When we arrived in the country of Oman, my three sisters and I headed to the mountains straight away. Passing fairytale fortresses like Nakhl, we drove towards Wadi Bani Awf (“Wadi” meaning valley) to cross a steep mountain pass, with no barrier between the road and the abyss below. It was nearly dark by the time we arrived at the top, so we searched for a nice spot to set up our tents and watched the sun dip below the mountain range nearby.
The next day we get up early and drove to the top of the deep canyon called Jebel Shams. We hiked around the area and camped on the canyon rim, completely alone, except for some goats, and embraced the solitude this wild land offers.
In the morning, as fog rose from the valley floor we quickly broke camp and left, before the rain could turn the dry soil into little rivers. From there we explored the city of Nizwa and ancient graves at Al Ayn before heading further into the mountains at Jebel Akhdar.
In between mountains and canyons, we hiked through wadis, swimming in turquoise pools and jumping off waterfalls in caves. Oman often feels like a giant natural playground just waiting to be explored.
