One of the brightest episodes of the last trip was a visit to the Wadi Rum desert in southern Jordan. Being among its red sands and bizarre rocks, Tonya and I could not get rid of the feeling as if we found ourselves on another planet. And then it turned out that this was absolutely true!
The half of the day we spent driving around the expanses of Wadi Rum left indelible impressions that are unlikely to be conveyed in text with photographs, but I’ll try anyway...
I must say that Wadi Rum appeared in our trip plans almost spontaneously. Planning a trip to Israel for a week, we decided to carve out two days from our stay in Tel Aviv: one to Eilat, the other. But about a week before departure, a friend asked in surprise - how can you go to Petra and not look at Wadi Rum? Thank you, Borya! We changed plans and then crossed the border into Jordan.
1. Despite the fact that I organized the excursion to Wadi Rum almost at the last minute, everything went perfectly: a taxi driver was waiting for us near the border, who (with a stop at an ATM to withdraw Jordanian currency) drove in an hour and a half to the Bedouin town of Wadi Rum. On the way, we had to buy tickets to the reserve, 5 dinars per person - that's about $7 (a Jordanian dinar costs $1.4!)
It’s hard to even call it a town - it’s three or four streets of one-story houses located between two massifs of brown carved mountains.
2. In the town we were met by Attayak (the owner of the travel agency where we booked the excursion) and Mohammed, our driver. The price of a one-day tour was 60 dinars per person, and included a private jeep, overnight stay in a Bedouin camp, lunch, dinner and breakfast. It's not cheap at all, but as I understand it, tourist attractions in Jordan are quite expensive.
3. Attayak treated us to tea and showed us our vehicle. It was an older, but strong Toyota pickup truck, with a built-on body equipped for passengers.
4. The body was welded from metal pipes, the canopy created shade from the sultry Jordanian sun. It contained two benches upholstered in an incomprehensible plush fabric. In general, the ride was comfortable, even when the jeep was galloping along the sand dunes.
5. And so we left!
6. Despite the fact that the day was hot, in the shade of the canopy, and at speed, a pleasant breeze blew in my face.
7. Immediately outside the town, the desert began. "Wadi Rum" translated from Arabic means "Valley of Fine Sand" - there is really very soft, fine sand here. It feels good to hold in your hands and flows through your fingers almost like a liquid.
8. The valley is surrounded by high red-brown rocks, which makes it look like some kind of alien landscape.
9. The stones have been sharpened by local winds for many millennia, and have acquired intricate shapes.
11. It would be very easy to imagine that you are on Mars, but then...
12. ...then a purely earthly beast comes into view. Camels just walk along the sands here. Most likely they are not wild, but belong to the local Bedouins. However, camels also look like some kind of alien creatures...
13. Most of the time we drove through the desert in absolute solitude. There wasn't a soul around us.
14. Only the wheel tracks on the sand reminded us that we were not alone here. There are many such beaten paths in Wadi Rum. Still, this place is quite popular among tourists. Fortunately, the desert is large, and most often there are no other cars in sight.
15. And here is a deserted intersection:
16. Sometimes you still come across a jeep with other tourists. All local cars look the same - they are the same pickup trucks with built-on bodies.
17. From time to time we saw several cars at once. This was a sure sign that we were approaching one of the local “attractions”.
18. Even in such a beautiful desert there are especially beautiful and photogenic places where all the drivers take their tourists. There is always a congestion of cars near such points - like a parking lot in the middle of the sand.
19. Also, local authorities place trash cans at such points so that tourists do not litter the desert.
20. Here's one of them popular places: deep gorge in orange stone, washed over thousands of years by rainwater.
21. In appearance it resembles . The same beautiful curved lines, the same sheer walls going far up...
22. Only here on the walls there are also ancient drawings of early people. Although it is possible that these drawings were made by modern Bedouins to surprise visiting tourists.
23. One way or another, unlike Antelope Canyon, there are not so many people in this gorge, you can calmly explore it without someone constantly pushing you from behind. And also, to go further than a few tens of meters into it, you have to climb up.
24. Tonya really liked this moment, since she used to go rock climbing. And I had to climb after her.
25. Mohammed knows this area by heart. I wish I could bring tourists here every day! He told us where to put our feet when we were unsure.
26. As soon as we left this gorge, a large group of Italians arrived in several jeeps. The place immediately looked even more like Antelope Canyon.
