Wadi Lajab

Wadi Lajab cuts into the granite of the Jazan highlands, and the gorge narrows to a slot with walls rising vertically for hundreds of metres and a floor of boulders and pools with water running through it year round, fed by springs and by the monsoon rain that reaches this corner of Arabia. Ferns, figs and other vegetation grow out of the wet walls. Walking up the wadi means wading and scrambling over boulders, and the pools are deep enough to swim. It is one of the few permanently wet gorges in Saudi Arabia and its character is closer to the Yemeni highlands than to the rest of the country. Facilities are nonexistent.

What you actually see

• The slot gorge - the narrow granite walls closing overhead.
• Running water and pools - the permanent flow through the wadi floor.
• Hanging vegetation - the ferns and figs growing from the wet rock.
• The boulder scramble - the route up the wadi over rock and water.

When to go

October to April for the safest conditions; the monsoon months from June to September bring flash flood risk that makes the gorge dangerous. Never enter when rain is falling anywhere in the catchment.

Honest expectations

Flash flooding in the slot is a serious hazard and there is no escape from it. The route involves wading, swimming and scrambling over slippery boulders. There are no facilities, marked path or rescue. Modest dress applies when swimming.

Nearby

Jazan lies southwest; the Fifa mountains are south.