Travel Guide Wadi Bani Hauf

It is without doubt the most interesting wadi in the region and the most used, especially since a road has been built in its extension to cross the Western Hajar and go down to the Nizwa side, which is ideal for a discovery tour of the interior. Still, it will take 3 hours to cross the river with some spectacular photo breaks. Located 41 km from Nakhal and 11 km from Rustaq, the entrance to Bani Hauf (or Bani Awf) is signposted on the main road, about 4 km after the village of Awabi. The beginning of the road is bordered by corn and date palm plantations. A few more or less scattered houses stand here and there, supplied with water and electricity despite their isolation. The road winds along the river bed sometimes lined with aflaj, between very steep walls, before climbing up into the mountains overlooking the valley and skirting some beautiful precipices! Although the first six kilometers are tarred, a 4x4 is necessary, especially since some passages are really very steep and narrow. But the directions are clearly indicated and lead to charming hamlets usually green with terraced crops. Provided you know how to drive a 4x4 in rocky areas, it is possible to make the crossing by yourself and without a guide After about 30 km, we reach a junction: on the right, the village of Bilad Sayt, on the left, the village of Hat. To cross the Hajar, you have to follow the direction of Hat. However, it would be a pity not to make a detour through the pretty hamlet of Bilad Sayt, only 1 km away. From a narrow gorge entrance, you can reach it on foot in about 30 minutes. Bilad Sayt, built high up, dominates its crops and palm grove, and offers an incredible palette of colours. From this village starts the marked trail W8 then W9 in the direction of the famous mountain oasis of Misfah. It is a two-day walk, with an ascent to the Hajar plateau in 4 hours and, the next day, the descent to Misfah in 6 hours. The less courageous will retrace their steps and take the road to Hat. 250 meters after the junction opens, on the left, the entrance to the Serpent Gorge, here called Snake Canyon or Wadi Bimah: a great place for climbing and canyoning. Never venture alone in these gorges which require abseiling from the first 500 meters. Rather go 500 meters further, on the right, where small gorges, accessible to all, offer beautiful walls. You take a staircase that runs along the rock to enter the heart of these "mini Serpent Gorge" equipped with climbing routes (it is the same entrance to the gorge as the one that leads to the village of Bilad Sayt on foot) When we continue the crossing of the Hajar, the road starts to climb, not without first passing in front of a very curious synthetic football field planted in the middle of nowhere. After about fifteen kilometers after Hat, we reach a plateau that marks the exit of the wadi and is decorated with two guesthouses. Here we are in the region of Al-Dakhiliyah. The village of Al-Hamra is about 18 km away.