27. After the gorge, Mohammed took us to a large sandy hill. Climbing up it was not easy; it took about ten minutes.
28. True, it turned out that its top was rocky. It offered an excellent view of the entire surrounding desert.
29. The descent was a lot of fun, we could make giant leaps, each time landing in soft pink sand that flew up in clouds around our feet.
30. Tonya was smarter than me and ran barefoot. But then I had to shake small mountains of sand out of my shoes.
31. We also went to take pictures at the “small arch”...
32. ...And the "big arch". It's kind of like a mandatory program.
If we had arrived early in the morning, they would have taken us to several more famous desert spots. But to be honest, the most thrill is not the dots, but the feeling of the wind in your face when you drive a jeep through this magnificent terrain.
33. Even Muhammad himself could not resist, and at some point decided to take the plunge, leaning out of the window of the car while it was moving.
34. But someone went crazy. The car had some kind of breakdown. In such cases, local Bedouins help each other with repairs, even if it means that their tourists are forced to wait until the work is completed.
35. A moment of rest among the rocks.
36. Towards evening, Mohammed brought us to the sunset point. It turned out that it was also popular: when we arrived, about a dozen people had already settled there, and then several more arrived.
37. However, there was enough space for everyone. People scattered to the nearby hills and sat down to watch the sunset in groups. The sun was setting towards the horizon, and all the surroundings, already orange-red, were also illuminated by the golden sunset light.
“Just like on Mars,” I thought...
38. ...and then a man appeared in a silver spacesuit! At first I didn’t understand what was going on, but then it turned out that two tourists from China brought with them an astronaut suit especially for sunset photography!
39. It turns out I'm not the only one who thinks that the Wadi Rum desert is very similar to Mars. The people who make movies about Mars think so too! As I learned later, many films use this place in Jordan as a location for the Red Planet. The most famous was perhaps the 2015 film The Martian, starring Matton Damon, about an astronaut stranded on Mars and forced to grow potatoes there.
In addition to playing Mars in many science-fiction films, Wadi Rum also played the desert planet Jedha in Star Wars: Rogue One.
40. So, by a strange coincidence, on the same day that we arrived at this sunset point, these guys from China were there too, who wanted to repeat scenes from “The Martian”.
41. It is curious that on the back of the suit was written “LASA” - on the one hand, an obvious parody of the American NASA, on the other, an alternative spelling of the city of Lhasa, the capital.
42. I also decided to take a photo of this sunset “lastronaut”.
And then, when he took off his spacesuit, Tonya asked him to try it on - and that’s how the title photo for this post turned out (some of you have already seen it on my Instagram a week ago).
43. After sunset we drove to a desert Bedouin camp. Such camps are scattered throughout Wadi Rum - they usually huddle at the foot of the local cliffs. Each Bedouin tour operator has its own camp, and as far as I understand, they are all about the same. These are several two-bedroom "tents" (actually flimsy huts covered with camel hair material).
44. In the center there are a couple of stronger buildings - a kitchen, showers and toilets (there are no amenities in the tents themselves). Specifically in our camp, advanced Bedouins installed a solar panel (but a generator also worked next to it):
45. This is what such a tent looks like from the inside. This is a small room with a double bed. The two tiny windows are also covered with fabric, so that when they are closed, no daylight penetrates into the room. There was a socket hanging on the ceiling, and there was even one socket through which we charged our phones.
46. Spending time in such a tent is not very interesting. Fortunately, the Bedouins lit a fire in the camp, near which it was very pleasant to sit. We were offered tea. There were two kettles on the fire.
"What's the difference between them?" I asked.
“One with sugar, the other with less sugar,” they answered me. Even the one that was “not very sweet” turned out to be quite cloying.
About half a dozen men gathered around the fire, talking about something in Arabic. And only Attayak, the head of the camp, sometimes asked us about our impressions.
47. After some time, another couple, tourists from Germany, came to the fire. It turned out that this evening the four of us were the only guests of these particular Bedouins. Since all the guests were gathered, we were invited to dinner. It turned out that dinner was literally buried underground. The guys took a shovel and in the light mobile phones They began to rake away a pile of sand.
48. I helped illuminate with my flashlight, which I brought just in case. It was purchased and turned out to be much brighter than what was built into mobile phones. This drew approving comments from Attayak.
The Bedouins cleared away the sand, under which there was a metal lid covering a barrel with cooked food. Previously, it was covered with coals, and a grill with chicken and vegetables was placed on top for several hours. Now everything was ready, you could take it out and eat it.
