A Warm Spring Delight: Wadi Attwan / Al Dabai

One of many unmarked wadi's emptying into the Dead Sea, enjoying the hot waters of this stream is a great way to spend a cool spring morning.  What’s it called?  It’s a mystery!  I’ve consulted scores of maps from online digital mapping services to archaic ordinance surveys, and can’t find a consensus about the name of this particular river canyon.  Google Maps has it marked as Wadi Al-Dabai in Arabic, and as Wadi Attwan in English.  Other hikers have called it Wadi Attun – but the river canyon by that name is two wadi’s the north per most maps (including this gem from 1924).  Whatever it’s called, its warm waters and relatively trash-free vistas make it well worth a visit!

How to get there:

From Amman and points north, your starting point for this hike is 33 km south of the start of the Jordan Valley Highway.  Start your odometers counting as you make the left turn at the Baptism Site Intersection to head toward the Dead Sea.  The trip will take you about an hour from Amman. If you're coming from the south, you'll hit the parking area just under 9.5 km north of the Wadi Mujib Visitor Center.  Geo coordinates are 31°32'45.1"N 35°33'24.3"E.  Pull off the Dead Sea Highway (AKA Route 65 or the Jordan Valley Highway) onto the remnants of a since-abandoned routing of the highway that crossed an elevated bridge over the wadi.  The current highway flies over the water just meters to the east via a much more robust looking affair, with three large water culverts to channel winter floods safely under the road and into the Dead Sea below.  Park in the space between old and new roads,  close to the signs with the big red warnings of the deadly dangers of wadi hiking.  And on that note… do be cautious if there’s even a hint of rain in the mountains above.  Flash floods can be deadly in these narrow canyons.

Getting started:

From the parking area, hike down the slope to the concrete riverbed between the old and new bridges, and choose your favorite culvert to walk under the highway to the start of the walk.