If glamping in the middle of a desert feels like something you would love to experience at least once in your life, then Wadi Rum is a perfect travel destination for you. Here is all you need to know about this extraordinary travel experience in Jordan.
You probably have already heard or at least seen the famous Wadi Rum on your social media. This incredible location has been featured in a number of movies and thousands of Instagram posts. Mars-like landscape, romantic settings of luxury glamping experience, and fascinating local culture will surely make you feel like you stepped into a Star Wars movie.
About Wadi Rum, Jordan
Located near Aqaba, the Wadi Rum desert is easily one of the top attractions and best places to visit in Jordan. This famous desert in the southern part of Jordan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011 because of its rich natural and cultural heritage. Wadi Rum is a large 300-square-mile desert filled with natural rock formations and even more spectacular sand dunes and evidence of early life dating back 12,000 years.
The name Wadi Rum translates to ‘Valley of the Moon’. The desert features dramatic red sand dunes and orange granite rocks, especially at dawn. Because of the extraordinary and magnificent landscape of Wadi Rum, the area is often featured in movies where it plays real-life Mars. Among fascinating natural formations, you can find various rock paintings, petroglyphs, and inscriptions in the area that indicate the desert being a habitable area since prehistoric times.
Today Wadi Rum has become the perfect destination for adventure lovers that are looking for unique experiences around the world. Since the desert is easily accessible from Petra and Amman, the visitors can explore the magnificent landscape on a day trip or on a tour during their Jordan road trip. Here you can experience a variety of different activities of your choice from hiking, biking, and rock climbing to even camel riding.
Life of Bedouin tribe
Nowadays the main residents of Wadi Rum are Bedouin tribes that typically have a nomadic lifestyle. The name Bedouin translates to ‘dessert dweller’ in Arabic which perfectly describes the nature of this ancient population. However, many Bedouin tribe members have decided to take a permanent settlement in an area called Rum Village. Wadi Rum is one of the fewer places where you can get a glimpse into the lifestyle of the Bedouin tribe.
The tribe is famous for its hospitality, so you can always expect a warm and welcoming atmosphere when you visit Wadi Rum. The people not only care for the environment but also know how to live in balance with it. These are also the people that know the area the best meaning that they make the best tour guides in the area. You can be sure that they will guide you to see some of the hidden crevices and corners that you usually wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
Once in Wadi Rum, you also have to try the traditional Zaarb barbeque of the Bedouin tribe. This is a unique way of cooking food underground that has been used by the Bedouins for hundreds of years. In short, they dig large holes in the sand and cook together meat and vegetables in an underground metal oven.
Staying at Wadi Rum overnight
Staying in Wadi Rum overnight could be one of the most magical experiences in your life if you are looking for something more extraordinary than a simple hotel stay. Most of the luxury glamping tents and camps run on solar power and have limited cellular and wifi signal. This means that it is very easy to relax and unplug while you stay in Wadi Rum.
In the desert, there are plenty of different accommodation options from more authentic camps, and traditional lodges to incredibly luxurious dome tents that offer a magical view of constellations during nighttime. Most camps have toilet and shower facilities, offer breakfast and other meals, as well as rent-out BBQs. It can get incredibly hot during the day in the desert which is why most luxury camping grounds offer conditioners inside bubble tents. This way you can enjoy your luxury holiday in a pleasant temperature. The prices vary from $100 to $200 per night.
Photo: EyesTravelling/Shutterstock
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