Recently, we made our way to the top of Jebel Shams, Oman's highest mountain at around 3,000 meters (10,000 feet). In Arabic, Jebel means "mountain" and Shams means "sun." While the height of the mountain is impressive, more spectacular is the deep canyon that lies beside it. This massive fissure cuts into the mountain and exposes vertical cliffs of 1,000 meters and more. The upper rim is completely exposed and one can walk right up to the edge and look into the deep canyon below.
The road to the top took us through a series of sharp bends. For the most part, the road was paved. The last 5 miles, however, was graded track. We were very happy to have our 4WD vehicle to drive over the rocks, dirt, and potholes of this part.
The top of the mountain is uninhabited. There are, however, several mountain "camps" with permanent or semi-permanent structures where one can stay. These include dining facilities as well. We choose to spend the night in a sturdy tent at one of these places. It was nice place to come back to after hiking along the canyon rim.
On our second day on the mountain, we hiked through an ancient village that lies about halfway down the mountain. The village is built into the mountainside on terraces that support stone houses and date plantations. At certain points, the green vegetation of the banana trees, corn, and date trees made it feel like we were in a lush forest.
We all thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors. The cooler and drier weather was also a treat. The boys especially liked the endless expanses for hiking and climbing. All-in-all, another great segment of our extended Omani adventure.
The road to the top took us through a series of sharp bends. For the most part, the road was paved. The last 5 miles, however, was graded track. We were very happy to have our 4WD vehicle to drive over the rocks, dirt, and potholes of this part.
The top of the mountain is uninhabited. There are, however, several mountain "camps" with permanent or semi-permanent structures where one can stay. These include dining facilities as well. We choose to spend the night in a sturdy tent at one of these places. It was nice place to come back to after hiking along the canyon rim.
On our second day on the mountain, we hiked through an ancient village that lies about halfway down the mountain. The village is built into the mountainside on terraces that support stone houses and date plantations. At certain points, the green vegetation of the banana trees, corn, and date trees made it feel like we were in a lush forest.
We all thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors. The cooler and drier weather was also a treat. The boys especially liked the endless expanses for hiking and climbing. All-in-all, another great segment of our extended Omani adventure.
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