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 shadowy alleys fifty feet wide, and the curves and niches, weathered in the walls over many 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

The camel is the most environmentally friendly form of 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 northern region villages (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 best source in Wadi Rum. Continue along the narrow section of Wadi Rum, keeping to the right, skirting the mountains, towards impressive spectacle- the rock “full face”.

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.

They gathered in Jordan to see Petra - business card Jordan, " pink city", carved into the rocks, which is two and a half thousand years old(!). Having looked through guidebooks and scouring the Internet, I realized that there is still a lot to see there - for example, the Wadi Rum desert. For the trip, we decided to rent a car upon arrival in Amman airport. All hotels along the route were booked in Moscow through booking.com (we can safely recommend all hotels). The route was as follows: we flew to Amman and drove to Madaba in a rented car (this is 30 km from Amman), where we stayed for 3 nights (Mosaic City hotel), from where we went to Mount Nebo (from where Moses saw the “promised land”), Jerash (an ancient Roman city 100 km north of Amman, perfectly preserved, which is 2000 years old), Dead Sea, hot springs , well, we saw Madaba itself (the city of mosaics). Then we moved to Petra, where we stayed for two nights. And then to the Red Sea with one night in Wadi Rum.
The first impression of the country was - (to say the banality) this is NOT EUROPE :) What were these dozens of people at the airport in white Muslim clothes, heading to Mecca for the Hajj! And we are among them. Although later, traveling around the country, we realized that it IS POSSIBLE! be adherents of different religions and remain human in relation to each other.
At five o'clock on our first morning on Jordanian soil, we woke up from a strange singing that spread over Madaba and was repeated by a dozen loudspeakers. It was the local muezzin's call to prayer. And this song sounded for so long and so mournfully beautiful that we fell asleep to it...
Mount Sky. Unfortunately, the “promised land flowing with milk and honey” disappeared from us in the haze: (And with good visibility, they say, you can even see the golden dome of the Jerusalem mosque... I wonder if there are such lucky ones:)...
Jerash is huge in area. It took us about four hours to examine it rather briefly. There is a forum, a hippodrome, an amphitheater, temples of Zeus and Artemis, and the remains of the foundations of Byzantine churches with mosaic floors from the 6th century AD. - Many things. The weather at this time of year is quite comfortable (I can’t stand the heat well), the sun is hot, but the cool wind and clouds help. The main thing is to cover your head :)
At the Dead Sea we stopped for a few hours at a paid beach with showers, changing rooms, a cafe and a fresh water pool. We lay down and sat like floats in the oily, dead water, smeared ourselves with healing mud - in general, we improved our health in every possible way, let’s hope:)
There are two springs in Hammamat Main. Water temperature in the source from big waterfall- 40-45 degrees (and in the cave behind the waterfall there is a sauna), but the spring with a smaller waterfall - well, VERY hot water, over 50 for sure!, you won’t get in right away, you need to get used to it, well, you won’t swim for long, you’ll jump out like you’ve been scalded (in the literal sense of the word :))
We walked through the streets of Madaba. The city has several churches (St. George, the Holy Apostles, John the Baptist), an Archaeological Park, where mosaics that are one and a half thousand years old are literally underfoot, as the Jordanian guide demonstrated: he simply picked up the rocky soil where I stamped my foot - and Here you go, something dazzling turquoise appeared from the sand - a mosaic!!!
From Madaba to Petra we drove along the picturesque Royal Road through the huge Wadi Mujib canyon.