49. We dined in a separate large room, another “tent”, the lower parts of the walls of which were made of concrete. It was clearly designed for a larger number of tourists, so the four of us felt a little uncomfortable there.
50. After dinner I returned to the fire, grabbing my computer. It was here that I wrote (it’s hard to believe, but it was literally the day before!) The Bedouins lit a hookah and treated us to it.
It was wonderful: fire, hookah, tea, desert...
51. And when the fire finally went out, it turned out that the brightest dome of stars had lit up above our heads!
If you happen to be in those parts and want to visit Wadi Rum, I can recommend the Attayak camp. His office is called Bedouin Roads. If you meet him, tell him that Lev, from whom he bought a flashlight, said hello to him. ()
Quite spontaneously, we managed to implement two independent trips at once - first to meet New Year in Ukraine, and immediately after that, arrange a difficult search for warm sun in the Middle East. I have already started telling you about Ukraine, and in the near future, of course, I will continue. And today is the time to show you something interesting from the second part of our New Year’s journey. And my first story is about the Jordanian desert of Wadi Rum, one of the most beautiful places on earth and, at the same time, one of the brightest impressions from our Middle Eastern trip. This is one of my best photo reports. Enjoy!
The Wadi Rum desert is considered one of the most beautiful in the world. It is not surprising that such a title attracts Hollywood directors - some scenes were filmed here " Star Wars", "Transformers" and "Prometheus", so a rolling feeling of déjà vu while walking through the local canyons and plains is guaranteed. This love of cinematic geniuses is no coincidence - the incredible colors of the desert along with its unusual geological formations are truly amazing!
This place is purely touristic, which, surprisingly, does not detract from its value. Located at the entrance to the desert tourist centre, around which a crowd of enterprising Bedouins always hangs out, vying with each other to offer themselves as guides. Since there is nothing to do here without a guide with a good jeep, and I didn’t want to rely on luck at all, I contacted Mehedi from Russia, a local Bedouin who organizes desert safari and has an amazing amount of good reviews on various tourism resources.
Mehedi warned me in advance not to listen to the Bedouins near the tourist center under any circumstances - they would use any tricks to lure me into their network. Indeed, as soon as I got out of the car and headed to the ticket office to pay for our stay in the desert, I was surrounded by a crowd of Arabs who began vying with each other to offer me their services. One of them even said that he was Mehedi, saying that he had been waiting for me here since early morning. Having fought off the annoying would-be entrepreneurs, we moved on to the place of our meeting with Mehedi.
He himself could not meet us; his brother, Auvdekh, acted as a guide (oh, I hope I wrote his name correctly in Russian). At first, when we saw the car in which we were to go into the desert, we were horrified. The twenty-six-year-old Toyota, at first glance, had great difficulty falling under the definition of “car.” It turned out that this miracle drives, and even quite well. So what if the windshield is decorated with a web of cracks, because of which you can’t see anything, and there’s no trace of the side glass? Well, one more detail - the wipers, for example, don’t work. The downshift works with great reluctance. There are no brakes... But who will you scare with this? Let's hit the road!
The weather was as bad as it gets in these parts. I was also lucky that it didn’t fall asleep with snow.
Heavy gray clouds rushed directly above our heads at breakneck speed, sometimes opening small gaps that were instantly filled with bright sunlight.
At these moments the desert was transformed, filled with bright colors and contrasting shadows.
All around us there were beautiful landscapes stretching beyond the horizon, and if it weren’t for the thick clouds that constantly hid the sunlight from us, both of my memory cards would have been filled with photographs at the very beginning of the safari.
These places are inextricably linked with Lawrence of Arabia, a British officer who played an important role in the Arab revolt in 1916-1920.
But we came here not for history, but for natural beauty, and we will enjoy it.
Khazali Canyon. In the old days, this place was used by the Bedouins for recreation. In the summer months, the air in the desert easily heats up to fifty degrees Celsius, and the only place where you can hide from the killing heat is the narrow canyons, which retain a pleasant coolness.
We have never been able to understand the happiness of the Bedouins. The air temperature did not want to rise above five degrees Celsius, so both in the desert and in the gorge it was cold and dank.
The canyon is certainly beautiful.
Not far from the entrance you can find ancient petroglyphs. Scientists claim that they are several thousand years old, although, in truth, all this is more like an initiative of local inhabitants, designed for gullible tourists.
Periodically, the sky became completely overcast and thousands of falling drops of water began to drum on the loose sand. The surrounding landscapes were again transformed beyond recognition. In addition to the rain, gusts of cold wind flew from behind the mountains, painfully whipping us in the face with a mixture of water and sand.
Most of the desert is rocky, but in some places you can find real sand dunes. The right photo shows petroglyphs from the Nabatean period located near the dunes.
Ruins of an old Nabataean house. It is believed that the building was used by Lawrence of Arabia as an ammunition depot.
Another one opens from the house beautiful view to the desert.
Periodically there are Bedouin tents. Most of them work with tourists.
In some places, entire towns of tents have been set up where visitors can spend the night.
As I wrote above, the Wadi Rum desert is famous for its natural formations - canyons and arches.
Another arch. Those who are especially crazy can climb to its top.
Self-portrait. The shadow at the top of the arch is me.
The views from the top are gorgeous.
By the end of the day the weather began to improve. We even had hope that the coming day, which we were going to spend in Petra, would delight us with the warm Jordanian sun. We did not yet suspect that literally in a few hours we would be making our way through a mountain pass in ten-centimeter snow, and our only companion for an hour would be a merciless snowstorm. But all this was ahead, and for now we rejoiced at the unexpected rays of sunshine gently enveloping the sandy roads of the desert.
Of course, Wadi Rum looks most beautiful in the sun. Especially when time gradually begins to creep towards sunset.
Just look at how bright the colors are.
At the beginning of the day, I was frankly worried that the weather was letting us down. Indeed, to get caught in the rain in the desert, you need to have some kind of paranormal luck. By evening, I realized that on the contrary, we were lucky - we were among the chosen few who managed to see Wadi Rum in rain or shine.
The range of colors varies depending on the area from bright yellow to dark burgundy.
See for yourself how beautiful it is!
When we were completely frozen, Auvdekh took out from somewhere in the bins a huge piece of polyethylene, which was supposed to replace the missing window. By the way, it turned out rather clumsily - the polyethylene constantly fell off, so Auvdekh had no choice but to constantly hold it with one hand. Service!
Chick. And how natural it is!
This photo, in my opinion, turned out well - almost like a finished poster for an adventure film!
Cold but happy, we headed back to the tourist center. Along the way, we stopped at one of the Bedouin camps, where Auvdeh wanted to visit his Bedouin friends, and we were accidentally shown an unattainable level of local hospitality - when I approached the flaring fire, the Bedouins sincerely apologized that they did not have time to light it before our arrival and with me there won't be a chance to warm up for a couple of minutes...
By the way, fires were the only thing that allowed us to stay warm during our walk. And then, of course, hot tea, to which the Bedouins add a set of herbs unknown to me. It turns out quite cloying, but damn, delicious!
In general, despite the terrible weather, we liked everything. The following photograph conveys the fullness of emotions. On the left is Annuir, on the right is Auvdeh. Well, as Mehedi later told me: “Insha Allah, one day in the future you may be able to come here again.” Let's hope!
is a desert in the very heart of Jordan, where white and red sands and steep cliffs that go into the sky are amazingly combined. In the desert you can spend several days filled with various adventures, surrounded by pristine nature. Here you can climb the most high mountain in Jordan, slide down a huge sand dune on a board, see mesmerizing sunsets, and at night - a sky strewn with myriads of stars!
The climate here is quite dry, with large temperature changes during the day. IN winter time temperatures range from 4 degrees Celsius at night to 25°C during the day, in summer - from 19°C at night to 35°C during the day. Best time The best time to visit is spring, when flowers bloom here.
If you only have one day, you can travel around all the most beautiful places by jeep.
Climbing onto a rock near the village of Wadi Rum, it is easy to find a water source. From here you have a very beautiful view of the desert.
Khazali Canyon
A stone bridge
Red sand dune
Ruins of the House of Lawrence of Arabia
And some places resemble lunar and Martian landscapes. It is not for nothing that Wadi Rum is also called the Valley of the Moon.
But to immerse yourself in the atmosphere and energy of this place, it is best to travel through the desert on foot. The guide does not accompany tourists along the entire route, but only periodically meets his sponsors in a jeep, shows the direction, talks about the most interesting places route, and for lunch he makes a fire, on which he prepares very tasty Bedouin tea. But most his path is not nearby.
The first thing you notice when you are in the desert is the deafening silence. Like in a cave. Absolutely silent breeze. A beetle crawls about its business completely silently, or a lizard slinks by. You are overcome by a feeling of harmony with nature, calm and tranquility. Here you suddenly understand what a sound-filled world we live in. We are almost never left in silence. All the time something sounds next to us: the noise of a car on the street, a refrigerator, a computer or trees outside the window...
