We were dropped off at Rum village at around 9.30 am, after driving past an appetite-whetting teaser of the spectacular sandstone landscape we could expect to see in Wadi Rum. The village is home to around 1,000 Bedouins, who have mostly but not entirely abandoned their traditions of wandering the desert and sleeping in caves or tents. Tourism is their livelihood.
The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, supposedly so-named by T.E. Lawrence, at the entrance to Wadi Rum
Mehedi, who was organising our trip into desert, came out of his single-storey house to welcome us to the village. Inside was a simple Arabic salon with a fireplace at its heart and cushions on the floor. We sipped at sweet tea from tiny glasses while Mehedi explained exactly what we had in store: for our first day, a jeep ride around the desert and a climb to the highest point in Jordan; the following day, a full day tour on the back of a camel.
We were introduced to our Bedouin guide, Rad, who would be taking care of us for the day. Before setting off into the desert, he drove us a few minutes outside of the village to see an ancient Nabatean temple to Allat. Above the ruined 1st century BC walls rose the sheer face of Jabal Rum. A couple of climbers were already making their way up, and as we were stood at the temple another four climbers made their way past, pausing briefly to admire the scale of their attempted conquest.
The Nabatean temple, Jabal Rum looming above, and four climbers off to the left
From there we drove for around 45 minutes through the extraordinarily beautiful valley (the meaning of "Wadi"). The jeep bounced across brick-red dunes lined by vast sandstone and granite mountains jutting out from the desert. We were heading south, towards the edge of the desert reserve and the border with Saudi Arabia, where the sand turned from red to white. There we found Jabal Um Ad Dami, rising starkly out of the sand in a mass of rubble and sheer rock faces.
El Qattar, one of many spectacular mountains shooting out of the desert
We left the jeep parked at the foot of the mountain and set out on foot. We were completely alone. Rad told us that we were probably the only people to have climbed the mountain in the last week or two. Enjoying the tranquility of the desert, we ascended silently over the beautifully multicoloured rocks. It may have been winter but the sun was beating down and the climb was far from easy. We had a couple of breaks to catch our breath and admire the magnificent view across Wadi Rum to the north.
Rad and Clem begin the ascent
Pausing to admire the view over the valley
After an ascent of around 90 minutes we arrived at the summit, where a Jordanian flag waved at us in the wind. Rad pointed south to the black mountains of Saudi Arabia, only a few kilometres away. I asked whether we could nip over the border with Saudi Arabia by jeep, but apparently it's well protected. Shame. We sat at the top of the mountain (1854 metres, if you're counting) for around half an hour to enjoy the spectacular scenery, the gentle sunshine, and the crisp breeze, then started the 45 minute descent back to the jeep.
At the top of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
The black mountains of Saudi Arabia in the distance
Looking down on Wadi Rum; sadly the photo doesn't begin to capture the spectrum of colours
Rad
Following Rad down amidst the sandstone rubble
By then it was time for lunch. Rad drove us over to a secluded part of the valley and parked the jeep across the road to give us some shelter from the sun. He gathered some kindling, started a fire, and prepared a very tasty vegetable stew. We lazed away in the shade of the jeep enjoying the peace and quiet.
Lunchtime in the desert
After lunch we were driven back through the reserve to the "red desert", asking Rad to stop every so often so that we could hop out for a photo. We arrived at a large sandstone hump protruding from the sand, where Rad deposited us and left us to climb up for a great view over the desert. We made it about two-thirds of the way up, far enough to enjoy a magnificent view over Wadi Rum. At that point we met a 60 degree slope, which I managed to climb halfway up before getting rather stuck and having to turn tail and head back down.
More incredible wind-eroded sandstone shapes
Rad had some traditional Bedouin music on his tape:
Slightly stuck
After stopping off to enjoy racing up a large red sand dune, another great lookout over the desert, we headed over to find a spot from which to watch the sunset. Rad found us a secluded perch by a couple of sandstone outcrops, again with not a soul in sight. By then the temperature had dropped, so we wrapped up warm to await the sun's descent. Spending the day with us had clearly worn on Rad, so he curled up in a blanket while we enjoyed the view. Even more impressive than the sunset itself was the extraordinary blaze of burnt orange that illuminated the sand in the last hour of sunlight.
View from the red dunes
Chicken rock, apparently
Spot Rad and his blanket?
The red desert burning in the last light of the sun
Our perch for the sunset
We couldn't decide between this photo ...
... and this one, so you get both
As dusk settled we made our way over to Mehedi's camp, which was hidden away from the chill wind amidst a huddle of sandstone protrusions. We were shown to our tent, which had two mattresses and a pile of thick blankets ready for a freezing winter's night in the desert. We then stepped inside the larger communal tent for a cup of tea, which transitioned smoothly into dinner (delicious chicken that had been grilled and left to cook underneath a pile of sand to keep in the smoke). Dinner was followed by great music and dancing. I was briefly requisitioned, but managed to escape with my dignity intact. Outside our tent the night sky was pitch black, punctuated by astonishingly bright stars. Our blankets were remarkably effective, and we slept soundly and warmly through to the morning.
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