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Thursday, January 3: Wadi Bani Khalid is one of the greenest wadis in Oman.   It’s dotted with pools, villages and plantations, and Omanis consider it one of the most popular spots in the country for swimming and picnicking.  Today, there are hordes of people, as it is a perfect January weekend.

Click on pictures in any of the galleries below for a full-sized slide show.

trucks of Omanis leaving Wadi Bani Khalid
the wall of a plantation alongside the entrance to the wadi
a little goat friend
Adam, Mike and Alex along the falaj
pools along the entrance to Wadi Bani Khalid
dragonfy & little fish
shallow pools

We walk into the wadi, where early on we come upon groups of people swimming in the pools and jumping off cliffs into the pools.  Of course, Adam immediately wants to jump, but he decides to head further back into the wadi where it might be less crowded.

Looking back toward the entrance to the wadi
inviting pools
Wadi Bani Khalid and its numerous swimming holes
Alex & Adam
Alex & Adam

We come to a spot in the stream where we need to take off our shoes to cross, so the boys both take off their shirts and shoes, and slide down a waterfall into a pool.  They come out downriver, where they climb out and slide down the waterfall again.

Alex slides down the little waterfall
Omanis leap over the stream
Adam slides down
An older Omani man watches from above
the pool
and more pools
Alex, Adam and Mike swimming in one of the pools

We head back up the river, and atop a cliff, some Omani boys, along with some tourists, are jumping off into the pools below.  Adam soon follows suit, as does Alex.  They do this numerous time, loving each jump more than the one before.

the wadi
the wadi
Alex jumps off the cliff
Alex takes a flying leap
Mike puts his shoes back on after a swim
Adam jumps off the cliff
Adam’s continuing jump…
Adam after his leaps

After all this cliff jumping and swimming, we head out of the wadi at around 4:30.  Our hope is to get to Camp Al Areesh by shortly after 5:00.  We want to get there in time to see the sun set over the desert of Sharqiya Sands.

beautiful reflections at Wadi Bani Khalid

beautiful reflections at Wadi Bani Khalid

walking out of Wadi Bani Kalid as the sun goes down
reflections
walking out along the falaj
the falaj
the falaj
a wall and little village
Omanis stopping for a photo shoot
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