Monday, April 12, 2010

Wadi Siham in the spring

You can walk through water in Wadi Siham. It’s the only wadi I know near Sana'a where you can do so. Warm water bubbles to the surface from a collection of small springs and trickles along the flat wadi floor until it disappears back into the earth a few kilometers later. On Friday afternoons the upper part of the wadi is filled with picnicking Yemeni families, children splashing gleefully in the water.

The springs are called Hammam Jarif. They are 30 km south of Sanaa, but are within the security perimeter, so permission is not required. To get there, turn right off the Taiz Rd at the *Jarif Spa* sign (you will pass several villages after leaving Sanaa proper. If you get to a checkpost, you have gone too far).

Follow the paved road down down down into the valley, 1000 meters below. Keep going road until the road turns from asphalt to dirt. Drive past a collection of small stone huts over the springs to the mouth of the Wadi. If you have a four-wheel drive, you can drive into the wadi along a rough, rocky track. I was told it's possible to drive all the way to the Red Sea.

Wadi Siham is a wonderful place to camp. We woke early and Paul was able to be in his office by 8:30 AM.

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