Just as we were leaving the canyon, we stopped to take another look at this beauty and ended up in the network of Sami, the owner of a roadside cafe. We were fed a breakfast of scrambled eggs with vegetable stew (I even wrote down the recipe, and Sami poured me a bunch of some seasonings), were given delicious coffee with cardamom, gifted with some trinkets - in general, we were embraced by all kinds of hospitality (which did not go unrewarded: )). Sami’s special pride is a fully functioning toilet with a stunning view of the canyon :)) By the way, Sami asked to find him a Russian wife, he even gave him his e-mail. We promised :)
In Petra (or rather, in Wadi Musa - that’s the name of the town at the entrance to Petra) we stayed for 2 nights at the Petra Moon Hotel to spend the whole day in Petra: through the Siq gorge we went to the Treasury (or Treasury), examined the so-called. The lower city with the tombs and caves of the Nabateans and along the rocky road we went up to the monastery.
Then - the Wadi Rum desert with one overnight stay, and 5 nights on the Red Sea at the Tala Bay resort (a few km from Aqaba) in a rented apartment with a personal, one might say, swimming pool. On the resort territory there is a grocery store, several restaurants, souvenir shops, surfing, etc., as well as 3 hotels: Radisson Blu Tala Bay Resort Moevenpick Resort Tala Bay and Marina Plaza. Moevenpick Resort Tala Bay has a luxurious area with outdoor swimming pools with Jacuzzi connected by channels. Non-hotel guests can use all this splendor for money (10 dinars).
Those who are not fans of snorkeling (that's me :)) can look at the fish by going to sea on an interesting craft (see photo). It was not possible to photograph the fish - the photographic equipment was not the same, but something interesting was captured in the frame :))
Returning to the airport (Golden Tulip Airport Amman Hotel) along the Desert Highway, we went to one of the “desert palaces” of Qasr Amr (70 km east of Amman) of the Umayyad dynasty (early Islam, 7th-8th centuries AD) . The frescoes of the palace have been fairly damaged by time and people (more precisely, barbarians) and are now being restored, but they still make a strong impression.
Because I didn’t find any reviews about Wadi Rum on the site, so I decided to tell you about it (in the sense of the desert) in more detail.
Wadi Rum is located approximately 50 km north of Aqaba. Sand dunes of white, yellow-orange and red colors and high cliffs sandstone and granite create a very unusual landscape. We stayed overnight at Bedouin Lifestyle Camp. Excellent location right in a protected area, civil toilets, showers with hot(!) water, tents with beds - quite comfortable. Very welcoming and friendly hosts, a delicious dinner (and very unusually prepared) with Bedouin songs, dances and games around the fire - it was fun! An overnight stay, including breakfast, cost us 25 dinars (1 dinar is approximately equal to 1 Euro). Dinner and desert tours - for an additional fee, depending on the set of attractions:) The desert tour (in a local jeep) is long, the landscapes are breathtaking (see photo) Several stops along the way - in canyons (large and small), drinking tea among the Bedouins, rock paintings, source from drinking water, two “bridges” (easy to climb on them :) The last couple of kilometers you can ride camels, it’s fun :) In principle, you can do everything in a day and go to spend the night by the sea (Aqaba is nearby), but we wanted to see the sunset and the night sky of the desert , and it was worth it. I would also like to say something about Big Bridge. The climb up it is difficult, difficult, downright risky in places, and takes about an hour and a half. The last 10 meters are a sheer cliff, which for an unathletic person may be insurmountable without at least a rope (which our guide did not have). So, if you are not a fan of rock climbing, I think it’s not worth climbing there :)
Summary: the country is VERY interesting to travel to. The trip turned out to be a FANTASTIC experience! Jordanians are friendly and friendly (excessive importunity, perhaps, only in Petra: I can hear it - “...van din-a-ar...”). English - almost everywhere - is a means of communication. There is a lot of garbage in the habitats of the indigenous population, but the hotel areas are licked clean! Local population does not drink alcohol AT ALL (they smoke hookah), BUT! alcohol is sold everywhere and in large quantities (by the way, local wine is very good). The food is wonderful (we still can’t forget the taste of lamb on ribs...:) In general, go to Jordan - you won’t regret it!

