Experience Wadi Rum
Overview
The unforgettable, divine destination of Wadi Rum, also known as the ‘Valley of the Moon’, is a fascinating desert experience. The magnificent area is filled with sandstone mountains, massive red sand dunes, captivating rock formations, and dramatic windswept canyons. Wadi Rum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to these outstanding, otherworldly varied desert landscapes, it's one of the biggest attractions in Jordan. A visually striking location filled with awe-inspiring sights offering travelers unique experiences like camping under the stars, sandboarding, rock climbing, camel rides, and 4x4 rides through the arid desert. There is nothing like it when it comes to adventuring in the desert in this Mars-like scenery.
Enjoy a spiritual soothing experience in the desert, and see the ancient wonders this desert holds with its centuries-old inscriptions and petroglyphs dating back thousands of years. Visit the watering hole where British soldier Lawrence of Arabia allegedly washed, and marvel at sensational sunsets and stargaze at the dreamy Milky Way skies.
Things to See and Do
Stop by the Wadi Rum Visitors Center, (where you pay to enter the desert) to partake in organized tours and gather other helpful information on the area. You can see the awe-inspiring Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which stands opposite the visitor's center. This striking rock formation is named in honor of the book by T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) written in 1980 about his experience in WWII.
Pick your mode of transport for your tour of the desert; 4WD vehicles, Jeeps, camel ride or on foot, walking, hiking, or scrambling. Touring the desert is one of the best ways to see the amazing natural surroundings, mountains, canyons, and archeological sites such as natural rock bridges, inscriptions and petroglyphs, Khazali Canyon, Lawrence`s Springs, and Lawrence`s House.
Check out The Burdah Rock Bridge, a rock bridge formed by a precariously perched rock standing 114 feet tall. This is the tallest natural rock bridge in Wadi Rum, it’s said to be one of the highest natural arches in the world, and the summit can be reached with a rewarding hike that leads to breathtaking views over the valley and the mountains.
Make your way through the expansive Barrah Canyon which runs for 3 miles through a long corridor, it is one of the most visited canyons in the desert. These multicolored mountains soar up from the canyon and are the perfect location for hiking, rock climbing, and camel trekking. The magnificent landscapes of Wadi Rum are often referred to as the `Valley of the Moon` with its red sand desert floor and massive mountains and canyons the scenery here is simply stunning and out of this world, like something from the Moon or Mars.
Capture a stunning sunrise! Wadi Rum is a magical place at dawn when the morning light bounces off the desert floor and the rocks. As the bright ball of sun rises over the desert the sky changes colors, the majestic mountains illuminate, and the red desert comes alive like a fire.
Hike through the Jebel Rum Mountain Range, which runs along the western flank of Wadi Rum soaring 5,688 feet above sea level, it stands tall over the Rum Village and the Wadi Rum Valley. This is thought to be the highest peak in Jordan and a popular destination for climbers and scrambled.
Take a walk through the famous Khazali Canyon is 300 feet long, as you wander through the deep, narrow canyon and the Jabel Khazali Mountains rising 5,400 feet above your head. The canyon rocks feature thousand-year-old authentic Nabatean and Thamudic inscriptions, petroglyphs, and handmade pools.
These incredible petroglyphs and inscriptions tell a different story, and date back thousands of years. They are well preserved with unique drawings of humans, and animals, they were created by humans of different cultures that inhabited Wadi Rum. Created using chisels to chip and carve the rock surfaces and create different images, they are part of the reason Wadi Rum was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Visit Lawrence`s Springs, these natural springs sit on the edge of the open sands about 2 miles southwest of Rum Village. They provide water to the Bedouin families in the desert and were named in honor of T.E. Lawrence, the British Army Officer who crossed Wadi Rum during the Arab Revolt against the Ottomans in WWII. The ruins of Lawrence`s House are close by where he stayed during the Revolt to endure the tough desert winters.
The Al Hasany Dunes are a great location formed against the mountains in the valley with striking red sand dunes that back up against Jebel Umm Ulaydiyya with stunning surroundings and a slope that can be climbed to enjoy breathtaking views across the desert.
In the evening secure a spot to enjoy an incredible desert sunset. Witness a spectacular sunset and see the sky changing colors with impressive reflections off the rocks and sand. After the sun sets the sky turns black and fills up with a million sparkling stars that make up the magical Milky Way, illuminating the desert floor.
Cuisine
Arabic cuisine consists of a few basic groups which include meat dishes featuring lamb, chicken, or beef, never pork. A popular local tasty dish is `Shwarma` which is cooked lamb in a special sauce that is rolled in a piece of flatbread along with falafel, hummus, and ful, cucumbers, tomatoes and the zingy tzatziki sauce. Generally, Arabic food consists of several general basic groups.
Meat dishes with lamb, or chicken, beef is a rare option, and pork is never offered. Shwarmas. Rice and flatbread are typical sides for most meals. Chick pea-based foods are very popular such as falafel, hummus, and full. Baklava is a popular sweet dish, as well as knafeh nabelseyyeh, a cheese pastry and syrup dish which originates from the Palestinian city of Nables. The city is brimming with coffee shops on every corner selling delicious fresh hot Turkish coffee and fresh pastries.
Most food in Wadi Rum is cooked by the Bedouin residents, if you are camping in the desert you can enjoy delicious authentic cooked meals including the national dish `Mansaf` and `Zarb` which is a Bedouin barbecue. Many of the meals include fresh meat and vegetables which are cooked under the desert sand. Bedouin tea is the number one drink served in the desert, it is hot and sweet and flavored with mint which is very refreshing. Located at the park entrance there is a small restaurant found in a tent that serves traditional Jordanian food including bread and yogurt.
Have dinner at the Wadi Rum Fire Camp, which offers a sun terrace and breathtaking views of the mountain and surrounding area. Sip on drinks by the campfire and take in the serene setting under the stars.
Nightlife
The best way to experience the desert at night is to stay at a Bedouin camp overnight to get the full experience. There are luxury campsites located in the desert where you can spend the night under the starry sky. Staying the night in the desert is highly recommended and gives you a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Campers are treated to an unforgettable Bedouin experience with delicious food, storytelling, and live music. The desert is simply awe-inspiring at night when the sun sets behind the mountains and rock formations it casts some amazing vibrant hues of azure blue, pale pink, brilliant orange, and burning red over the desert floor. Once the sun has set, the night sky appears and is blanketed by sparkling stars.
As evening approaches, find a spot on top of a rock and wait for the most breathtaking sunset you have ever seen. Capturing a sunset over the Wadi Rum area is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the sun sinks down over the rolling landscapes, and the entire desert and rocks light up in vibrant hues of azure blue, pale pink, brilliant orange, and burning red, it then turns to a grey, light black color and then the dark night sky is filled with millions of bright sparkling stars.