The next morning, we hopped into a van for a scenic drive to another iconic Jordanian landscape, the red sand desert of Wadi Rum, which has been featured in many movies to portray other worlds and the planet Mars. The protected area of Wadi Rum is as big as New York City and includes so much more than just sweeping sand dunes. Giant rock formations, narrow canyons and gorges meander through this spectacular region.
Our main mode of transportation was riding in the back of an old pickup. Very bumpy and windy, but the views were totally worth it!
Camels enjoying the unusual covering of grass. It’s hard to see, but even the desert was full of blossoming flowers and grass brought by the recent rain.
At the southern end of Wadi Rum we find Jordan’s highest peak, Jebel Um Ad Dami, our destination for the day, and also the last hike on our trip. From the van, we transferred over to the bed of a truck that drove us to our camp so we can drop off our luggage, use the restroom and refill our water bladders before heading out.
A creaky, old slide with an amazing view in the middle of the desert? How can anyone resist. Definitely not us! We slid down that thing so fast, and the end of the slide shot us out into the air. It was pretty fun.
The drive to the trailhead was a gorgeous tour in itself. The camels here, roaming freely seem so much happier and natural than the poor creatures all dolled up in front of The Treasury in Petra. We also noticed lots of green vegetation on the desert floor, flowers and patches of grass big enough to create a sea of green amongst the more neutral sand. This was definitely odd. From the many videos we had seen prior to arriving in Jordan, there was never even a hint of green in the color scheme of Wadi Rum. Lama explained to us that this was a rare occurrence. She had never seen the desert floor bloom like this year either. The abnormally wet spring had brought life to the most inhabitable places in Jordan! And with the vegetation came the roaming camels that are usually not present in the region.
Jebel Um Ad Dami
The hike up to the peak of Jebel Um Ad Dami is pretty short, about a mile and a half, but with over 1,400 ft. of elevation gain, it’s moderately challenging. Although fun to walk on, the rocky terrain also required us to be mindful about each step we took. Certain sections also demanded the use of both hands to scramble upwards.
It didn’t help our pace that the first section of the trail was decorated with wildflowers set against the red rocks. The contrast in colors was so striking, it forced us to stop and admire them. We couldn’t help it. In fact, Lyle and I were so slow taking pictures of flowers that we almost missed the colorful lizard Lama and Phong had found ahead. They softly called for us to hurry. We only caught a glimpse of it before it headed back under a rock.
This was our guide, Lama. She’s hiked the entire length of Jordan from north to south multiple times in the Jordan Trail. She was a great guide and wonderful person to spend all that time with.
Thank goodness for short switchbacks as we got higher up. Loose sand and rocks shifted easily under our weight with each step. I rolled my ankles a couple of times. Imagine if we had to climb straight up to the top with no switchbacks. That would have been a nightmare. But the reward was worth it. The views became more expansive and impressive as we got higher too.
False summit, but we were getting close.
On our climb, we had to keep a lookout for sand worms. Wadi Rum is the stand-in desert used for Arrakis from Dune. The red sands and inhospitable environment are a breeding ground for those monstrous creatures lurking beneath the surface.
The summit of Jebel Um Ad Dami sits at 6,083 ft. and has a 360 degree panoramic view, looking north into Wadi Rum Preservation Region and looking south, straight across the border into Saudi Arabia. It looked like a painting and each direction was a distinct and unique color palette...beautiful!!
We could see across into Saudi Arabia.
The colors of the desert were so beautiful to look at from above.
Looking south into Saudi Arabia.
This is the view north looking into Wadi Rum.
After a short break for snacks and pictures, we headed back down the same way we came up. Our driver had found a shady spot against a cliff to set up for our picnic lunch.
Besides the hike, our tour for the day also included visiting a couple other attractions. Our first stop was at Um Fruth Rock Bridge. At first, the climb up to the bridge looked daunting, but with Lama’s encouragement, Sandy and I took off our shoes and followed her up the steep side of the rock wall. Phong and Lyle, used their cameras as an excuse for not coming along. We were so proud of Sandy for facing her fear of heights and stepping out onto that rock bridge. She drew the line at jumping though.
Our next stop, Khazali Canyon, squeezed between two towering walls is a place with much history. Over a thousand years back, this canyon acted as a sanctuary, providing shade from the harsh desert sun and water for Nabatean and Arabic traders. Weary travelers on their pilgrimage to Mecca carved their prayers into the walls of the canyon. The dry climate of the desert have well preserved these petroglyphs.
Back at camp, we took refuge in our luxury tents for the hotter part of the day, sorting and repacking all our dirty clothes and gear from the trek that had been thrown haphazardly about the room.
Towards sunset, we climbed the rock formations right behind our camp to watch the sun go to sleep. There was a haze in the air, and as the sun slowly dropped low in the distance, the world was filtered by its amber glow. Perched atop that rock mound looking down at the red expanse before us, with very little imagination, we could have easily believed we were sitting on another world or perhaps even on Mars.
At dinner, we had decided that since Sandy’s never ridden on a camel before, we’d all take the camel sunrise tour. The next morning, we awoke before daybreak expecting to be part of a large group tour. But to our pleasant surprise, it was just the four of us. We had our own private group, exactly how we like things. We slowly jostled our way on top of the camels, traveling less than a mile to a large rock formation with an unobstructed view of the horizon. We spent a long time enjoying the quiet sunrise, staying up there longer than our guide had expected instead of going down and lingering around below drinking sweet tea. When we came down, we quickly gulped our teas and were ready to hop back on our camels for the ride back to camp.
Our camels looked healthy, strong and well taken care of, unlike the ones we had ridden on in Morocco. The leader of the camel train looked so regal and elegant, striking a pose with her head held high and a smile on her face. On our way back to camp, we all felt comfortable enough to try riding the camels with one leg wrapped around the front of the hump and hooked under the other leg. This position seemed to relax the hip joints providing for a more natural and comfortable ride.
Our experience taught us to ride cross-legged to avoid the awkward stretching and trying to fit your legs around their enormous backs.
Found the perfect spot for sunrise.
Not much color, but it was beautiful watching the sun slowly illuminate the red landscape.
And that was it for our time in Wadi Rum. Although busy with tourists, it was still a great experience and we managed to find some peaceful and quiet areas.