WADI RUM THE VALLEY OF THE MOON
THE ULTIMATE TRAVEL GUIDE TOURING WADI RUM Herearesomethoughtsandideasonthisstunningplaceandsome traveltipsforanyonethinkingofvisiting, whetheryouchoosetotravel withusornot
PRE PRE ARRIVAL ARRIVAL PREPARATIONS PREPARATIONS Appropriateclothing Firstyouwanttobecomfortablewhilehiking andexploringtheoutdoors Wearclothesyou canmoveinandcomfortableshoes; Second, theheatofthedesertcanbeextreme, especiallyduringthesummermonths, soyou mightwanttopacklightandcottonclothing Ontheotherhand, inthewinteritcangetcold; Third, becauseyouwillbevisitinganarea inhabitedbyBedouinsand, sincetheyhold traditionalvalues, itwouldbeinappropriate anddisrespectfultowearskimpyminiskirtsand shorts Warmclothingtospendthenight: Even thoughyoushouldwearlightclothesduring thedaybecausethedesertisprettyhot, you shouldalsopacksomewarmclothesifyou’re stayingovernightbecausetemperaturescan dropconsiderablyoncethesungoesdown; Sunglasses thesunisintense; Ahat forthesamereason; Sunscreen again, forthesamereason; Water; Aflashlight, ifyou’restayinginaBedouin Camp Theymighthaveit, butit’snota guarantee Theelectricityinthecampsis poweredbysolarpanelsandgenerators, so itmightcomeinhandy; Bugspray: anessentialfornightsinthe desert Map: EventhoughIrecommend 100% to exploreWadiRumwithaguide, itneverhurts havingamapwithyou
DISCOVERMARSONEARTH WadiRumisfeaturedinalotofmoviesthatkickedofftourism. Theareaisusedfor thefirsttimein 1962 forthemovieLawrenceofArabia, afterthat, itisalsousedfor filmsasTransformers: RevengeoftheFallen (2009), Prometheus (2012), RogueOne: A StarWarsStory (2016) andnottobemissed: TheMartian (2015) starringMattDamon PleasecheckFAQbelow “WhyisWadiRumfamous?” P R E P R E A R R I V A L A R R I V A L P R E P A R A T I O N S P R E P A R A T I O N S Highseasons IfyouwanttospendthenightunderthestarsintheWadiRum, werecommend bookingatleastthreemonthsinadvance Duetothepopularity, datesareoftensold outquickly Tryyourbesttochecktheavailabilityandfindplaceswithvariousrates.
HowMuchDoesItCostToEnterWadiRum? WadiRumticketcosts 5 JDperpersonbutiswaivedincaseyouhavetheJordanPass 2 HoursJeeptourinWadiRumwouldbe 35 JOD = $50 Youcan’tenterthevalley (pasttheBedouinvillage) inyourown (orrented) vehicle So ifyouplanongoingitaloneinWadiRum, you’llbeonfootfromthatpoint Attherisk ofsoundingobvious, thisisthedesertanditcanbehazardoustoyourlife TherearelimitedspacesacrossalloftheBedouincampoperatorsandtourproviders soavoiddisappointmentandcheckitoutinadvance. Itmakesthingseasiertomanageanditcanworkoutcheaperifyouhadpre booked yourentirestayandactivitiesinWadiRum Youcanbookaccommodationinadvance andjustturnupbutyou’llfindithardertobargainandfindtherightactivitydealfor you Youmightalsofindthateverythingisbooked
CAMPINGOVERNIGHT Atypicalovernightdesertexperience startsinthemorninginWadiRumVillage whereyou’llmeetyourguide You’llthen setoffthroughthedesert, visitingthe importantlandmarksandviewpoints You willarriveatthecavebeforesunset TRADITIONALUNDERGROUNDBBQ ZARBisAdishofvegetablesandmeat, likelamb, slow cookedinanunderground pitthatistheBedouinanswerto barbecue. Althoughzarbcanbeleftfor twoorthreehours, itcanalsobereadyin athirdofthetime, anditdoesn’tneedto bewatched makingitafaster, andmore convenient, alternative
The desert Rum has been inhabited by many human cultures since prehistoric times, with many cultures including the Nabataeans leaving their mark in the form of petroglyphs, inscriptions, and temple In the West, Rum may be best known for its connection with British officer T. E. Lawrence, who passed through several times during the Arab Revolt of 1917 18. In the 1980s one of the rock formations in Desert, originally known as Jabal al Mazmar (The Mountain of (the) Plague), was named “The Seven Pillars of Wisdom,” after Lawrence’s book (Download Seven Pillars of Wisdom T. E. Lawrence) penned in the aftermath of the war, though the ‘Seven Pillars’ referred to in the book have no connection with Rum. Lawrence described his entrance into the Valley of Rum, “The hills on the right grew taller and sharper, a fair counterpart of the other side which straightened itself to one massive rampart of redness. STARGAZING At night in the desert, there is little light pollution and you’ll have almost uninterrupted views of the night sky and the stars This part of the world has been inhabited for almost half a million years The only thing that has changed is the people. Living in lively cities makes it more difficult to witness the magnificence of the skies and heavens. Stargazing is another free things to do in Wadi Rum is watching the milky way at night and gazing at shooting stars.
WHAT IS WADI RUM FAMOUS FOR
The discovery of the Nabataean Temple (located walking distance from the Rest House) in 1933 briefly returned the spotlight to the desert. A French team of archaeologists completed the excavations in 1997 They drew together until only two miles divided them: and then, towering gradually till their parallel parapets must have been a thousand feet above us, ran forward in an avenue for miles The crags were capped in nests of domes, less hotly red than then body of the hill; rather grey and shallow. They gave the finishing semblance of Byzantine architecture to this irresistible place: this processional way greater than imagination ”
Lawrence also described his encounter with the spring, Ain Shalaaleh, “On the rock bulge above were clear cut Nabathaean inscriptions, and a sunk panel incised with a monogram or symbol. Around and about were Arab scratches, including tribe marks, some of which were witnesses of forgotten migrations: but my attention was only for the splashing of water in a crevice under the shadow of the overhanging rock. I looked in to see the spout, a little thinner than my wrist, jetting out firmly from a fissure in the roof, and falling with that clean sound into a shallow, frothing pool, behind the step which served as an entrance. Thick ferns and grasses of the finest green made it a paradise just five feet square. ”
J O R D A NT R A V E L . C O M
WHATISSO SPECIAL ABOUTWADI RUM?
When someone think about desert, he normally imagineendlessexpansesofsandanddust.But the Wadi Rum desert valley in Jordan, also known as the “Valley of the Moon,” offers so muchmore.Ajourneytothisancientlandscape isajourneytoavast,silent,andtimelessplace Inthisaridvalley,duginasuperbfashionbythe waterandthewindoverthemillennia,thereare fabulous and unspoiled landscapes made of high sand dunes, rocky mountains with incredible shapes, narrow canyons with a thousand shades of color, water sources intertwinedbetweentheheights,impressiverock arches, 4,000-year-old rock engravings, and manyotherwonderfultreasures.
Wadi Rum is one of the top tourist destinations in Jordan, and attracts visitorsfromallovertheworld.Ifyou’revisitingWadiRumforthefirsttime, I’veroundedupsomeofthebestactivitiesthatcannotbemissed.
