Walking in the Wadi
Jan 27, 2012 17:57:16 GMT
Post by onlymark on Jan 27, 2012 17:57:16 GMT
It can get really cold and miserable in Amman. Today was forecast for strong winds, rain and a high of about 8°C. As we live in an Arabic country, Friday is the first day of the weekend. So we cast about for something to do that involved a bit of exercise and better weather.
So we went walking in a wadi.
Wadi – “A valley, ravine, or channel that is dry except in the rainy season.”
Along the side of the Dead Sea are numerous channels where the rain from the higher ground to the east has made its way down to the Dead Sea. Large ravines are cut through the different types of rock, some are hundreds of feet deep.
At last count there are ten of them that I’d consider worthwhile having a walk along.
Wadis (from the northernmost part of the Dead Sea southwards) – Mukheris, Manshala, Himara, Zarqz, Attun, Daba, Mujib, Ibn Hammad, Assal, Numeira and Hasa.
One of these, Wadi Mujib, is part of a larger national park and can’t realistically be walked ‘on spec’. To enter you need a guide and there is a minimum age of 16 years old (or is it 18? Can’t remember now for sure).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi_Mujib
Another, Wadi Zarqa can be done but generally it is a restricted area and there is a fence and warning signs barring access from the road.
Wadi Ibn Hammad is probably the driest but was a bit further south than we wanted to go.
But that did leave quite a few to have a go at.
These wadis are an attraction in Jordan that gets little publicity (good, all the better for me). They can involve a lot more than walking, often scrambling, occasional climbing and more often certainly ‘canyoning’ (making your way using ropes down through the water/waterfalls in the canyon).
However – they are dangerous. They are not a thing to get trapped in when there is a flash flood. In the heat of the summer, with the sun reflecting off the walls and no wind, they suck the life out of you.
But that doesn’t stop my wife, my two daughters and myself. We laugh in the face of danger, we poo poo the warnings, we spit in the face of adversity and decry the risks involved.
I picked out Wadi Daba, one of the easier ones I’d heard about and tends to be quite dry. So, armed with a packet of crisps each ( I had salt and vinegar) in case of emergencies we set off from Amman (8°C and raining) to arrive a bit less than an hour later at the wadi (dry but cloudy and 21°C).
Google Earth - 31° 32.699'N 35° 33.462'E
We only wanted to go a kilometre or so up it as past there you need to do quite a bit of scrambling over the rocks and we weren’t really dressed for it. But it does open out again later. Bear in mind this was just a weekend stroll for us and we weren’t bothered about a serious adventure.
You can see from the following photos that it is very barren. Brown rocks flecked with the odd bit of vegetation – but it does have a stark beauty.
Leaving the bridge over the road behind, through which you can see the Dead Sea –
We set off and walked/scrambled along.
There is no need for any commentary, I’ll just post the photos as they come and in no great order. Some were taken going up, some coming back.
So we went walking in a wadi.
Wadi – “A valley, ravine, or channel that is dry except in the rainy season.”
Along the side of the Dead Sea are numerous channels where the rain from the higher ground to the east has made its way down to the Dead Sea. Large ravines are cut through the different types of rock, some are hundreds of feet deep.
At last count there are ten of them that I’d consider worthwhile having a walk along.
Wadis (from the northernmost part of the Dead Sea southwards) – Mukheris, Manshala, Himara, Zarqz, Attun, Daba, Mujib, Ibn Hammad, Assal, Numeira and Hasa.
One of these, Wadi Mujib, is part of a larger national park and can’t realistically be walked ‘on spec’. To enter you need a guide and there is a minimum age of 16 years old (or is it 18? Can’t remember now for sure).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi_Mujib
Another, Wadi Zarqa can be done but generally it is a restricted area and there is a fence and warning signs barring access from the road.
Wadi Ibn Hammad is probably the driest but was a bit further south than we wanted to go.
But that did leave quite a few to have a go at.
These wadis are an attraction in Jordan that gets little publicity (good, all the better for me). They can involve a lot more than walking, often scrambling, occasional climbing and more often certainly ‘canyoning’ (making your way using ropes down through the water/waterfalls in the canyon).
However – they are dangerous. They are not a thing to get trapped in when there is a flash flood. In the heat of the summer, with the sun reflecting off the walls and no wind, they suck the life out of you.
But that doesn’t stop my wife, my two daughters and myself. We laugh in the face of danger, we poo poo the warnings, we spit in the face of adversity and decry the risks involved.
I picked out Wadi Daba, one of the easier ones I’d heard about and tends to be quite dry. So, armed with a packet of crisps each ( I had salt and vinegar) in case of emergencies we set off from Amman (8°C and raining) to arrive a bit less than an hour later at the wadi (dry but cloudy and 21°C).
Google Earth - 31° 32.699'N 35° 33.462'E
We only wanted to go a kilometre or so up it as past there you need to do quite a bit of scrambling over the rocks and we weren’t really dressed for it. But it does open out again later. Bear in mind this was just a weekend stroll for us and we weren’t bothered about a serious adventure.
You can see from the following photos that it is very barren. Brown rocks flecked with the odd bit of vegetation – but it does have a stark beauty.
Leaving the bridge over the road behind, through which you can see the Dead Sea –
We set off and walked/scrambled along.
There is no need for any commentary, I’ll just post the photos as they come and in no great order. Some were taken going up, some coming back.
