The tour will start with a camel ride from our office to the Lawrence's spring. It is one of the major springs in the area and still in use today to water the Bedouins' goats and camels. The spring is located halfway up an Imperious mountain that looms over the desert. If you are adventurous enough to climb up to the spring you can sit under a fig tree and enjoy the magnificent vista across the desert plain. Those who prefer to keep their feet on the ground can marvel at the ancient Nabatean rock inscriptions that resemble a long-forgotten alphabet, or socialise with the camels gathered around the watering hole at the foot of the mountain.
When you reach this site, your guide will be waiting for you in the jeep with lunch and anything you need for the tour but you don't want to carry on the camel.
You will continue by jeep to Jebel Burdah Arch. It is a popular destination for tourists who wish to challenge themselves just a little bit more. This climb is rated as a Grade 3 scramble, but it can be done without ropes and abseils. You will be guided along the fairly basic route up and down. You do not have to be an experienced climber to tackle this mountain. As long as you are in shape and have endurance you will be greatly rewarded.
The climb will be followed by lunch and tea in a pleasantly shaded place, perfect to relax.
After the break you will continue with a 3-4 hours jeep tour to visit the highlights of Wadi Rum:
Abu Khashaba Canyon
This part of the tour will give you a chance to stretch your legs as you stroll through a magnificent canyon. The walls on either side reach up to improbable heights while the sandy floor and occasional vegetation make for a very pleasant amble through the cooling shade. The jeep will leave you at the entrance to the canyon and pick you up when emerge on the other side about half an hour later.
Umm Fruth rock bridge
For many visitors the high-point of the tour, both literally and figuratively, is the Umm Fruth rock bridge. This stunning rock bridge is 15m (50ft) above the ground and if you are brave enough to scramble up will provide you with the best photo opportunity of the day. There is also a Bedouin tent shop nearby where you can take refreshments or even peruse the local handcrafts on sale.
Little bridge
We continue on to a beautiful rock bridge. This is another chance to climb one of these stunning and fully natural rock formations. Climbing is at your own risk (some parts can be quite steep) but as it is sandstone, most people don't have any problems and greatly enjoy the experience. This is a wonderful photo opportunity, with the natural stone bridge lying in front of a huge expanse of desert as far as the eye can see, and you, standing aloft, arms spread as wide as your smile.
Khazali canyon
This canyon lies in Jebel Khazali, a stunning mountain with imposing sheer cliffs that seem to sprout from the desert sands to more than the height of the Empire State building. This cave-like canyon has been moulded by the elements over millenia and provides cool air and shelter tucked away between massive monolithic rocks.You can easily imagine how it would have looked with Bedouin tents, families resting, drinking tea, and children playing. You will also find, on the canyon walls numerous Nabatean, Islamic (Kufic), and Thamudic inscriptions and petroglyph rock drawings dating back thousands of years.
Sand Dunes
The red sand dunes nearby are great fun to scramble around, although climbing up is tough going. You will, however, be rewarded with a stunning view of the varying colors of the sand. Afterwards, you can run (or roll) down the slope - whichever way you prefer to descend!
After another short drive we reach our Bedouin camp.As the camp is located on the edge of the wilderness zone, this is a great opportunity to go for a stroll in the almost untouched desert landscape. The area around the camp is also one of the major sunset viewing points in Wadi Rum, and you can enjoy this over a glass of hot sage tea.
Having eaten a traditional dinner prepared in time-honoured Bedouin style, you can then experience the desert by night. Around the time of the full moon, you can see all the surroundings painted in surreal colours, and the moon shines brightly enough to walk around the camp without a flashlight (it's even bright enough to cast a moonshadow!). If there is no moon, and in the absence of all light pollution, the starry night sky is filled with myriad stars, sparkling constellations, the Milky Way, and often dozens of shooting stars. Some nights you can listen to traditional Bedouin music, and (temperature permitting) you can even take a mattress and blanket and sleep outside amidst nothing but rolling sands, silence, and the stars above.
The next morning, if you are an early riser, you can watch a glorious sunrise from one of the prime vantage points near the camp, the colours of the dawn are breathtaking as the sun rises from behind the mountains. Then you will be treated to a hearty breakfast before we take you to town for the morning bus, or on to your next port of call.
Extra information:
Tour and camp : 10am - 8:30am (summer)
9:30am - 8:30am (winter)
Starting point : Our office in Wadi Rum village
What to bring: comfortable clothes and shoes for climbing, suncream, hat/scarf, camera, smile.
There are no banks or ATMs in Wadi Rum.
Prices for groups of 5 and more persons are available on request. You can use our contact form to ask about the price.