Day 6 and on our way to Wadi Rum, we stop for a cookery lesson in making the Jordanian flat bread. The smell was amazing and we got to eat our homemade bread before we left the cookery school! Once the dough was rolled out it was laid over hot stones in the oven and left to cook for a few minutes.
On the road again. This time heading to Wadi Rum. Nicknamed the Valley of the Moon due to its unique alien-like landscape, Wadi Rum is an iconic desert known for its red sandstone formations, natural arches, and narrow gorges. You can explore on foot, by jeep, or on camelback, and the rust-coloured landscape offers plenty of opportunities for hiking, rock climbing, and stargazing.
Wadi Rum lies in the far south of Jordan, and east of the Rift Valley. It is about 60km (35mi) northeast of Aqaba, 100km (60mi) south of Petra and 300km (185mi) south of Amman.
The ‘Wadi Rum Protected Area’ is a designated nature reserve and UNESCO World Heritage site.
A cavernous ocean of ochre sand, it forms the largest ‘wadi’ – dry valley – in Jordan, and is about the same size as New York city. Except the smattering of camps and tents to sip hot, sweet tea in the shade, there are few to no buildings or permanent settlements.
Wadi Rum has also been a much-used filming location for Hollywood classics and blockbusters.
The 1962 classic ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ started it all, inspired by its real-life protagonist’s connections with Jordan, and more recent movies filmed here include The Mummy, Star Wars: Rogue On AND Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, Theeb, Promotheus, the live-action Aladdin, and Dune. Almost any film with ‘Mars’ in its title will also have been filmed in Wādī Rum.
After settling into our “tent” we went on a jeep ride through the desert. We stopped at one of the formations that resembles a bridge and we climbed over the bridge which was higher than it appeared. We stopped at a Bedouin tent for tea and to briefly experience life out in the desert as a Bedouin.
On the way back to our camp we stopped to watch the sunset which was magical. We got up early the following morning to watch the sunrise. Amazing colours with the sun shining on the rocks. My pictures have not really done it justice.
And to finish off the day we were treated to a traditional desert dinner. All the food was cooked underground. The chicken and lamb were so tender. What an experience.
