SURROUNDED BY MAGNIFICENCE OF WADI RUM

It is difficult to put into words the magic that emanates from the Wadi Rum Desert, located in southern Jordan. One falls short in words, because as you can see in my photographs or if you are one of the lucky ones who ever had the opportunity to visit the Wadi Rum Desert, this place of sublime beauty, there are not enough words that cover all the emotions that run through your body while facing such magnificence.

MY TRIP TO WADI RUM

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I traveled to Jordan with my partner around Christmas time. I had previously read that the best way to visit this Asian country, located in the Middle East, is to rent a car and make your own way. The truth was that it was a great idea, since in this way I had the opportunity to choose the places that interested me and plan the time according to my needs. In addition, in Jordan it is very easy to drive, so if you are afraid that the traffic will be chaos, don’t worry, it is not at all. In my previous article, I told you about Petra, another magnificent place that you should not miss on your route through Jordan. After Petra my destination was Aqaba, a border city, from which you can even see Egypt and Israel, and Saudi Arabia is also nearby. I had no chance to visit these countries, but if you come with enough time I would recommend it. I will always recommend you to explore new places.

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Aqaba is a maritime city, located on the shores of the Red Sea. If you dive, I recommend you spending a few days immersing yourself in the depths of the Red Sea, whose waters according to the Bible were opened so that Moses and the Israeli people could flee from Egypt. The Red Sea is warm even during the winter months (about 20ºC), and the truth I have to say that it was a bit chill when I got out of the water rather than inside. So it is ideal that you bring a coat for after the dives just in case. Also, with few ocean currents, the Gulf of Aqaba is a perfect place for beginner divers. I recommend you do the dives in the area where Cedar Pride is located, a Lebanese warship which sunk in 1985. It was not my first experience diving among the sunken fleets, I also had the opportunity to do it in Coron in the Philippines. Another spectacular place that you should not miss is the Japanese Garden full of magnificent corals and even if luck is on your side, you may be able to see a turtle swimming.

WELCOME IN WADI RUM

The Wadi Rum Desert, known for the adventures of Lawrence of Arabia, offers many attractions to its visitors. But we started from the beginning. Heading in the car from Aqaba to the desert, we picked up a couple hitchhiking on the highway. The funny thing is that they turned out to be my countrymen, which I found out when I talked to them for a while in English. It had been so long since I had spoken to someone from my country other than my family, so it was a very pleasant experience. Before starting your own adventures in the desert, you must make a mandatory stop at the entrance to this incredible place. It is necessary to pay the entrance, but if you have JordanPass, highly recommended from my point of view, you do not have to pay anything else, your entrance is included in the price. After passing the entrance, you will enter the town of Wadi Rum, where you either go to the people’s house or agency if you have booked a tour or you must agree on a route with someone from the town.

Unaware of how things worked in Wadi Rum, I had previously booked a 4×4 tour with a night in the desert in the typical Bedouin tents. However, I consider that you can also book it very easily directly in the town. By the way, there are people who even visit the desert on foot, since some of the attractions are not located too far from the town. Although I was very happy with the 4×4 tour, it is more comfortable and our driver told us stories about the places we saw and even shared with us some typical food that his wife had prepared for him. Very kind of him. Normally tours are for four people, but we were lucky to be the only ones, so the experience was more intimate.

LET’S EXPLORE WADI RUM

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I leave you a small list with some places that you should not miss in this wonderful desert:

Lawrance Spring or Ain Abu Aineh: it is the place used by Lawrence of Arabia as a military base during World War I. I suppose you are familiar with the name of this famous British military and archaeologist who was recognized for his brave activity during the Great War in support of the Arabs, raised against the Ottoman Empire.

Khazali Canyon: one of the most famous places in the desert, 100 meters long, whose walls are decorated with Nabataean, Thaumudic and Islamic wall inscriptions (Kufic letters), as well as petroglyphs representing camels, horses, mountain goats and spirits. The Thaumudic culture of an ancient Arab tribe was known as early as the 8th century BC. until the time of Muhammad (7th century). About the Nabataeans you can read more information in my previous article.

Seven Pillars of Wisdom: whose name comes from the book written by Lawrence during his stay in Wadi Rum, it is an area for hiking trails.

Um Fruth Rock Bridge: a 15 meter high jewel of nature, to see if you dare to step over this arch carved from the rock.

Barrah Canyon: a very popular spot for hiking, climbing, or a camel excursion. By the way, I have noticed that Jordanian camels are much taller than they were in the Sahara Desert. And another important fact, if they have a hump they are dromedaries, not camels.

Um Sabatah: nothing better than resting at sunset contemplating the end of a day full of adventures. The colors of the desert become even more reddish and incredible. It is a spectacular vision of nature in its purest form.

To end the day in this incredible place in our camp they prepared us a typical dinner with Jordanian delicacies, I have to say that Jordanian food is spectacular and it is completely true: the Bedouins are very hospitable to their guests. Also spending the night in the Wadi Rum desert under the starry sky was a great experience that I think you should not miss if you ever visit these lands where nature follows its rhythm and does not allow itself to be dominated by man.

TIPS:

• Before starting your trip you should get JordanPass. Its price varies depending on the days you decide to stay in Petra and it’s also a Visa for Jordan.
• It is a good idea to rent a car, Jordanians drive quite well, there is no chaos on the streets.
• I think I have read that if you visit Israel and they leave the stamp in your passport you could have problems entering other Muslim countries, due to bad political relations. So make sure what you can do to avoid these setbacks.