In the article I will share reviews and photographs of our independent trip to the Wadi Rum desert in southern Jordan. At the end of the publication, I will talk about prices, how to get there and other organizational aspects of traveling through the Martian desert.

Wadi Rum desert and many photos

The rocky desert of Wadi Rum (aka Moon Valley, Wadi Rum, Wadi Rum) is located in the south of Jordan and represents one of the most scenic spots countries, object world heritage UNESCO. This attraction is famous not only for its red-orange Martian landscapes, but also historical events Arab revolt 1916-1918 The Briton Thomas Edward Lawrence stayed here for some time, helping the rebel Arabs fight against the Turks. By the way, Lawrence successfully applied a completely new tactic of warfare - guerrilla warfare, which was most suitable for the Bedouin mentality. A film about this uprising called “Lawrence of Arabia” was shot here in 1962, which subsequently received seven Oscars. Later, the films “Transformer”, “Red Planet”, “Red Planet” were filmed in the desert. Last days on Mars", "The Martian".

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom is the first attraction of the Wadi Rum desert, which can be seen even before entering the park. Usually tourists do not count 7 pillars. Five can be clearly distinguished. But seven... Well, oh well. By the way, the famous book by Lawrence of Arabia is called “The Seven Pillars of Wisdom.” Whether the rock was named after this book, or whether the author considered the name of the rock suitable for his creation, I don’t know. But we are not historians, after all.


At the tourist office we were recruited for a tour by one of the so-called guides. After jumping into a four-wheel drive vehicle with a driver (a local Bedouin), we headed off on a jeep safari through one of Jordan's most famous landmarks - the Wadi Rum desert.


Our first stop is Lawrence of Arabia Spring. We didn't go too high.


Duneboarding

The second point of inspection was the red dune. Our guide took a snowboard out of the trunk and led us to the sandy peak.


Rock dune


Climbing uphill on fine sand is not as easy as it might seem


Duneboarding

Our guide brags to his friends about his discovery - he found a phone in the sand. Probably one of the tourists got lost while duneboarding.

Meanwhile, I stopped to take a few photos of the incredibly beautiful mountain.

Petroglyphs in Khazali Canyon

Very close to the dune is the Khazali Canyon. Immediately at the entrance to it, on the walls you can easily find Nabatean rock paintings - petroglyphs. The antiquity of their origin, however, raises some doubts.

And the weather was getting cloudier...

Small Bridge

The next stop in the Wadi Rum desert was the small bridge, or small arch. There were already more tourists here.


Small Bridge

Great arch

The large arch called Um Frouth Rock Bridge is considered the most fashionable landmark of the Wadi Rum desert. But it is located far from other places visited before, and accordingly, the price of the tour is higher, and therefore not all tourists come here. In the photo they usually play with shadow and sun. Our game didn't work out - the sky was overcast.



Other attractions of the Wadi Rum desert

Not far from the village of Ram is the Nabataean Temple. In the Wadi Rum desert there are also such exhibits as the mushroom stone, mushroom rock, the large bridge on Mount Burrah, Lawrence House, Burrah Canyon and others.

Sunset in the Jordanian desert

After the big arch we headed to watch the sunset. On the way to a specially designated point, we stopped to take pictures in a beautiful place.


There is a small hole in the stone. There is a local tradition here - one by one throwing pebbles at it. The one who gets into the hole wins.

One of the sunset viewing points in the Wadi Rum desert is a spiral rock next to the chicken stone.


We watched the sunset on this shell rock

That's how it all began.

He was waiting...

And he waited!

In pitch darkness we drove back to the village of Ram.

Wadi Rum desert on the map of Jordan

I marked the main attractions of the Wadi Rum desert on the map of Jordan:

Explanation of marks on the map:

  • Red ones are basic objects.
  • Purple - notable desert objects.
  • The green ones are the approximate traditional places to meet the sunset.
  • Yellow - white desert.
  • Orange - turn off highway No. 15.

When you click on a marker, its GPS coordinates will be displayed.

Wadi Rum prices. How much does a desert trip in Jordan cost?

Entrance stands in the desert 5 JOD (7$) . If available, you do not need to pay this amount. Separately directly to the guide are paid various kinds of excursions, overnight accommodation and meals in the Wadi Rum desert.


Let's go make a mark at Jordan Pass

By your car or taxi to the desert park area No entry. You need to leave the car in the parking lot of the tourism center or in the village of Ram, and then go sightseeing in one of the following ways.

By jeep with driver (guide)

Rates depend on the number of attractions included (and time, respectively), as well as the ability to bargain. Near the tourist information center there is a poster with basic prices for jeep safari.

