Summary
Up until a short time ago, I had never heard of Wadi Rum. It wasn’t until travel blogger Gary Ardnt mentioned it in one of his posts a year ago that I was introduced to it.
Wadi Rum sounded extremely remote and exotic, and not knowing much about the Middle East, I knew I had to get there one day.
Nomadic Life
When the Jordan Tourism Board invited us to come and see their incredible country, we finally had our chance.
Wadi Means Valley in Arabic
We started our day off with a 4X4 adventure through the desert beginning at the Wadi Rum Visitors Centre.
It overlooks the Seven Pillars of Wisdom: an imposing rock formation named after the autobiography by T.E. Lawrence of the same name.
As the main jumping off point for tours out to the desert, the visitors centre is a bustling place.
Jordanians are a very Welcoming People
A group of men invited us over to have our picture taken, and one of them even offered to be our photographer.
We enjoyed talking with them and, unlike many other places in our travels, they never expected anything in return.
They simply said, “would you like to have a photo with us?” We happily replied, “yes.”
Once we had everything in order and said our goodbyes, we joined our guide for our very own 4X4 tour of Wadi Rum. It’s not only a scenic tour of the desert but also a fun adventure riding in the back of a truck over bumpy terrain.
As it was everywhere in Jordan, the landscape of Wadi Rum was astounding.
Our driver told us to rap on the truck’s roof whenever we wanted to stop for a photograph, and we ended up giving our knuckles quite a workout. We constantly wanted to take a closer look or picture at every turn.
It was the famous Rock Bridge of Wadi Rum that was our first “official stop” of the tour.
This is the photograph that everyone wants to get. Overrun with tourists when we first arrived, we patiently waited for the clamorous group to finish up before making a run for our own shots. We had exactly 10 minutes to grab our pictures before the next wave of tourists came through.
And we are happy to say that we accomplished our mission.
It was now time to move onto our next stop, the Khazali Canyon. This is a small but fascinating canyon filled with Nabatean inscriptions dating back to the 4th century BC.
Khazali Canyon – Wadi Rum
Our guide Ali explained to us that he can read these inscriptions as they are an ancient form of the Arabic language. I thought that was pretty cool, but then again, he never did explain what the inscriptions said.
I am captivated by ancient carvings and structures. How can these inscriptions last for thousands of years when the entire landscape has changed over time?
Erosion and wind should have wiped them away, and yet here they are.
While the inscriptions are impressive, it is the walk farther back into the cave that is jaw-dropping.
We couldn’t believe it when another group came in asking us how long of a walk it was to the back of the canyon. When we replied about a minute, they decided to turn around and head back out. Curious.
After our glimpse into history and our walk into the spectacular display of nature at its finest, we needed a refreshment.
Acting like true Bedouins, we walked through the sand to a nearby camp where we sipped on sweet and spicy tea. The Bedouins drink their tea with a lot of sugar, and we followed suit.
They explained that they do not have a lot of sweets in their diet, and the tea satisfies that craving.
Tea in Jordan
Known as Bedouin Whiskey, you will be served tea wherever you go in Jordan, and we developed quite a taste for it.
We love this tea so much that we bought two packs to bring home to keep a little bit of Jordan with us.
It was one final quick stop at the red sand dune before heading back to the Visitors Centre.
This is where we finally caught up with the rest of the crowds, and we opted out of hiking up to the top to join the throngs of people.
Instead, we were captivated by the guys trying to fix their jeep. Sometimes it’s the oddities in life that are more enthralling than the stunning landscape in front of us.
It seemed so surreal to have these men dressed in traditional garb working on a carburetor in the middle of the mystical Arabian Desert.
Wadi Rum is worth the Visit
Wadi Rum may be overrun with tourists, but it is worth visiting. If you have more time, I would suggest going on a longer jeep safari or camel trek. Like everywhere on earth, it is becoming more difficult to get off the beaten path. However, if you work a bit harder and travel a bit farther, you will travel away from the crowd and quite possibly will find yourself among the true Bedouin of Wadi Rum.
We’ve camped in many deserts during our travels.
