Our taxi dropped us at the Jett Bus terminal and, after getting our dot matrix printed tickets, we were loaded into a minivan and on our way. With just three of us going to Wadi Rum, they didn’t use a full-size bus. Tourism numbers are very low.
The drive to the Wadi Rum Visitor Centre went without a hitch, passing by amazing mountainous landscapes in the World Heritage Protected Area. As is the way, once we had presented our Jordan Pass for entry into Wadi Rum, we had to get to Wadi Rum Village, which is where I thought the but was taking us. But no – that was still seven kilometres away. A local very kindly called our host and he came to get us.
We chose to stay at Dune Rocks camp and highly recommend this stay for a warm and wonderful experience. Eid can be contacted by phone/whatsapp on +962 7 7661 8648.
Eid stopped at one of the little cafes in the village for tea and we organised a tour for the next day to take us to the major sites – expensive! at 75 Dinars each, but, this is a once in a lifetime visit. Our meals are included in the accommodation cost and for 20 Dinars for two nights, it’s very affordable. Tourist numbers are very low, with many people cancelling due to the conflict in Gaza, so it feels good to be supporting the local economy in our small way.
Wadi Rum village has about 2,500 people, most of whom are related as it was established by one family. When it is high tourist season, the village and surrounds doubles in numbers, so while it is nice for us to have a peaceful, exclusive experience, it is not good for the camp owners, who rely on tourists for a living.
Our host, Eid, is very warm and welcoming, and his hostess, Anika, is also lovely. While Eid sourced supplies, Anika took us to the nearby Nabatean temple, which dates back to Roman times. The Bedouin peoples are descendants of the Nabateans, who monitored the trade route that traverses the area. Stocked up, we set off for the camp, driving through amazing desert landscapes. The area was an ocean a billion or so years ago, so there there is limestone on top of the granite substrate and fossils can be found in the area.
There are no roads on the way to our desert camp (Dune Rocks camp) and we passed a few other camps, some geared for the 5 star set. Eid, who was born in the desert, and is the son of the local Sheikh, said that the flasher camps are staffed by people from the surrounding countries, assuring us that we would be getting a more genuine experience. Whether that was to prepare us, or to commend us, I’m not sure, but the reviews for Dune Rocks Camp are excellent. It will be an experience, and Eid genuinely seems to want to give us a genuine one.
Our tent is clean, and the beds (yes, proper beds!) look comfortable. The bathrooms are a 30 meter walk away, so night-time toilet stops are going to be a challenge. The power is provided by solar panels – so pleased that we don’t have a generator disturbing the blissfully quiet atmosphere.
Lunch was being prepared so after climbing part way up one of the nearby cliffs, Anika suggested that we go for a walk around the cliff and explore the area. There is no-one else at the camp, which is disappointing as we like meeting other people, but Eid and Anika are very kind and happy to chat. The photo opportunities here are outstanding, and as we cannot see any other camps, we feel like we are in the middle of nowhere. Well, I guess we are.
Our stroll took us further afield than we had planned, but we managed to find our way back to the camp. There is a beautiful sand dune in front of the tents so we looked for that…yeah, there’s more than one dune! We joined Eid and some of his friends who had popped in for a chat while we waited for lunch. We opted for the traditional version – when in Rome…
Lunch was served on a big plate and placed in the centre of the circle the six of us made. Sitting on the floor, Eid said we could only use our right hand, and demonstrated how to scoop the rice and potatoes, and break up the meat. I managed to get most of the rice into my mouth, and I was relieved to see that I wasn’t the only one dropping grains of rice on the mat. It’s a messy way to eat, and Colin took the opportunity to use the supplied spoon. I probably should have as well, but, I can be stubborn. The meal was delicious; the rice was delicately flavoured and the meat was tender and tasty.
We spent the afternoon enjoying the ambience of the camp, and I had a lovely chat with Anika, learning more about how she came to be in Jordan. A French national, Anika spends as much time as she can in Jordan, helping Eid with the camp, but returning to France where her family, four boys, live. Like the Jordanians we have met, Anika is very friendly, and you can feel the goodness of her soul.
Eid promised us a special bread dish for dinner, so we were treated to a demonstration of prepareing and cooking Bedouin flat bread. The dough is flattened onto a metal plate and put on the hot coals. Then hot coals are placed directly onto the bread, cooking the top of the bread and creating a crust. Once the bread top is cooked, coals and ash from the fire are heaped onto the bread so that it cooks through. Colin helped Eid break the bread into small pieces while Anika and Eid’s brother cooked up the tomato and onion sauce. The bread and sauce is then mushed together and voila! Dinner is served. It was delicious – plain and simple, but very tasty.
One of the lovely things about our stay at Dune Rocks camp was the ongoing Jordanian welcome and sharing. One of Eid’s brothers and his son had joined us for lunch, and another of Eid’s brothers and a friend from Sudan joined us for dinner. It’s a communal way of eating and very connective.