As we were told, these are prices per person. But, most likely, these are the prices for the car, and, to put it mildly, we were fooled. I made these conclusions while still in Jordan in the city of mosaics Madaba, where we met a wonderful person - guide Fadi (Fadi A. Karadshih, contacts: [email protected] ), an excellent speaker of Russian, who told us that he could organize a tour of Wadi Rum with overnight stay and meals behind 80-90 JOD on two. When I was preparing this article, I found several personal websites of Bedouins who organized excursions in the desert. Here are their average prices for a jeep tour in the Wadi Rum desert for two:

  • 2 hours(Lawrence spring, red dune, Khazali canyon with petroglyphs) – 30 JOD for one, 30-50 JOD for two.
  • 4 hours(Lawrence spring, red dune, Khazali canyon with petroglyphs, small arch) – 50-65 JOD for one, 70-80 JOD for two.
  • 5 o'clock(Lawrence spring, red dune, Khazali canyon with petroglyphs, small arch, Um Frouth Rock bridge) – 55-70 JOD for one, 60-80 JOD for two.
  • 7-8 hours(all main attractions) – 65-80 JOD for one, 80-90 JOD for two.

We paid for two, taking into account the bargaining 90 JOD (127$) for a tour combination average between 4 and 5 hours + sunset in the desert. We arrived around 2:30 p.m. and left at 6:30 p.m.


On camels

This exotic way of exploring the desert is not suitable for everyone: the distances are long, and you can’t really escape the sun. There are one, two, three and four day camel tours of the Wadi Rum desert. Classic (6-7 hours) – 60 JOD for one, 80 JOD for two.

On foot

Not the most pleasant pleasure, in my opinion, given the scorching sun during the day and the coolness at night. To give you an idea, the distances between the attractions and the village of Ram are 3 – 20 km. To fully explore the desert you will need to walk at least 60 km on sand. From the tourist center to the village of Ram is another 8 km. However, some tent hitchhikers sometimes get carried away with this process, exploring Wadi Rum on foot for several days, spending the night in their tents. You can also hire a guide for trekking.

Where to book a tour

✔ One of the options is directly on Bedouin websites.Example: wadirumcamelcamp.com, wildwadirum.com, bedouinwhispers.com, wadirumbedouintraditions.com, wadirumdiscovery.com.

✔ If you arrived on your own and did not agree with anyone in advance, then on site It won’t be difficult to find someone willing to take you for a ride through the desert. As soon as you approach tourist center, the first thing they will start asking you is whether you have agreed with anyone about the excursion. If the answer is negative, they will give you a guide. If it’s positive, they’ll most likely give you a false guide. That is, if you agreed in advance with Aodeh / Mohammed / Mehedi or someone else about an excursion, and upon arrival a Bedouin comes up to you and claims that he is the brother / son / matchmaker of your guide, then he is 90% lying to get clients for yourself.

✔ Another way to visit the Wadi Rum desert is to order at the agency ready-made excursion with departure from Aqaba / Amman, etc. This option simplifies the hassle, since there is no need to look for transport to the village of Ram, there is no need to bargain and resolve other organizational issues.

✔ Can be booked individual tour on special excursion sites, having read the reviews in advance. Below are examples individual excursions to Wadi Rum from Aqaba with good reviews (price indicated not per person, but for the entire excursion up to 4 people.):

You can stay overnight in Wadi Rum. The overnight stay is a bed in a Bedouin tent in the middle of the desert.


One of the camp options

How to rent a tent tent in Wadi Rum:

  • Directly contact the guides (contacts can be found on the Bedouin websites that were given earlier).
  • Agree on the spot.
  • Book on Booking (booking.com/wadi-rum).

As a rule, overnight accommodation includes dinners/breakfasts. When ordering you need to pay attention to this.

It is worth considering in advance the method of delivery to the place of overnight stay.

Prices for two-person tent start from 17$ , although there are also luxury tents for 180$ . They gave us some hefty sum on the spot, we didn’t stay overnight in the desert and went to Wadi Musa (Petra).

How to get to Wadi Rum

Distance to Wadi Rum desert:

  • From Aqaba – 65 km.
  • From Wadi Musa (Petra) – 100 km.
  • From Amman - about 300 km.
  • From Madaba – about 300 km.
  • From Dead Sea– about 300 km.

