Photo : Asmaa tawfiq — CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Cairo · Maadi
Wadi Degla Protectorate
A dry limestone canyon on the edge of Maadi: an old sea floor, now a protected area.
The wadi cuts into the limestone plateau east of Maadi: two walls in horizontal strata, a bed of gravel and big fallen blocks, and not a single tree. That stone was laid down on a sea floor, and the scree still holds fossil shells; if you come across one, it stays where it is — this is a protected area. Cairenes come out here to walk, run and ride, Friday mornings above all. The gate is just beyond Zahraa el-Maadi; past the barrier the track gets rougher the further it goes up the wadi.
The extra bit
Set off at first light and keep an eye on the time: coming back takes as long as going out, and there is no shade anywhere. An hour upstream is enough for the city to drop out of sight behind the first bend.
Know before you go
It is a protected area, so there is a ticket at the ranger post: bring cash rather than relying on a card machine. Don't expect to buy anything inside — water, hat, proper shoes, you carry the lot. If it rains, a wadi bed fills fast: give it up for that day. The ground is stony and the loose stones shift under your feet; terrain like this holds scorpions and snakes, so don't sit down, and don't put a hand under a rock, without looking first.
