Sleeping In The Wadi Rum Desert
The thing about Jordan is that as you leave a place, it is always a bitter sweet feeling. Everywhere I have visited in Jordan is a special place; the kind that I could spend many more days exploring. That being said, the next locale is always equally exciting! Arriving to Wadi Rum National Park was one of these moments!
Wadi Rum is a desert located in the south of Jordan. Unlike most deserts, it features hilly projections which reach heights of up to 5900 feet (Mount Um Dami is the tallest). A group of Bedouin people still inhabit the area, providing touristic trips for visitors. Many people take 4×4 trips and camp overnight in the desert.
Wadi Rum has been used as a setting for many different films. The most famous of which are ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, ‘Red Planet’, and ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’.
Although we travelled to Wadi Rum by van, we left that van at the gate (there’s no way that it could have handled the sand) and got into decrepit old jeeps. It was a little hard to believe that they were going to fare much better. Contrary to expectations, the little jeeps took us through the desert, to explore numerous sites with ancient carvings. Ironically, they are akin to modern-day graffiti, but are now revered by guests. We climbed a massive sand dune and ran down the other side. The sand and surrounding mountains are a burnt red color. As the sun began to set, we climbed up a set of rocks and watched it go down. It was my favorite sunset so far!
We spent the night at the park in a traditional Bedouin camp. It was so cute! We slept, ate, and chatted on mats in a circle in the ground. We were served an endless supply of sweet sage tea. Dinner was chicken (although it tasted and looked suspiciously like pigeon, which I remember from my time in France) that was cooked underground. The night was beautiful- there were no lights left once the lanterns burnt out at around 9pm, so the only lights came from the stars and the moon. I have never had a better stargazing opportunity in my life.
Looking up at the stars made me feel like I could stay there forever.
Nothing like a dreamy night under the stars. Sounds like an amazing little journey. I love sunsets, and being able to capture them with my camera. That dress you wore in that shot with the sign made me chuckle, it looks SO completely out of place, the flowers and the cuteness in the middle of an arid desert….
Nice dress pretty lady!
Hi! I’m heading to Jordan next month (May 2013) and would love to hear you thoughts on what was really considered acceptable to wear as a woman. I’ve hear so many varying recommendations and I need to try and pack light, or else I’d just pack a little of everything! Thanks! PS, Love the pics!