ENGLISH
Snake Canyon
Snake Canyon (also known as Snake Gorge or Wadi Bimah due to the nearby Bimah village) is a canyon in Wadi Bani Awf in the South Batinah Governorate of Oman. The canyon is accessible from the mountain path connecting Al Batinah to Al Hamra. While the local people call the canyon Seer Al Zamah, the name Snake Canyon has been popularized for this place, due to the way the canyon bends, resembling the shape of a snake. It is the largest natural water park in Oman and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, containing breathtaking tall cliffs, narrow adventurous paths and blue pools.
The canyon has been created by carving of the rocks as a result of water erosion. This is the reason why the surface of the rocks is so smooth and polished making the rocks extremely slippery and difficult to grip. The width of the canyon is between 1 – 10 meters.
How to get there
Snake Canyon can be reached via the Wadi Bani Awf crossing either from Al Batinah side or Al Dakhiliyah side. However, it is a tough and steep ride and a 4WD car is a MUST.
If you drive from Muscat, drive through Nakhal towards Al Rustaq. After crossing Al Awabi village, turn into Wadi Bani Awf. From the turn to Wadi Bani Awf it is ~20 km to Al Zamah village – which is the exit of Snake Canyon. From here you have to cross another 6 km of steep & tough mountain path to the entrance of Snake Canyon (‘Right Fork’), just behind the Balad Sayt football field.
Description of the place
The most popular section of the Snake Canyon (sometimes referred to as the ‘Right Fork’, this is generally what is meant when someone says ‘Snake Canyon’) is the stretch going from the part of the gorge under Balad Sayt village and ending at Al Zamah Village.
The ‘Left Fork’ section of the Snake Canyon is a shorter trek starting from Bimah Village and also ending at Al Zamah.
These should not be confused with what is popularly referred to as the Little Snake Canyon, which is not connected to either Left or Right forks and is a bit of a further drive up from Al Zamah Village.
Outdoor activities
For outdoor activities‘ lovers has Snake Canyon a lot to offer, from hiking or canyoning to swimming options.
The descent into Snake Canyon is probably at the top of every intrepid explorer’s bucket list, and for very good reason. The route involves some delightful scenery and thrilling terrain to conquer. Those intending to complete it should be warned that it does involve some daring jumps into rock pools and a fair bit of swimming through ravines. The complete journey takes about 3 – 4 hours, depending on how quickly you swim the pools and scramble over the slippery boulders.
As well as its pools and canyoning, this exciting route also offers via ferrata climbs as well as zip line crossings 100m above the canyon floor.
Please don’t let any ambitions cloud your judgement, especially when it comes to assessing the weather. In 1996, eight people, including four Britons, an Irish citizen, and two US Airforce personnel, were killed by a flash flood in the Snake Canyon. The fact cannot be stressed enough: when it rains, this canyon is deadly! Even a rain many miles away can cause the wadis and ravines to become raging torrents in just a few minutes.
YOUR TASKS:
A) Find out from the listing:
1) How was the Snake Canyon created?
2) What is the width of the canyon?
B) Find out at the given coordinates:
3) What is the colour of the rocks that make up Snake Canyon?
4) What is the thickness of the geological layers of rock formations, that you can see on the left hand side (when entering the Snake Canyon, so looking inside the canyon; if you are not sure what to measure, see the spoiler picture)?
C) Take a picture of yourself in the Snake Canyon or with the Snake Canyon in the background
Feel free to log the cache immediately when sending the answers and uploading images, you don't have to wait for my approval. I will let you know only if there is something wrong.