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Wadi

Wadi Tiwi & Mibam Village

Wadi Tiwi (وادي طيوي) is a wadi in Al Sharqiyah region, adjacent to the very popular Wadi Shab but unique in its own way with numerous farms and plantations dotting the wadi, and a stunning pool deep inside towards Mibam village (قرية ميبام). Wadi Tiwi, which is named after Tiwi village at the coast, is a truly beautiful wadi with the lush plantations giving it a different (certainly greener) feel than many other wadis.

A visit to Wadi Tiwi is a unique experience compared to other wadis we have visited previously, in that it combines a great off-road drive right through the wadi mouth, with the ‘typical’ wadi-scrambling-on-foot you’ll need to do to traverse and reach the pools. Due to the road through Wadi Tiwi being right on the shoulder of the wadi, it is entirely up to you where you want to stop your car and start the wadi trek, or whether you want to drive all the way to the end of Mibam village and start from there.

Inside Wadi Tiwi:

We explored Wadi Tiwi through a different way in each one of our two visits so far. In our first visit we drove for approximately 30 minutes inside the wadi and parked near some houses prior to entering the narrow streets of Mibam village (point shown in Google Maps link further down). Walking through the houses, you’ll see some stairs leading you down into Wadi Tiwi. From here, it is a 2-3 hour traverse through mostly large boulder stones, with one or two tricky spots, before reaching the most stunning feature Wadi Tiwi in our opinion: a gorgeous pool at the wadi bend flanked by palm trees and overgrowth onto the wadi cliffs. If you are comfortable scrambling through wadis, you can reach here without having to swim; but you will need to swim the 80-100m distance in this pool to reach the ‘Mibam waterfall’ at the bottom of Mibam village. The climb up from the waterfall area to the village is quite steep and requires ropes; however, if you do want to go to the village, just return back to the pool, and you can make your way to the village through the farms on your left (if your back is to the pool), look for the falaj channel and climb up from there through the village farms.

In another visit, we drove straight to Mibam village and parked there (Google Maps link further down shows the spot) and made our way to the waterfall through the farms. It is not straightforward going down through the farms, so you might need to go back up and try a different path, or just politely ask one of the villagers to walk you down to the waterfall. From there, you will see the ‘Mibam waterfall’ which you reach through a very steep path winding down (we certainly did not try returning back up from the same route, taking the route after the pool instead as described in the previous paragraph). It is only a few minutes walk to the main pool from there, and by parking at Mibam village you can get to enjoy the main attractions of Wadi Tiwi without much trekking – but isn’t that challenge one of the main attractions of visiting a wadi? It is for me at least 🙂

Overall, I really loved Wadi Tiwi and it has become one of my favorite wadis even after the very first visit, simply due to the lush plantations around it and the beautiful pool near Mibam village. The trek inside Wadi Tiwi (at least the one I described above – I are sure you can do more!) is not the longest or the hardest, which can be a turn-off if you’re looking for a challenging wadi, but makes it an attractive wadi to visit in the summer.

Wadi Tiwi Difficulty level:

6/10. Trickier than Wadi Shab & Wadi Bani Khalid, but more straightforward than Wadi Al Arbaeen as the path is easier to follow. Assuming you are able to swim and physically fit.

Before you go:

You will need to have a 4WD car, and below are items for your check list:

  • Cap or hat to protect you from the sun as well as sunscreen
  • Food, snacks and plenty of drinking water
  • Swimming clothes and towel
  • Sturdy footwear with good grips: something that can get wet and you may need to swim with (old sneakers or open-toe shoes should do)
  • Camera and water proof bag: although there is only one big pool towards the end where you must swim to go through, its always a good idea to put your camera & electronics in water proof bags when you go inside a wadi

How to get to Wadi Tiwi:

Wadi Tiwi is approximately 160 km from Muscat through the Sharqiyah highway towards Sur. You will need to take the exit towards Tiwi village, a couple of kilometers after passing the Wadi Shab exit and immediately after you pass the bridge across Wadi Tiwi (i.e. the second wadi-crossing-bridge as the first bridge goes through Wadi Shab). From there follow the road towards the village, and immediately after crossing the road at the mouth of the wadi near the beach, you’ll need to turn left and head straight inside Wadi Tiwi (same direction as a signpost on your right pointing to E35 Trekking Path, but the sign can be easily missed).

It is under 10 km driving distance inside Wadi Tiwi to Mibam village. The road is initially paved, although it can be deceptively dangerous as it can get very slippery with water and seaweed on it, so be very cautious. Half-way through you’ll be passing through the narrow streets of Harat Bidah (حارة بده) village, be careful as you’ll need drive through some very tight roads while also keeping an eye for incoming traffic on the other side. The paved section ends after this village and the route becomes a mountain path above the wadi to the parking spot where you can start your hike, or all the way to Mibam Village, where you can park near the waste bins . Wherever you stop, you will be passing through another signpost pointing towards the start of the E35 hiking trail which connects to Wadi Bani Khalid (a challenging 2-day trail which I am yet to attempt!).

You will definitely need a 4WD car here. Please be considerate to the villagers living here especially when parking your car, as space is very tight and the roads are narrow.

Below is the Google Maps link showing the above points:

      

34 replies on “Wadi Tiwi & Mibam Village”

wadi tiwi is so pretty,we loved it so much.
btw thanks so much for your blog ali.it is the best!!
we meet you two weeks ago when you and your group came back from the wadi-trek from sayq(we were the portuguese/german couple who wanted to do camping in the wadi).
thanks for all your nice articles!

Hi Denise,

Thanks for your comment, it was great to run into you the other day and I’m glad to hear you enjoyed Wadi Tiwi! Hope you had a nice holiday in Oman overall!

All the best 🙂
Ali

رد

Hi,

This looks so beautiful. My friends and I will visit Oman in beginning of December, and really want to see a (couple) of Wadis. I know you say that to see this one, it is necessary to have a 4×4, but is it possible to park the car at the beginning in Tiwi and then just walk along the river?

We will go to Wadi Shab, and I know from your other post, that we can just park in the beginning there, is something similar possible to do here? Or will it take to long to reach the waterpools and so on, on foot?

Hi Kia,

That is great, I am sure you will have a great time.

You can park your car at the portion of the road where the paved road ends – but I think it is quite a bit of walk if you want to reach the ‘main’ pool – at Mibam – from there. I haven’t walked through that part of the wadi personally, as the off-road section goes above the road and you don’t see the wadi path well – but again I suspect it will be quite a walk. However, there are still few pools that you can see before the normal road ends – it is still definitely worth visiting, just don’t expect to walk all the way in I guess.

Hope that helps.

Best,
Ali

رد

Hi Van,

It really depends on how far you are going to the wadi. I feel it might be tricky to have the toddler trek down to the main pool with you (whether its through the waterfall at Mibam, or the farms at the cliff-side). But there are some other pools at the start of Wadi Tiwi drive (before you reach Mibam) that will be nice with a toddler.

Best,
Ali

رد

Hallo,
Wonderful blog! Can you tell me if there are some nice basic places to sleep in the neighbourhood ? Guesthouse, familystay….Tnx

Hi Stef,

Thanks! I am not aware of any places to stay inside Wadi Tiwi, and I doubt any exist. The closest one is probably the Wadi Shab resort!

Best,
Ali

رد

do you need rops for this wadi ?

the route you took is it from down the wadi to up at the waterfall or other way around ?

thanks

April 30, 2018

Thank you for the informative blog. All the relevant information is there. The Wadi is exceptional as well as the surrounding landscape.

Our experience was however partially shadowed by a Villager.

My wife and I went to Wadi Tiwi today. We drove up to Mibam Village. At the Village, an Omani villager offer to assist us to indicate a parking spot as well as to guide us to the Wadi. Another couple join. Arriving at the Wadi, we were asked 5 omr per person for this service. The other couple and us were shocked by the attitude and insistence. It definitely contrasted with our 3 week travel experience in Oman where we really appreciate the Omani hospitality.

People should be aware of this kind of practice that negatively impact the tourism and reputation of the area…

Hi Jean-Guy,

Thank you for sharing your experience, and I am sorry you had to deal with such a negative encounter. It is not a good thing to do to trick tourists this way, and I am glad to hear that you indeed see it as an exception to the typical Omani hospitality. I have not been to the wadi myself in a while, but have heard the same story recently from a couple of other tourists who have been emailing me – if I visit again and see any of the villagers I will attempt to discuss with them this matter.

Happy to hear you enjoyed the wadi and found the information helpful!

Best,
Ali

رد

Hello , i would like to visit the wadi in middle decemeber i will take a car until town TIWI , do you recomand a guide to visit the wadi and the price ?
thank you so much

Hello Nacim,

If you are comfortable with trekking/scrambling in wadis then you don’t need a guide, but Wadi Tiwi is not quite as straight forward (not as easy to trek at Wadi Shab for example). Therefore, a guide may be a good idea. I am actually have a trip there on 21-Dec, if you wish to join that or if you want a guide best to drop me an email 🙂

Best,
Ali

رد

Ali,

do you need ropes for this wadi ?
the route you took is it from down the wadi to up at the waterfall or other way around ?
thanks

No, some people descend down the waterfall using ropes, but you could scrmae down the rock face otherwise (a bit tricky).
I personally prefer to do the trek from the other way around (downstream of the wadi) to the waterfall.

رد

Hi Ali,

This trip was one of the best i’ve done! Thank you for the amazing details mentioned in your article, such as the coordinates which i was able to download the entire way points to Maps.me offline. Great stuff! And PS: there’s no off-roading to reach the ‘beginning of the hike’ starting point. I was very happy about that hehe. peace n love!

Hi Ali,

Thank you for this awesome and super helpful post, i have been visiting your blog for over two years, and many of my adventures have been inspired from here. As i am reading through and doing my checks regarding Wadi Tiwi, i have a few questions, if you can help me answer them please. Say i began the trek from the spot you mentioned, 2 to 3 hours later we should reach the main Tiwi attraction, which is the big pool. To continue from there to the Mibam waterfall then we have two options. Either the climb up from the end of the pool, or to go up to the farms, once we have the pool behind us, the trek up should be towards our left hand side. Let’s say we took the latter option, to walk up from the farms. How long of a walk would that be to reach the Mibam waterfall? And You also mentioned that going back up to Mibam village from the Mibam waterfall is tricky. Is that the same trek in subject ‘Tiwi Main Pool to Mibam Waterfall’. If not, then is the way back from Mibam Waterfall to Tiwi Pool the same trek as from Tiwi pool to Mibam, and is it accessible or difficult requiring ropes? Ultimately, we will be 2 cars, one parked at Tiwi trek entrance, and one at Mibam village. It’ll help me to know if there’s a safe link back and forth between Wadi Tiwi main pool and the Waterfall. I hope this long question doesn’t bother you 🙂 And i appreciate your works here a lot! Thank you , Karim

Dear Karim,

Thanks for your message, and I am very happy to hear that you are finding the information on my blog useful in planning your adventures 🙂

With regards to your questions:
1) If you want to do the trip as a one-way trek, then yes you need to climb back up after reaching Mibam waterfall. The walk back through the farms shouldn’t take too long, and there could be multiple ways – the way I took was just immediately before the big pool (i.e. the ‘main’ feature of the Wadi) as there is an accessible areas to the farm and that took me about 45 mins. It just might be tricky to find you way – just keep going up and eventually you’ll find the road that will take you to Mibam village (and your car).
2) Not sure if I understood what you are planning to do correctly but the way I would do it with 2 cars is as follows:
– Park one car at Mibam village
– Drive back to starting point of the trek through Wadi Tiwi
– Trek all the way to the Main Pool
– Enjoy!
– Trek/swim to Mibam waterfall and back to the Main Pool
– At the Main Pool make your way up through the farms

3) The distance from the Main Pool to Mibam waterfall is mostly swimming and can possibly be done in 10 mins or so!

4) The main issue is just that climbing back up from the waterfall up to Mibam village goes through a very smooth rock that is hard to climb (at least for me!), there are few groups who go down there abseiling these days, but the alternative is to just walk back up through the farms. Of course, if you’re a good climber maybe you could just go up from the rock side! By the way, I did the trek again few weeks ago and 3 hrs is really on the high side – if you’re quick you could possibly make it back in ~1.5 hrs from the trek and you don’t need to have two cars there.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Ali

رد

Hi Ali,

First of all thank you for your time and for your explanation! Couldn’t thank you enough. We’re committed to the plan and will be visiting it this Friday. I’ll be taking a rope and some of the climbing gear to attempt abseiling it, otherwise, if it’s too much trouble we’ll just hike around it as you mentioned. We’ll be keeping both cars at the 1st village, to make the best of the hike ‘back and forth’. We will explore around the area to find a decent camp spots away from the villages (if you know any?) otherwise we’ll leave the wadi and camp by the beach. If all goes well, i’ll be taking up your other challenge, the full snake canyon hike the week after. I’ll tell you about the experience once i’m done and now that we’re instagram friends, i’m sure you’ll see many stories, all of which inspired by this post right here. PS: Does the trail require 4×4 to be engaged. Or not? 1 of the Pajeros we have, has the 4×4 system not working in it, and based on my extensive study of google earth, the roads seem alright. If you don’t mind. Thank you Ali again, and i hope we find time to meet soon. Best! Karim,

Hi Karim,

You’re most welcome! Sounds like a great plan, do keep me posted on your Snake Canyon plans, I may be able to join you (although I am currently in the UAE for the next 2-3 weeks, I plan on going back home over the weekends).
1) There are not many suitable camping spots near the wadi I’m afraid, you will know what I mean once you drive through it but even if you find a suitable spot it will probably be right by the road or near a village (there are 3 villages, and their farms, before you reach Mibam).
2) I personally drive a Pajero and always have 4×4 engaged in this drive, I know you can get quite a bit into the wadi with a normal sedan car, so having Pajero without 4×4 engaged should still be OK (the biggest worry is hitting the bottom of the car in some spots). Just ensure you don’t get stuck on uphill bends in your Pajero as that is when you’ll lose traction and 4×4 is requierd, if you maintain your speed (while ensuring you’re aware of any incoming traffic from the other side), it should be OK!

Will look forward to seeing your insta stories! Enjoy your visit 🙂
Ali

رد

Thank you Ali again for all your help! Much appreciated, on behalf of my friends and my self. We’ve decided to camp at Fins beach and not in the Wadi. Will keep you posted about Snake Canyon. Have a great time.

Hi Ali,
we would like to visit Wadi Tiwi in October. Me and my family would like to do a hike of max 3 hours. My mom – she is 80 years old – need to have a nice few and a drink somewhere. She can walk very well but definitely can´t do hiking. What would you recommend?

Many thanks in advance

Alexandra

Hi Alexandra,

Wadi Tiwi could be an option, starting at a different village and going up to Mibam and its pools and back. The only problem is that going into the Wadi requires a descent through some steep stairs, so it might be tough for your mom. That is why I would suggest doing the trek to Wadi Shab instead, where you can go hiking while your mom can relax at the early part.

If you’d like, I will be able to offer you a tour of either of these options – drop me an email for info.

Best,
Ali

رد

Hi Ali,
many thanks for your reply. We will do Wadi Shab as well but I don‘t want to miss Wadi Tiwi.
I am confused when I see the pictures which are stunning and read comments of other travellers that tiwi is boring. So I assume they only walk the very end of it. Which trek and starting poi t do you recommend for 3 hours? Then we can see if my mom can make it or if better for her to stay at the car/village. We can also do a tour if that gives any advantage to my mom.
Thanks again. Ali!

Hi Alexandra,

I am not sure what travel impressions you are reading, but for me Wadi Tiwi is much nicer than Wadi Shab 🙂 It just requires more effort to get to the nice parts, which is why I am a bit concerned for your mom. In the article I wrote about my experience where we stopped at the village before Mibam, and walked from there through the wadi. You could also drive all the way to Mibam village and descend into the wadi through the farms (there is no visible trek but you just try to descend down, ask village boys for help if you’re unsure and give them a tip after). However, in either of these cases your mom will struggle.

If your mom is OK going down steps, then I suggest you try the first option (village before Mibam) and take her down with you to the wadi and have her relax there while some of you can continue exploring the wadi further 🙂

Hope this helps,
Ali

رد

Hi Ali,
alright, now it is very clear. I also prefer your first Option going up to Mibam Village but still I am concerned that we cannot make it to the waterfall and back within 4 Hours. My mom can do a couple of steep steps but I don´t want to make her wait 5 Hours. So I guess we go there and decide there.
How Long does it take for you going up to Miban Village and back again?
Best regards
Alexandra

Hi Alexandra,
it takes about 1.5 hours round-trip by car to go to Miban Village. The pool are located about a 15 minutes walk from Miban Village. Although you may be walking through steep slope, the walk is relatively easy. So it may take a little bit more time. Once you reach the first pool there is another pool down below which can be reach by a little trail (This part is more technical and I would not recommend going with your Mom). But still you can enjoy the first pool. My advice is not to be rush with a tight schedule. Take your time and enjoy! It is a really nice place with breathtaking views.

Hi Alexandera,

Jean-Guy recommendation is spot on and is what I’d advise (thanks Jean-Guy). Drive all the way to Mibam village, park your car and try to find your way through to the waterfall (it takes 15 mins, but can be difficult to navigate. As I said, you can ask a village boy to navigate you down). From there, you reach a spot with a beautiful view of the waterfall, which is perfect place to relax with your mom while the others can continue down if they wish.

I think having 3hr total time from start of drive through Wadi Tiwi and coming back is sufficient to do the above 🙂

Best,
Ali

Thanks a lot, Ali, for all those information. I will let you know what we finally will have done. In the meanwhile I am looking forward to visit Oman by watching your wonderful photos at your instagram.
Best
Alexandra

Thanks a lot, Ali, for all those information. I will let you know what we finally will have done. In the meanwhile I am looking forward to visit Oman by watching your wonderful photos at your instagram.
Best
Alexandra

We are 2. 80 year olds who want to go to wadi tiwi or wadi shab. Just want to see and swim in pools..not long hike..which is better? We don’t have a 4 wheel but are Canadian so used to back roads..thanks for your help..

Hello, a nice and practical article, I made it today up and down from “base camp” (the village with steep parking site) to Mibam waterfall (overall at least 6 hours with a plenty of pic-taking).
I believe you little bit underestimate the trickiness of the trail and overestimate the 4WD car thing. The track may be somewhat steep and narrow at times but is paved and the trickiest part for 2WD is essentially the first very steep slope in the lower village (and is bypassable from the left on the gravel). I was worried a night before after reading your article but made it with relative ease in the end with (IMHO) below average 2WD automatic Hyundai Accent. You just need to know how to work with automat properly. Also many 2WD taxis regularly go there (in Jap. cars).
The trail itself was quite challenging at times: some parts are tricky, respectively, offering “wet”, “rocky” way or something between but none is easy. I had to go thru awesomely ugly:) steady water full of algae a couple of times (or at least chose this path), was full of thorns and slipped outta big boulder once (when approaching the easily most enchanting spot above the magnificent pool with gorge/valley in the background. On my way up/down, I met at least 2 species of leaches, some wasps, frogs, donkeys (ofc), non-talkative villagers and at least 3 species of butterflies. Some parts were full of thorny bush but probably just my detours!
All in all, hands down cooler and more magnificent wadi than Wadi Shab!

Thanks for sharing your experience Marek, and glad you managed to enjoy it and hopefully remained safe throughout! It is indeed a magnificent wadi, and I much prefer doing it that route because it’ll also avoid the large crowds who start at Mibam village isntead (and you don’t get to actually feel a sense of the adventure).

My article is probably quite outdated by now, and perhaps part of it could be some changes in pool levels and plant overgrowth! The trek/scrambling can be a quite tricky if you take certain parts (last time I did the route from the village I was with a group of friends who were adamant to lead the way instead of me and we ended up going through a similar experience to how you described).

I hope you also got to try some of the other wadis, with Wadi Al Arbaeen being one of my favourites 🙂

رد

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