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The largest wadi in Jordan is a unique valley with sandstone and granite rock faces
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Wadi Rum is Jordan's famous desert. It is a desert, but one with an unprecedented amount of beautiful rock formations. You can do lots of hikes, spend the night under the stars and simply enjoy the rugged landscape.
It’s raining superlatives in a small tourist group in the Bedouin camp. It’s always fun to listen in: ‘It’s like a moon landscape’ says one. ‘It’s the most beautiful thing in the world’ says another. And another, a bit less lyrical: ‘It’s a giant sandpit.’ ‘I feel like painting it’ calls another. There is a moment’s silence in the group. Wadi Rum is a talking point, that’s for sure.
I visited this huge desert twice. It has many attractions, some famous, some totally unknown. These are the main attractions to discover during your visit.
The sunset colours the rocks with reds, yellows and every shade in between. You can try and capture those striking colours with a camera, but it’s not easy, and there’s something to see at every turn. Do you photograph the endless desert, or the intriguing rocks? Or both?
Many parts of Wadi Rum are worth visiting. You can follow in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia, a real person the 1962 movie was based on. He was a British military diplomat Thomas Edward Lawrence, who helped combat the Turks who ruled over large parts of the Middle East for more than 500 years. And that while he was actually a writer.
His many accounts tell the story of the hard desert life. This place is home to Bedouin peoples, who now embrace tourists and share their culture, giving them a taste of this rough life between the strange rocky desert.
Make sure you stop at Khaz’ali Canyon, where you can find lots of rock art dating from 400 BC to 400 AC. You’ll notice scripture and also plenty of depictions of humans and antelopes.
There is much more to do in Wadi Rum:
You should really spend a night in Wadi Rum, in a tent in a Bedouin camp. It’s a special experience because you can’t just see the sunset, but also the sunrise, and those are magical here.
Many travellers stay overnight in the desert of Wadi Rum. They are there for two days, but these are often half days. If you want to optimally experience the sand, but especially the rocks and mountains, you should actually stay two nights.
If you stay overnight you don't go far into the area. And are you with several tourists. That's why I would spend two nights here. For example at two different locations. So that you can fully enjoy.
5 travellers have this on their Bucket List
0 been here