On our second day in Wadi Rum, after our little taster with a sunset ride and stargazing the night before, we finally got out and explored the breadth and depth of Wadi Rum properly.
To say we were excited would be an understatement.
We got up bright and early, had breakfast at our hotel in record speed (our hotel is amazing Yado Aicha Luxury Camp) and rushed out to meet our driver with all the excitement usually reserved for a kid in a candy store.
Our driver arrived again in the same truck we were picked up from when we first showed up at Wadi Rum which meant we could either sit inside or choose to sit outside.
As before, we chose to sit outside because we really wanted to see everything.
Our first stop was at the base of this hill to see some ancient rock inscriptions and it proved to be the perfect place to stop for just a moment in the mid-day sun and take a short walk in the desert.
By the way, this place is called Lawrence Spring, well… because of the spring there.
Understandably, a spring in the desert is a big deal.
The landscape here is quite incredible.
I’ve said it and I’ll keep saying it, Wadi Rum really feels and feels like we’ve never been anywhere.
Then our driver suggested taking us to the sand dunes and honestly, it wouldn’t have actually mattered that he advised us to go look ahead, we would have just said yes.
The sand dunes are very attractive and I definitely recommend walking to the top as the view from up here is amazing.
Some people even came here to sandboard, but having done that in South Africa, we politely declined.
It’s the kind of workout we’re usually up for, but we still had a lot of other rocks and small hills to climb so we thought we might as well pace ourselves.
At the bottom of the sand dune, there was a small hut where the locals came out to cool off in the desert heat which was also a great place to stop for tea.
Also, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise; Hot tea works perfectly in this heat. 😋😋
Next we drove a little further to Khazali Canyon where we had to scale some rocks to reach its entrance.
It is very easy but the canyon is also quite narrow so you can only venture deep into it before turning back.
We didn’t immediately return to the car though.
We opted instead to stay for a while and go on foot to truly soak up the landscape around us.
The sheer height of the mountains is equally incredible.
Leaving that, we headed to a place I remember seeing in photos before we reached Wadi Rum.
We were actually looking for Bardah Rock Bridge when we found it and it turned out to be a nice detour as it has one of the best views over the desert.
It needs a bit of rubbing to get to the top of it but nothing too drastic.
We then proceeded to the home of Thomas Edward Lawrence.
And for those who don’t know, Thomas Edward Lawrence or TE Lawrence is the famous Lawrence of Arabia and this is where he stayed when he was in Wadi Rum.
Before the house existed, there was actually a pre-existing Nabataean structure that was built two thousand years ago and that structure was used as a station for passing caravans.
Also, on the subject of desert peoples, it is important to mention here some of the most important – the Nabataeans.
The Nabataeans were an ancient Arab people who lived, traveled and traded around this area of Jordan (and other countries as well).
Now, remember how we were in Petra (in Jordan) this day and then this day and also this trip to Little Petra?
Well, Petra was the capital of the Nabateans and from there their story carries over to Wadi Rum as well.
There is also an ancient Nabataean temple in Wadi Rum that is worth visiting.
Next we got off at one end of the Abu Khashaba Canyon, where our driver told us to walk and he would meet us at the other end.
It is quite amazing, and at this point, the valley is wide and quite sandy.
The scenery as you drive through is absolutely stunning and it’s lined with this beautiful fine sand all the way.
It’s a bit of a trek but just feels good after being in the car all day.
Plus the valley is in the shade after lunch so it’s nice and cool and very easy to walk through.
After meeting our driver at the other end of Abu Khashaba Canyon, we proceeded to our next stop which is the famous Um Fruth Rock Arch.
I had seen photos of people climbing it, but when we actually showed up there, I initially gave up on climbing it because that thing is so tall!
You also need to scale the side of the rocks here, which seem almost vertical at points, just to get it.
It took a few moments of watching other people do it so easily to convince me to go ahead and do it and the view from up there is so amazing!
Leaving here, we decided to hang out with some locals and watch the sunset but more on that in the next post as this post is getting too long now. Hahaha!
The next post is available here, by the way.
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