In the south of Jordan there is an amazing area, which is vast. It has been practically untouched by civilization for four millennia. The local landscape is amazing, and it amazes with its unusual bright colors, unique rocks, wells and stone arches of bizarre shapes, magnificent sandy red canyons and many others. dr.
This place is the delightful Wadi Rum Desert (Moon Valley).
General information about Jordan
Jordan is rich in unique sights. Not only the magnificent nature, but also a lot of historical architectural structures, which are under the protection of UNESCO, can be seen in this country. The most popular excursions are a trip to the capital Amman and amazing nature reserves. Below are the most famous sights:
- The most memorable and unusual is the very beautiful Wadi Rum desert. Where is she and what is special about her? Information about this is presented in more detail below in the article.
- The visiting card of the state is the mysterious ancient city of Petra - the capital of the Nabataean kingdom, carved out over 2000 years ago right in the rock. This is the holiest place in the west of the country for thousands of pilgrims, as well as the most famous tourist center.
- The Dead Sea is the main attraction of Jordan, which does not need a special introduction. This place differs not only in healing climatic conditions and the unique biochemical composition of sea water, but also in waves. It is to this sea that the greatest Jordan River carries its waters.
- Hot waterfalls of Jordan - Hammamat Main. These sources are fed by rain. Their peculiarity is that the water is heated up to +65 Celsius by underground lava. Naturally, it is impossible to swim in them.
- Jordan's capital Alman is a real attraction under the blue vault of heaven. It contains the most ancient architectural monuments that represent the historical heritage of the Romans.
Description of the desert
The location of the Wadi Rum Desert is the south of Jordan. From Amman (the capital of the state), the bus ride to it takes 4 hours. From Aqaba, the distance is 60 kilometers. For one of the most beautiful places on planet Earth, such a trip is worth making.
The desert is also known under the name "Moon Valley". The peculiarity of the area is that the landscapes here are very diverse: flat areas with small trees and shrubs smoothly turn into areas with mountains and deep canyons. The desert is also known for its skyscrapers-rocks, which are chosen by climbers from all over the world. The highest peak is Um ad-Dami (1830 meters), and not all climbers, even the most professional ones, can overcome it.
This area may well be called the "Martian desert". Wadi Rum, with its bizarre boulders, endless sand dunes and bright blue sky against their background, more resembles the uninhabited planet Mars. No wonder it is here that a huge number of fantastic American blockbusters are filmed.
sights
This is what this area is remarkable for:
- The Wadi Rum Desert is one of the highlights of a trip to Jordan. In 2011, the reserve, as noted above, was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The desert contains on its territory a lot of interesting and not entirely explored.
- Desert beckons and fans of extreme sports, they have something to do here. The most courageous and courageous can try themselves in cliffcliming. This is an ascent to a rock (height 1750 meters) at high speed. Such a journey guarantees the daredevil a huge dose of adrenaline.
- In some canyons, you can find wells with ancient rock paintings, which are more than 4 thousand years old. Particularly exciting is a visit to the bridge, created by nature from stone, called Burda. It connects two sides of the deepest canyon at a height of 35 meters.
- History buffs can truly enjoy visiting the Khazali Canyon, with its ancient rock paintings preserved.
- The ancient city of Petra is a real miracle.
- You can feel like a true Bedouin by taking a camel ride and spending the night in one of the Bedouin tents in the desert. Camping sites designed in the appropriate style are very popular among tourists.
There is another very surprising point. If you get up after sleep early in the morning (about 6 hours), you can watch the breathtaking sunrise. The desert at this time appears in all its colors. It is at this moment that you can feel the fading of time. All this is impossible to convey in words, you must definitely feel it, having been here and seeing such a miracle with your own eyes.
The mysterious beauty of the Wadi Rum Desert is worth seeing with your own eyes. Excursions here are conducted on camels, jeeps, and even flights over the desert to the exotic and seemingly inaccessible desert are always full of tourists.
