Today, Wadi Rum is a well-organized tourist attraction that provides subsistence local residents. This has its advantages and disadvantages. Thanks to a well-organized excursion, you will not have to face the unpredictable circumstances that previously awaited independent travelers on the way to Wadi Rum.

Wadi Rum is forever associated with the name of Lawrence of Arabia and his book “The Seven Pillars of Wisdom” ("Seven Pillars of Wisdom"), in which you can read memorable descriptions of the local landscapes:

“To our left stood a long stone wall that arched a thousand feet toward the middle of the valley. Opposite it, to the right of us, a second similar arc rose like a broken line of red peaks... The peak on the right seemed higher and sharper in contrast to the other side, where the ridge of mountains straightened into one not so high, but impregnable massif of a reddish color... Taking a closer look , we saw that they were not solid stone walls, but rose up in separate cliffs, resembling gigantic buildings lined up on both sides of the street they formed. They were separated from each other by shady alleys fifty feet wide, and the curves and niches eroded in the walls behind long years and painted with surface growths and cracks, looked like man-made architectural details. The karst voids high up in the steep walls looked like round windows, others, at the very foot, gaped like doors.” (chapter 62).

To get an experience comparable to the one Lawrence writes about, you must spend at least an evening in Wadi Rum, seeing the sunset, night and day in its entirety. A day trip from Aqaba or Petra will only give you a small taste of the beauty of this place, so allow at least a day to visit it when planning your route.

Time spent in Wadi Rum is always magical, the sunsets and sunrises are especially beautiful here. The valley has a surprising variety of butterflies and birds. If you lie on your back on the sand and fix your gaze on the rock towering above you or simply on the sky, the only sounds you will hear are the chirping of birds and the slight sound of wings. At sunset, the valley and the surrounding rocks take on a surreal shape. In the moonlight they look terrifying.

You can come here either by SUV or by camel, paying 2 dinars per person to enter the protected area of ​​​​Wadi Rum without prior agreement with the tourist center.

With an SUV, you'll naturally travel further, reaching places like Burda Rock Bridge in an hour instead of going on an overnight camel expedition. Off-road vehicle routes are tightly controlled to minimize damage environment: A team of security guards patrols a protected area of ​​720 km². Hunting and litter are just two of many problems. If you own an SUV, stick to established routes. A special permit is required for camping and rock climbing.

Tourist centre. Tel.: 03-209-0600. Email: [email protected]. If you are here for a short time (less than a day), you just need to come to the center and use the services of another guide. If you want to stay longer, send an e-mail at least a week in advance; In April, September and October it is better to book accommodation in advance.

Burda Rock Bridge

Climbing up this natural rock bridge is perhaps the most exciting of Wadi Rum's attractions. With the help of a guide, you will climb the bridge in an hour and descend a little faster. The climb is mostly straight forward, but there are a few surprises. It is better not to do it in August in the afternoon and barefoot - the rock gets very hot. Dress appropriately - going down the cliff in a skirt or dress will be difficult: the hem will prevent you from seeing where to put your feet.

Khazadi Canyon

This is a narrow mountain gorge about 5 km long. It starts from the village of Ram. The walls are covered with rock inscriptions.

Lawrence Source

About 1 km south of the village of Ram is the site where Lawrence is said to have bathed during the Arab Revolt. There are also many rock inscriptions in the area.

"Seven Pillars of Wisdom"

This name is given to the mountain that guards the entrance to Wadi Rum and has the shape of seven pillars. It is located to the left of the tourist center.

Bedouin "Ships of the Desert"

Wadi Rum and the surrounding desert areas are still home to eight major nomad tribes. Their total number is 40 thousand people (in the 1950s it was 220 thousand). Many have become semi-Madi and lead a sedentary lifestyle. Only a few members of the tribe, mostly young men, roam the desert, raising livestock for grazing. Life in the desert without camels is impossible, so they are taken care of in every possible way. The lifespan of a camel is about 20 years. They begin breeding at 2 years of age, and baby camels are born every autumn.

