grand canyon

“I'd say [to the African villagers] ‘Once there was a man who had an elephant with two heads. . .’ and at once they were eager to hear more. ‘Oh? Yes, but Mem-Sahib, how did he find it, and how did he manage to feed it?’”
Isak Dinesen

We're on a two-foot wide ledge 1,900m above Oman's Grand Canyon and we just looked down. Big mistake, but if you survive the thought of a misplaced step, worth every bit of bravery. All around us and below, the canyon yawns up from the depths of Wadi Nakhr, tucked away in the sultanate's Western Hajar Mountains. Little pebbles displaced by our feet roll down the side, but the last thing we wanted to do was look to see where they fell. Instead, we concentrated on the next few steps, taking them one inch at a time.

We had driven southwest from the capital, through the Samail Gap that separated the Eastern from the Western Hajar range of mountains, passing the foothills of the Jebel Akhdar to our right against the low sun and into the quietly ordered town of Nizwa, with its spotlessly clean main street with perfectly ordered trees, and its fort and souq to the left. We hit the sparse, open town of Al Hamra almost exactly 200km from the Seeb Airport roundabout. The word hamra literally means red, and the town gets its name from the predominant shade of its soil. It was set aglow in the setting sun, and we drove around, past a lone watchtower and children playing football against a haze of mountains. Lower down, we crept into the old quarter, following the falaj through date plantations. This century-old system of irrigation was now put to more modern uses, with people driving up and splashing the swiftly moving water for a car wash with a twist of tradition. Further on, we walked into the dying embers of the old town, entire blocks of houses abandoned and crumbling, deserted streets half-luminescent in the dying light. The twisting paths in-between were just raw mountain rock, polished over centuries.

When you do finish with the town, head on west down the road that will take you to the village of Ghul, and the opening of its Wadi Nakhr further down, the Middle East's very own Grand Canyon. You could either turn right here to explore the canyon floor - a 4WD is essential - or drive on to camp above it. We carried on past it, down the main road; keep following it even as it turns into a dirt track, ignoring signs pointing to surrounding villages. Follow the main dirt track and soon you'll be at the plateau on top, with a bit of metal fencing to your left and the canyon stretching out below you. We got there way after dark, and it looked quite mind-blowing in the silver moonlight that barely reached its depths, disappearing into the depths of the abyss. You have two choices for a night out when you reach the plateau. You could either stay at the Centre of Travelling and Camping in Jebel Shams (refer to the box for details) or camp out in the open. We snuggled into our sleeping bags and looked up at the stars, our heads against the great slab of rock. We woke up at the crack of dawn, got into our off-roader and set off along the ridge, following the signposts to hiking path W6, which starts from the little village of Al Khatim. It is little more than a sprinkling of a few stone rooms stuck to the side of the canyon. Park your car here, and set off down the trekking path marked by daubs of paint - bands of yellow, white and red - against the rock.

And that's when it hits you. If you're scared of heights, don't even think of this one. You're along the inside face of the canyon, maybe a hundred metres from the top, on a ridge a few steps across. That ledge, quite risky when I first walked it, has now been widened and is much safer now. Once you wake up to the risks and get used to - sort of - the dizzying heights down below you, you'll have the privilege of some of the greatest, most stunning views in the sultanate. This is the closest we've ever come to a bird's eye view and it was the experience of a lifetime. Walk along the ridge, sticking to the folds of the mountainside, until the path ends at the abandoned village of Sap Bani Khamis. It was inhabited for hundreds of years, its residents protected from the outside world by the toughest approach possible. Explore the sparse ruins of stone houses, a one-room mosque with a carved wooden door and empty food stores. Below are terraced plantations now bare, and ahead of you a pool of water. The ridge opens out quite wide at the village, up to maybe 50ft, and this is a great place to camp for a while. We got out our food and stove and had a great breakfast and tea in the most fabulous setting. There really are very few places to beat drinking a steaming cup than the inside of a canyon. What would also be a great idea would be to set up camp and spend the night here. Just don't roll over in your sleep!

Walk on from the village, going on straight and then upwards and to the left, to the hidden pool of water cupped in the mountain wall, almost above the abandoned village a few terraces below. This is one of the most beautiful spots, a place of hidden quiet beauty; in direct contrast to the sheer grandeur of the more exposed parts of the walk. The absolute stillness of the water, half-choked at the corners with plants, reflects the silence of the mountain. Somewhere over the terraces a bird twitters, then another, only to die down into the silence of the canyon.

Sap Bani Khamis is the end of the trail, and you'll have to head back the way you came. We found the going back so much easier, once we'd got used to the height. You learn to tackle the really dizzy parts by concentrating on your next couple of steps ahead, ignoring the abyss below if it makes you uncomfortable. It really can be quite an easy walk, a couple of hours long, with only the slightest of difference in altitude. There is also the hiking path W6a, which starts from Al Khatim above and makes its way to the floor, but it is long and arduous and might be better left for another day.

Once you're through, drive down the way you came, and turn into Wadi Nakhr (at Ghul village) on your left, which leads into what you saw from your walk above the canyon. You are immediately surrounded by massive towering slabs of rock on either side. There are quite a few pools of water down here, and the track had washed away when we went exploring, so we had to turn back without driving very deep inside.

All along the road to the plateau, you'll come across kids selling traditional woven rugs, slippers, key chains and other knick-knacks for a few rials. Down in Wadi Nakhr we found a few villagers actually weaving the rugs, and we stopped for a look which inevitably lead to a much appreciated round of kahwa and dates. A bit of hospitality on the floor of the Grand Canyon was the perfect topping to a day spent at dizzying heights among the remnants of an extraordinary people who lived off the sheer cliff face. Their monuments, and mountain trails, are still here after centuries, kept alive by the people who walk them now.

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