Have you ever wondered about swimming, snorkeling & even Scuba Diving in the middle of the dessert? Or ever imagined a cave, there’s the inside crystal, pure unfiltered water for you to dive in? One way to find all this out is to visit the Heet cave in Riyadh which is known for is crystalize blue water.
Cavers and diver’s popular choice in Saudi Arabia is this beautiful exotic yet risky trekking location. Adventure geeks and nature lover’s ideal place to explore this off-beaten track and encounter heaven on earth.
Situated on the outskirts of Riyadh, it is one of the easily accessible wild caves to visit in Saudi Arabia. A pool of deep blue shiny waters in the cave & the middle of the desert isn’t something that you might encounter every day.
The majestic treasure which is hidden in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has few things you didn’t know.
About Heet Cave:
The underground lake in its interior is a major attraction and it is situated at Jubayl in Wadi As Sulay mountain in a village quite small called Heet. Like usual cave forming system, Heet cave, also pronounced as Dahl Heet was formed by limestone through the dissolving process of anhydrite minerals inside it.
Rumors of this place speak about this area where the oil explorers found out the first surface of the outcrop of anhydrite minerals.
In the middle of the desert, the big mouth entrance could take you to the blue waters you haven’t imagined in your life. It would be an experience like never before, that you’ll cherish throughout your life.
Entrance as the shape of an Eye:
Before you put your step in the cave, your eyes will be awestruck with the entrance of the cave. The entrance had the shape of an eye.
This is one major reason why it is named Ain Heet. The 20 meters wide mouth entrance is pretty fragile and the facial feature is a unique attraction in itself. Here Ain translates to the “eye”.
Living in Riyadh & passionately a caver calls for visiting this mind-blowing unsurpassed beauty.
Caving 45 Degrees Down
It’s good to wear rubber shoes as there is a steep walk underground that you’ve to pass by. The more you go down, the narrower it gets inside to approximately five meters.
Being in the cave might be exciting but once a concentration lost could be dangerous. Be cautious as the rocks are not stable, they keep shaking and aren’t fixed on the ground.
This tricky walk is downward trekking, which very few might have experienced to date. A 45-degree downward trekking experience is all you’ll get when you visit this incredible location.
Not Child-Friendly Trekking
Once you reach the end of the cave while stepping downwards, you’d need to turn to the left. An extremely narrow, dark passage could be seen, you’ll need to pass through it on the rocks.
The other side of it is a very interesting rock formation and pathway where you can spot on the walls of the cave the sedimentary rock layers.
If you think you can plan an adventurous trek with your family, this cave is not so child-friendly. A family outing at this spot is a complete no.
100 Meters Caving Inside
While inside of the Ain Heet cave in Riyadh, you cave for about 100 meters. The descending is pretty difficult because of the boulders being loose to the ground. Watch out the stones very carefully, as they are certainly not very rigid as they might look.
The entry of the cave is a wide one where you have good light visibility. The more you’re heading downwards, the narrower it gets and the darkness is all left at the end.
Once the sunlight ends, the narrower path is to be followed and the hole takes you to the unground lake.
30 Meters deep Lake to Swim In
Once you reach the chambers through the narrow dark hole, you’ll spot the blue waters. That will be the time you will realize that the efforts were worth it. The water is so deep that it stretches to about 30 meters where no one can see the bottom of it.
Only good swimmers dare to have a lake bath in the cave-like never before. The length of the blue water is over 150 meters that’s pretty sufficient for a group of cavers to dive in and have fun.
However, it is better to check the water level, as it varies every time. Sometimes there is overflowing of the lake level, while other times its too less to swim. Crystal clear water and shiny rocks will leave you mesmerized.
Mysteriously less popular Lake hidden in the cave
Caving in Saudi Arabia is not so popular, especially caving in the area which turns into the most beautiful freshwater swimming destination.
It requires a lot of learning, training and a great amount of experience to cave and dive in this natural location.
Only professional cavers and divers with proper equipment and luck reach to the narrow hole and towards this breathtaking crystal blue waters.
These rare surprises are quite unpopular in Saudi Arabia and the fact priceless that needs to be well preserved.
Reaching Heet Cave in Riyadh
On the road of Al- Kharj, there is an exit to the small village Al Heet, this faced the Mount Al Jubayl which is 5 km after the exit and probably about 40 km from Riyadh’s city Centre.
Follow the dirt road that takes you the east and lead you towards the big mouth entrance of the cave. It is better to reach out to this isolated destination with someone aware of the roads.
It could be tricky to spot the cave mouth as there are many similar-looking places around. You’d also spot wandering camels on your way to the Cave that could make your trip worth exciting and adventurous.