Camel ride

Camel is the most environmentally friendly clean look transport for traveling through the desert - and, of course, the most traditional. You are offered a full range of services: from a half-hour test ride to a full trip with an overnight stay; but in any case, the impressions will stay with you much longer than pain in muscles that you didn’t even know existed.

Over the last decade, camel riding has ceased to be an “exclusive”, exotic offer from travel agencies. Today, the tourist center has fixed prices for excursions, taking into account the schedule and complexity of the route. The business is well established and there is nothing scary about it anymore.

Camel ride to the Alamelekh writings

This is the best short camel ride you will be offered; like all the others, it starts from the village of Ram.

Its length is 6 km, duration is about 2 hours. At a leisurely trot you will reach the northern edge of the village (1 km), where the Nabataean Temple stands.

Nabatean Temple

Italian archaeologists excavated the ruins of this temple, almost completely buried under a layer of sand. It dates back to the 1st century. n. e., the era of Aretas IV, and was built on the ruins of the temple of the goddess Allat. The Italians also excavated in 1980-1986. several prehistoric Bedouin dwellings.

Looking at the right wall of Ram Gorge from here, you will notice a group of five trees, about 800 m from the temple ruins. This is the source of Ain Shellal.

Ain Shellalah

Dismounting, you can climb up the pile of stones from the bottom of the valley to the very cleft where a spring gushes out of the rock. The water here is beautiful: clean and cool even at the height of summer; this is the best spring in Wadi Rum. Continue further along the narrow section of Wadi Rum, keeping to the right, skirting the mountains, to the impressive sight of the "full face" rock.

Alameleh inscriptions

This rock preserves excellent examples of ancient, prehistoric inscriptions - images of camels and other wild animals. Their authors are considered to be people from the Tamud tribe (now disappeared)- it came here from Algeria and Saudi Arabia, north of Medina. This tribe is mentioned in texts of the 8th century. BC e. like the pagans conquered by the Nabataeans.

From here the route turns back south; it runs through picturesque sand dunes and winds among rocks, leading again to the village of Ram.

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Recently there was a post about the “new seventh wonder of the world” Petra, and today I’ll tell you about the desert Wadi Rum, which we visited as part of a regular “package” tour.

Wadi Rum. It’s clear that Basim and I immediately agreed on a trip to Wadi Rum on Friday. If you follow the official route, then you need to come by your own or hired transport (a taxi with a wait of three hours will cost at least 40 JD) to the ticket office national park Wadi Rum, choose a Bedouin with a jeep there (other ways of traveling around Wadi Rum are not allowed), discuss the route and price with him (usually 50-60 JD), pay 5 JD for the entrance ticket. Total for three people is 105-115 JD or $150-160. Actually, this is what we expected to do. But local taxi drivers have already gotten the hang of it, have sung with the Bedouins and are offering all-inclusive at the same price. We agreed with Basim for $140 for a standard two and a half hour desert tour. It's neither cheap nor expensive. Another taxi driver at the hotel offered $150. Moreover, the price for four will be the same. If you want to have dinner in a “Bedouin village” after the tour, it will cost at least another $10.

What we got as a result: we left the hotel at 14:00, on the way all the tourists stopped by to see the old train. The taxi driver said it was a piece railway from Turkey to Mecca, which functioned 300 years ago.

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To be honest, I don’t know if this is true; I haven’t delved into history that deeply.

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By 15:00 we arrive at an inconspicuous building where this miracle stands. By the way, most vehicles in the desert are in this condition.

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Hanging out nearby is a young Bedouin who introduces himself as Yassin. We leave the taxi right there, he and Basom get into the cab, we climb into the back and for half an hour we “saw” along the highway itself until the entrance to Wadi Rum.

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Of course, no one buys any tickets.

