First we visited Jalan Bani Bu Ali, then Jalan Bani Bu Hassan and finally drove into the Wadi Bani Khalid. We think bani means sons. At least in this area, everything had a bani in its name.
Jalan Bani Bu Ali has some old watchtowers, old mud houses crumbling away and a castle with the same fate. It was interesting to walk through the ruins, discovering old doors and nice features.
The same village has a special old mosque, with a low prayer hall with 52 domes. We drove past it, but it is not open to tourists.
In Jalan Bani Bu Hassan, we visited another castle, just that this one was rebuilt to perfection.
The castle / museum in Al Kamil sounded interesting, but is closed for renovation. We then drove into Wadi Bani Khalid, where the drive to the wadi was already spectacular, sadly the weather didn’t cooperate at all and it was raining. The colourful mountains left much to the imagination, without any sun shining. Down in the wadi lies a village and plantations of palm trees and vegetable gardens in terraces, watered with the aid of water channels. We walked to the natural pools and further into the canyon, with washed out rocks and more pools for a refreshing dip.
For the night we left the wadi again and found a spot in another valley, together with other overlanders.