Oman
Jebel Shams
Arabia's Grand Canyon — a kilometre-deep chasm where vultures circle below your feet.
The trail runs along a ledge with nothing but air below. A kilometre of it. Vultures circle inside the gorge at eye level, riding thermals that push warm air up the canyon walls. The abandoned village of Al Khitaym clings to a shelf halfway down, its stone houses now home to nothing but wind.
Jebel Shams — the Sun Mountain — is Oman's highest peak at just over 3,000 metres and home to the country's deepest canyon, often compared to the Grand Canyon for its sheer scale. The Balcony Walk, a rim trail that traces the edge of Wadi Ghul's kilometre-deep gorge, is the most famous hike in Oman. The trail passes through the abandoned settlement of Al Khitaym, perched on a narrow ledge above the void. Eagles and Egyptian vultures are regular companions, circling the thermals at eye level. Overnight camping on the rim offers sunrise above the cloud layer, while the mountain's cooler temperatures make it one of the few places in Oman where autumn and winter bring genuinely cold nights. The drive to the summit requires a 4x4 and passes through increasingly dramatic scenery as the terrain drops away on all sides.
Solo
The Balcony Walk's exposure and solitude create a walking meditation — the scale of the canyon makes everything else feel small.
Friends
Overnight camping on the rim with a fire, cold mountain air, and sunrise over a kilometre-deep gorge is a peak group adventure.
Couple
The 4x4 drive, the hike, and the canyon views combine into a day trip that feels genuinely earned and memorable.
- The Balcony Walk trails along a cliff edge with a kilometre of air below your feet.
- The abandoned village of Al Khitaym clings to a ledge halfway down the canyon wall.
- Overnight camping on the rim puts you above the cloud layer at sunrise.
- Vultures and eagles circle the thermals inside the gorge at eye level from the trail.
Mountain goat stew cooked by villagers in the abandoned settlement of Al Khitaym.
Thermos tea and dates on the Balcony Walk, three thousand feet above the canyon floor.
Todra Gorge
Morocco
Three-hundred-metre canyon walls closing to ten metres apart, river echoing in the slot.
Imlil
Morocco
Walnut groves and terraced fields clinging to the flanks of North Africa's highest peak.
Kerio Valley
Kenya
Paragliders step off a 1,500-metre escarpment into thermals that sweep Kenya's most dramatic valley floor.
Applecross
Scotland
Britain's steepest road hairpins over a pass to a village that time circled and left.
Wadi Shab
Oman
Swim through a narrow rock crack to find a waterfall hidden inside a cave.
Empty Quarter Edge
Oman
Dunes like frozen tidal waves at the threshold of the world's largest sand sea.
Musandam Peninsula
Oman
Sheer limestone cliffs plunging into turquoise fjords where dolphins race your dhow.
Masirah Island
Oman
Wind-blasted island where loggerhead turtles outnumber people and kitesurfers ride empty swells.