Unexpectedly lonely walk
More than 7.5 km from the village of Wadi Rum modern visitors' center has been built, where admission fee to the area is collected. Most tourists pay here and then continue further to the village. Quite an interesting alternative is to go this route on foot. Ideally not along the tarmac road, where jeeps run every now and then, but in the trails in the desert. Views of the surrounding mountains are breathtaking even here and there is no problem to see bedouin tents, not intended for commerce, but for everyday life.
Wadi Rum Visitor Center
Just sixty kilometers from Aqaba is the entrance to one of the most interesting desert regions of the world – Wadi Rum. It is not only a place for paying the entrance fee, but also for meeting with the agreed tour operators who drive tourists in jeeps in the desert among mesas.
View towards the village of Wadi Rum
The village is situated about 7.5 kilometers from here and lies about 120 meters higher, although you would not guess so in such endless plain. If you do not want to wait until all the tourists in your jeep meet or you just simply want to have a pleasant walk, it is not bad idea to go for about 1.5 hours long hike to the village on foot. However, this is possible only early in the morning, because later there may be unbearable heat.
The road to Wadi Rum
A decent tarmac road bordered with orange mountains leads to the village. Mesa of Jabal Rum (1734 meters asl) towers on the horizon. It is the second highest mountain in Jordan. If you go to the village on foot, it's really better to go at least 500 meters off the road in the hinterland to enjoy a little bit the desert atmosphere. In addition, the road meanders a bit, so you'll save time as well.
Seven pillars of Wisdom
In the east direction there is a famous rock formation „Seven pillars of Wisdom“, but early in the morning it is in a large backlit.
Jeep versus mountain
Some views evoke Monument Valley in the USA.
Scanty desert vegetation
On the otherwise barren desert you can occasionally see hints of green vegetation – especially in places where water occasionally flows in the season.
Scarabeus
Even here you can come across the scarab.
Desert ants
Desert anthill is interesting and confirms that ants are really the most successful species – they are everywhere – however these desert ants are not so numerous.
Bedouin tent
Roughly halfway between the visitor center and the village of Wadi Rum you can come across the „true“ bedouin tents. That means not the ones designed for tourists, so you can make a nice idea of how right bedouins live here.
Impressive monuments
Views on this walk are really nice and it is still just a „warm-up“ for what comes next in the depths of the desert.
Tree solitaire and Jabal Rum
The more is the mountain, or rather village, approaching, there is more and more vegetation. There is even one single tree standing alone on this whole walk.
Skeletal remains
Sometimes you come across the skeletons of animals to whom the desert has not been merciful. After about 90 minutes you finally arrive to the village and you can buy some refreshing cold drinks here. Food prices in the shop are here, despite the fact that it is such a big attraction, comparable to the rest of Jordan.
Articles nearby
Article: Trip to the desert of Wadi Rum
Amazing orange desert Wadi Rum is somewhat unjustly in the shadow of Jordan's largest tourist magnet – rock town Petra. For… continue reading