There is no public transport in Wadi Rum, which makes getting there difficult. However, there are at least five ways to get to the desert on your own:

  • Taxi. From Aqaba it will cost from 30-40 JOD. Very often, tourists rent a taxi for two trips in one day - Petra and the Wadi Rum desert. In principle, if you go to Petra in the morning and don’t walk around there much, then by lunchtime you can arrive in Wadi Rum and take a tour similar to ours.
  • Order transfer from the Bedouins directly.
  • Take in and go on your own, as we did.
  • Ride on public transport , then disembark on highway No. 15 at the turn to Wadi Rum and cover 21 km hitchhiking.
  • Fully to hitchhike.

Like the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan:

  • Through the northern passage (Nahar Yarden / Sheikh Hussein). You can obtain a visa upon arrival in Jordan at the border. Continue through Amman.
  • Through the southern passage (Yitzhak Rabin / Arava). Visa-free entry provided you stay in Jordan for more than 2 nights. Then take a taxi from the border or transit through Aqaba.
  • From the West Bank (crossing Allenby Bridge/King Hussein Bridge). A pre-obtained visa is required. Continue through Amman.

There is a place on earth that has not been touched by civilization or time - this is the place of Wadi Rum. Under the influence of natural forces, that is, winds, sun and rain, a unique landscape was formed here

Wadi Rum: an untouched wonder

Wadi Rum has the most beautiful natural arches, wells, canyons and of course unique rocks that are not similar in the whole world; they are unique natural attractions of Jordan. It will be comfortable here for those tourists who are fond of rock climbing and generally prefer active view recreation, and for those who love history. On some of the rocks of Wadi Rum there are drawings that are almost three thousand years old. Everyone also knows that UNESCO has included Wadi Rum as a World Heritage Site.

Way to Wadi Rum

It is not difficult to get to Wadi Rum from Amman. The entire journey by car can take from four to six hours. You can also easily get to Wadi Rum from Aqaba. From here the path is even shorter, you can get there in an hour or even faster. But before you leave, you can take a walk on the spot. After all, the sights of Aqaba are no worse than in Wadi Rum. Traveling from Aqaba to Wadi Rum in a comfortable minibus, you will have the opportunity to see other sights of Jordan along the way, as this country is rich in irreplaceable pearls ancient architecture and the frescoes of the rock cities are impressive.

Climatic features of Wadi Rum

One of the features of the climate in Wadi Rum is a sharp change in temperature, which occurs due to frequent winds that move cyclones during the day. This means that you better take with you not only light summer clothes, but also very warm and comfortable ones, because if you are lucky and do not get caught in the rain or strong wind, then you will definitely not be hot in the evening. The reason is the huge difference between daytime and evening temperatures. For example, if you visit Jordan attractions in July, then be prepared for 32 degrees during the day, and 13 degrees in the evening and at night.

Unforgettable vacation

If you want to observe and get to know the sights of Aqaba and Wadi Rum up close, then a flight to hot-air balloon or a visit to the amazing Mamluk fort. Or, if you want to join in the festivities, then head here and visit the Seven Pillars of Wisdom. After all, festivals are held here every year that will surprise you with their traditions. And for detailed information, know that when you visit Wadi Rum, you will be surprised not only by the sights of Jordan, but also by first-class service in Aqaba hotels, as well as very affordable prices.

Wadi Rum desert on the map of Aqaba

There is a place on earth that has not been touched by civilization or time - this is the place of Wadi Rum. Under the influence of natural forces, that is, winds, sun and rain, a unique landscape was formed here

Wadi Rum: an untouched wonder

Wadi Rum has the most beautiful natural arches, wells, canyons and of course unique rocks that are not similar in the whole world, they are unique..." />

For me, in Jordan (where I spent 2 months and 6 days in the spring of 2015), it was decided three categories of interesting places:
No competition. In terms of its attractiveness and beauty, it is approximately equal to all other objects in Jordan combined. I walked in Wadi Rum for exactly 3 weeks (in two visits).

