Jebel Shams

From Al Khitaym along a ledge above Wadi Ghul to the abandoned village of Sab Bani Khamis. Around 9km return and three to four hours, no ropes needed, but exposed drops the whole way and no shade at all.

The viewpoint by the resorts looks straight down into Wadi Ghul, a kilometre below. Be there between 5.45 and 6.15am; the light flattens by eight.

Jebel Shams Resort runs chalets at roughly OMR 55-130 and Sama Heights around OMR 60-100, both with dinner. There is nothing else up here at all.

Permitted in the marked areas near the viewpoint. January and February nights hit 2-5C with occasional frost, so a bag rated to -5C is the minimum and there is no wood to gather.

At the base of the climb: a mud-brick village abandoned on the cliff at the mouth of the canyon, with the dry wadi bed running out below it. Free, unstabilised, and worth the stop.

Tarmac as far as Al Hamra, about 45 minutes from Nizwa. Past the village of Ghul the road turns into a steep, rocky mountain track for the last stretch.

The final climb is unsurfaced and washes out after rain. Saloon cars sometimes make it and regularly get damaged doing so; hire a 4x4 in Muscat or Nizwa.

Day trips and overnight tours run from Nizwa and Muscat. Muscat is roughly 250km and three hours away before the mountain road even starts.

October-April: clear cold air, 10-15C below Muscat, and the only comfortable months for the rim walk.

May and September: hot on the approach, still workable at altitude, and the two resorts half empty.

December-February weekends and Eid, when Omani families come up to camp and the chalets fill.

Up for sunrise on the rim, before haze fills the canyon and the day-trippers arrive.

Start the Balcony Walk from Al Khitaym while the ledge is still in shade.

Carry it. There is nothing on the trail and nothing at Sab Bani Khamis but a spring and a ruin.

Back along the ledge, then down to Misfat Al Abriyeen or Al Hamra if you are not staying up.

Dinner at the resort, then outside for the sky. Winter needs a proper coat, not a jumper.

Forty minutes down: a stone village on a terrace of date palms, fed by a falaj, closed to cars and open to walkers. Two family guesthouses serve dinner to guests.

Under two hours down and the nearest place with hotels, restaurants, fuel and cash machines. The fort and souq fill an afternoon, and the goat market runs Friday from 6am.