A five day Eid weekend saw us venture into the Hajar Mountains of Oman. We drove south from UAE and once at the old fort town of Nizwa headed east into the mountains.  We camped on a plateau overlooking the tallest mountain in the range - Jebel Shams (3,000m).  The Hajar mountains are very beautiful and very rocky.  There are a few scattered mountain settlements where the hardy Shuwawis people have adapted to this harsh lifestyle.  The mountains are rugged networks of wadi channels, which have carved dramatic canyons and caves. The few fertile areas have been cultivated and provide green oases against the grey rock.

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Our favorite part of this adventure was the three villages walk on Jebel Akhdar.  Access to the mountain is via a steep drive that must be done in 4WD low gear.  The area is known for its traditional rose water extraction and agricultural products including pomegranates, walnuts, apricots, black grapes, and peaches. It is also the site of honey bee breeding for much of Oman. There are falaj irrigation channels crisscrossing the daring terraces devised by the local farmers, who have lived on this mountain for hundreds of years.  As it was Eid, there were some gruesome animal offerings left around the towns.  But, we enjoyed the walk from the first village across to Dianna's Point (where Lady Dianna was choppered in many years back).  In one spot, a wadi meanders through the small farms then plunges off the cliff.