The best day yet because we finally escaped the city and headed for the hills of Oman.

Take a look on Google Maps – look down to the end of the list for Wadi Madbah.

From Abu Dhabi we went through the oasis town of Al Ain and crossed over the border into the Sultanate of Oman. The road southeast crossed gravel plains before rising into the foothills of the Oman mountains.

This is us on the way out. We are back onto the gravel plains, mountains in the background with a few stunted trees, struggling to survive.

We (Sue & I and Manda) started the off-road part of the day by driving along a rocky wadi as far as we could and then following the trickle of water on foot to some stunning swimming holes.

The water was refreshing but still warm.

After some athletic mountain climbing we drove higher up into the mountains to view the wadi from above.

What a place to stop for lunch.