2) The ancient city of Petra. This is 2-3 times less impressive to me than Wadi Rum, but most tourists value Petra higher than Wadi Rum, which is quite understandable (because this is really grandiose for ancient cities, I have two separate issues about this ancient city, starting with the article and additionally a separate article about). There are also nice places around Petra with similar rocks (but not as impressive as in Wadi Rum).

In Petra it will almost always be a little cooler - by 2-3 degrees (because, to the north of Wadi Rum, there are more ridges separating Petra from the hot southern winds). Both objects (their low-lying part) are located at the same altitude above sea level (900-1000 meters), but in Wadi Rum some mountains and cliffs are higher - up to 1800 meters.

3) Everything else is in Jordan, which in total is approximately equal to Petra, but only if you combine all the other natural beauties of Jordan into this “everything else” (again, in my rating).

We stayed in the Wadi Rum reserve for 21 days in total (9+12 days), constantly visiting new territories, canyons and climbing rocks.

  • CONTENT:
  • Preface.
  • What is the beauty of Wadi Rum.
  • Strategic nuances for Wadi Rum - best time to visit, temperature, how much precipitation falls, etc.
  • Links to my next 5 articles about this wonderful place. Each article talks about certain aspects of the reserve.

Preface

I have a lot of texts on Wadi Rum, several pages long (the link to the next page will traditionally be at the bottom of the previous one, or see the entire list in the “Jordan” section on the page), it’s too beautiful and there are a lot of nuances (especially related to independent travel in the reserve)… First of all, this will be interesting to those people who are going to stay in this place not for 1-2 days (which is what the vast majority of tourists visiting this place do), but longer (from 4-5 days to 10-20 and more). Of course, those heading to Wadi Rum for 1-2 days will also find something useful here.

In the Wadi Rum nature reserve.

So, “Wadi Rum protected area”.“Wadi” translates as “valley”, and “Ram” is the name of the valley and the central village, which has grown greatly due to the influx of tourists with money.

In my experience, there (directly within the boundaries of the reserve) you can within a month (not necessarily in a row, you can do it in several stages) constantly climb new places (rocks and canyons). And then even spread to neighboring territories, where it is somewhat less beautiful and there the concentration of these beauties is less frequent, but they are also very extraordinary compared to ordinary landscapes. I looked at those surrounding places mainly from the rocks located inside the boundaries of the reserve.

One of the many canyons in Wadi Rum that we managed to walk through completely, through or partially.

So, for 2 trips to Wadi Rum I spent a total of 21 days— 9 days on the first cast and 12 days on the second (in mid-March and mid-April, respectively). In 2015. It would be possible to make a third visit for 10 days - to HE-visited places, canyons, rocks, especially in the immediate surroundings (and where there are no tourists at all). But, apparently, there will be a next time.

What is the beauty of Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum Nature Reserve is located around the village of Ram(which is at an altitude of 1000 meters above sea level). This is a place in the desert with very unusual landscapes (probably even for 99% of Arabs and Bedouins living in deserts, this will be very unusual), where a lot of rocks standing on a plain (or seemingly growing out of a plain), often with vertical walls... The most Beautiful places in the reserve - it is south and east of the village of Ram... However, a separate article shows and on those maps various interesting objects are indicated.

The village of Ram is at the bottom of a valley/canyon.

Rocks have on their bodies many different eccentric sculptures and images , created by nature (although some will say that by someone else). This is due to the peculiar geology that has developed in this place. One of these unusual images is shown in the following photograph.

I came across this masterpiece while trying to climb a rock, but I couldn’t get any higher than this place, and there was only a little distance left to the very top.

Sometimes you have to walk in such niches, periodically holding on to rocky “handrails”.

However, in Petra(an ancient city, which is 70 km to the north-west) and very close to it, the landscapes are similar, but not as diverse, large-scale and fantastic as in Wadi Rum, which, based on the totality of my impressions, is primarily associated with ,where I also really like it and you can spend about the same amount of time (a month or more) walking around more and more new places interesting places(and usually away from crowds of tourists).