I had managed to pick up another head cold, so while the beds were very comfortable and we had plenty of blankets, I didn’t sleep well and didn’t feel up for a big day in the desert. Anika and Eid plied me with drugs and natural remedies at breakfast, and we set off. The sights are spectacular. The drive to Jebel Khazali took us past soaring cliffs which have beautiful rock formations. Some of the cliff faces look like they have melted, the rock worn smooth and flowing from one ledge to another. Once we reached Jebel Khazali, which contains petroglyphs thought to belong to the Nabatean people from the first or second century AD, we were treated to more intricate rock formations. Here, the huge structures are reminiscent of stalagmites, reaching from the desert floor for the sky.
There is clear evidence of water erosion and sculpting of Jebel Khazali and even a stagnant pool of water. Anika explained that the area in March was several inches deep with water after the area received a lot of rain. We didn’t have the place to ourselves; other tourists were also exploring the site, even a couple of Aussies, but it was nice to know we weren’t the only people still on the planet.
From Jebel Khazali, we made our way to the small arch, a natural arch, or bridge, that has formed over the millennia. We clambered up the rocks for photos and managed not to hurt ourselves. Back on the ‘road’ we bumped our way through the desert, past more amazing rock cliffs and exploring more notable sites, such as…the Big Arch.
Wadi Rum (Wadi means river valley) is a valley cut into sandstone and granite, and iron oxide colours the rock and sand a vibrant red. Over 20,000 petroglyphs and 20,000 inscriptions have been documented inside Wadi Rum, tracing history back 12,000 years. As we traversed this ‘martian’ landscape, Eid pointed out Nomadic Bedouins, who still live the nomadic life along the old trading and migratory routes people took out of Africa.
Tourism was made popular after the filming of Lawrence of Arabia, and in 2015 The Martian was also filmed here, with Wadi Rum playing the role of the red planet. Wadi Rum receives less than three days of rain per year, yet as we drove, the sand is dotted with hardy plants that refuse to submit to the parched conditions.
Jordan has a few neighbours, and Eid took us beyond Wadi Rum and into the ‘white’ desert. The transition in scenery is gentle but clear. The mesas no longer display the melted look and the valley floor stretched flat, no sand dunes, but a light carpet of green and more shrubby plant-life. Eventually, Eid parked and we set off on foot, climbing up the rock until we reached the sandstone which could be broken into thin layers and fossils exposed. We continued across the mesa until we reached the edge and gazed out over a large valley and on to Saudi Arabia just a few kilometres away.
We were in the middle of nowhere, and I would not like to be out here without an experienced guide, but as we were returning to our car, we met up with a family with two young boys. They were from the Czech Republic, so Colin had a laugh showing them the 20 crown coin he happened to have in his pocket. The family had hired a car and were driving themselves around the area and wanted to see the valley and border with Saudi Arabia.
Eid set up for lunch and cooked up a delicious vegetarian meal over an open fire, and made tea from one of the desert plants, assuring me that it would help with my cold. Trees are rare in the desert, but there is a meter high shrub that, when is dies, leaves behind a while skeleton of wood which the Bedouin harvest. After our delicious lunch and a nap, we were back, jolting through the desert back to Wadi Rum. We stopped for another spectacular view and photos, then made our way to Lawrence of Arabia’s house. There isn’t much left of it – two walls and a pile of rubble – but the surrounding mesa yielded more beautiful scenery.
The landscape is so dry and vast, I am amazed that people can exist. We had driven past Bedouin who were herding their goats, finding sparse grazing for the animals, which they protected with vicious dogs. We had driven past one group of Bedouin and their dogs had raced out to chase the car. Eid said they would attack us if we got out – they are kept by the Bedouin to protect their flocks from wolves. We were surprised to hear that the desert supports wolves and foxes – we had already seen sets of footprints, which, as it turned out, were indeed foxes.
It had been a long day, but a relaxing day at the same time, so, lunch time naps aside, we were not exhausted. The temperature was perfect and the breeze through the car window was cool, so it was nice to sit around a fire in the tent while dinner was getting prepared. Eid had gone into the village to see his family and on his return, he had three of his sons with him. So again, we were treated to a family Bedouin evening, sharing a delicious platter of goat and vegetables, followed by dancing.
I don’t know how other Wadi Rum camps operate, but Eid said from the start he wants to share his culture and lifestyle and provide a genuine desert experience for his guests. I certainly felt that, aside from glorious hot water for a shower, we were given a taste of Bedouin hospitality. Having Eid’s friends and family join us for meals made our time in Wadi Rum a beautiful experience.
Sleeping out in the desert is special. The air is clear, the peace is pure and snuggled up warmly under our blankets, even with my head cold, we both woke up after a great night’s sleep, ready to tackle another travel day. I felt rather sad and nostalgic as we packed up and set off towards the Wadi Rum visitor centre to catch our bus. It really did feel like we had made friends in Eid and Anika.
Thank you Eid, thank you Anika and thank you Wadi Rum. Another magnificent memory.
Petra, here we come.