After visiting Parakeet Park, the stand of mature ghaf trees in the sand wadi filled with Calotropis procera bushes, we headed across the sand towards the Swiss Mountains.

We were pleasantly surprised to see a number of streams in the desert sand, the water forming a channel faster than members could keep pace. We observed a number of streams as we made our way across the sandy end of Wadi Sharm where it intersects Wadi Safwan.

Rivers in the desert are rare but do take place when heavy rains pass over the sand. They often last for only an hour or two before the water has spread of the flat sand wadi and been absorbed, continuing to flow beneath the surface and providing much needed moisture for the existing vegetation.