But in Cappadocia these beauties are usually somewhat distanced from each other compared to Wadi Rum, where everything is so compact that the main territory (actually, the territory of the reserve itself) fits into an area of ​​about 8 by 15 km (judging by Google map).
And on this patch there are almost no points from which there would not be a beautiful view. Walking quickly on sand is very difficult, especially with a backpack. However, with a slow step you can admire the beauty.

One of the views over the Wadi Rum nature reserve

When climbing rocks in Wadi Rum, it is important to go down in time so that problems do not arise at dusk... I described separately about rock climbing in Wadi Rum in (however, there is a general discussion about the rocks and landscapes in this reserve).

Strategic nuances for Wadi Rum

I guess, that best time to visit Wadi Rum - April. It is not yet as hot as in subsequent months, but it is no longer cold at all, and you can easily sleep under open air(however, about the possibilities of overnight accommodation, see below)… And daylight in mid-April it is already 13 hours - from dawn to dusk. In May it can already be very warm (I think that on average it will be from 16 to 32, sometimes up to 35).

If you get up at dawn or a little before it (and this was easy for me even without an alarm clock, because I didn’t go to bed late), then before the sunset of the Sun you can have time to see and visit a lot.

I climbed on average a couple of rocks/mountains every day (sometimes on 3-4 small ones, sometimes only on one very steep mountain with many rocky labyrinths, often leaving a backpack or its main contents somewhere below between/under the rocks), and walked through canyon gorges... And in most cases the next place the overnight stay was already different (usually 2-3-5 km from the previous stop).

One of the views over the Wadi Rum nature reserve.

Air temperature in April (when I was in the middle of it, the temperature ranged from 10-18 degrees at night and up to 20-30 during the day) on average it will be approximately the same as in October-November. And in May it will be a little warmer and should correspond to the average temperature of September-October. But in spring (at the same temperature) daylight hours will be approximately 1-1.5 hours longer than in autumn. And I consider this the most important plus in favor of spring.

Precipitation occurs only in winter - rain or snow , which usually does not stay more than a day - as the Bedouins living there said. But even this winter precipitation is very little for anything to grow there besides desert flora.

Now there will be a storm with rain, which happens very rarely in Wadi Rum. True, the rain will be light... During the 21 days of our stay in Wadi Rum there were only 2-3 such cloudy days (with very little rain). However, this is in March and April, but in winter there is more precipitation.

Fruit trees, berries and other vegetable gardens there are none in the desert (except for vegetable gardens in the village, because water can be supplied there). Therefore, in this sense, there is no difference when to visit Wadi Rum.

But, for example, in Cappadocia (Turkey), it is more convenient for me to invade the other way around in the fall - in September-October, when there are plenty of grapes and some other fruits come across, and this is for me the main source of energy and even drinking liquid (there is a lot of ripe grapes and fruits). water), plus it rains less in the fall and is generally drier. In general, there is a separate article where fruits are described (the link is given to the fourth article about that wonderful place).

There is a lot of such varied goods in Wadi Rum.

At first (when I read information from official sources) it was thought that visiting Wadi Rum would take 3-5 days (okay, 7 maximum), but not 21... Because it was not expected that it would be so diversely beautiful and you could walk around so much inter-rock labyrinths and climb so many rocks.

And two problems were expected — where to sleep(not in tourist campsites for money, which is not available, and traditionally you don’t take a tent with foam, but only a light sleeping bag) and where to get water and food(especially fresh vegetables, because I had a certain supply of nuts and dried fruits with me, after all) - it’s not like returning to the village every time... In reality, everything turned out to be somewhat simpler.

Although the Wadi Rum Nature Reserve is a very deserted place, you can occasionally find a variety of unique vegetation. For example, flowers that resemble snowdrops. Although, the last snow here melted a month before the photographer’s invasion.

  • Well, here are links to some of my other articles about this reserve:
  • , as well as Lawrence Spring (the most famous source), about Rock paintings, about tourist tents with souvenirs and tea served.
  • It will be interesting mainly for poor or very economical travelers.

If you want me to take you around Wadi Rumor some other interesting natural places our home planet(and the mountains, including), then let me know - you can through a comment to this article, or you can through my specially created