Guide To The Amazing Lunar Red Desert Of Wadi Rum

In southern Jordan, near the border of Saudi Arabia, is Wadi Rum, a stunning protected desert area. Known for its vast, red, lunar landscape, weathered sandstone and granite mountains, and natural arches, it’s a visual feast. You may even recognize its sweeping beauty from some famous movies, like Dune. But its details are much more beautiful, as it’s also full of ancient petroglyphs, inscriptions, and some archeological remains, making it fascinating to visit as well as alluring.

With its spectacular landscape and interesting features, the Wadi Rum desert is definitely worth an afternoon to see its sites, usually via 4 x 4, careening over dunes, or sandsurfing down them. Then you’re whisked off to your Bedouin camp, for a traditional dinner, Bedouin music, and interesting conversation with locals before sleeping in a tent, or a modern bubble luxotel, under a zillion stars.

Jordan Wadi Rum Desert Protected Area

The UNESCO Heritage area of the Wadi Rum desert is 285 miles² (738 km²), which, crazily, is about the same size as Singapore.

In antiquity, the fresh-water springs here made it an ideal stop for caravans passing from Arabia to the Levant (Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Iraq). Later, Bedouins (desert nomads) settled here before making Petra their capital.

This area has been inhabited for over 12,000 years, and a big part of its cultural significance comes from the more than 25,000 rock carvings and 20,000 inscriptions left here.

These inscriptions, which are in a variety of Arabian scripts, show the transition over time from hieroglyphics to the alphabet, which is also pretty amazing.

Yet beyond its cultural and historical significance, Wadi Rum is beautiful, with several cool sites to explore.

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom

Although Bedouins call it Jabbal Al Mazmar, this weather-worn mountain was named after T. E. Lawrence’s book, The Seven pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph. There is, however, no direct connection, other than the fact that Lawrence stayed here and wrote about the area.

The giant formation looks like it has 7 distinct elements leaning against each other, giving it its unique appearance. Some of these elements are so old, they date back to the Precambrian era, which was over 4.5 billion years ago!

If you have time, there is a hike around Seven Pillars, via Makharas Canyon. It’s a moderate loop, taking about 2.5 hours from the visitor center.

How To Get To Seven Pillars: Seven Pillars is a 5-minute walk from the visitor center.

Jebel Khazali & Khazali Canyon

Jebel Khazali is one of the most dramatic mountains in the Wadi Rum desert. It rises 4,658’ (1,420 m). And although you can climb it with a Bedouin guide, its real significance are the petroglyphs and inscriptions locals can show you here (like our guide below).

The walls of this narrow canyon are covered with Thamudic, Nabatean, and Islamic inscriptions, as well as petroglyphs of humans and animals. You can even see animals etched into the cliffs, like lions and elephants, that only traveled through here with caravans from Egypt to Petra, Damascus, and beyond.

Another interesting fact, or rather a legend, is that this canyon gets its name, Khazali, from a wanted man named Ali that supposedly ran up this mountain and jumped from the top to safety. As he fell, his robe opened up, acting as a parachute. The word “Khaz” means jump, combined with his name, Ali. Khazali.

How To Get To Khazali Canyon: Khazali Canyon is located 8 miles (13 km) south of the Wadi Rum Visitor Center. The GPS coordinates are 29.520145N, 35424003E.

The Ruins of Lawrence’s House

Known as Lawerence’s house since T. E. Lawrence, or Lawrence of Arabia, stayed here as an officer during his fortuitous role in the Arab revolt in the early 20th century.

Like many places here, although today it carries his name, it was also in use prior to him by another British officer. And before that, it was a station for passing caravans, built by the Nabateans over 2,000 years ago. Still, it’s very cool to see where Lawrence stayed.

How To Get To Lawrence’s House: A typical stop on 4 x 4 tours, Lawrence’s House is located 8-9 miles (14 km) south of the Wadi Rum visitor center. The GPS coordinates are 29.528619N, 35.459309E.

Lawrence’s Spring

Used for thousands of years, this spring, along with others, made this area an important water stop for caravans between Arabia and the Levant. As above, although the spring has been used for thousands of years, it carries Lawrence’s name from his fame and his writings.

Jordan Wadi Rum Natural Rock Bridges

There are two popular rock bridges here: Um Fruth and Burdah. They’re both relatively close to each other. The choice depends on how much climbing you want to do.

