Exploring the desert of Wadi Rum

We wake up early today, there is 2h of driving to reach Wadi Rum and our day activities start at 9 am.

The road is supposed to be a Scenic one but we only drive through a thick fog or inside low clouds. At some point, there was just enough space between the ground and the cloud, you could see the delimitation very clearly. Like the sky is falling on your head!

We arrive in Wadi rum and are welcome by Sultan, who will be our guide. He is accompanied by Mike, their marketing person. It' s a cold morning, we layer up at the back of the pickup truck to fight the morning chill.

First stop is for tea next to Lawrence’s spring. There are some inscriptions that are a few thousands year old on a rock nearby. There is a camel watering hole there too, so if you are lucky you can see many. We didn't have any on our day.

Finally the sun starts warming us up. We stop by a sand dune that you climb, and then it connects to a rock hill. From the very top, there is a nice view.

A canyon is where we head next. This was interesting for the multitude of engravings dating as old as 2,500 years to about 800 years old. It's very narrow and walking inside is a good experience.

We then drive to a natural small arch. We climb at the top for some pictures, and again enjoy more desert views.

Once we have removed all the sand from our shoes, we drive a little further away to a Nabataean building and another view point. The Nabatean building is just a few walls by a natural cavern : a tax collection point. No beautiful carvings or anything of the sort, a purely utilitarian building.

There, an orange cat peed on Alexis's bag... Luckily what is inside was spared from the smell... We isolate the offending bag at the far end of the pickup truck.

The morning stops continue to the mushroom rock. The sand at this location is of a different color, more red.

Sultan decides to stop by a cliff, which provides natural shelter from the wind. He sets up a big blanket and starts to cook lunch on a gas stove. We eat a simple meal of baba ghanoush, labneh, tuna and some cooked vegetables. We take the time to chat, Sultan goes to pray and we take a power nap.

We still have some more stops in the afternoon.

There is a small hike to do through a narrow canyon, about 30min of walking. It's a nice introduction to this landscape if you do not have enough time to hike one while on holiday in Jordan. I recommend it.

We go and climb next a much bigger, stone arch. I believe it's the most famous in Wadi Rum. I have seen it on some Instagram posts.

In the afternoon, we get deeper into the desert and I enjoy the landscapes a lot more. The sand changes color and the immensity of these big sandy expanses between huge cliff mountains is stunning.

It's interesting how different each desert is. Across the many we have visited and seen in different continents, they all have their unique beauty.

We stop by two more high viewpoints before calling it a day. The last one is the most beautiful.

The clouds are starting to appear, and the cold is slowly creeping. We are happy to reach the camp and the common tent.

Another traveler is already there and we all chit chat, him, sultan, mike and us, with a warm cup of tea. It’s relaxed and really friendly.

Sultan has videos of snow in the desert, we didn’t believe him when he said it can snow in some part ! We speculate if this year there will be any. The forecast has been announcing it for a couple of days now, but it has not materialized.

More travelers are joining us around diner. We have a good chatty group and it's a relaxed and good meal. They cooked it the tradition way, underground in a pit that they had covered in sand.

After diner, we all join our Bedouin hosts in a natural cave next to the camp. They start a big fire and prepare tea. Comfortable cushions are spread around. The next two hours of the day are spent laughing, discussing travel plans, Bedouin culture and random conversations topic. It's an extremely pleasant night by the fire.

However, as soon as we exit the comfort of our shelter and the bonfire, the wind and cold are biting.

We got an extra set of blankets and we hurry up getting ready for bed. We had to sleep with our Bennie on. After a short while we get warm enough for a good night sleep, but you do not want to venture any part of your body outside of this cozy cocoon.