Things to do at Wadi Rum Jordan - all that you need to know!

Wadi Rum, located in the southern part of Jordan near the border of Saudi Arabia, is a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the most popular travel destination in the country. Spread over an area of 74,000 hectares, Wadi Rum has an almost surreal feel which looks quite out of this world; in fact, the terrain is close to Mars than any other place on earth.

The wide expanse of Wadi Rum in Jordan 

History of Wadi Rum

The place has been inhabited by humans for close to 12,000 years and the Petroglyphs, inscriptions and archaeological remains bear testimony to this. There are about 25,000 rock carvings and 20,000 inscriptions spread over the entire Wadi and they also tell the tale of early development of alphabet.

Many civilisations have lived in the Wadi Rum Protected Area (WRPA) over thousands of years and each has left their imprint. Part from the carvings, there is also a Nabatean temple, and most recently carvings at the camp where Lawrence of Arabia lived during the Arab revolt early in the 20th Century.

Near the Lawrence hut 

The current rock formations at the Rum are due to a variety of reasons - lithology, tectonic activities (including rapid uplift, numerous faults and joints) and surface processes (including various types of weathering and erosion associated with desert climate as well as humid climates in the past), representing million years of ongoing landscape evolutions (UNESCO). 

My experiences at Wadi Rum 

We visited Wadi Rum after a day full of snorkelling, eating and sea photography at Aqaba. The city of Aqaba is located next to Red Sea is only about an hour away from the entry point of Wadi Rum, and we spent the night there after all water activities and started early morning towards Rum (as it's fondly called by many locals).

We reached the Wadi Rum railway station and I was quite intrigued to see an old style train there. We all took pictures of the trains as well ads our own pictures in front of it, and soon I got a little bored and decided to take a walk in the desert. The sand was very fine and very different in texture. If you picked some in hand and then let it slide down, the sand would go without leaving behind even one granule on he hand. I walked and walked and soon was out of sight, and was quit happy about it. I always like being alone in a place like this, especially when there is communion with nature.

The remains of historic railway line

Sone more travellers were there and the real purpose of the trip was revealed. The train parked at the station was an actual train from the Arab Revolution when, under the inspiration of Lawrence of Arabia, the Ottoman established railway line was repeatedly attacked and eventually destroyed. This was done to break the stronghold of the Ottomans who were ruling over the Arabia remotely from the present day Turkey. The railway line was never revived even later, and now only a few sections are still in use at Wadi Rum for mining purposes.

Our train :)

One of the defenders of the train!

So we all boarded the train and had some cool drinks and waited for some action to happen. Very soon armed men on horses came shouting at our train and we saw some fun drama unfold in front of our eyes. Our guide and already told us about the 'fake' attack which would be recreated for us, so there was no element of surprise but I was still quite impressed by all the action. It was like living a movie, inside a movie. A few of the tourists were also taken away as 'hostages' and we all followed them to see how negotiations were done to get them released. All in all it was fun, minus the surprise :)

Where we rescued our 'hostages'

Next came the camel ride in the desert to our lunch ground. Each one of us boarded a camel and took off. Deepti led our small caravan and was rather busy posing with her dupatta. My camel was much more interested in what the camel ate the previous night and I was constantly embarrassed about it. I am not a huge fan of riding animals for fun, so was happy when we got down at the camp site where our lunch was getting ready. A quick lunch later we were ready to explore the Rum.

Deepti leading the way on camel...

One of the camel riders 

Over the next few hours we drove around in intense heat in the Jordanian desert and none of us had a problem with it. The landscape was stunning, even though we didn't go deep inside the Rum. I was very keen to climb a mountain, but due to limited time, I could only climb a small mound while everyone else waited in a beduin tent (Read more: Life of a Beduin in Jordan) and local tea.

The Jeep at Wadi rum

Our next stop was to see some ancient inscriptions on the rocks. They are barely visible and easily missable if you drive past them, so it's really important to have a good guide with you.

