Stay in the car!

OK, so lesson #3 in "How to Beat the Heat" - stay inside! But fortunately, with the advent of [environmental catastrophe alert] air conditioning in cars, staying inside doesn't have to mean being trapped in the house when the thermometer starts nudging 50 ... what follows is actually a trip we made a few months ago that I've meaning to share for ages, which still counts as one of the most thrilling drives so far. Believe me though, there have been plenty since then, and with so many nooks and crannies still left to explore, I continue to put the Jungle Bus through her paces ...

The round trip from Muscat

Actually, this map includes a walking route between Misfat Al Abrayeen at the top of the mountains and Wadi Bani Awf that snakes down towards the coast .... but there is also a slightly longer and simply spectacular off-road route. You can do the drive in either direction, but we definitely enjoyed starting at the top of the mountains and driving down down down into the canyons and towards the sea.

So, the start point is right in the middle of the Hajar mountain range - a couple of hours whizzing up one of Oman's immaculate highways to Nizwa, and then smaller tarmac roads through Al Hamra and up towards the very summit of the range. Above is the view that greets you on the ridge, which is also the point where the tarmac ends and the adventure begins ...

The road looks gentle and winding from a distance ...

... but it's slow and sure to avoid pitching over into those precipices!

The Jungle Bus feeling good in its natural environment

Further down, but the track keeps winding

The first part of the journey was just plain scary in parts, scree tracks at 45 degrees and lots of u-bends with looooooooooong drops ... but this is what the Jungle bus was designed for, and she took it in her stride. We felt in safe hands! Once we got into the valleys properly, it was much more just bumpy, twisty fun and beautiful little corners of Oman far from the madding crowds ... just divine.

A little oasis in the barren hills

The beginning of Snake Gorge cutting into  the mountains

Down in the valley of Wadi Bani Awf

One of those rare little corners of wet lushness