Wadi is a 30 minutes drive from the center of Dahab. Waterfalls & Connection have fully bolted sport routes, and Camel Canyon has a mix of sport & trad routes with bolted starters.
At the furthest end of Wadi Gnai there are the boulder fields - Aragon & Dali are the two areas nearest the road, with many many more problems to be found above them.
We highly recommend a walk up the Wadi to the second Waterfall and beyond - boulder addicts will easily see why this area is also known as “Little Hampi”
The first crag to be bolted in Dahab was Wadi Connection, by Enzo Verrari some time in the late 1990’s.
Next to come along were the Oostra brothers, Erik and Ralph, who re-bolted parts of Connection and found Waterfalls.
In 2009 Mondi and Juerg Meyer set up a beginners area at Middle Gnai, just for top roping.
Finally in 2010 the ‘Hot Rock’ expedition came through and bolted 11 routes in Camel Canyon.
If you head up to the end of Wadi Gnai you’ll find Little Hampi, the boulder area. Fred Stone and John set most of these problems, which Fred then mapped. He came back in February 2010 and continued his work above the waterfall boulder, stretching right up to the second waterfall. John and Anne Arran are also keen boulderers and set and mapped some boulders near Sharm (www.thefreeclimber.com).
This crag is directly in front of the checkpoint, permission maybe required before climbing.
Routes are a mix of trad with bolted stations, fully bolted and trad with the odd bolt.
If you head up to the end of Wadi Gnai you’ll find Little Hampi, the boulder area.
Wadi Gnai is 30 minutes from the centre of Dahab. The best way to get there is by taxi, but we do advise you ask your driver to stay with you all day in case of emergency, as mobile phone reception is almost non-existent.
The best time of the year for climbing is September to May. In October to April it’s possible to climb all day; early mornings and evening being better outside of those dates.
Connection, Waterfalls and Middle Gnai are in shade during the winter. In Camel Canyon you can chose which side of the road to climb on according to where the sun is. It can be a little chilly in the shade in the winter, it is a good idea to bring a jumper with you.
In the summer you will need at least 3 litres of water per person.
We have used French grades for the sport routes, Font grades for the boulder problems, and UIAA grades for the trad routes at St Katherine. If you put up a new route please let us know so we can include it for others.
