Wading Through Wadi Ghuweir Canyon

Ghuweir is the wet one. A 4x4 drops us above the canyon near Mansoura and we walk in from the top, following water the whole way down: a stream running through a sandstone siq that narrows to about two arm-spans, with oleander in flower, fig trees rooted into the walls and ferns hanging wherever a spring comes out. There is proper scrambling — three or four short down-climbs, one of them on a fixed rope — and long stretches of walking directly through the stream. You will be wet from the second hour. In March and April the pools come up to the chest and the water is cold enough to make you swear. By late June it is warm and shin-deep. Wear old trainers or trekking sandals you are happy to ruin, and pack a full change of clothes for the drive back. Two things worth knowing before you book. This canyon floods. Between November and March we watch the forecast and cancel outright if there is rain anywhere on the plateau — full refund, no negotiation. And it is nine hours door to door with no phone signal for most of them, so tell someone where you have gone.