Ram village
The closest settlement to this desert is the village of Ram, located at the foot of Jebel Ram Mountain. The distance from the reserve to it is 6 kilometers.
In addition to campgrounds for tourists and residential buildings, there are shops and cafes here. There is also a tourist center offering a sufficient range of services: camel riding, jeep riding, hot air ballooning, overnight stays in the desert, trekking to the highest point of Wadi Rum, etc.
About excursions
It will take more than one hour to make a tour of the desert. A quiet sightseeing tour of all the sights can take two days. Best of all, you should enjoy the magical beauty of the landscapes of the area without much fuss and rush, and be sure to watch the enchanting sunset and night sky.
During the day, you should beware of the scorching sun, and at night, dress warmer (the temperature drops to +4 ° C). It is also worth noting that there are a lot of scorpions and snakes in these places.
Petra city
The Wadi Rum Desert is perhaps the most mysterious in the entire world. In the 19th century, a historic city was found here, popularly called the Stone City.
Petra is a historical monument full of mysteries. The houses standing in it are located right in the rocks, and historians still cannot find an explanation for how this miracle was created. The first researchers saw Peter at first as a pink mountain, which later turned out to be a lot of unsolved and curious things. Historians believe that this city is a part of the heritage of the Nabataean tribe who lived in these places more than two millennia ago.
The most important mystery of the sight is the sudden disappearance of the entire population of the city many centuries ago. Since that time, no one has lived in it except nomads. It is known that Petra was created by hand.
There is a city in the Wadi Rum desert and it seems to be hidden in the depths of a rocky area. It's even hard to find it.
About a journey to a mysterious city
The journey to the city begins from the very narrow Siq gorge, thanks to which in ancient times only a few warriors could hold back and prevent an entire army from entering the village. And there were a great many such attacks here, and all of them were repulsed.
The rocks contain hundreds of tombs, tombs, large festive halls and other living quarters. There is even an ancient amphitheater here for 4,000 people.
There is an opinion among tourists that photographs and souvenirs of this mysterious sight give peace of mind and bring good luck, and the more time you spend here, the better. This is how it is - the holy city located in the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan.
City discovery history
It was discovered in 1812 by Johann Ludwig (Swiss explorer), who traveled around the world under the guise of a Muslim merchant. Thus, he made a secret, not entirely legal journey.
The purpose of such a trip was the knowledge of eastern wisdom, but everything turned out to be much more interesting and better. Of course, he discovered the city with the help of the locals who brought him there, when he called himself a pilgrim and said that he wanted to make a sacrifice.
Mausoleum of El - Khazne
Another main city symbol of Petra is the famous landmark of Jordan - the historic Mausoleum of Al-Khazneh.
At the very entrance to it there is an urn on the facade. It is believed that precious stones and gold were previously stored in it. There is information that the Bedouins fired guns at her in order to find out about the presence of jewelry in her, but in the end they did not get enough sleep from there. And today small holes are visible in the urn.
Some interesting facts
At the moment, the city of Petra, located in the vast territory of the Wadi Rum desert, is one of the wonders of the world - the most unique architectural monument of antiquity. Although not everything has been excavated yet, and not all secrets have been revealed, but even what is available to the tourists' review is impressive and mesmerizing.
A lot of films were shot here, the most famous of which is the film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade". Some scenes from films were filmed here: "Red Planet", "Lawrence of Arabia", "Transformers", etc.
Today, the city of Petra is visible from the thickness of the rocks only 15 percent of its entire area. And it is impossible to imagine how much more archaeologists need to work on excavations in order to unravel the secrets of the entire city as a whole. We can only say that now the territory of Petra is already so huge that it is impossible to get around it even in half a day.
How to get to the desert?
