Al Wahbah Crater Part II: The trail down

I thought I could easily jump to the narrative of what we did and saw at the bottom of the Al Wahbah Crater and skip the actual trail and hike down, but I couldn't, and so here it is... after two years! 

Apparently, the trek to the bottom was not an easy one and took us around 50 minutes.

In this post, I will briefly share the experience and the photos I took during the trek toward the floor of the Al Wahbah Crater.

 Yallah!

Where does the trek start?

The start of the Al Wahbah trail can be found near an old abandoned small building (coordinates: ) 22.906241, 41.1307532) which is about 1.4 kilometers away from the main parking area (see the map below).

The starting point of the trail to the bottom of the Al Wahbah Crater

At the time of our visit, there was an arrow 'written' on the ground made of rocks pointing to the start of the actual path. 

From this point, the depth of the crater floor could be really intimidating and might give you second thoughts, add to that the sight (or the lack thereof) of the actual path. 

The path was, suffice to say, well landscaped and, although 'safe enough', I believe they intentionally didn't install any guard rail at any part of the trail to preserve the natural look of the place. 

Needless to say, you must watch closely where you're going and your attention should be on the path at all times when walking (of course, you can stop at any moment to take photos but do so with caution).

Some reminders

It was March when we went there. (That's how behind I am with my backlogs!)

Winter was over and the breeze was still cool around the mouth of the crater, but as the sun rose higher and higher, the temperature also started to rise on our way down. 

Your body is also sure to warm up during the descent so it would be wise to wear light long-sleeved clothes for this trek.

Don't forget to bring foods and, of course, water.

Also, the trek is not for the faint-hearted so be sure you're not afraid of heights or have some health conditions before you proceed.

The trail experience

The first half of the trail is the steepest and most challenging part. But at this height, being at the same level with the 'walls' of the crater, you will have different vantage points that give unique vistas. This part will allow you to inspect and get a feel (literally) of the different types, colors and textures of the rocks that comprise the walls of the crater (if you're the type to take pleasure in studying and collecting rocks), and a closer view of the entire crystal formation at the bottom. 

There isn't so much animal life to see during the trail -- no encounter with lizards or scorpions, as if they were gonna show up and greet us -- except for the occasional plants which seemed to be in their fullest at that time.

As you progress, the rest of the dwindling path gets more visible and less steeper, adding to the excitement to reach the floor to rest and see more details.

Close to the bottom, you will now have a clearer picture of the white substance and the patterns that appear to creep out from the center of the crater.

The view from the bottom of the crater was more amazing than I thought.