“Rum the magnificent… vast, echoing and Godlike… a processional way greater than imagination…” Those were the words used by the English writer and army captain Lawrence of Arabia to describe the desert of Wadi Rum. A place where he returned to time and again ‘to clear my senses… I would say, shall I ride on this time, beyond the Khazali, and know it all?’

A visit to Wadi Rum is a journey to another world, a silent and timeless place where you will be dwarfed to insignificance. In the desert of Wadi Rum the Bedouin people still live as they have been doing since time immemorial. They still wander through the desert looking for the best places to herd their sheep and goats, carrying their black tents with them wherever they go. You can dwell for days without meeting a soul. Apart from maybe a Bedouin family sitting in it’s goat-wool tent you are surrounded by sky-high cliffs of rose-red sandstone rock only.

Imagine yourself being a spice merchant, travelling through the desert to your next trading post. Experience the friendly hospitality of the Huweitat and the Mzanah, the Bedouin tribes who inhabit Wadi Rum. Enjoy the taste of their traditional Arabic meals. Seize the opportunity to spend the night in a traditional Bedouin camp, the moon and stars shining brightly above your head. Enjoy the desert sunset and watch the colours change from red to gold to brown. And read the inscriptions left behind as silent evidence of cultures gone.


If you like adventure, you’ll love Wadi Rum. Here you can hire a camel and follow in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia, climb the highest peaks, or take a safari trip across the rolling sand dunes in a 4×4 vehicle. You can explore by foot the hidden canyons and discover the secret messages carved in the walls over 4 thousand years ago, or take a hot air balloon trip and soar with the eagles high above this amazing site.




For experienced rock-climbers there are climbs reaching 1,700 m, and vary between Grade 3 and 5 in difficulty. The rocks are sandstone and excellent climbs are possible, often exceeding the quality and length of those in places such as the Italian Dolomites. Climbers must enquire in advance from the Visitors’ Centre, as climbs are restricted and must be accompanied by an experienced Bedouin guide.

Camel Caravans


Bird watching


Night walking


Hot air ballooning