From the capital of Jordan, Amman, it is better to get to the desert along the highway called the King's Road. The whole journey to the destination takes about 4-5 hours, and the fare is not a small amount - about 80 dinars (1 dinar - 84.01 rubles). The way from Aqaba takes less - 40-50 minutes (30 dinars).
You can also take advantage of sightseeing tours. Tour operator services for one- and two-day excursions to Wadi Rum cost about 150 dinars. This includes food, travel and accommodation.
While in Jordan, you should definitely devote some time to visiting this unique place. Yes, a very interesting and informative journey through the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan. Reviews of tourists who saw this unusual fairy world with their own eyes are the most enthusiastic.
Conclusion
Jordan is an ancient cultural country where many biblical events took place. This state attracts tourists from all over the world and the friendliness of its inhabitants, and numerous attractions.
Quite possibly the Jordanians here are very friendly, helpful and kind. Many travelers wander around the many attractions of this magnificent state.
For those who are going to visit Petra ( Wadi Musa) or relax on the Jordanian coast of the Red Sea in Aqaba, can recommend a day trip to the desert Wadi Rum.
The desert is not quite ordinary. In the usual philistine view, the desert is sand dunes receding beyond the horizon, snakes sliding along them, the scorching sun, and somewhere behind the neighboring dune, the head of a buried Said sticks out.
I beg your pardon - I watched “White Sun of the Desert” on the plane.
Well, the Wadi Rum desert is mountains that rise from the horizon after 40 minutes of driving along the asphalt highway Aqaba - Amman. As you get closer to them, you notice that these mountains are not just a bunch of heaps of brown color, resembling heaps of guano of giant dinosaurs, as mountains usually look in these places, but something unusual ...
How to get to Wadi Rum
From Aqaba, drive north for about 80 km (40 minutes brisk drive).
From Petra, go south towards Aqaba and turn left about an hour later.
I can recommend this route for a day:
Option to visit Jordan (1 day)
In the morning, while it's not hot, you will see Petra, and at 13:00 in the afternoon, start in Aqaba, on the way stopping in Wadi Rum for a safari along the Moon Valley between beautiful rocks.
Why do I advise? Because he did it himself and was very pleased:
- It is very hot in Petra after 12:00 and there is nothing to do - there are a lot of tourists and flies
- You are not very tired after 1-1.5 hours already in Wadi Rum and having examined the camp of tourists who pay a lot of money to spend the night in a place where the night temperature drops by 30 degrees after +35 degrees.
- after driving and taking pictures of the rocks and surrounding landscapes - you are going to spend the night in a normal hotel on the shores of the Red Sea in Aqaba.
Climate and temperature in Wadi Rum
I have already mentioned the difference between night and day temperatures.
What climate? Deserted, dry, of course. There is no rainy season here
Wind. The wind is hot, scalding dry in half with sand.
Where to stay in Wadi Rum
I don't think it is a good idea to stay overnight in these places.
But if you are still a fan of the hardships of tent life and evening boredom without the Internet and city, beach, forest joys - you can stay in one of the many tent cities.
There are campsites with 3 stars, there are campsites with 5 stars.
Basically, it will be a felt tent, in which you will have a bed and a candle.
Toilet and shower will be in a separate large tent. And they will be pretty clean.
You will eat at common tables where soshilizing reigns and you will have to meet unfamiliar crazy people with whom you will have to smile and say “how good the Bedouins and this desert are”.
Well, and watch some stupid concerts of folk amateur performances.
If you want - stay the night. But I advise you to come here for a day and spend the night in a normal hotel or in Aqaba or Wadi Musa (Petra)
What to do in Wadi Rum
After visiting the campsite, I suggest taking a jeep safari with a Bedouin behind the wheel.
Bedouins in these places already speak passable English and hire Egyptians for dirty work.
By the way: the government of Jordan builds houses for Bedouins free of charge, and Bedouins in Jordan no longer roam with rams in the desert, but send Egyptians to this for a salary.