One of the rock formations

Finally we reached one of the most famous spots in Wadi Rum - the hut of Lawrence of Arabia. Everyone was completed exhausted deb to the heat so went in and took rest in the hut, but my exploratory antennas were up and I took off in the extreme sun. I loved walking alone once again as all my shots were clean (with no one in frame) and I could really do random things - like climbing rocks, jumping over them and more.

Face of Lawrence of Arabia

Our evening dinner was already planned in Amman, so before the sun set it was time to leave and we packed up and headed back.

Things to do at Wadi Rum

What we did was just the tip of the Wadi Rum iceberg. Here are some of the other more interesting things to do at the Rum. Unfortunately, I missed out on them, and that means I will have to return back to Jordan just for these :)

Jabal Umm ad Dami

At 1840m, Jabal Umm ad Dami is the highest point at Wadi Rum and on a clear day you can see both the Red Sea as well as the Saudi Arabian border from there. 

Sleeping overnight under the skies

This is something I could't do and regret profusely, but I would strongly recommend it if you are planing a trip there. There are two ways to do this - camping and bread & breakfast. The most recommended is camping as you get to sleep under the skies, just like a traveler would do hundreds of years ago, of course with some amenities. 

Explore the Wildlife

I was really surprised when I was told that there is much wildlife to be explored at Wadi Rum - that's not what you usually expect when you visit an arid desert with no visible life around. buff colored Desert Lark are the most common types of small birds, followed by Mourning Wheatear and the White Crowned Black Wheatear. Reptiles are widespread but not seen in high numbers - some visitors might come across the poisonous vipers, Cerastes gasperttii and Echis coloratus. gerbils are the small furry animals which are active only in the night, so if you spending the night there, you might some across one. Read more here.

Natural Bridges of Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum is famous world over for it's natural bridges (one of which was also featured in the Bollywood movie Krrish), and the most one of them is Rock Bridge of Burdah, followed closely by the Rock bridge of Um Fruth. Another popular bridge is Rock Bridge of Kharaz. Read more on these bridges here.

Spend time with the Bedouins

Bedouins are the ones who give life to Wadi Rum, apart from the wildlife. While I was in Jordan, I spent quite sometime talking to the bedouins in different parts of the country, especially in Wadi Rum. Read more about these amazing people here - Life of Bedouins of Jordan.

Adventure activities at Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum is not just about taking a drive and walking over sand and mountains, but the place is full of many different adventure activities as well. Here are some of these things that you can do if you are an adventure enthusiast.

Hot air balloons

The balloons take you to the height of 6000 ft to get some gorgeous views of the desert. The journey takes place early in the morning when the weather conditions are prefect and the duration of the trip is about 45 minutes. The trip costs 130 JD.

Microlight

If you want to add more of an adrenaline rush to your flight, you need to try out the Microlight. It's one of those old style, small and versatile aircraft which takes you up for great view! You could fly for 10 minutes (30JD) or 60 (150JD), and the price varies accordingly. 

Trekking

This is great, free but also exhausting. It's easy to get lost if you are alone and not used to the area, so it's best to take a guide along who can help you out. Climb hills, sleep in the open, stumble upon bedouins - everything is possible in these treks (might cost about 50 JD).

Rock climbing

This is not an activity for you if you are not a rock climber! It's a tough, challenging, and extremely rewarding as an activity. Once you climb up, you can see far and wide and that in itself is the reward :)

Camel riding

This is perhaps the most popular way to see Wadi Rum, as you get to feel like a bedouin while you are on it. I think these are great for short distances, but can get a little frustrating after a while. If you are not used to camel rides, cap your time to 60 minutes and you will love it :)

Entry fee

At present the fees are as follows:

5 Jordanian Dinars for international visitors
1 Jordanian Dinar per person for Jordanians and residents.
0.5 Jordanian Dinar  for Jordanian students
Children under 12 years are free.

Relaxing after a small climb...