Description

Overview:
Ein Yabrud is the least visited of the locations bolted by the authors and local Palestinian climbers but that is not to say that there are no fantastic routes to be discovered there! The Castle sector is truly unique and offers limestone that is unlike any you will find elsewhere in Palestine. There are some gems here and it is definitely worth a visit.

Season:
The cliffs in Ein Yabrud face northwest. Often, the valley can be cooler than Yabrud and a better destination for hot days. Like all locations in Palestine, the best seasons are the fall to spring.

Gear:
All but one of the climbs in Ein Yabrud are sport climbs equipped with bolts and anchor stations with rappel rings. 10 quickdraws and a 60-meter rope are sufficient for all routes.

Preservation and Etiquette:
Climbers have formed a good relationship with the local Ein Yabrud municipality and gained permission and support for climbing activity at the cliffs. That said, it is vital that visitors perpetuate the good relationship with the local community by being respectful and culturally sensitive.

Conflict:
One concern about Ein Yabrud is its proximity to the Beit El settlement. Armed settlers and Israeli soldiers have been encountered in the valley, which can be inconvenient but has not caused any severe problems thus far. Most recently, there were reports that some settlers from Beit El started to come to the Ein Yabrud cliff to climb. In most cases those settlers are armed, so pay attention and keep a low profile, especially if you are Palestinian and there are no foreign climbers around. Palestinian climbers and foreigners used to camp frequently at the base of this cliff, at some point it attracted the attention of Israeli army personnel who told the campers to leave.

Leave No Trace:
Collect all of your trash (including cigarette buds), burn toilet paper, follow established trails, respect flora & fauna and even pick up trash that’s not yours.

Cultural sensitivity:
Climb with a shirt on and avoid wearing revealing clothes. Be friendly and respectful to locals. Feel free to share your harness with locals and give them a chance to climb. They will greatly appreciate it!

Routes on Ein Yabrud
23 sport 1 trad
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Matthias Wurtenberger
M. Wurtenberger
from Ramallah
Timothy Bruns
T. Bruns
Benjamin Korff
B. Korff
from Melbourne
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Other Premium topos by Climbing Palestine Guidebook 9
Ein Yabrud

The area is access sensitive!

Directions:

The trip takes about 20 minutes by car from Ramallah. There are two ways to get to the location by car depending on whether or not the road next to the Beit El settlement is open.

Option 1 (if the road is open):
From Al-Manara circle in Ramallah drive northeast on Ersal Street towards Bir Zeit for about 4 km. Take a slight right onto route 463 and follow it for about a kilometre. Take a left onto route 466 (the old Nablus road) and follow it for about 3.6 kilometres northwards past Beit El settlement (on your right) and Jalazun refugee camp (on your left). When you reach the intersection at the Dura El Qari’a village take a right, pass through the village and follow the winding road up the valley. After roughly 2.5km, you will pass a school on your right and arrive at a sharp left turn that leads to the village of Ein Yabrud. Take a right here and follow the road past large houses until the asphalt ends and a dirt road continues. Follow the dirt road for about 100 meters and park the car. Accessing the cliff is a little tricky since there is no easily discernible trail leading to it. Hike south-west wards from the car just slightly down into the valley. Keep to the left (eastern) side of the valley as you get deeper into it. After about 5 minutes the Falahi Sector will appear on your left.

Option 2 (if the road is closed):
From Al-Manara circle in Ramallah drive northeast on Ersal Street towards Bir Zeit for 4 km. Don’t turn right onto route 463 but continue on the road for another 400 meters. In Surda, take a right up a steep hill towards the large golden mosque. If the main road is closed, there will be plenty of other cars using this route. Take a right at the T-intersection and follow the road until it joins the old Nablus road in front of Beit El settlement. Take a left and drive northwards leaving Beit El settlement on your right and Jalazun camp on your left. From here, follow the directions in Option 1 (above).

Option 3 (public transportation):
The Ein Yabrud cliffs can be reached easily and cheaply by “service,” the yellow minibuses that are omnipresent in Palestine. The service to Ein Yabrud village departs at the tunnel directly across the street from “Area D” youth hostel near Jamel Abdul Nasser mosque. This is right next to the big bus station for buses to Jerusalem. The service to Ein Yabrud costs roughly 7 shekels. On weekdays it runs during daylight hours but only departs one the bus is full. If it is not busy this can take up to 40 minutes. On weekends the connections are far less frequent, especially on Fridays it is almost non-existent. Ask the service driver to drop you off at the school just before the road takes a sharp lefthand turn at the entrance to the village. You can usually hail a service heading back to Ramallah from this same point at the end of the day.