When we arrived to Jordan we didn’t have ANY plans. Then, when we started to research, we found out the camps were quite full around NY’s eve. So we decided to book the first one we’ll get.
So we ended up with a recognized tour company, which also charged a bit more.
We payed 125JD per person for 2 days/1 night.
In the morning we drove to the Rum village, which is 5km after the visitors’ center gate – they stop you here, you pay the entrance fee 5JD (included in Jordan pass) and you have to tell them/show them your booking confirmation.
Usually the tour companies allow you to park your car at their office. There we were greeted by the stuff, we got some welcome tea and we were assigned to our guides.
At around 9:30 we were ready to go. The jeeps have benches at the back, where the guest sit and in early January it was soooooo cold. ☹ Maybe take a scarf, gloves and a hat with you.
The first day is quite similar with every company:
– Lawrence spring (here you can scramble up the rocks and boulders to the spring and fig tree)
– Khazali canyon is a narrow canyon, with just one way in and out – it can get quite jammed, when all the jeep tours arrive
– Red sand dune is really beautiful, especially in nice weather where the sand color is in contrast with the blue sky. Btw. it’s really nice to walk barefoot!
– Anfishiyyeh is a big rock wall with ancient inscriptions
– Lawrence house was once a house, now you can see some rundown walls, here you can buy some tea, scarves and souvenirs and climb/scramble up the rocks and boulders for a nice view.
After this we drove to our lunch spot, where our guide cooked for us (the cheaper tours don’t have cooked meals but you get lunch packages) and we had time to explore, climb or just relax.
After lunch we had some more sights on the list:
– Um Fruth rock bridge where the climb up is not difficult at all
– Abu Khashaba canyon is a green canyon with many trees and greenery. Our guide dripped us at one side and we walked through it to the other side, where he picked us ao again.
– Burdah is a natural rock bridge, where the climb up is a little tricky, but worth
– watching the sunset
After this we went to our camp, where we all gathered in the big tent, drank tea and got to know other travelers. To our surprise we met a lot of expats and mixed nationalities couples and with some we still have contact. 😉 Hope to see you all soon in our beautiful Slovenia ❤
When it was time for dinner, we all gathered outside to see the traditional way of prepearing Zarb. They dug a whole in the ground, put in coal, then they filled a metal barbecue rack with meat and vegetable and put it in the hole with the coal. They covered it with a lid, put on a blanket and covered everything with sand. After 1,5-2,5 (depends on the meat) it was ready and we had a delicious feast.
After dinner we enjoyed some interesting conversations and local music, when everyone slowly flocked to their tents.
Just a few words on the tents: they’re made of goat hair and are not heated, but we got very thick blankets. The trick to stay warm also at 00C was to lay on one blanket and one sheet and cover yourself with one sheet and one blanket – in this order! And probably for the first time in my life I slept with covered head.
Of course we couldn’t go to sleep without admiring the beautiful night sky in the desert. We shot a few photos, but then we went to bed.
I probably don’t have to tell you, we didn’t shower, as the common bathrooms are not heated and the water is on solar energy.
The next morning, we had a good breakfast again, then we left for another Lawrence of Arabia adventure.
We drove for quite some time to a mountain, which we climbed (don’t get scared, it was only about 45 min). From the top we had a beautiful view over the desert and to Saudi Arabia. Our guide made some tea, we had some biscuits and chatted with a local Bedouin we met.
We gathered some fire wood and drove to our lunch spot. Our guide cooked again something warm (but he forgot I don’t eat meat), so I ended up with bread, hummus and vegetable.
After lunch we drove back to the Wadi Rum village, where we arrived around 4PM.
This was our Wadi Rum adventure. We liked the desert very much, just the temperatures in winter are a bit harsh, especially if you don’t have the proper gear.
For everyone on a tight schedule – do at least 1 day and 1 night. You can arrange all combinations: start in the morning and end the next morning or start in the evening and end the tour the next afternoon. If you have more time and want to go deeper into the deserted, take 2 days, just be careful about the itinerary of the 2nd day – we had a feeling, we were more or less waiting for the time to pass as to really see some and do some things.
A few things to know before:
– you can bring just a smaller bag, not your whole luggage
– the tents are not heated
– the water in the camp is on solar energy (cold water in winter)
– driving in the back of the jeep can be quite cold in winter (hat and scarf)
We did the tour with Wadi Rum Nomads. We really liked the first day – the food, the tour and the evening with dinner and music was great. Although the second day was a disappointment – as mentioned before, we had a feeling the guide was just waiting for the time to pass and he forgot about us at lunchtime and cooked a meat stew.
We were also in contact with another company, which seemed to be reliable and was very responsive, but was fully booked for the dates we wished to visit the desert. Their name is Bedouin Directions and I would definitely check them out, as the prices were more reasonable.
I hope I could help you a little bit. Go to the desert, as it’s incredible. And don’t forget stargazing – I can guarantee you you’ll see a shooting star. 😉
sLOVEnians travel 