

Wadi Driving – Be Aware

You cannot say you have truly seen Oman if you have not driven through a wadi.  These river beds, found all over Oman, are dry for long periods of the year, but when it rains, huge torrents of water cascade through them. If rain is possible or falling, they should be avoided. The Desert Diva’s advice for any visitor is to get an Omani SIM for your mobile. With rain-swollen wadis claiming the lives of so many, the Omani Government has a wadi warning scheme. Should heavy rain be forecast, an alert is sent to all mobile users.

Wadi Driving – The Desert Diva’s Favourite 

Despite the force of water tumbling huge rocks down the wadi, they are not all the same. My favourite one, Wadi Aydam in Dhofar, southern Oman, is mainly sand, dried-up mud and pebbles. As you can see from the picture above of my husband’s LWB Nissan Patrol, this is a wide wadi. It’s also exceptionally long for a wadi and if you are tackling it, follow all the rules concerning driving off-road

If you’d like to know more about Wadi Aydam, you can read about one of our visits here.

Experience the delights of Oman

The Sultanate of Oman is a truly wonderful country, full of beautiful places to visit and interesting things to see.  Some tourists are content to spend their holidays within the confines of their luxurious Arabian styled 4 star hotels, and there is nothing wrong with that.  However if you get yourself out there you might find something unusual, quirky or bizarre to photograph and as a bonus, any Omanis you encounter will bowl you over with their kindness and hospitality.

I have travelled extensively throughout the Sultanate and not seen half of all there is to see. Will you follow me and شوف Oman?