Hiking in Dana Wadi

I woke around 7am and had a full breakfast of eggs and Jordanian bread. The view from the camp was spectacular – directly down a deep canyon or Wadi, whose valley then stretched away for miles and miles in the distance towards the border with Israel.

My mission today was to hike down to the bottom of this valley and back again. I stopped to buy an entry permit in the little village of Dana on the way and to buy some more water, which turned out to be a good decision.

The path down was very steep, and several times my paws slipped on the loose stones. Then at the bottom of the valley the path was flatter and I could admire the imposing site of steep red and brown cliffs towering over me on both sides. I walked for 10km, to a point where the cliffs were getting smaller, and decided to head back.

Retracing my steps I met some friendly shepherds with their flocks of sheep and goats, and a slightly worrying pack of dogs – but fortunately they were more interested in fighting each other, and let me past.

Of course, the path up out of the canyon seemed even steeper going up than sliding down. The sun beat down and my fur was soaked with sweat. The very last bit leading up the village was the worst because there was no cover from the overhead sun. As I walked through the village gates I gave a shout of triumph that echoed several times off the canyon walls. I was greeted by a friendly shopkeeper who sold me three bottles of cold beer (alcohol free and brewed in….Saudia Arabia!).

After recovering my forces I strolled back to the camp for a much-needed shower, and wrote my blog whilst the sun set beyond the canyon. The canyon walls slowly turned from brown to red to light grey and then got darker and darker as the brilliant red sky faded and the new moon rose.

After dinner I collapsed exhausted into bed in my tent, wondering what the next day would bring.