All Locations > International > Asia > Jordan > Wadi Rum > Jebel Suweibit Gharbia

The Haj

Name: The Haj
Rating: 4.0

5.9 YDS 5c French 17 Ewbanks VI UIAA 17 ZA HVS 5a British

Routes in Jebel Suweibit Gharbia

	Haj, The T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
	More Sand Than Stone T 5.10+ 6b+ 21 VII+ 20 E3 5b
	Sandproof T 5.11- 6c 22 VIII+ 22 E3 5c

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Type:	Trad, 600 ft (182 m), 7 pitches, Grade III
FA:	unknown
Page Views:	911 total · 23/month
Shared By:	Gunkswest on Mar 2, 2019
Admins:	Gunkswest Page Updates (admin only)

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Access Issue: Entrance fee required; you are also supposed to register with the Tourist Police if climbing Details

As of December 2021, the entry fee to Wadi Rum was 5JD/person. The alternative to paying the entrance fee is to buy a Jordan Pass. If you get the Jordan Pass before you arrive in Jordan, your US visa fee ($2090US) is waived and the Jordan Pass allows access to places like Petra, Shobak Castle, etc.

At the Wadi Rum entrance complex is a Tourism Police office. If you are climbing at Wadi Rum, you are supposed to register with the police and give them a photocopy of your passport. Bringing a spare photocopy to give them saves some time, as they don't have a photocopier of their own.

Description

Routes like The Haj are why you would want to visit Wadi Rum. This is a pretty big, south-facing route on Jebel Suweibit Gharbia. This formation is about a 45-minute 4WD trip south of Wadi Rum village toward Um Adaami. In February, the bottom pitches come into the sun about 11am. It's possible to escape off the route after the 5th pitch, rather than going to the summit.

Pitch 1: Climb up and left on easy ledges to gain a prominent, right-trending ramp. Go up and right on the ramp to a belay spot at the base of the obvious, varnished corner system (5.4, 50m).

Pitch 2: Climb the corner system to a belay niche that has room for two people (5.8+, 30m).

Pitch 3: Traverse right to a corner/flake and climb past an overhang to a stance. Face climb up and right to another corner (5.8+ PG, 30m).

Pitch 4: Climb the corner past more ceilings to a ledge. Move left and climb a wonderful corner to a terrace with lots of loose blocks (5.9, 30m).

Pitch 5: Scramble up and left a short distance around some huge boulders to the base of the upper wall.

NOTE: From these large boulders (which provide some shade), you can hike up and right about 50 feet to a small saddle. From here, you should see two large boulders down in the base of a drainage and beyond that, a bunch of cairns on ledge systems. This is the descent route. If you want to escape now, from the small saddle go down about 150 feet to the two large boulders in the base of the drainage. Under one of the boulders is some tat that can be used to rappel or downclimb about 25 feet to a ledge (do not follow the upper cairns across the ledge, as those are for the descent from the true summit of the formation). Once you reach the ledge down below the two large boulders, follow the cairns down (with at least one more 20m rappel) to the base of the formation.

Pitch 6: Climb up and slightly left on the upper face, aiming for an obvious, left leaning crack (5.7, 50m).

Pitch 7: Climb up along the obvious, left-leaning crack (5.7, 50m).

Pitch 8: Face climb up to a ledge then follow a crack to a terrace (5.9)

Pitch 9: Continue up to the summit (5.6, 50m).

Location

This route is located about 3km from the Saudi Arabian border. The climb is remote and hence gives a classic Wadi Rum experience.

You'll definitely need a Bedouin guide to drive you to the route.