Wadi Rum Experience: 2 Days of Discovering the Allure of Jordan's Desert

After being mesmerized by Petra, one of the new wonders of the world, our tour continued to Wadi Rum, a place where you feel you overpassed Musk in the Mars race.

The Checkin

The place we booked for our stay was Wadi Rum Legend Camp, not very far from the main road but with a great view over the desert and the red rock formations, where scenes from movies like Lawrence of Arabia, Prometheus or The Martian were shot.

We left our car at a petrol station along the road and were picked up by one of Ahmed’s brothers to reach the site. Here, after checking into one of the tents, we enjoyed a drink with Ahmed since we were the first to arrive for the day, and discussed the experiences he provides for his guests Some of them included camel riding, 4×4 tours, or campfires with stargazing. So we needed to make a decision since we also had booked the Wadi Rum Train Experience that was scheduled for 3PM, which is part of the Jordan Pass and requires a reservation in advance.

Therefore, we went on a camel tour, which was right around the corner; in fact, the boy in charge of the camels picked us up from our camp, at a price of 15JD/person. From here we went back to camp, drank some fluids and headed to the Train Station, by foot since it was not that far away.

DISTANCE

4.5 km return

ESTIMATED TIME

1 hr 10 min

ELEVATION GAIN

108 m

DIFFICULTY

Easy

Wadi Rum Train Experience

Time passed and more and more people started gathering. With no delay Hejaz Railway train appeared from nowhere in reverse ready for our adventure. Aboard, we were welcomed by some ottoman soldiers, ready to defend the train with their lives.

After a soothing journey, in the last 2 km of the train route, we were attacked by rebel fighters on horseback and armed vehicles, mirroring the events during the Great Arab Revolt against Ottoman rule. A pure delight for everyone and a really impressive display of the event. Definitely a must see experience since it is also free if you have the Jordan Pass. Once the train stops, you can check some sort of a train museum with different models. From here, we were picked up by multiple cars and taken back to the starting point. Now that’s how you do tourism, baby!

Excited after this great experience we headed back to our desert tent to enjoy the magnificent sunset spiced with red sand, before the supper.

Stargazing and Stories A Night Around the Campfire

For the evening we opted for the dinner party and the stargazing campfire afterwards. After taking a shower and adding some layers for later on, we moved our business to the main tent, where we served some local cuisine dishes along with a barbecue presented in a proper way to all the guests. From here we moved to a center heated tent nearby to enjoy some drinks, hookah and native songs accompanied by some of us along the way.

Once the clock hit 9PM, our stargazing guide, a jolly fellow with plenty of jokes on him, picked us up along with a polish couple to head to the heart of the desert. After 20 min of Paris Dakar driving, we met with a few to find the right spot for our camp. With the moon watching over us and billions of stars spread over the clear sky we had the perfect setting for our campfire. We wandered a bit, not too far from the group, to explore the close surroundings using just the help of the moon light.

The desert tells a different story every time one ventures on it.

Then we joined the rest of the group to enjoy some of the mesmerizing stories told by our guides around the fire, enjoying some herbal tea. 2 and half hours later we returned to our sleeping dorm with plenty of stories and photos to share.

Hiting the sands in a AWD

Not too early, not too late we woke up the next day, ready to check out but with still some cool stuff for the day. I’m talking about the 4×4 Jeep Experience, the 4 hour tour which covered the most important landmarks for us. Alongside us another nice couple from Bilbao, Spain joined us in the back of the pickup, a Toyota Hilux. One thing worth mentioning is that Wadi Rum, or Moon Valley, is an actual UNESCO heritage reserve.

The first stop was at the 7 Pillars Formation, where you could easily experience some sand surfing if you would think of having a board with you, which we didn’t :). We continued our route to Anfaishiyya Inscriptions where I made a new friend, a camel called … no idea. Besides the 2000-year-old rock inscriptions, you could rest for tea inside a tent for all guests. After this short stop where I also took a photo with our young driver, we drove for a while to reach Lawrence’s House. Thrilled to do some rock climbing, i’ve reached the top of one of the highest points for a magnificent view over the valley. Our next stop was Um Frouth Rock Arch, one of the most well known landmarks across the reserve and for good reason. Here you could also buy some souvenirs from the locals, most of them handmade. From here the road took us to The Giant Stone Head which was pretty close to our pickup location. Here we shared with it some Coca Cola Zero, since the temperatures started to rise. Our tour concluded with a stop following the steps of Lawrence of Arabia once again, where his face was carved in stone. So after a full 4 hours we managed to cover some of the most important sites, taking some really nice shots and making new friends.

Bottom line, here is a shortlist of things to explore when you are here: