Oman
Wadi Bani Khalid
Emerald pools steaming in a canyon that doesn't know it's surrounded by desert.
The pool is the colour of jade, impossibly bright against the brown canyon walls. The water is warm — spring-fed from somewhere deep in the Hajar — and completely clear. Above the first pools, the canyon narrows, and the scramble upward reveals more pools, each more private than the last, until the rock closes in and a cave mouth beckons.
Wadi Bani Khalid is one of the few wadis in Oman with year-round water, making it a reliable destination regardless of season. The pools at the lower end are large, warm, and easily accessible, with steps and paths maintained for visitors. The atmosphere on weekends is communal — Omani families spread picnics on the rocks while children swim in the shallows. Beyond the main pools, the canyon narrows and the terrain becomes more challenging, rewarding scramblers with increasingly secluded swimming spots. A cave system at the upper end of the wadi can be explored with a torch, its passages threading through limestone worn smooth by ancient water. The combination of warm natural pools, accessible lower sections, and adventurous upper reaches makes it one of Oman's most versatile wadi destinations.
Family
The lower pools have gentle access, warm water, and a communal atmosphere where Omani families already bring their children.
Friends
The upper pools and cave system reward the group willing to scramble — the further you go, the more you have to yourselves.
Couple
Visit early on a weekday morning and the lower pools are yours — jade-green water in a silent canyon, completely private.
- Year-round pools stay warm and emerald green, fed by natural springs deep in the rock.
- The first pools are accessible to all; the upper pools require a scramble rewarded with solitude.
- A cave entrance at the back of the canyon can be explored with a torch and steady nerve.
- Local families picnic here on weekends — the atmosphere is relaxed and genuinely communal.
Picnic of dates, halwa, and flatbread beside the pools — local vendors set up by the car park.
Drive to Ibra afterwards for mashkak kebabs sizzling on open charcoal grills.
Riri Blue Hole
Vanuatu
A bamboo raft drifts through dark jungle to a blue hole that glows like stained glass.
Arrábida
Portugal
Turquoise coves locked between limestone cliffs and ancient monastery forest above the sea.
Funafuti Conservation Area
Tuvalu
Green turtles nest on islets so untouched that your footprints may be the only human ones.
Lagunas de Montebello
Mexico
Fifty-nine lakes — cobalt, emerald, violet — scattered through pine forest on the Guatemalan border.
Salalah
Oman
Arabia's monsoon secret — waterfalls and emerald hills where the desert should be.
Wadi Darbat
Oman
A waterfall cascading into green pools while camels graze and frankincense trees bleed resin.
Jebel Akhdar
Oman
Rose terraces carved into canyon walls two thousand metres above the desert floor.
Muscat Old Town
Oman
Twin Portuguese forts guarding a harbour where the Sultan's palace glows gold against black rock.