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Basim thriftily brought a whole portable refrigerator of cola, water and beer. Local beer Petra is killer, 10% alcohol. Be careful, especially in the heat.

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Actually, along Wadi Rum, everyone (well, most) travel along the standard route.

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But this is the only group on camels that we saw. I don’t think their impressions will be magical.

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Source where there is absolutely nothing to do.

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Red Dune. Let's go to her

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It is better to climb up along the edge, stepping on the stones, since going head-on through the sand is very difficult and ineffective: your feet fall through, the sand crumbles. Nice views from above.

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Locals have fun by competing in jeeps to see who can go the highest.

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Some tourists have brought snowboards with them and slide down the dunes on them.

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Gorge.

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Short, about a hundred meters. There's not much to do there either.

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Petroglyphs. Ancient or not? Don't know.

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Bridge. Basim tries to take a selfie with us while walking

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The point of the bridge is not even to stand on it.

For those planning to visit Petra ( Wadi Musa) or relax on the Jordanian shore of the Red Sea in Akabe I can recommend a day trip to the desert Wadi Rum.
The desert is not quite ordinary. In the usual philistine view, the desert is sand dunes stretching beyond the horizon, snakes gliding along them, the scorching sun, and somewhere behind the neighboring dune the head of the buried Said sticks out.

I'm sorry, I watched it on the plane.” White sun desert."
Well, the Wadi Rum desert is the mountains that rise from the horizon after 40 minutes of driving along the asphalt highway Aqaba - Amman. As you approach them, you notice that these mountains are not just a bunch of brown heaps, reminiscent of heaps of guano of giant dinosaurs, which is how mountains usually look in these places, but something unusual...

How to get to Wadi Rum

From Aqaba, drive north about 80 km (40 minutes of brisk driving).
From Petra, drive south towards Aqaba and turn left after about an hour's drive.
I can recommend this route for the day:

Option for visiting Jordan (1 day)

In the morning, while it’s not too hot, you’ll explore Petra, and at 13:00 in the afternoon, you’ll start for Aqaba, stopping along the way at Wadi Rum for a safari along the Moon Valley between beautiful rocks.
Why do I recommend it? Because I did it myself and was very pleased:

– It’s very hot in Petra after 12:00 and there’s nothing to do – there are a lot of tourists and flies
– Not very tired, after 1-1.5 hours you are already in Wadi Rum and having examined camping tourists who pay a lot of money to spend the night in a place where the night temperature after +35 drops 30 degrees down.
– after driving and photographing the rocks and surrounding landscapes, you go to spend the night in a normal hotel on the shores of the Red Sea in Aqaba.

Climate and temperature in Wadi Rum

I have already mentioned the difference between night and day temperatures.
What's the climate like? Of course, deserted and dry. There is no rainy season here
Wind. The wind is hot, burning dry and sandy.

Where to stay in Wadi Rum

I don’t think it’s worth staying overnight in these places - good idea.
But if you are still a fan of the hardships of tent life and evening boredom without the Internet and the joys of the city, beach, and forest, you can stay in one of the many tent cities.
There are 3-star camping towns, and 5-star camping towns.

In general, this will be a tent made of felt, in which you will have a bed and a candle.
The toilet and shower will be located in a separate large tent. And they will be pretty clean.
You will eat at common tables where socializing reigns and you will have to meet unfamiliar crazy people, with whom you will have to smile and say “how good the Bedouins and this desert are.”

Well, watch some stupid amateur concerts.
If you want, stay the night. But I advise you to come here for a day and spend the night in a normal hotel or in Aqaba or Wadi Musa (Petra)

What to do in Wadi Rum

After visiting the campsite, I suggest taking a jeep safari with a Bedouin at the wheel.
The Bedouins in these places already speak reasonable English and hire Egyptians to do dirty work.
By the way: the government of Jordan builds free houses for the Bedouins and the Bedouins in Jordan no longer roam the desert with sheep, but send Egyptians to do this for a salary.

