Wadi Hanifa Information
Wadi Hanifa
We have never seen Saudi Arabia so green with a flowing river ! This is the Wadi Hanifa and the Riyadh River. Well, this was the place picked for a camping weekend which started one clear Thursday. As usual we met at Burger King, Farm 5 and headed towards Riyadh. Our first stop was Wadi Atshanta for looking at fossils, by the time we got to the wadi the skies had opened up, and we were in the middle of a downpour. Our hopes had dampened with the continuous rain. The quarries have taken over the wadi, and have really destroyed the site. After a quick meeting, we decided to continue our journey despite the rain. It was still about 300Km to go. From Riyadh we turned south to head for AlKharj.
By the time we got to the Riyadh River, the weather had cleared up. We tried to pass the river to be on the other side, but the river was too deep and the water was flowing fast. We saw huge storks and eagles and cat fish in the river. We decided to camp away from the river in a really nice area around a small Jebel. We were prepared for a cold night. About 2 am, the clouds opened up and some our tents got soaked. In the morning the sun came out and we had the opportunity to dry out the bedding and tents. The ladies took over the wheels and went exploring around the Jebels. We went back to the river, and hiked down with the river. It was unbelievable ! The number of birds and plants is incredible. The river runs for almost 50 Kms.
We tried to get to Al Kharj for Jummah, but didn’t make, we had late lunch here. We then headed towards the largest well we have ever seen. This is called the Ayn Dhil, the underground aquifer, the water level used to appear at ground level, but over the years it has dropped dramatically due to intensive agricultural. A protective fence is built around the well, but gaps have been cut through the wire so that people can gaze at the edge of the well. There is pump station built by Saudi Aramco in 1930s which is still operative. Swifts and pigeons swoop around the walls of the wells.
From Al Kharj it was a long drive back home
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