My respite from the busy City

Being a country boy at heart and living in the capital city of the UAE, sometimes the concrete jungle gets too much and the eject button has to be hit. Back in October 2017, I had exactly this moment and just needed a break. So I decided to take the last day of the week off work to give myself a long weekend to roam. After weighing up a few options such as a cheap flight to another country or staying somewhere in the UAE, I decided that I would jump in my Toyota and head across the Border to Oman.

When I’d made the decision to head to Oman, the plan kind of formed itself. Throughout the whole of October there were metoer showers to be seen every night. My luck would have it, that on this same weekend there was a New Moon, which would mean less light pollution and the spectacle would hopefully better for it. Jebel Shams was my obvious place to head as its the tallest point in Oman which would help again with the sightings and also I could keep myself occupied during the day with some hiking,

So with that decided I left work on a Wednesday night and struck for Oman. The border is about two hours from Dubai or Abu Dhabi depending on where you live. The crossing was nice and easy, just show my passport, evidence of my car insurance, pay the visa fee and off they sent me. From the Border it took me around 4 hours with breaks to get to Jebel Shams.

By the time I arrived it was dark so I decided to pick a spot next to the road to set up camp for the night as I didn’t really know my way around. So once my bed was sorted in the truck I grabbed a bite to eat and hit the sack.

I woke up just before sunrise and sat eating my breakfast while the sun rose over the Canyon. After an hour or so it was time for me to get a move on so I could start the Balcony walk along the Canyon.

To get to the beginning of the hike you had to drive down a dirt track which is accessible for a car, but having a 4×4 is probably less nerve racking. Once i arrived at the village I spoke to a local lady who pointed me in the direction of the hike and head of with my back pack and camera.

I read on trip advisor that the whole Hike should take around 3 hours but I wasted time with taking photos etc and was more like 5 for me. Below you can see what sort of terrain the walk was. Incredible scenery but if you’re one that struggles with heights then this may not be the walk for you.

At the end of the canyon there is an abandoned Village with a Wadi hidden above it. It took me a good 30 minutes to locate the Wadi but was well worth the sight. Unfortunately as I was visiting at the end of October the water levels in the Wadi were low as there had been no rainfall, due to it being summer.

Local Goat at the Wadi.

On the hike back to the truck I stopped off for some lunch in the shade.

After the hike back to the truck I went to get some supplies from a supermarket down the mountain and went to find a suitable spot for the evening.

Overview of the my sunset camping spot.

Just waiting for the sun to drop below the horizon before I get my campfire going.

Lonely night under the stars with natures TV, the campfire.

My bedroom view. The mornings were cold but it was a refreshing change from the heat of the desert.

I spent a few hours soaking up the morning raise before heading down the mountain and heading to my adventure in Oman. Surfing on the west coast. Which will be coming at a later date.

I hope you have enjoyed this article. If you have any questions or feedback please post a comment below.

Hope to catch you soon.

Sion