We’ve slept under the stars with nothing more than a rug and a thick blanket to block the wind in the White Desert of Egypt, used our camel’s saddle as a pillow in the Thar Desert of India, and camped through the Nubian Desert of the Sudan and the Kalahari of Namibia with our state-of-the-art North Face tent, but we have never stayed in an actual Bedouin Camp set up as it would have been centuries ago.
Bedouin Camping and Camels at Sunset in Wadi Rum
In Wadi Rum, Jordan, we had our chance to sleep in a Bedouin Camp that felt as if we had stepped back in time. One could imagine the nomads from long ago setting up their temporary camp for a season as they made their way through the Arabian Desert. Captain’s Desert Camp is designed to replicate an authentic Bedouin camp.
We arrived at the Captains Camp after our jeep safari through Wadi Rum.
Campfire
As we pulled up to the tents, we were greeted with smiles from men enjoying tea around the fire. The camp is located in a spectacular setting.
Built beside giant karst-like formations and surrounded by mounds of high rocky cliffs in the middle of the Arabian Desert, we truly felt away from it all. Our tent was situated right beside said cliff, and we knew we’d be protected from the wind and the cold of the desert night chill.
Bedouin Tents
Tents are made traditionally out of goat’s hair, with the desert sand as its floor covered in Jordanian carpets made of wool. Ours was a basic tent with a bed, cozy blankets, a couple of chairs, and a small light.
These Bedouin tents are made with great skill by the women of the tribe. It takes 30 days to make a tent, with several women working around the clock to complete it. Once the tents are finished, the goat’s hair is woven together so tightly and skillfully that they are waterproof.
They are also solid enough to protect from wind and sand. I can imagine these holding up just fine in a desert sandstorm.
After we settled in, we made our way out to the back of the compound where we met a baby camel. Our driver Mahmoud had helped to give birth to a baby camel two weeks earlier and he wanted us to meet his new arrival.
Mahmoud had the honor of naming the camel, and he gave it the strong and regal title of Wolf; Diab in Arabic. Diab recognized Mahmoud immediately and ran up to say hello.
A beautiful moment in Wadi Rum.
Our days were jam-packed in Jordan, and it wasn’t long until we met up with our guide for a sunset camel safari.
Camel Safari
The landscape was stunning as expected, but the camel safari itself was disappointing. I would have liked our guide to be on a camel rather than walking in front of us on foot.
We have been on camel safaris before, and this one felt like nothing more than a pony ride at a fair, albeit set in a better location. The guide stumbled slowly along in front of us, holding onto the camel’s reins while we plodded along behind attached to one another.
Within an hour we were out at a small mountain to enjoy the sunset. We didn’t venture too far out into the desert and could still see our camp from our vantage point, but it made for a beautiful view.
The desert lit up into different hues of orange and pinks as the sun set quickly over the rolling landscape.
Unfortunately, several jeep tours came whizzing into our serene scene, ruining the moment and blocking the views. As the tourists noisily piled out of their trucks, I commented on how they managed to disrupt our quiet moment. They didn’t seem to care.
We walked high upon the rocks to gain an unobstructed view and enjoyed the warm glow of the sun reflecting on the rocky landscape.
Bedouin Meal
When we returned to camp, we were treated to a feast and were invited around back to see the preparations. This is truly a special event for a Bedouin meal.
Lamb, chicken, potatoes, and vegetables are cooked in the earth, making for the most mouthwateringly delicious meal you will ever have. It is difficult to put into words how they cook it and how much preparation goes into this, so we took some video to let you see the work that goes into preparations.
After digging in and feeling completely satisfied, we joined the men outside by the fire where we drank tea and they passed around the Sheesha. We didn’t last long as our day had been filled with excitement and adventure.
It was time to tuck in for the night. The generators were turned off and the paths were lit by candles leading safely to the different sections of the camps.
We slept peacefully, dreaming of caravans and silk traders stopping in this same spot for thousands of years.
- Captains Desert Camp is located in the Disi Area outside the Wadi Rum reserve.
- They offer: Desert jeep tours, Special Bedouin Meals, Camel and horse tours, hiking trips, and visits to Petra and other locations around Jordan.
- Standard Double rooms start at $70 USD.
- They also have a mobile desert camp that ventures deeper out into Wadi Rum and an Eco Desert Camp located near Um Infous Mountain.
- To find out more about Captain Tourist Services around Jordan, visit their website.
