Wadi Auja

From Ein Samia to Ein Auja

Distance and Time: 9.77 km / 5 – 6 hours
Grade: Moderate / challenging. Some scrambling required. Rocky, uneven terrain.

THE HIKE
The spring at Ein Samia, in the hills directly above Auja, is the most abundant in the West Bank. Today, its water is pumped over the ridge to Ramallah. But for millions of years it was the source of a river that flowed east, flooding each winter and carving a deep gorge – the Wadi Auja - down into the Jordan Valley.

The trail begins as a broad dirt track through the fields, narrowing as it cuts across the thorn scrub and drops into the valley floor. From here the path follows the streambed, and requires some difficult scrambling down the polished limestone chutes and across dry waterfalls. If this sounds like too much of a challenge, a slightly longer but easier trail avoids the steepest of these drops. Eventually the gorge opens into the Jordan Valley, and ends at the Auja spring.

There are dozens of species of plants and trees in the Wadi Auja, and fabulous wildflowers in the springtime. Very few people come here, and the valley is a haven for birds and wildlife throughout the year.

GO WALK
For prices and reservations, contact us.