By renting a jeep, drive to the center of the mountain ranges. I don't remember the names, but they are all beautiful. And they are beautiful in nature, depending on the time - the sun illuminates these reddish sandstone cliffs blown by the sandblasting wind so that the relief of the rocks resembles either Raphaelo candy or Dutch cheese.
By the way, when you drive up to the place, turning off the “desert highway” into the desert, you will see the most beautiful mountain in the region - Seven Pillars of Wisdom, similar to the thickets of the Egyptian pyramids. There is one more attraction - rocky bridge Burda, but to go further to it, about 2 hours.
The Bedouin will definitely bring you to a shop, huddled in the form of a tent somewhere under a picturesque mountain or in a gorge - there you will be unobtrusively offered simple Bedouin souvenirs, as well as tea brewed in an army teapot during the colonization of Egypt by the British.
An hour-long trip - and a lot of beautiful impressions and photos.
Well, now either to Aqaba or to Petra
Wadi Rum is an amazing place, timeless and untouched by civilization. The wind and sun have influenced the local landscape so strongly for millennia, resulting in unique rocks, arches, canyons and wells. Hiking lovers, rock climbers and just history lovers will find themselves here. After all, some rock paintings on the territory of the Wadi Rum reserve are more than four thousand years old. And since June 2011, the Wadi Rum desert has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Wadi Rum Desert Patrol personnel wear perhaps the most colorful uniforms in the entire Middle East. A long khaki-colored “dish-dash” robe is intercepted by a bright red bandolier, a dagger on the belt, a rifle in his hands, and a traditional red-and-white scarf of Jordanian Bedouins (scufia) on his head.
But this is superfluous
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How to get to Wadi Rum
Wadi Rum is easily reachable by car or taxi from Amman: heading south along the Desert Highway or the scenic King's Road. The journey takes 4 to 6 hours, depending on the road chosen.
From Aqaba, on the contrary, it is necessary to head north, then it will be possible to reach Wadi Rum in less than an hour.
Minibuses run daily from Aqaba and Wadi Musa (Petra) to the reserve.
Weather in Wadi Rum
When visiting Wadi Rum, it is worth stocking up on warm clothing. Daytime and evening temperature fluctuations are here from +32 ° C to +4 ° C. Average January temperature: at night +4 ° C, in the daytime +15 ° C, in July: at night +19 ° C, during the day +36 ° C.
Wadi Rum Accommodation
In Wadi Rum, you can stay in a Bedouin-style campsite (with facilities and entertainment), a bed and breakfast (in Ram village) or a tent camp in a “wild” place (where you will have to bring tents and equipment).
Wadi Rum Attractions & Attractions
Wadi Rum can be explored in several ways, the best option will be offered at the Tourist Service Center at the reserve, where you can not only find all the information, but also rent an SUV with a driver-guide. Another option is to hire a camel guide.
It is worth visiting the Burda rock bridge - the highest point of Wadi Rum, the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Lawrence's Well, the Nabatean temple, desert oases and many other interesting places. Travel by car will take one day, by camel - two days.
The vastness of the Wadi Rum desert
Hot air ballooning is an unforgettable way to see Wadi Rum. Flights are organized from April to June and from September to December. The basket can hold up to eight passengers. The balloon rises into the air in the early morning when the winds and updrafts are optimal for flight. For more information on hot air ballooning, skydiving and ultralight flying, contact the Royal Jordanian Aero Sports Club tel: +962 3 205 8050, fax: +962 3 205 8052.
The Distant Heat festival is held annually in Wadi Rum, in the Seven Pillars of Wisdom.
Since Wadi Rum is a nature reserve, there are no catering establishments on its territory. Shops and one restaurant can only be found in the Tourist Service Center.
In this article, I will share reviews and photos of our self-guided trip to the Wadi Rum Desert in southern Jordan. At the end of the publication, I will tell you about the prices, how to get there, and other organizational aspects of traveling in the Martian desert.
