Camels, sand dunes, buggies and oases: An exotic retreat within Arabia. Maybe that’s the image conjured up by your mind at the mention of Oman. Now scratch that completely and imagine all that sand being compacted into walls of a 1000m and more, towering amidst a landscape dominated by earthen columns and mounds.

Jebel Shams brings together broken boulders and wizened branches in a landscape that seems devoid of life. But don’t let that fool you as you come across shepherds along the plateau and bleating goats. As sunlight hits the highest peak in Oman, villages long emptied come back to life, terraced gardens overgrown with vines highlighted beneath brightening skies. Chiseled away from the staggered columns is Al Nakhr Canyon, a broken fissure framing the star-spangled skies at night. Nothing of these views speaks of arid plains and endless deserts. For a touch of the unexpected, how about a night out at Jebel Shams?