Traveling on a camel immerses you in a completely different mood and a different reality. Monotonous, swaying movements... The guide, on his camel, sings a mournful Bedouin song... The path lies through the places where, about 2000 years ago, trade routes ran from settlements on the site of modern Saudi Arabia to Petra. There are drawings on the rocks that have been preserved from that time.
Your imagination takes you thousands of years ago, when in these places, past these same rocks, completely different people rode camels. And you understand that in 2000 years, when modern civilization has already become history, here in the desert, in all likelihood, little will change, and completely different people will look at the inscriptions on the rock made in Russian: “Kisa and Osya were here.” "
There are at least three options for spending the night in the desert. Standard: in a Bedouin camp, in sheep wool tents. Beds, white sheets, everything is clean. There is a toilet and a shower, although it is cold. Includes dinner and breakfast buffet.
For thrill-seekers, there is the option of spending the night in a semi-cave in the open air. Thick mattresses and warm blankets are delivered by jeep (even in winter it will not be cold). Dinner will be prepared for you at the fire. There is a stunningly beautiful sky over the desert at night! The view is limited by the rocks and you can see the stars moving quite quickly across the sky. IN different time different constellations are visible at night.
The third option for an overnight stay for exotic lovers: you can stay with a local family, in a Bedouin house, in the village of Wadi Rum. Jordanians are very hospitable people: if you're lucky, you'll get to attend a Bedouin wedding or someone's birthday! But be prepared to be awakened at 5am by calls to prayer coming from the local mosque.
How to get to Wadi Rum
Buses run from Aqaba and Petra every morning to the village of Wadi Rum. Departure times may vary from day to day and must be confirmed with your hotel or through your guide. Bus fare is 5-7JD. A taxi from the Eilat-Aqaba border or from Aqaba will cost approximately 38 JD. A taxi from Petra will cost 50JD ($1 USA - 0.7 Jordanian dinars JD)
What to take with you:
- sleeping bag;
- flashlight;
- germicidal wet wipes;
- headdress;
- sunscreen.
The average cost of hiking tours with a local guide is from 40 to 60 JD per day per person, including overnight stay, breakfast and dinner.
Companies organizing desert tours:
Discussion
What struck me in Wadi Rum was the close proximity of different colored sand. You can stand on a pink hillock, on one side there will be gray sand, and a little further on there will be orange sand, and a little further away there will be bluish sand. Very beautiful. Local traders collect this sand and make compositions in a bottle from it. They say there are more than 100 shades.
04/16/2014 13:09:47, CloneComment on the article "Jordan: Wadi Rum desert - a day on a camel and a night in a tent"
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It belongs to rocky deserts and occupies an area of 74,180 hectares. Altitude above sea level - 1830m.
The climate is dry. In some places the desert turns into semi-desert with isolated dry trees and shrubs.
Laurent de Walick, CC BY 2.0The highest peak is Mount Um ad-Dami with a height of 1830 m. One of the most recognizable rocks of Wadi Rum is the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which is located next to the Tourist Center.
Tomobe03, CC BY-SA 3.0 The surface is generally uneven, replete with local canyons, dips and hills.
The air temperature within Wadi Rum varies from 32 degrees Celsius during the day to 4 degrees at night.
xorge, CC BY-SA 2.0 In the phrasebook: jabal means “mountain” in Arabic. This is a word you will hear often in Wadi Rum.
Mountains and rocks as photo subjects compete here with the beauty of multi-colored sands and unusual vegetation.
Flora and fauna
A large area of the Wadi Rum desert is a national park.
Despite its apparent emptiness, Wadi Rum is home to a wide variety of ecosystems.
During the rare winter rains, Wadi Rum is covered with hundreds of species of flowers and wild grasses. Medicinal plants growing in the desert are used by the Bedouins to this day.
Camel thorn, rare fig trees, numerous bushes and herbaceous plants provide food and life-saving shade for small mammals, birds and reptiles.
János Korom Dr. , CC BY-SA 2.0 Around the Bedouin villages in the desert there are olive and orange orchards, groves of date palms and vegetable gardens - the soil here is fertile and needs only water.
Most of the year, high daytime temperatures and lack of water force mammals to come out only at night.
Here you can see hedgehogs, hares and hyraxes (small furry animals, surprisingly - the closest relatives of modern elephants!). In remote areas, a jackal, wolf, steppe lynx or ibex may catch your eye.