Desert Wadi Rum and many photos
The rocky desert of Wadi Rum (aka Moon Valley, Wadi Rum, Wadi Rum) is located in the south of Jordan and is one of the most picturesque places in the country, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This landmark is famous not only for its red-orange Martian landscapes, but also for the historical events of the Arab uprising of 1916-1918. Briton Thomas Edward Lawrence stayed here for some time, helping the rebellious Arabs to fight against the Turks. By the way, Lawrence successfully applied a completely new tactics of warfare - guerrilla, which is most suitable for the Bedouin mentality. Immediately in 1962, a film was shot about this uprising called "Lawrence of Arabia", which later received seven Oscars. Later in the desert, the films "Transformer", "The Red Planet", "The Last Days on Mars", "The Martian" were filmed.
The Seven Pillars of Wisdom is the first attraction of the Wadi Rum Desert that can be seen before entering the park. Usually tourists do not have 7 pillars. Five can be distinguished exactly. But seven ... Well, okay. By the way, the famous book by Lawrence of Arabia is called The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Whether the rock was named after this book, or whether the author found the name of the rock suitable for his creation, I do not know. But we are not historians, after all.
At the tourist office we were recruited for the tour by one of the so-called guides. Hopping into a four-wheel drive car with a driver (a local Bedouin), we headed for a jeep safari through one of the most famous landmarks in Jordan - the Wadi Rum Desert.
Our first stop is the Lawrence of Arabia Spring. We didn't climb too high.
Dunboarding
The second point of the survey was the red dune. Our guide took a snowboard out of the trunk and took us to the sandy peak.
Dune rock 
Climbing a mountain on fine sand is not as easy as it might seem 
Dunboarding 
Our guide brags to his friends about his find - he found a phone in the sand. Probably one of the hikers lost while dunabarding.
In the meantime, I paused to take some photos of the incredibly beautiful mountain.
Petroglyphs in Khazali canyon
Khazali canyon is located not far from the dune. Right at the entrance to it, on the walls, you can easily find Nabatean rock paintings - petroglyphs. The antiquity of their origin, however, raises some doubts.
And the weather became more and more cloudy ...
Small bridge
The next stop in the Wadi Rum desert was the small bridge, or small arch. There were already more tourists.
Small bridge 
Large arch
A large arch called the Um Frouth Rock Bridge is considered the most fashionable landmark of the Wadi Rum Desert. But it is far from the rest of the previously visited places, respectively, and the price of the tour from this is higher, and therefore not all tourists come here. In the photo, they usually play here with shadow and sun. Our game did not work out - the sky was overcast.
Other attractions of the Wadi Rum desert
Not far from the village of Ram is the Nabataean Temple. In the Wadi Rum desert, there are also exhibits such as a mushroom rock, a mushroom rock, a large bridge on Mount Burdah, Lawrence's house, Burrah canyon and others.
Sunset in the Jordanian Desert
After the big arch, we went to watch the sunset. On the way to a specially designated point, we stopped to take pictures in a beautiful place.
There is a small hole in the stone. There is a local tradition here - one by one to throw stones at it. Whoever hits the hole will win.
One of the observation points for the sunset in the Wadi Rum desert is a spiral rock next to a chicken stone.
On this seashell rock we watched the sunset This is how it all began.
He was waiting ...
And he waited!
In pitch darkness we drove back to Ram village.
Desert Wadi Rum on Jordan map
I marked the main attractions of the Wadi Rum desert on the map of Jordan:
Decoding labels on the map:
- Red are basic objects.
- Purple are notable features of the desert.
- The green ones are indicative of traditional sunset spots.
- Yellow - white desert.
- Orange - turn from highway 15.
When you click on the marker, its GPS coordinates will be highlighted.
Wadi Rum prices. How much does a desert trip in Jordan cost?
entrance the territory of the desert is 5 JOD (7$) ... If available, you do not need to pay this amount. Separately directly to the guide paid all kinds of excursions, accommodation and meals in the Wadi Rum desert.
