Where is Wadi Rum
Wadi Rum is located in Southern Jordan 60 km (37 miles) East from Aqaba and 300 km (192 miles) south from the capital Amman.
Lawrence of Arabia
We can’t talk about Wadi Rum without talking about Lawrence of Arabia. This is after all what kick started tourism to the “Mars of Earth”. This was filmed in 1962 and has set the scene for so many other films and also boosted the tourism industry for this amazing area.
Mars of Earth
Well known for it’s red sand and amazing landscape, Wadi Rum is known for looking like Mars. Hence the reason so many films have been done here. We already mentioned Lawrence of Arabia, Martian was also filmed here. The rock, to which Matt Damon sat looking out to the desert, still sits there today and of course is a big tourist attraction. Other films such as Transformers, Aladdin and so many more, have left there mark here as well.
Our Tour
Let’s start off with our tour guide Awwad. We met him at our meeting point and headed off into the desert making many stops along the way. What I really like about Awwad was he allowed us to take our time. There were so many times where we could just sit and relax and take it all in.
Our tour started at Sun City Camp. Our first stop was the rock, which I mentioned early, where Matt Damon sat. We stayed here for a little while, which was amazing. The views here were breathtaking and the sand, wow, it was so soft and it doesn’t stick to you. I have no idea how to describe it.
As a crazy Canadian of course I had to do a sand angel.
Our next stop was the 7 Pillars of Wisdom. This stop was made famous by Lawrence of Arabia and the name is a little nicer then the original “Jabal al-Mazmar” (The Mountain of (the) Plague). This can also been seen from the visitor center, which is also a nice stop before you set out on your tour.
Out on the desert road again we came across some camels. I really love these desert animals and was so happy Awwad stopped for us to have a closer look. So of the things I learnt while in Jordan about camels is how their bodies hold water and food. They store it and when they are hungry they bring it back up. Wish my body did that.
Next up on the tour was a sand dune. Which from the bottom didn’t look that hard. I was wrong. The day before, while in Petra, we did 36000 steps and our legs were screaming by the time we hit the top.
The views from here were beautiful and the pictures we got were stunning.
Time for a tea break! If you have been to any of my other blogs like, Petra in 2 days, you will know I am obsessed with this tea. So of course I was happy when we stopped at a lovely Bedouin tent and relaxed with some Bedouin whiskey.
Petroglyphs was next on this journey through the red sands. There is nothing more historical, and I loved the Nabathaean inscriptions, they always have this amazing story. I again got so excited to see all the camels here and some baby ones too. This place was a little busy for obvious reasons but was spread out nicely that you weren’t bumping into people.
Next on our desert adventure in Wadi Rum was the kissing man. Oh yes, this was so much fun. Awwad had asked me to do a kissing face. I had no idea what he was talking about till I seen the picture, and I laughed so hard. I didn’t even seen the face in the rock till that point, probably because I was stuck in the beauty of everything around me.
Well it’s time for the famous Lawrence of Arabia rock. The King Abdullah rock carving, Lawrence of Arabia Memorial. This was a quick stop as it too was very busy.
Finally, it was time for sunset tea. This was my favorite part of the Wadi Rum desert tour. Awwad had collected some wood along the way and we made our way from the crowds to a beautiful spot to watch the sunset. So while he was making our tea, Jodi and I sat and relaxed watching as the sun set over the mountains.
This was also when Awwad dressed me with the Bedouin head dress. I always believe that you should go out and try new things, indulge yourself in new cultures.
Check out our desert tour on YouTube
As we sat around, taking in the beautiful scenery and asking Awwad about his life here and his family. I truly felt the relaxation come over me. I had a rough couple months prior to coming on the trip and this is exactly what I needed. There was just the sounds of the wind, wood crackling from the fire, warm tea entering my body and the red and orange hues from the sun setting. It was the perfect way to end our desert run.
Stargazing in Wadi Rum
Of course that was not the end of our time in Wadi Rum. We made our way to our camp and had some dinner. This was an earth oven and buffet meal that I was so in love with. I don’t think I had single bad meal while in Jordan and this was one for the books.
An earth oven is a oven underground. The meal is cooked over hours, similar to that in Hawaii, and the show they put on was cute.
So with full bellies, we made our way back through the desert, to our stargazing activity. Now, I will say this. I was not expecting this, I had brought all my equipment with me, tripod, camera and lenses, thinking we were going to be taking pictures. It turned out to be and education and look through some telescopes. This was the funniest education on stars I had ever had. The 2 giving the presentations were hilarious and entertaining. They made galaxies and astronomy exciting.
Camp life
We stayed at the Rum Oasis Luxury Camp. This is a little gem rested up against a mountain. We had the top Martian tent and the most amazing views. Not only over looking the camp but walking out the views of the desert. I will be going into further detail in my Where to Stay in Jordan blog soon.
Final thoughts
If you are planning a trip to Wadi Rum and you want to see more of it than all these camps, I would book now. Of course tourism is booming again and this is a great place to set up shop. I just hope it stays a camps and not high rise hotels.
This is a must on a bucket list. We had seen similar in Nevada but this is no comparison when it comes to experiencing the desert life. The Bedouin people here are the sweetest, most caring, and genuine people. I know I have said this before, but the Jordanian people really are gems. Thank you again Awwad for your hospitality, your kindness and the beautiful bracelet.
