Ask around Dahab for “the Colored Canyon” and you will be pointed to two different places. Both are real, both are beautiful, and they are far apart. Here is the difference, so you know which one you are actually signing up for.
One name, two canyons
The Big Colored Canyon is the famous one, out in the desert to the north. It is longer, deeper and narrower, with walls banded in reds, oranges and yellows, streaks of white and, in some light, darker purple tones. The colours come from minerals in the sandstone: iron oxides give the reds and yellows, and manganese is usually credited with the darker shades.
The small colored canyon is a shorter slot with the same kind of colours, closer in. Many tour sellers call it “the Colored Canyon” too, which is where the confusion starts. The Bedouins have their own name for it: Salama Canyon. They use it exactly to tell the two apart, and so do we.
So if a trip promises “the Colored Canyon”, it is worth asking which one.
At a glance
| Salama Canyon (small) | Big Colored Canyon | |
|---|---|---|
| Time inside the canyon | About 20 minutes | About 45 minutes |
| Obstacles | A couple of very easy steps, up and down | A couple of tougher climbs and some tight squeezes |
| Our trip | Canyoning Oasis (1 day) | Colored Wishwashi (1 day) |
| Meet in Dahab | 7:45 AM | 6:00 AM |
| Price | €25 per person | €65 per person |
| Included | Guide, transport and permits (bring your own lunch) | Guide, transport, permits, breakfast and dinner |
We leave 15 minutes after the meeting time, so please be on time.
Salama Canyon and the Canyoning Oasis trip
Salama is short and friendly: about 20 minutes between coloured walls, with a couple of easy steps to climb up or down. It is a great first canyon.
Most Canyoning trips from Dahab stop at White Canyon, Salama, Khudra Oasis and Mushroom Rock. Ours adds two more canyons that most groups skip:
Closed Canyon is our favourite. It is the only canyon here with no way out at the far end: the exit is blocked, so you walk back the way you came. It is also the narrowest of them all, so tight in places that you turn sideways to pass. After the rare rains, small pools can collect in its narrow floor.
Hamata Canyon is named by the Bedouins after the single fig tree that grows at its end. Nobody waters it, yet it stays green and healthy, drawing just enough water from under the ground. Finding it after the bare rock of the canyon is one of the quiet highlights of the day.
Add White Canyon, Mushroom Rock and the palms of Khudra Oasis, and it is a full, varied day with nothing technical.
The Big Colored Canyon and the Colored Wishwashi trip
The Big Colored Canyon is the real adventure. You spend about 45 minutes inside it, and there are a couple of tougher obstacles and a few tight spots where you turn sideways to get through. You should be comfortable using your hands and scrambling a little; your guide helps at the tricky spots.
It sits deep in the desert, far from Salama, which is why it gets its own day. The Colored Wishwashi trip also visits Khudra’s Spring, Mushroom Rock and Wadi Wishwashi, and ends at the camp at Ras Shitan on the coast for dinner.
Which one should you choose?
- Choose Salama (Canyoning Oasis) if it is your first desert day, you are travelling with less active friends, or you want several canyons in one easy day.
- Choose the Big Colored Canyon (Colored Wishwashi) if you want the famous one, enjoy a bit of scrambling, and do not mind an early start.
- Want both? Our 2-day 4X4 Spinning trip combines the two days, with a night at camp in between.
What to bring
- Shoes with good grip (no flip-flops in the canyons)
- Sun protection: hat, sunglasses, sunscreen
- At least 2 litres of water
- Clothes you do not mind rubbing against rock
- Lunch for the Canyoning Oasis day
- Your passport, for the checkpoints on the road
Book a canyon day
See the next dates and book: Canyoning Oasis (Salama Canyon), Colored Wishwashi (Big Colored Canyon) or 4X4 Spinning (both). Questions? Message us on WhatsApp.