Let's go make a mark at Jordan Pass By car or taxi to the territory of the park zone of the desert No entry... Leave the car in the parking lot of the tourism center or in Ram village and then go for sightseeing in one of the following ways.
By jeep with a driver (guide)
Rates depend on the number of attractions included (and times, respectively), as well as bargaining ability. There is a poster with basic prices for jeep safari near the tourist information center.
As we were told, these are prices per person. But, most likely, these are the prices for the car, and we were, to put it mildly, cheated. I made these conclusions while still in Jordan in the city of Madaba mosaics, where we met a wonderful person - the guide Fadi (Fadi A.Karadshih, contacts: [email protected] ), fluent in Russian, who told us that he could organize a tour of Wadi Rum with overnight stay and meals per 80-90 JOD on the two... When I was preparing this article, I found several personal Bedouin sites that organize excursions in the desert. Here are their average prices for a Jeep ride in the Wadi Rum Desert for two:
- 2 hours(Lawrence spring, red dune, Khazali canyon with petroglyphs) - 30 JOD for one, 30-50 JOD for two.
- 4 hours(Lawrence spring, red dune, Khazali canyon with petroglyphs, small arch) - 50-65 JOD for one, 70-80 JOD for two.
- 5 o'clock(Lawrence spring, red dune, Hazali canyon with petroglyphs, small arch, Um Frouth Rock bridge) - 55-70 JOD for one, 60-80 JOD for two.
- 7-8 hours(all major attractions) - 65-80 JOD for one, 80-90 JOD for two.
We paid for two taking into account the bargaining 90 JOD (127$) for the tour by a combination of an average between 4 and 5 hours + sunset in the desert. We arrived at about 14.30 and left at 18.30.
Camel ride
This exotic way of exploring the desert is not suitable for everyone: the distances are long, and there is no way to hide from the sun. There are one-, two-, three- and four-day camel tours of the Wadi Rum desert. Classic (6-7 hours) - 60 JOD for one, 80 JOD for two.
On foot
Not the most pleasant, in my opinion, pleasure, given the scorching sun during the day and the coolness at night. For understanding, the distance between the sights and the village of Ram is 3 - 20 km. To fully explore the desert, you will need to walk at least 60 km on the sand. From the tourist center to the village of Ram is another 8 km. However, some hitchhikers in tent hikers sometimes enjoy this process, exploring Wadi Rum on foot for several days, sleeping in their tents. You can also hire a guide for trekking.
Where to book the tour
✔ One of the options - directly on Bedouin websites.Example: wadirumcamelcamp.com, wildwadirum.com, bedouinwhispers.com, wadirumbedouintraditions.com, wadirumdiscovery.com.
✔ If you arrived on your own and did not agree with anyone in advance, then in place it won't be difficult to find someone who wants to ride you through the desert. As soon as you get to the tourist center, the first thing you will start to wonder if you have arranged an excursion with someone. If the answer is no, you will be given a guide. If it is positive, it will also most likely slip a false guide. That is, if you agreed in advance with Aodekh / Mohammed / Mehedi or someone else about the excursion, and upon arrival on the spot, a Bedouin comes up to you and claims that he is your guide's brother / son / matchmaker, then 90% of his lies to get customers for yourself.
✔ Another way to visit the Wadi Rum desert is to book in the agency ready excursion with departure from Aqaba / Amman, etc. This option simplifies the hassle, since there is no need to look for transport to the village of Ram, there is no need to bargain and solve other organizational issues.
✔ You can book individual excursion on special excursion sites by reading the reviews beforehand. Below are examples of individual excursions to Wadi Rum from Aqaba with good reviews ( price indicated not for a person, but for the whole excursion up to 4 people.):
You can stay overnight in Wadi Rum. The overnight lodging is a bed in a Bedouin tent in the middle of the desert.
