Al Awabi: The Sultanate is rich in many tourist potentials that constitute an important asset to the national economy. One of these important tourist destinations is Wadi Bani Kharus in the Wilayat of Al Awabi, the Governorate of South Al Batinah.
Wadi Bani Kharus is one of the most famous valleys that bear witness to the ancient of Omani history. The valley is characterized by the cultivation of many fruit trees and various agricultural crops. It abounds with various plants, flowers, medicinal herbs, and wildlife. It has also many Falajes, water springs, various rock formations and archaeological inscriptions on some stones and old houses.
The water of Wadi Bani Kharus flows down when it rains, irrigating a group of villages and orchards along the valley.
Upon the arrival at Al Awabi fort, the visitor passes by several villages, agricultural areas, and valleys such as the "Safun" valley, the villages of Hadis, Dhahir Sokotra, Al Houdiniya, Al Rawda, and Al Markh, and others, to the highest point connecting the valley to the slopes of Al Jabal Al Akhdhar in the Governorate of Al Dakhiliyah.
The Koor Al Ghaba path, as some call it, located in the valley, represents an important and vital option for lovers of hiking and climbing. Tourists from inside and outside the Sultanate flock throughout the year to Wadi Kharus due to its picturesque nature and fabulous landscapes. What makes this path different is the constant flow of water and the presence of many ponds for those who like to swim.
The journey begins at the Areesh Al Hail mosque, where cars park at the bottom of the valley in the village of Al Alya. The journey can also start from the villages of Saqr and Sahukoun.
Many people continue to walk uphill, passing by (Jubat al Kaysan ), which may sometimes be filled with deep water, forcing hikers to take the mountain road to the right of the water pool up to the top until reaching (Koor Al Ghaba). For those who want to continue hiking and climbing, the village of Al Sujara in the Al Jabal Al Akhdhar, the Governorate of Al Dakhiliyah, will be their final destination after a journey that lasts more than four hours between the rocks of the valley or climbing mountains sometimes.
The tourist may visit the village of Chinot, the Maawal Cave, or Hail Al Misbit and other villages, or go down a little to “Saqatna” and other villages of Al Jabal Al Akhdhar such as Wadi Bani Habib, Siq, Al Ain and many others.
Al Jabal Al Akhdhar can be reached on foot from several paths and mountain routes in a number of the valley’s villages, such as Dhabk Al Safat Road, Al Fawares Road, Al Qatimat, Thaqab, Al Hajeer and others.
It is worth noting that the Wilayat of Al Awabi is approximately 140 kilometres from the Governorate of Muscat, linked by modern and paved roads to the Wilayat of Al Rustaq on the western side and the Wilayat of Nakhal on the eastern side, as well as by Al Jabal Al Akhdhar from the southern side. History books have recorded news of imams, scholars, poets, writers and the various events of this Wilayat and its famous valley through ages. --ONA
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