EGYPT Sinai 2005. John & Anna Arran climbed a new route on the NW Face of Jebel Safsafa, Holy Moses, 250m, E6/7 6b. See Alpine Journal 2004 for full details and check out http://www.thefreeclimber.com for a topo of some areas also http://www.verticalworld.co.uk for info on Hot Rock trips to Sinai.
Feb 05 Geoff Hornby reports on good “Yosemite quality” granite north east of St Catherine’s (Jebel Banat) area with new routes of 400m TD and TD sup. Contact geoffhornby@yahoo.co.uk Info will also be found in the new UK CLIMB magazine, Feb 05. Geoof also covers his traverse of Sinai and new routes there in the 2008 Alpine Journal.
Also check out Dave Lucas for info on this area and Vertical World trips and see www.israelalpine.org/sinai and some bouldering info
SINAI Nov 2007 IMPORTANT NEWS: Dave Lucas (see above) recently spent 8 weeks in Sinai climbing. Also see Hot Rock Bus. He was with Geoff Hornbyon a 300km traverse through Sinai climbing a number of new rock routes and was able to fill in a lot of information on his map of the climbing potential in the high mountains of Sinai. He has now been authorised to guide by the Jebaliya bedouin and is just beginning a 2-year project, sponsored by the EU, to train trek leaders in the St Katherine’s Monastery area in both First Aid and Trek Leadership. He is collating information for a future guidebook and is also running his own trips.
THE EGYPTIAN MAINLAND Feb 2010 The region all along the Red Sea Coast S and W of Berenice is still closed (we were put in military jail in Cairo a few years ago for going there! See our Egypt pages). Ministry of Tourism emailed to say "Regarding your proposal for a fifth visit to Egypt to the area of Red Sea (desert and mountain areas west and south of Berenice including Elba mountain) kindly be informed that permits are still unobtainable and the area is totaly blocked for unlimited time. See our Egypt pages for info.
Gilf Kebir, Feb 08. A story has been circulating about German tourists being caught in the desert and robbed. In fact, what happened was the Egyptian military caught people going to the Gilf without permits and avoiding the use local guides.
Med coast July 08. Nicholas Grybauskas emailed to say "I've been living in Alexandria and there's great bouldering along the sea in Sidi Bashr, excellent steadily overhung 3-5m cliffs that are filled with pockets and jugs. The rocks are located directly next to the Touring and Automotive Club. I have a couple pictures of the rocks hosted on Facebook".
SINAI 2010 Martin Kocsis emailed to say, "For the last few years I’ve had the pleasure of climbing and exploring and just hanging out in the Egyptian Sinai. The climbing covers everything from bouldering to multipitch routes, from Diff to E5. It’s been ace. The rock is granite and the atmosphere is relaxed. We are based out of St Katherines at the foot of Mt Sinai, from where we will be going into the desert for up to 10 days at a time. Local Bedouin guides will be looking after us throughout.
A quick look at Mike Hutton’s gallery gives a brief flavour of the social scene, if not the climbing. There are more pictures on Dave Lucas’s site and the Israeli Alpine Club site (see above), which mainly details the climbing around St Katherine’s. The cost is difficult to say, but briefly it will be flights (about £300), camel and guide hire, transport and food. If you budget about £550 for two weeks all in, that seems to me to be accurate. For an extra week, probably another £80 to £100. Roughly, anyway. I am going out again with a small group in October 2010 for 2 to 3 weeks. If you are interested in coming along, then get in touch with me for more information."

ETHIOPIA Dec 2002 David Bruton has an article on Tigray in HIGH/Mountain Mag.
Feb – March 2005. Article on climbing in Ethiopia in CLIMBER Aug 2005 by Pat Littlejohn & Steve Sustad, ascents also reported in the Alpine Journal 2007. Pat Littlejohn describes climbing on the “Arizona style” sandstone Towers of Tigray, NE of Ras Dashan and the Simiens and 40km NW of Mekele. They climbed 3 towers over 8 days in traditional ‘adventure’ style. On Abune Yemata Guh (site of a famous rock-hewn church) they did an E4. On the nearby Nevelet Towers they climbed Sheba Tower, slightly higher at 150m, with some unprotected 5c at a similar overall grade. Horsetooth towers to the E was a bit smaller at 120m but harder at E5 6a.
Also see the Hot Rock Bus.
July 08. Pat littlejohn covers more developments in Axum and Adwa region (NE of Simiens) in CLIMBER Aug 08 and in the Alpine Journal, Area Notes, 2008.

JORDAN June 2008. Click on Jordan for info on Wadi Rum and Jordan. Aspirant Bedouin Guide, Talal Awad, has a great little booklet of Wadi Rum Bedouin climbs prepared by Gilles Rappeneau, many of them previously unrecorded. In Nov 2005, Gilles finally found what is reputed to be a forgotten Bedouin route to Um Ishrin (see Bedan Majnoun on his website): nice climb, with a good view and Grade 4 crux, now with fixed gear, but previously unprotected. Aspirant Guide Mohammed Hammad and Wilf Colonna who made the second ascent think the pitch too exposed for it to have been a Bedouin way.
Books The new Cicerone Press edition of our guide to 'Treks and Climbs in Wadi Rum' was published in May 2007 - there are no new climbs in, but an updated Intro. The 2nd edition of our guide to Jordan - Walks, Treks, Caves, Climbs & Canyons was published July 2008, now with 150 routes all over Jordan. See Publications. Click Jordan Updates for info on what's new since then. Another new book published May 2007 is an excellent guide to Plants and Animals of Petra by the Petra National Trust - invaluable if you are interested in Jordan's flora and fauna.
For guiding in all parts of Jordan, Jordanian companies developing eco-tourism include Wilf Collona and the Desert Guides, Terhaal.com, Sarha, Discovery and Yamaan Safady. Two companies who have helped us in and around Petra are Jordan Beauty Tours (or contact Sufian Amarat directly) and Yousef Hasanat of Via Jordan & Desert Paramours; all specialise in adventure travel. Mark Khano of Guiding Star works on pilgrimage tours in Palestine.
Click here for more Rum Hotstuff, here for Rum Guides, and here for a good website on Petra Archaeological Park.
Click here for important info on Canyoning and Climbing Safety and equipping routes.
Click here for reports on climbing in Jordan in Mountain Info, Climb mag (also see the Jordan Updates link above)
Click here for professional topo of Zubia Cave in Journal of Cave & Karst Studies referred to as Al Daher Cave, also refer to Jordan Updates.
2009, the new website Petra Park has some disturbing info on trails in the Petra Area becoming guided trails only. It may not happen immediately but forewarned is fore-armed! Nov 2009, See our article in TGO, Exploring Jordan.
2010, Jan. Mathew Teller's blog states: From 1st November 2010 regular Petra Tourist ticket prices rise again, to JD50 (£43/$71), JD55 (£48/$78) and JD60 (£52/$85). As Mathew says, "That’s a heck of a lot of money".
2010. July Wadi Rum Music and Life. BBC IPlayer

Lebanon 2007 see Rock Climbing Atlas, Middle East for info on climbs in Lebanon, which not only has some nice looking crags, both sport and trad, but also world famous caves. Wynand Groenewegen says "I have been climbing in Lebanon just before the (short) war of 2006. The routes have mainly been put up by the army. These days one of the local climbing clubs continue to develop them. The area is very beautiful but the routes are short. You have to come to Lebanon for the nature and the people, not especially for the climbing. Syria is much better.....but having said this, we had a very good and interesting time when we were there. You will find all the information you need to know in our 'Rock Climbing Atlas to Greece and the Middle East'. We have also included maps."
The new Lebanon Mountain Trail opened in summer 2007, extending 400km, north to south, see Lebanon Trail.

LIBYA 2004. Ginger Fullen, in his bid to climb every African country's highest summit attempted to reach Libya's high point in the northern Tibesti in 2003 but was foiled by running out of water and supplies approaching from Chad through "crazy, mad, weird terrain… miles of pinnacles and deep gorges bar the way. Nothing like Emi Koussi in the Tibesti massif". For info on eastern Libya, see notes on south west Egypt above.

MADAGASCAR March 2007 See John and Anne Arran's article on Tsaranoro and the sea cliffs in CLIMBER Feb 2007.
The scene in Camp Catta beneath the Tsaranoro Towers is fine with more new routes every year.Gargitter Helmut emailed Nov 2005 to say " I read your article about Madagascar. The route Gondwanaland is still 7b+ and 7a+ obligatory. The route has only 2 repetitions and all climbers (an Italian group from Brescia and Arnaud Petit ) said that the route is 7a+ obligatory and if you climb all free, then 7b+."
Gilles Gautier who is pleased to host climbers dedicating their time and energy to set new 'human' lines: lines opened to a large number of climbers. Great short lines have been opened offering more variety than the 'athletes-only' big wall routes! The manager of nearby Andringitra National Park has been jailed with his financial director for helping themselves to the Park Cash Box! Up North, the season 2001 has been extremely active, with around 100 new pitches bolted, in the French 6 and 7 grades. The spot will become a 'must' for tropical climbing and despite the tense political situation (2002), Gilles hopes to maintain his camp on the islands from April to December. Close to 200 climbers went in 2001 and many more are welcome. The exceptional potential of those cliffs also allows natural protection on new routes - see Piola's articles in French mags.
Check out: http://www.madamax.com/newsearoc/ Also, click on Madagascar.
Here's a comment we received on our notes on 'climbing ethics' on Madagascar main page: "Excellent page about Madagascar, you have quite inspired us - but maybe after present troubles are over. (Hoggar update interesting too.) Anyway, Alan really doesn't have a problem with bolts and power drills, as long as the resulting route is a good "work" in whatever style it is done. We both think it important that there should be space for both bolted routes and "terrain d'aventure", that bolts should not just take over everywhere and destroy natural lines etc. But not too much problem with bolts as such, or with bolts in wilderness specifically. Important that climbers should agree among ourselves when areas should be kept as terrain d'aventure. That's it really!" Kate & Alan
 
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