One of the camp options How to rent a tent in Wadi Rum:
- By contacting the guides directly (contacts can be found on the Bedouin sites, which were given earlier).
- Agree on the spot.
- Book on Booking (booking.com/wadi-rum).
Typically, overnight stays include dinner / breakfasts. When ordering, you need to pay attention to this.
It is worth considering in advance the method of delivery to the place of accommodation.
Prices for a double tent start at 17$ , although there are also luxury tents for 180$ ... We were bent on the spot some kind of sickly sum, we did not stay overnight in the desert and went to Wadi Musa (Petra).
How to get to Wadi Rum
Distance to Wadi Rum Desert:
- From Aqaba - 65 km.
- From Wadi Musa (Petra) - 100 km.
- From Amman - about 300 km.
- From Madaba - about 300 km.
- From the Dead Sea - about 300 km.
There is no public transport in Wadi Rum, making it difficult to get to this one. However, there are at least five ways to get to the desert on your own:
- Taxi. From Aqaba it will cost from 30-40 JOD. Very often tourists rent a taxi for two trips at once in one day - Petra and Wadi Rum Desert. In principle, if you go to Petra in the morning and don't walk around there, then by lunchtime you can arrive in Wadi Rum and take a tour similar to ours.
- To order transfer from the Bedouins directly.
- Get in and hit the road on your own, as we did.
- Go on public transport, then disembark on highway 15 at the turn to Wadi Rum and overcome 21 km hitchhiking.
- Completely to hitchhike.
Like the Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan:
- Through the northern crossing (Nahar Yarden / Sheikh Hussein). You can get a visa at the border upon arrival in Jordan. Further through Amman.
- Through the southern crossing (Yitzhak Rabin / Arava). Visa-free entry, provided that you are in Jordan for more than 2 nights. Next take a taxi from the border or in transit through Aqaba.
- From the West Bank territory (crossing the Allenby Bridge / King Hussein Bridge). You need a visa obtained in advance. Further through Amman.
If you have any questions - ask them in the comments to the article.
As strange as it may sound, but this place was seen by everyone, but there were, alas, a few.
Star Wars, Transformers, Prometheus and most recently The Martian are the most famous of the dozens of films that have been filmed here. The interest of filmmakers in the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan is not accidental - this is such a fantastic place in its beauty, at some moments you even doubt that you are on our planet. Crazy colors of sand, sky and mountains, stunning textures of rocks, gorges and canyons, incredible Martian landscapes ... where else could "The Martian" be filmed?
I can say without exaggeration that Wadi Rum is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and everyone should definitely see it not only in the movies, but also with their own eyes.
2. We arrived in Wadi Rum when it was already dark, so the effect of the first acquaintance with all the beauty of the desert was maximum.
Of course, the meeting took place at dawn. Despite a long sleep a few hours earlier and a short sleep, the alarm clock literally threw me out of bed and sent me to the sands ... The sun just appeared from behind the mountains 
3. The red color of the sand and the stunning weathered figures are what distinguishes Wadi Rum from many other deserts scattered around the world.
Most of the desert is rocky, but in some places you can find stunning Martian-colored dunes 
4. To fully understand my awe-inspiring desert sensations, just take a look at this panorama of Wadi Rum at sunrise 
5. anton_petrus
like me, I was not too lazy to overcome my sleep and get out to shoot the desert at dawn 
6. Someone is dawn, and someone is limited to just a selfie before leaving for a sightseeing trip in the desert. 
6. In fact, nowadays, the Wadi Rum Desert is a huge tourist destination with its infrastructure, services, activities, entertainment and even "hotels" and "restaurants" in the desert. The Bedouins turned out to be quite an enterprising people and quickly realized that such beauty could make good money. From the very moment you arrive at the tourist center at the entrance to the desert, dozens of local guides and guides will keep up with you, persuading you to take the best and most interesting excursions. Someone on camels, someone on jeeps ...
