Ayn Athum waterfall makes late Khareef return

Water was observed cascading at Ayn Athum on Tuesday, marking a late seasonal appearance after the waterfall remained without significant flow through much of this year’s Khareef

Salalah: Water began cascading at Ayn Athum in eastern Dhofar on Tuesday, 8 September, in a notably late seasonal appearance of one of the governorate’s best-known waterfalls.

The flow was observed during a field visit to the site on Tuesday morning, following a Khareef in which the waterfall had remained largely without the volume of water normally associated with the latter part of the monsoon season.

The timing stands out against last year. On 25 August 2025, the Oman Observer reported Ayn Athum in full flow, with water descending over the rocky escarpment after seasonal rainfall had replenished the spring system.

This year, the return has come around two weeks later, providing a visible example of how conditions at Dhofar’s seasonal waterfalls can vary substantially from one Khareef to another.

Ayn Athum, about 33 km from Salalah, is fed by a natural spring, while the waterfall itself is seasonal. Its strength depends on the amount and timing of moisture and rainfall reaching the surrounding catchment during Khareef.

The renewed flow comes as Dhofar enters the closing weeks of the officially recognised Khareef period, which runs from 21 June to 21 September.

September is also a transitional period for the governorate, as Khareef conditions gradually ease and Dhofar moves towards Al Sarb, while green landscapes and seasonal water flows can persist beyond the main tourism peak.

The appearance of the waterfall therefore adds a late-season development to this year’s Khareef, particularly after the surrounding landscape had turned green while several seasonal water features remained comparatively subdued.