Rent a jeep and drive to the center of the mountain ranges. I don't remember the names, but they are all beautiful. And they are beautiful in their own way, depending on the time - the sun illuminates these reddish sandstone rocks blown by the sandblast wind so that the relief of the rocks resembles either Rafaelo candy or Dutch cheese.

By the way, when you approach the place and turn off the “desert highway” into the desert, you will see the most beautiful mountain regions – Seven Pillars of Wisdom, like a thicket Egyptian pyramids. There is one more attraction - Burda rock bridge, but it takes about 2 hours to get there.

The Bedouin will definitely bring you to a shop tucked in the form of a tent somewhere under a picturesque mountain or in a gorge - there they will unobtrusively offer you simple Bedouin souvenirs, and will also offer you tea brewed in an army teapot from the time of the colonization of Egypt by the British.

An hour's trip - and a lot of beautiful impressions and photographs.
Well, now either to Aqaba or Petra

5 /5 (16 )

Wadi Rum - amazing place, timeless and untouched by civilization. Wind and sun have shaped the local landscape over thousands of years, resulting in the formation of unique cliffs, arches, canyons and wells. Hikers, rock climbers and simply history buffs will find themselves here. After all, some rock paintings on the territory of the Wadi Rum reserve are over four thousand years old. And since June 2011, the Wadi Rum desert has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Wadi Rum Desert Patrol wears perhaps the most colorful uniform in the entire Middle East. A long khaki-colored “dish-dash” robe is intercepted by a bright red bandolier, there is a dagger on the belt, a rifle in the hands, and a traditional red and white Jordanian Bedouin scarf (skufiya) on the head.

But this is unnecessary

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How to get to Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum is easily accessible by car or taxi from Amman: driving south along the “Desert Highway” or along the picturesque “Royal Road”. The trip takes from 4 to 6 hours, depending on the road chosen.

From Aqaba, on the contrary, it is necessary to head north, then you can reach Wadi Rum in less than an hour.

Minibuses run daily from Aqaba and Wadi Musa (Petra) to the reserve.

Weather in Wadi Rum

When visiting Wadi Rum, it is worth stocking up on warm clothes. The differences in daytime and evening temperatures here range from +32 °C to +4 °C. Average temperature in January: at night +4 °C, during the day +15 °C, in July: at night +19 °C, during the day +36 °C.

Wadi Rum Hotels

In Wadi Rum, you can stay in a Bedouin-style campsite (with amenities and entertainment), a bed and breakfast (in the village of Rum) or a tent camp in a “wild” place (where you will have to bring tents and equipment).

Entertainment and attractions in Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum can be explored in several ways; the best option is offered at the Tourist Service Center at the reserve, where you can not only find all the information, but also rent an SUV with a driver-guide. Another option is to hire a camel guide.

Here it is worth visiting the Burda rock bridge - the most high point Wadi Rama, "Seven Pillars of Wisdom", Lawrence's Well, Nabataean Temple, desert oases and many others interesting places. The journey by car will take one day, by camel - two days.

The vast expanses of the Wadi Rum desert

A hot air balloon ride is an unforgettable way to see Wadi Rum. Flights are organized from April to June and from September to December. The basket can accommodate up to eight passengers. The balloon rises into the air in the early morning, when winds and rising air currents are optimal for flight. For more information on hot air ballooning, skydiving and microlight flying, please contact the Royal Jordan Sports Aero Club at Tel: +962 3 205 8050, Fax: +962 3 205 8052.

Every year in Wadi Rum, in the place “Seven Pillars of Wisdom”, the Distant Heat festival is held.

Since Wadi Rum is a nature reserve, there are no catering establishments on its territory. Shops and one restaurant can only be found at the Visitor Center.

In contact with

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 2.0

The 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 trees 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, which are, 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. Nearest stop intercity bus Amman Aqaba 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 - nature 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.