Most people visit Wadi Rum for a few hours as part of a day’s journey between one part of the country and another. Arriving at the visitor’s centre you will be met by your Bedouin driver and climb aboard his trusty steed, usually a Toyota Landcruiser. You then set off into the “vast, echoing and God-like” landscape of Wadi Rum, for millennia a trading route, hiding place and open-air cathedral. Your tour will take in some of the key sights associated with Lawrence of Arabia, as well as some of the most impressive rock formations: rock bridges and canyons. At one of these canyons you’ll find evidence of the wadi’s history etched into the walls: ancient symbols carved by traders and herders letting those that follow them where they can find water and shelter. Wadi Rum is still the preserve of the Bedouin, and it’s likely that your driver will speak limited English: luckily the towering red sandstone mountains lapped by the endless red dunes need very little explanation.