We spent the night in, which I already talked about, so our guides arrived in their broken Toyota HiLux right to the place of our overnight stay. 
7.With them we went to admire the desert landscapes 
8. In the desert there is a whole network of rolling roads that do not fall asleep even during sandstorms, the traffic is so active here 
9. The rocks, which from afar seem to be just solitary statues in the middle of the sands, upon closer examination, turn out to be amazingly textured. The wind does not spare the stone, blowing small particles from the rocks, which become sand covering the desert 
10. Just imagine, everything that you see now under your feet was once rocks 
11. Colors of the Wadi Rum Desert 
12. I don't know if we were lucky or unlucky that on that day the sky was rather cloudy and dark clouds were gathering overhead, but thanks to them the feeling that you are somewhere not on Earth only intensified 
13. This is what a safari jeep looks like from the point of view of my camera 
14. The Wadi Rum Desert is far from lifeless. Bedouins have long lived here together with their faithful camel helpers. 
15. There is enough vegetation here. It has adapted to the harsh conditions of these places and sometimes covers quite large areas, rooting tightly with long thin roots deep in the ground. 
16. Sometimes the vegetation even seems lush and green 
17. There are even deciduous trees 
18. Although for the most part trees do not have any leaves at all 
19. Desert bush 
20. From time to time beetles come across underfoot. They say there are many scolopendras, scorpions and snakes, but no matter how hard I tried to see and photograph them, I didn’t succeed. 
21. Inanimate in the desert 
22. We are heading to the Khazali canyon. 
23. Bedouins also live here ... They are used to living in similar conditions, with a minimum of water, with constant dust storms and hellish heat 
24. This is Khazali canyon. In the old days, such canyons were used by Bedouins for recreation. When the temperature in open areas of the desert reaches 50 degrees in the summer months, narrow canyons remain the only place in the desert with shade and some kind of coolness. 
25. Ancient petroglyphs can be seen on the canyon walls. There are opinions that they are thousands of years old and these drawings were made by the ancient Nabataeans, but there are also suspicions that this is the work of the Bedouins, designed for gullible tourists. 
26. The canyon itself is no less unusual than the desert as a whole 
27. Textures of rocks. Madness 
28. We emerge from the canyon back into the heat. You don't look that the sky is cloudy. The thermometer, however, still reads more than 30 degrees Celsius. 
29.
31. And here too 
32. What is a man in comparison with similar creations of nature? And he still manages to change nature ... 
33. On the way we meet a camel group of tourists.
To be honest, this kind of excursion is rather strange, because you can't see a lot on camels ... 
35. Parking of a deserted restaurant 
36. And this is the restaurant itself from the height of the neighboring cliff. Impressive, isn't it?
Long Tent - dining awnings, single tents - hotel rooms 
37. Local transport is often encountered along the way in the desert. This machine carries life - water. 
38. Desert Gazelle ghost. 
39. Modern ships of the desert 
40. And these are the ships of the desert of the past. 
41. In the distance we see a village. 
42. Bedouins live here. Once their houses were tents, tents made of cloth or huts built of stones, now - huts from everything in a row 
43. A Bedouin village on the outskirts of the desert. Here, nearby, there is a tourist center where you can hire a guide, car or camels, order a guide to a hotel or restaurant and pay for your stay in the desert. 
44. Parking at home 
45. The only tree in the area is surrounded by a reliable fence 
46. Someone has lost something from under the hood 
47. This one was not at all lucky, he got into a sandstorm, and the car was skidded by sand 
48. When we returned from the desert to the place where the bus was waiting for us, no one was in a hurry to get into it, despite the cool air conditioner inside and the hellish heat around. The desert left such strong emotions in the soul of each of our group. But time is running out, you need to go further. Taking a photo with our Bedouin driver and leaving Wadi Rum ...
However, not for long. I will be back here very soon.
My previous photo reports and photo plots:
