Last Sunday, we decided to revisit Wadi Mangal, a stunning canyon I had previously explored with friends.
This time, I was joined by two close friends, Rami and Hamood, making it a more social outing.
Our main reason for returning was to inspect the area after recent significant rainfall throughout the country. Such weather events often dramatically alter the landscape and water levels within canyons.
Wadi Mangal is a magnificent geological formation, starting at the base of Al Jabal Al Aswad and extending several kilometres southwards, close to the impressive dam structure in Wadi Dayqah.
We met in Al Amerat, gathering all three of us before hopping into a single car to begin our adventure. We set off at 8:30 in the morning, ready to tackle the road ahead with shared excitement and a unified sense of purpose for the day's travels.
The geology of this canyon is truly stunning. It offers a breathtaking view of deeply wrinkled rock formations.
These unique textures were created millions years ago when immense geological forces, specifically giant pressure and intense heat deep within the Earth's crust, slowly sculpted the stone over millions of years, leaving behind this remarkable natural legacy for us to observe today.
The water flowing through the wadi bed was crisp and clear, sparkling with purity as it meandered along the rocky channel. The nearby ponds were full, reflecting the sky above.
In one particular spot within the canyon, we encountered a massive boulder standing prominently in the centre. Upon closer inspection, we discovered the weathered remains of an ancient falaj, a testament to past irrigation systems.
The first part of the wadi involved navigating between boulders and further, we had to start climbing on the left side of the canyon to find our way to the top where we would abseil into Wadi Mangal.
The climb was quite difficult, following a crack in the mountain where we could see the remains of an old track that locals used in the past to reach Jabal Al Aswad.
During our ascent, the views were breathtaking! We could see the ocean between the massive mountains.
After about 2 hours of climbing, we reached a place where we used a tree as an anchor to abseil into Wadi Mangal.
There was much more water than the first time I crossed this canyon and the waterfalls were active.
The following three drops were in three waterfalls ranging from 30 to 120 metres high.
The last drop was 120 metres, where we could stop practically in the middle of the waterfall in a shallow cave to retrieve our rope and re-fix it at this place to abseil the second half.
That drop finishes in a superb pool measuring around 40 metres in diameter.
There we decided to stop and have some drinks and snacks before continuing our hike in the wadi bed and reaching our vehicle at 5:30 pm to drive back home.
These moments spent with good friends in such a mesmerising place are priceless and addictive.
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