Jorge Láscar, CC BY 2.0 Desert spaces are the home of large birds - falcons, eagle owls, kestrels. If you meet a scorpion, snake or camel spider, consider yourself lucky - these are the shyest inhabitants of these places.
Story
Wadi Rum has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Petroglyphs and burial grounds found on its territory confirm the importance of Wadi Rum as a place of hunting and human habitation in the early era.
Some Islamic scholars are convinced that this is where the Adits, an ancient Arab tribe mentioned in the Koran, lived.
Tetiana Zazuliak, CC BY-SA 3.0 About 30 thousand inscriptions have been discovered on the sandstone cliffs of Wadi Rum. They were carved out by tribes from South Arabia, and later by the Nabataeans, who settled in Wadi Rum around the 4th century. BC.
Two civilizations coexisted here peacefully hand in hand, worshiping the same deities - the goddess Allat and the god Dushara.
Valley of the Moon - Wadi Rum Desert xorge, CC BY-SA 2.0 The desert gained worldwide fame thanks to Lawrence of Arabia. He visited here in 1917, during the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire, led by King Hussein bin Ali. The royal troops, riding camels and horses, crossed Wadi Rum on their way to Aqaba. Lawrence's portion of the king's army remained in a temporary camp in the desert for some time, and then marched on Damascus.
Interest in Wadi Rum was spurred by the discovery of a Nabataean temple in 1933. A French team of archaeologists completed its excavations in 1997.
Of interest are the sights, rocks (for climbers), jeep safari tours and rock paintings, many of which have not yet been sufficiently studied (petroglyphs).
Grumpygreen, CC BY-SA 3.0 Wadi Rum has everything you expect to see in the desert - stifling heat on a summer day and piercingly cold nights in winter, treachery and changeability, when in the morning the sun's rays contrastingly highlight the edges of the gorges, and in the evening, on the contrary, smooth out the differences between rocks and sand.
János Korom Dr. , CC BY-SA 2.0 The desert forces the Bedouins living in it to dutifully bear the hardships of life and does not forgive the mistakes of strangers who laugh at the dangers.
Photo gallery
Helpful information
Wadi Rum,
in Arabic: وادي رم (Wadi Rum),
Moon Valley
How to get there
Rent a car or take a taxi to the Wadi Rum Visitor Center. There you need to take a tour with a professional driver-guide in a jeep.
There is no public transport. The nearest stop for the Amman-Aqaba intercity bus is 15 km from the Tourist Center.
Take Highway No. 15 (Desert Highway):
from Amman: about 290 km,
from Aqaba: about 45km
until the direction sign for the east direction to the Wadi Rum Visitor Centre. From the turn to the Tourist Center - about 15 km.
Attention!
Independent trips through the desert are not recommended for two reasons:
- Wadi Rum is a nature reserve where hundreds of species of rare animals, birds, insects and plants are protected;
- there is a real danger to life (lack of GSM coverage in some areas, the possibility of getting stuck in the sand, getting lost, the presence of wild animals, poisonous insects, lack of drinking water, overheating or hypothermia, etc.)
Nature reserve
Part of the desert - the natural reserve "Wadi Rum Protected Area"
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Type: Cultural, Natural
Criteria: iii, v, vii
Region: Arab States
Inclusion: 2011 (35th session)
Attractions
- museum at the Tourist Center,
- mountain Seven Pillars of Wisdom,
- mount Ram,
- Mount Umm Ishri,
- Ram village,
- nabataean temple,
- Al Hasani dunes,
- stone bridges (rocks),
- source of Lawrence of Arabia (Ain Ash-Shallala),
- source Ain Abu Aineh
- house of Lawrence of Arabia (Al-Ksayr), etc.
Bedouin camps
For most half- or full-day tourists from Aqaba and Petra, Wadi Rum offers the easiest and safest chance to experience the real desert.
For the lucky ones who manage to find a day or two in their schedule to spend time in a Bedouin tent camp in the middle of the desert, this will be an unforgettable adventure.
You can book a night at the camp at any travel office or through specialized websites.
Options "on the spot" will be offered to you at the Tourist Center.
Offers range from very primitive tent camps to luxury camps with star hotel conditions.
The price always includes dinner, breakfast and a small folklore show. Their variety and quality are also very different.
When booking on your own, find out whether the selected camp provides a transfer service from the Visitor Center or another location convenient for you.
