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Wadi Rum & Aqaba

Southern Jordan

Tony Clemens
2005-09-01 18:55:00

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The desert gets cold at night!

While the eastern desert is stony the southern desert is sandy with high limestone cliffs, this is the land of Lawrence of Arabia and at the southern tip of Jordan is its only port, a bit of sea coast about 18 km long.

Wadi Rum

The desert gets cold at night!

The Wadi Rum is an expanse of sandy desert, home of the Bedouin tribe Huweitat and the location of the Arab Revolt and Lawrence of Arabia. Trips to the Wadi Rum can be organized from almost anywhere in Jordan or you can just show up at the Visitors centre and get the next guide in the queue. From the Visitors Centre you can view the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which was also the title of Lawrence of Arabia biography. Day trips can be organized into the Wadi Rum but most books recommend an overnight stay to full experience the desert but remember it gets cold at night in the desert.

All trips start from the Visitor Centre but we made arrangements with our hotel in Petra so the guide picked us up in Petra and he had a female companion from France with him. Never got her full story and since he is married I will only mention that he was recommended by the Lonely Planet. After some spiced tea our guide turned us over to his assistant for the trip to visit some of the sites in the desert; he disappeared after explaining the sites we will be seeing and showing us some pictures of himself with the former and present king of Jordan. It was only myself and my wife, the French woman was not to be seen as the assistant took us to see the sites.

But the desert gets cold at night!

Although it was late November it was quite hot and we soon removed our sneakers and pants bottom as we drove around the desert. The standard tour takes you to several sites around the Wadi Rum which should include; the Abu Aineh or Lawrence's ...