Wadi Gharandal

Wadi Gharandal is a long wadi running below the Tih Plateau on the way to Serabit el Khadim, and its mouth at the coast, Seil Gharandal, is especially pretty. Water runs along the surface and there are ponds, gardens, date palms and lush vegetation. Little into the wadi there is a Bedouin settlement. Going to Serabit el Khadim, this route is more scenic than the one from Abu Zenima – the two actually join at one point in the sand desert – but it is also a major industrial road with many trucks and several open mines along the way.

Other names/spellings: Wadee, Wady, Vadi, Ouadi – Kharandal, Garandal


  • Wadi Gharandal: the interesting part of this long wadi is actually quite near the main asphalt road on the coast. If you need a guide or a car to venture further into the desert, there is a small Bedouin settlement inside the wadi, possibly you can find someone here on the spot.
  • Ras Sudr: the town north of Seil Gharandal, where possibly you can find a guide or a car to venture to Wadi Gharandal and further into the desert. Ask in the cafeterias or the beach camps.
  • Abu Zenima: the town south of Seil Gharandal, where possibly you can find a guide or a car to venture to Wadi Gharandal and further into the desert. Ask in the Desert Falcon restaurant or cafeterias.
  • Hamam Faraun: caves with hot steam, right on the coast, shortly north of Abu Zenima.
  • Serabit el Khadim: a small settlement at the foot of the mountain range of the same name, and an archaeological site. It is on the edge of the vast sandy plain known as El Ramla.
  • El Ramla: a vast desert plain that runs below the Tih Plateau, connecting the west coast to Wadi Zalaqa and the east coast.


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