All camps are located directly in the desert and you cannot get to them on your own, even with a navigator. You will have to take a Bedouin taxi - a jeep from the Tourist Center, paying it as the cost of a desert excursion. And you will not be able to do this if you arrive at the Visitor Center late at night or all the jeeps are busy with excursions.
If the camp does not provide a transfer service, inquire about other travel options.
Booking accommodation in a Bedouin camp has the same features as booking a hotel. It would be a good idea to review reviews in advance and clarify all the details.
In the south of Jordan there is an amazing area, which is vast. It has been practically untouched by civilization for four thousand years. The local landscape is amazing, and it amazes with its unusual bright colors, the most unique rocks, wells and stone arches of bizarre shapes, magnificent sandy red canyons and much more. etc.
This place is the amazing desert of Wadi Rum (Valley of the Moon).
General information about Jordan
Jordan is rich in unique sights. Not only magnificent nature, but also a lot of historical architectural structures under UNESCO protection can be seen in this country. The most popular excursions are a trip to the capital Amman and the amazing nature reserves. Below are the most famous attractions:
- The most memorable and unusual is the very beautiful Wadi Rum desert. Where is it located and what is special about it? Information about this is presented in more detail below in the article.
- The calling card of the state is the mysterious ancient city Petra is the capital of the Nabatean kingdom, carved more than 2000 years ago right into the rock. This is the holiest place in the west of the country for thousands of pilgrims, as well as a famous tourist center.
- The Dead Sea is the main attraction of Jordan and does not need any special introduction. This place is distinguished not only by its healing climatic conditions and the unique biochemical composition of sea water, but also waves. It is into this sea that the greatest river Jordan carries its waters.
- Hot waterfalls of Jordan - Hammamat Ma'in. These sources are fed by rain. Their peculiarity is that the water is heated to +65 Celsius by underground lava. Naturally, it is impossible to swim in them.
- The capital of Jordan, Alman, is a true landmark under the blue sky. It contains the most ancient architectural monuments, representing the historical heritage of the Romans.
Description of the desert
Location of the Wadi Rum desert - southern Jordan. From Amman (the capital of the state), traveling to it by bus takes 4 hours. The distance from Aqaba is 60 kilometers. For one of the most beautiful places on planet Earth such a journey is worth making.
The desert is also known under the name “Moon Valley”. The peculiarity of the area is that the landscapes here are very diverse: flat areas with small trees and shrubs smoothly transition into areas with mountains and deep canyons. The desert is also famous for its skyscraper rocks, which are loved by climbers from all over the world. The highest peak is Um ad-Dami (1830 meters), and not all climbers, even the most professional ones, can overcome it.
This territory can well be called a “Martian desert.” Wadi Rum, with its bizarre boulders, endless sand dunes and a bright blue sky against their background, is more reminiscent of the uninhabited planet Mars. It’s no wonder that a huge number of fantastic American blockbusters are filmed here.
Attractions
Here's what's so special about this area:
- The Wadi Rum desert is one of the highlights of a trip to Jordan. In 2011, the reserve, as noted above, was included in world heritage UNESCO. The desert contains on its territory a lot of interesting and not entirely studied.
- The desert also attracts extreme sports enthusiasts; there is something for them to do here. The most daring and adventurous can try their hand at cliff climbing. This is a climb up a rock (height 1750 meters) at high speed. Such a trip guarantees the daredevil a huge dose of adrenaline.
- In some canyons you can find wells with ancient rock paintings, whose age is more than 4 thousand years. Particularly exciting is a visit to the bridge, created by nature from stone, called Burda. It connects the two sides of the deepest canyon at an altitude of 35 meters.
- History buffs can truly enjoy visiting the Khazali Canyon with its preserved ancient rock paintings.
- The ancient city of Petra is a real miracle.
- You can feel like a true Bedouin by taking a camel ride and spending the night in one of the Bedouin tents in the desert. Campsites designed in the appropriate style are very popular among tourists.
There is one more very surprising moment. If you get up early in the morning (about 6 o'clock), you can watch a breathtaking sunrise. The desert at this time appears in all its colors. It is at this moment that you can feel time freezing. All this cannot be conveyed in words; you must definitely feel it by visiting here and seeing such a miracle with your own eyes.
It is worth seeing with your own eyes the mysterious beauty of the Wadi Rum desert. Excursions here are conducted on camels, jeeps, and even flights over the desert are organized. The exotic and seemingly inaccessible desert is always full of tourists.
Ram village
The closest settlement to this desert is the village of Ram, located at the foot of Mount Jebel Ram. The distance from the reserve to it is 6 kilometers.
