St Catherine

Jebel Batta

A great intro to trad climbing in the area

The easy approach, great rock and immediate steep character of the routes makes this mountain a great choice for half days or to warm up with

Getting there

To get to the bottom of the NE Corner it is easiest to take a rather straight line up from the Rasees Area, still before entering Wadi Arbain. To get to the East Face it is necessary to cross the Wadi Arbain Checkpoint and then approach the foot of the wall after a few hundred meters up on the left

Descent

From the true summit or near it you will be able to spot cairns. These will lead you on steep but not very difficult terrain to a large saddle (20-30min), in some places marked with cairns. From here to the right to the road 30 minutes, or to the left under the summit tower to the village of St Catherine via the El Freish Area and Wadi Quweiz.