Visiting Jordan’s desert: Wadi Rum

In this week’s travel feature Louise-Anne Manasco and Max Pizarro explored the Wadi Rum desert that is virtually untouched by humans.

By Louise-Anne Manasco and Max Pizarro

This mesmerizing timeless space is a beautiful region in the south of Jordan which has been virtually untouched by humans due to its harsh, destructive conditions.

Over thousands of years, the relentless combination of the strong winds and fine sand has carved out a maze of imposing, monumental rockscapes which scatter the vast empty space of Wadi Rum.

The only people who inhabit this region are those from the original Bedouin community who find shelter close to the rocks to set up their traditional tents.

With a fair number of visitors each day, the locals nowadays do also provide that traditional experience where you are able to stay a night or two in one of their tents and enjoy the local meals cooked in the traditional manner underground, as well as drinking a lot of tea just like they do.

As one of the country’s top attractions, there are now quite a number of these camps which offer the experience along with a jeep safari, however due to the sparse nature of the desert it felt extremely quiet and unspoilt.

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In our opinion, these traditional experiences do give that extra edge to your travels and is worth every penny. Staying the night also meant we got to admire how both sunset and sunrise enhance the rich colours of the sands as well as cutting through the many deep canyons which run in amongst these mammoth rocks.

The combination between these mesmerising colours, expansive nature and jaw-dropping landscapes, creates somewhat of a photographers paradise with some brilliant photo opportunities and therefore comes as no surprise as to why it has been a popular set for movies such as Lawrence of Arabia and the Martian.

Scattered around this extensive region are also a number of unique iconic features which are generally all included on the many jeep safaris.

Despite being popular stops for most visitors, it is obvious as to why most of them are on the itinerary and are well worth a little visit.

When you think of the desert, many people think camels, or at least we do and it is unsurprising that there is that option to roam around Wadi Rum on one of the very many of these fascinating animals.
Due to the combination of the speed and comfort, we opted for a short ride from Ash Shallala, better known as Lawrence’s Spring, rather than a trek across the desert.

The short journey back into the town of Wadi Rum was a great way to end our Wadi Rum experience and meant we got to enjoy a camel ride in their unique habitat without it being too long leaving us with sore bums for the rest of the day.

Louise-Anne and Max are a local travel couple who have visited over 50 countries.

To read more about Louise-Anne and Max’s travels check out their blog:
www.lifeoutofourbackpack.com

And their Instagram account: @lifeoutofourbackpack