In addition to campsites for tourists and residential buildings, there are shops and cafes here. There is also a tourist center offering a sufficient range of services: camel riding, jeep riding, flights hot-air balloon, overnight in the desert, hike to the most highest point Wadi Rum etc.
About excursions
To make an excursion through the desert you will need more than one hour of time. A quiet exploration of all the sights can take two days. The best thing to do is to enjoy the magical beauty of the landscapes of the area without much fuss and rush, and be sure to watch the enchanting sunset and night sky.
During the day you should beware of the scorching sun, and dress warmly at night (the temperature drops to +4 °C). It is also worth noting that there are a lot of scorpions and snakes in these places.
City of Petra
The Wadi Rum desert is perhaps the most mysterious in the whole world. In the 19th century it was found here historical city, popularly called Stone Town.
Petra - historical monument, full of mysteries. The houses standing in it are located right in the rocks, and historians still cannot find an explanation for how this miracle was created. The first researchers initially saw Petra as a pink mountain, which later turned out to contain many unsolved and curious things. Historians believe that this city is a piece of the heritage of the Nabataean tribe, who lived in these places more than two thousand years ago.
The main mystery of the attraction is the unexpected disappearance of the entire population of the city many centuries ago. Since that time, no one except nomads has lived in it. It is known that Petra was created by manual labor.
The city is located in the Wadi Rum desert and it seems to be hidden in the depths of a rocky area. It's even difficult to find.
About traveling to a mysterious city
The journey to the city begins from the very narrow Siq gorge, thanks to which in ancient times only a few warriors could hold back an entire army and not allow it into the village. And there were a huge number of such attacks here, and all of them were repelled.
There are hundreds of tombs, tombs, large festive halls and other living quarters in the rocks. There is even an ancient amphitheater here, designed for 4,000 people.
There is an opinion among tourists that photographs and souvenirs of this mysterious attraction give peace of mind and bring good luck, and the more time you spend here, the better. This is the holy city located in the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan.
History of the discovery of the city
It was discovered in 1812 by Johann Ludwig (a Swiss explorer), who traveled the world under the guise of a Muslim merchant. Thus, he made a secret, not entirely legal journey.
The purpose of this trip was to learn Eastern wisdom, but everything turned out much more interesting and better. Of course, he discovered the city with the help local residents who brought him there when he called himself a pilgrim and said that he wanted to make a sacrifice.
Mausoleum Al Khazneh
Another main city symbol of Petra is the famous landmark of Jordan - the historical Mausoleum of Al Khazneh.
At the very entrance to it on the facade there is an urn. It is assumed that precious stones and gold were previously stored in it. There is information that the Bedouins shot at it with guns in order to find out about the presence of jewelry in it, but in the end they did not fall out of there. Even today small holes are visible in the urn.
Some interesting facts
On this moment the city of Petra, located on vast territory desert Wadi Rum, is one of the wonders of the world - a unique architectural monument antiquities. Although not everything has been excavated yet, and not all the secrets have been revealed, even what is visible to tourists is impressive and fascinating.
Many films have been filmed here, the most famous of which is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Some scenes from films were also filmed here: “Red Planet”, “Lawrence of Arabia”, “Transformers”, etc.
Today, the city of Petra is visible from the rock layers on only 15 percent of its entire area. And it is impossible to imagine how much more archaeologists need to work on excavations in order to unravel the secrets of the entire city. We can only say that now the territory of Petra is already so huge that it is impossible to get around it even in half a day.
How to get to the desert?
From the capital of Jordan, Amman, the best way to get to the desert is along the highway called the King's Road. The entire journey to the destination takes approximately 4-5 hours, and the fare is not a small amount - about 80 dinars (1 dinar - 84.01 rubles). The journey from Aqaba takes less - 40-50 minutes (30 dinars).
You can also use sightseeing tours. Tour operator services for one- and two-day excursions to Wadi Rum cost about 150 dinars. This includes food, travel and overnight accommodation.
While in Jordan, you should definitely dedicate some time to visiting this a most unique place. Yes, a very interesting and educational journey through the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan. Reviews from tourists who have seen this unusual fairy-tale world with their own eyes are most enthusiastic.
Conclusion
Jordan is an ancient cultural land where many biblical events took place. This state attracts tourists from all over the world with the friendliness of its residents and numerous attractions.
It is quite possible that the Jordanians here are very friendly, accommodating and kind. Many travelers travel around the many sights of this magnificent state.