Um Fruth

This is one of the most photographed spots in Wadi Rum, rising 49’ (15 m). I was able to scramble up this one fairly quickly (below).

How To Get To Um Fruth: See the link here for Um Fruth, which is south of Lawrence’s House.

Jabal Umm ad Dami

This is the highest mountain in all of Jordan at 6,082’ (1,854 m). It offers a spectacular view of Saudi Arabia to the south and Wadi Rum to the north. Hikes can be arranged to the top, taking about 2.5 hours.

How To Get To Jabal Umm ad Dami: Jamal Umm ad Dami is about (40 km) from the visitor center. It’s best to get here by jeep. The GPS coordinates at 29.3029N, 34.4455E.

Jordan Wadi Rum Bedouin Camps

After sight-seeing, if you’re staying overnight (as most do), the jeeps head to a Bedouin camp, which there are several of. The one I stayed in was run with solar energy, including hot showers. A very pleasant surprise since my hostel in Petra didn’t even have hot water!

There are a wide variety of options from basic tents to luxury bubbles, where you can watch the stars from your bed.

After watching the sunset and eating dinner, which was a local dish of chicken, potatoes and onions cooked for hours in pots under the sand, along with lentils, hummus, cheese, pita bread, and of course, their delicious mint/cardamom tea, we gazed at the stars overhead and listed to Bedouin tales and music.

The next morning, we were up early, scrambling over rocky hilltops in the desert to find a spot to watch the sun rise over the red sand.

How To Get To The Wadi Rum Desert

From Petra to Wadi Rum

The best way to get from Petra to Wadi Rum is to take the Jett bus from Wadi Musa in Petra. It leaves at 5 PM and takes about 2.5 hours. The cost is 15 JOD (about $21 USD), each way. There is also a local bus that you can book through your hotel, costing a little less, that leaves around 6 AM. Ask at your accommodation. The latter is convenient as your hotel can also include tours and accommodation for you in Wadi Rum. This was the option I chose and was completely happy with the convenience and the tour.

If you don’t want to take the bus, try to catch a shared taxi from one of the bus stations. These are white and called Servees. They generally leave when full, rather than by a set schedule. Ask for more details at the bus station or at your accommodation.

From Amman to Wadi Rum

The best way to get to Wadi Rum from Amman is to take the Jett bus from Amman to Wadi Rum. It leaves daily at 7:30 AM. This cost is 20 JOD (about $28). A Servee may be an option here too. Ask at the bus station.

Best Time To Visit The Wadi Rum Desert

The best time to visit Wadi Run is Spring, March to May, and Fall, September to November. In the summer months, it gets ver hot during the day, while in the winter, it is cold at night.

Safety Tips & Scams

While most of the people in this area are trustworthy, there are always a few trying to make an extra buck by being deceitful.

• Ask your Wadi Rum tour operator to provide their certificate verifying that they can enter the protected area before booking. If you do not enter through the Wadi Rum visitor center, you are not in the park. Book through your hotel/hostel or arrange your tour at the visitor center itself.
• Make sure to only buy your entrance ticket from the ticket box at the Wadi Rum visitor center, not from locals.
• If you’re meeting a guide at the center, have a pre-arranged word or saying that only the two of you know, so you know you’re with the right person.
• Some Jordanians are extremely flirtatious with females, planning to extort them for money in the long run. It’s ok to have fun and flirt back, but never, ever be conned into sending money.

Other Places In Jordan To Visit

Jordan is full of amazing sites and there’s plenty more beyond the Wadi Rum desert. The highlight of Jordan (at least to me) is definitely a visit to Petra Archeological Park. This ancient city was the Nabatean’s capital around the 4th century BC. A labyrinth of ancient red-rose sandstone carved facades, tombs, and temples, it’s as mysterious as it beautiful. And as the descendants of the ancient Nabateans that built this place work here, and some still live amongst the caves here, it’s a fascinating glimpse into their culture.

Amman is another city in Jordan that has a lot to offer, one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world. I spent a few days here and loved it. You can see ancient Roman and Umayyad ruins in the city center as well as meet warm, welcoming people and eat amazing food. It also makes a great base for side trips to the Dead Sea, nearby archeological finds, like Jerash and Madaba, and Mount Nebo, the location noted in the Bible where Moses was shown the promised land.

To help plan your trip to Jordan, see my Jordan Travel Guide, which highlights all the top destinations, how to get there, logistics, safety, scams, and more.

Safe Travels!

Julie