Wadi wedged between rocks in the shadow of the Hajars

The coastal road southwards faithfully follows the eastern Hajar range in a succession of spectacular wadis dotted with acacia trees on whose branches goats prance while camels rest in the shade of their trunks. Skirting the Indian Ocean at Bimmah Sinkhole, one comes across a circular gorge with a diameter of 14 metres that might make one think of the landing bed of a meteorite, but in reality this emerald water-fed alcove is the effect of a natural depression phenomenon. Here you can see or enjoy the coolness of the frangipani garden, before setting off again along Highway 17 towards Wadi Shab, stopping first at Wadi Ras al Shajar, which has been converted into a nature reserve for the preservation of the Arabian gazelle, while a diversion will take you to the rocky elevation where the Kbaikab Graveyard stone tombs stand near the village of Al Jayalah where the dead were buried vertically. After admiring it from the bridge, so sinuous and lush, the oasis of Wadi Shab must be crossed by boat and on foot: a path through the plantations and rocks allows one to reach the heart of this cleft in the mountains after an hour's walk and bathe in its refreshing pools of water. On the other hand, the Tomb of Bibi Maryam, wife of a Persian emperor, consists of a ruined mausoleum with an uncovered dome where the first Omani civilisations settled a few millennia ago to also enjoy the open estuary on the Indian Ocean.