Wadi Rum - Jordan

If ever there was an ‘Am I Still on Planet Earth?’ sort of a desert, it’s Wadi Rum. Mention Jordan to 20-to-30-something adventurers, and many will tell you that the country begins and ends right here. Trekkers enjoy its challenging climbs and easier scrambles, and its routes through red hills, ridges and canyons. All of Wadi Rum’s sandstone and granite valley-bottoms are 900 to 1,000 metres above sea-level, and its Moon-like landscape also doubled for Mars in the movie, Red Planet. Famously, much of David Lean’s epic, Lawrence of Arabia, was filmed here.

‘Wadi’ is Arabic for ‘valley’, and this is the largest valley in the Kingdom of Jordan. ‘Rum’ means ‘high’ and ‘elevated’. It’s a high valley that is forever linked to the British officer who supported Arab rebels against the Ottoman Turks (1916-18), Captain T.E. Lawrence ‘of Arabia.’ He based his Army HQ here, and named an amazing rock-formation ‘The Seven Pillars of Wisdom’. But, looking wiser and tall enough for serious climbers, Jabal (Mount) Rum is the highest in the region at 1,734 metres above sea-level.

Hire a camel and follow in the hoof-steps of Lawrence, and get the flavour of the Arabian Desert he lived for. You can explore hidden caves and canyons, and discover 3,000-year-old rock inscriptions of humans and antelopes. Trek up sandstone, or ride over rolling dunes in a 4×4. You’ll appreciate that for all its sand, this is a very diverse wilderness of rare plants and animals. The grey wolf, Blandford’s fox, the sand cat and the ibex all roam the region. Wadi Rum is also ideal for bird-watching — there are 110 recorded species.

If you’d like a bird’s-eye view, hot air balloons are roped for lift-off. You’ll wonder how you ever lived without deserts as you ride an Arab horse over hot sand, or hike into heat-haze with life-saving water bottles. Apart from learning to be wise about water and sun-protection, travellers have gained a lot from the Zalabia Bedouin. At Sunset Camp, 12 km from the village of Rum at the crossroads of White, Red and Black Deserts (but they’re mostly red), there’s a circular communal tent. It’s the perfect place to talk to friendly tribesmen about their passion for eco-adventure.

Over sweet mint tea or cardamom-flavoured coffee, Humeitat and Mzanah Bedouin tribesmen love to talk about their local traditions. While many of them have moved into concrete block-houses, some still live in goat-skin tents. Raising goats, sheep and camels in the desert, these men wear traditional dress and observe centuries-old customs — including their womenfolk being barred from social activities. Later, around the campfire, you and fellow travellers can share a meal under the stars. And then there’s the music — perhaps a Rum rebaba solo by a Bedouin musician.

For out tours to Jordan visit http://www.encounterstravel.com/jordan.html or email tours@encounterstravel.com.

Explore Petra with Encounters Travel

Moses raised his staff high towards the hot dry cliff-face, smashed it hard against the rock. Water glinted, dribbled, seeped, spurted and streamed down — a real shower. According to Arab tradition, this refreshing Biblical scene happened here in around 1350 BC. The Arab name for the narrow valley at that leads to Petra is The Wadi Musa — ‘Wadi of Moses’.

Built in the 6th century BC as a capitol for the Nabataeans, Petra is your reward for a horse or camel-ride through the Siq, a narrow corridor of cliffs. Circle around more rose red rocks and you’ll arrive at the amphitheatre, the museum and — 800 steps up a mountain — the unmissable monastery. This is Petra’s largest monument, and dates from the 1st century BC. It is dedicated to Obodas I and, according to inscriptions, it is believed to be the meeting place of the god Obodas.

Petra means rock, and it is a city of immense historical importance in this, the Jordanian governorate of Ma’an. Sandstone and granite rock-cut architecture and water conduits are the Wow!-factors here. Established as the capital city of the Nabataeans, Petra is a wonderful symbol of Jordan and also its number 1 tourist draw. Lying on the slope of Mount Hor, Petra is a basin among mountains that are the eastern flank of Wadi Arabah — the mighty valley that runs from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba.

Petra was unheard of in the West until 1812, when it was ‘discovered’ by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. In recent decades Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade has included images of Petra’s Al Khazneh Treasury. It is actually just a massive a frontage, an incredible 40m-high tomb hacked out of mountain in the 1st century BC, probably by Near-Eastern Hellenistic architects. It was appropriately listed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, and was chosen as one of ‘the 40 places you have to see before you die’ by the BBC.

Offer for our Jordan tours can be found on our special offers page here: http://www.encounterstravel.com/specialoffers.php

Jordan Encounters for just £695 per person departing on 18 December and 25 December 2011.

Email tours@encounterstravel.com or call 0800 088 6002.