Bimmah Sinkhole

Many locations in the Sultanate of Oman would remind you the backdrop of floating in emerald-tinted water with a clear blue sky and blazing sunshine overhead. Casting shadows across your face, the towering limestone rock faces looming above is the only clue that you are somewhere uniquely different. It is quite something to swim in a geological phenomenon even nowadays.

The sinkhole at Bimmah is a popular tourist attraction that draws thousands of people who want to take a dip in such a spectacular setting and being a cavernous limestone bowl and hence it is no surprise.

With crystal-clear waters carving a hole through the soft limestone, the Bimmah sinkhole is considered one of the more beautiful of its kind found off the Quriyat to Tiwi coastal highway on the way to Sur.

When groundwater travels through easily dissolved rock such as limestone, carbonates and salt beds, these amazing creations are formed. Leaving subterranean holes and caverns over time the water eats away at the rocks.

Leaving giant holes the land above it falls in too when the roof of one of these caverns collapses. Some of which are reportedly as wide as 600m the one at Bimmah is 20 metres deep, a baby in size in comparison with others. Being great spot for families and day trippers from Muscat,  it’s easily accessible.

One has to descend 40 to 50 steps of a concrete stairway leading to the base of the hole to get to the limestone hollow. You could walk straight into the vibrant turquoise waters

from there.


 

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