The place, almost forgotten at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula, does not initially astonish or enchant. Balanced precariously between the ancient and the modern, but resolutely focused on the future, Oman requires an extra measure of patience before it opens up and allows outsiders to come close.

Everywhere there is desert – dry, uninhabited, monotonous and colorless at first glance. Only after crossing the first dunes, the branches of the wadis, and leaving the modern highway for the unpaved trails do you discover the rest: animals, people, colors.

We wanted to climb, and we found ourselves facing Jebel Misht and its vast rock face, difficult, with more than 1,000 meters of elevation gain, which challenged us for almost 24 hours before we could return to the valley. We wanted to climb high, and, following the vertiginous rim of an immense canyon, we reached the summit of Jebel Shams at 3,009 meters, after a long and demandinghike. We wanted to travel, to explore, to get to know, and we found ourselves crossing immense expanses of golden dunes, endless deserted beaches where at night the giant sea turtles from the Indian Ocean crouch to lay their eggs, deep and winding wadis where we bathed in unexpected pools of clear turquoise water, rocky islands surrounded by vivid coral reefs, incredible villages of fishermen, of shepherds, of Bedouins immersed in green oases of palm trees, where the people, always cordial, never fail to greet you.

We wanted to live a new, rich experience, and we did…

Go to Sportful blog and have a look at the OMAN pics!

JEBEL SHAMS Al Hajar Mountains – Oman

Experience by Maurizio Giordani

Info:
KARPOS