The Hajar Mountains run like a spinal column down the length of the country, dividing the fertile coastal plain from the harsh desert interior. In the north of the country, Nizwa, ancient capital of a rival state to Muscat, sits and dominates the base of the mountain range, its huge fort a glowering presence. Whether you reach Nizwa via the modern highway through the fort-fringed Sumail Gap, or via the offroad sheer canyon of Wadi Bani Awf, the Hajar will tower over you, layers of rock folded endlessly on one another and thrust into the sky. As you explore the canyons and terraced villages, some abandoned, some home to hardy farmers, you’ll feel a million miles from the modern world and will have your breath taken away every time you turn a corner into new, ever more dramatic vistas.