Wadi Degla Trail Run

On Saturday morning we went for our first trail run in Cairo, and by "trail" I mean dry river bed through a shallow canyon. We were introduced to a man named Sonny through one of Seth's co-workers. Sonny is an avid runner and he's fast. Rumor has it he has a tough time finding people who can keep up with him. This is just the type of challenge Seth was looking for and boy did he get a "run for his money."

Sonny picked us up at 7:00 am and we drove the 15 minutes out to the Wadi Degla Protected Area. Wadi Degla lies in the northern part of the Eastern Desert and runs east to west for 30K to drain into the Nile Valley. This protected area, which encompasses 60km2, was created in 1999. 50-60 million years ago Egypt was covered by the Mediterranean Sea. At the same time tectonic movement raised the seabed and created the Moqattam Hills. When the sea receded northwards it exposed this area and its marine sediments. Extended periods of rain eroded and exposed limestone and formed Wadi Degla. Waterfalls cut into the wadi at different levels and cut deep rock pools below them. Today winter rains refill these pools. It is a popular place for hiking, mountain biking, bird watching and dog walking.

We set out from the cars as the sun was rising through the valley and headed east for an out and back run. Sonny and Seth quickly pulled away as we wound along the river bed. The path is marked by kilometer markings like this one,

although they did not appear to be evenly spaced. Although we began the run near 7:30 am it was warm in the sun and the breeze coming through the valley was welcome. As we turned back to head west toward Cairo and the cars the brown haze of pollution was noticable hanging low on the horizon.

As we approached the gate and finished our run we met up with a woman who was out walking two dogs. Sonny introduced us and we talked about mountain biking in the area. The path we ran along the valley floor is only the beginning of a network of trails through this protected area. Once our gear arrives we can explore on bikes and get a better sense of the trail options available. It was great to get connected with another runner so early on who can show us the best places to go. We've learned of several marathons and half marathons in the area as well as a 100K run that takes place in November. There are multi-day cycling trips between different regions of Egypt as well. It is exciting to know there are so many opportunities for getting outside and exploring this area.