Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum, the Valley of the Moon, is a majestic and otherworldly desert in southern Jordan, a vast UNESCO landscape of towering sandstone and granite mountains rising abruptly from wide valleys of red sand, dotted with canyons, natural arches and ancient rock inscriptions. Home to Bedouin tribes and made famous by Lawrence of Arabia and countless films set on Mars, it is explored by Bedouin-led jeep and camel and slept under a blaze of desert stars.

History

People have lived in Wadi Rum since prehistoric times, and many cultures, the Nabataeans among them, left petroglyphs, inscriptions and temple ruins; according to Bienkowski the area belonged to the Kingdom of Edom between the 13th and 6th centuries BC, and trade routes between Arabia and the Levant brought it prosperity. The British officer T. E. Lawrence passed through several times during the Arab Revolt of 1917-18 and described his entry into the valley, and in the 1980s a rock formation once called Jabal al-Mazmar was renamed the Seven Pillars of Wisdom after his book, though the pillars of the title have nothing to do with Rum. Since 2011 the Wadi Rum Protected Area has been a World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Wadi Rum).

The landscape

• The desert landscape - the towering mountains and red sand valleys.
• A jeep or camel tour - the Bedouin-led exploration of the desert.
• A night under the stars - the desert camp and the brilliant night sky.
• The rock arches and canyons - the natural arches and ancient inscriptions.

When to go

Spring and autumn for bearable temperatures, as summer days are dangerously hot and winter nights bitterly cold; sunset and sunrise light the red sands most beautifully. A night at a desert camp, from simple to luxurious bubble tents, is the highlight.

What to expect

The desert extremes mean summer is punishingly hot and winter nights very cold, so pack for both if visiting in the shoulder seasons. Tours and camps are run by Bedouin operators varying from basic to luxurious, so choose to match your comfort. It is remote, best paired with Petra nearby. The night sky and silence are unforgettable.

Nearby

Petra is to the north and Aqaba and the Red Sea to the south.

Key facts