Ain Khudra Oasis

Ain Khudra is a stand of date palms and tamarisk in a wide wadi, fed by a spring that comes to the surface here and keeps the trees green in country that is otherwise bare rock and gravel. It has been a stopping place on the desert routes for a very long time, and the rock walls around the wadi carry inscriptions in Nabataean and Greek left by travellers, along with older marks. A Bedouin family runs a simple camp among the palms with mattresses, blankets and cooking on a fire, and it is the standard overnight stop for canyon trips out of Nuweiba and Dahab. The contrast between the green of the palms and the surrounding desert, particularly at first light, is the reason the oasis stays in people's memory.

The landscape

• The palm grove and spring - green ground in bare desert country.
• Rock inscriptions - Nabataean and Greek marks left by earlier travellers.
• A Bedouin camp among the trees - mattresses, fire cooking and tea.
• Night skies - very dark sky with no settlement for many kilometres.

When to go

October to April. Overnight is the point; the stars and the dawn light on the palms are what the trip is for. Half a day if only stopping for lunch after the canyon walk. Nights in winter are cold and need warm clothing.

Practical notes

Facilities are minimal: no electricity, no plumbing, a shared open-sided shelter. It gets busy when several groups arrive on the same evening, which changes the atmosphere completely. Access requires a guide and four-wheel-drive. Do not carve or touch the rock inscriptions.

Nearby

The White Canyon drops in from above; Nuweiba is east on the coast.