Wadi Rum and Petra are worth far more time than you have available. Most people recommend two full days to visit Petra - and at least a day or a night in Wadi Rum! In both places you can spend far more time than that without getting bored or seeing the same things over and over.
Wadi Rum (Valley of the Moon) lies in the far south of Jordan, set on a high plateau at the western edge of the Arabian desert. Gargantuan rock formations, rippled sand dunes, and clear night skies create an almost fairy-tale setting across an unpopulated area the size of New York City.
Even though Jordan is largely a Muslim country, drinking alcohol is not a social taboo; it is readily available in restaurants and hotels. There are also bars in tourist areas and some of the major cities particularly those with a significant Christian community.
Most booked places to stay in Wadi Rum this month
- Memories Aicha Luxury Camp. Place to Stay in Wadi Rum.
- Wadi Rum Bubble Luxotel. Place to Stay in Wadi Rum.
- Sharah Luxury Camp. Place to Stay in Wadi Rum.
- Stars and moon camp. Place to Stay in Wadi Rum.
- Wadi Rum UFO Luxotel. Place to Stay in Wadi Rum.
- Hasan Zawaideh Camp.
You need a 4WD to do Wadi Rum, but it can be done by the intrepid and a good map. If you have a GPS a guide is not needed, but venturing out alone in the desert is always a challenge, although Rum is very easy to drive in. In the protected area you are supposed to stay on tracks anyway.
Wadi Rum is also known as “The Valley of the Moon,” a desert area in southern Jordan encompassing 720 square kilometers. Its jagged mountains and reddish-orange sand makes it the perfect filming location for some very popular movies, such as “Lawrence of Arabia,” “Transformers,” and, most recently, “The Martian.”
Petra to Wadi Rum (or vice versa)
- 2 hour journey.
- By Taxi: 45 JD (max. 4 people per taxi )
- You can also take the early morning Petra bus.
- The bus can also be taken from Wadi Rum to Petra.
- The bus will usually run everyday (including Friday's) if there are enough tourists coming from Petra - Wadi Rum.
Virtually all the people living in and around Wadi Rum today are of Bedouin origin and, until recently, led nomadic lives, relying on their goat herds. They are resourceful, hospitable people who are largely responsible for developing Wadi Rum as a tourist destination.
5 Hollywood blockbusters that were filmed in Jordan
- Lawrence of Arabia (1962) I'll admit I haven't really watched the movie but, from what I've read, it's based on T.E.
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
- The Martian (2015)
The sandy landscape of Wadi Rum in southern Jordan served as a location in both "The Rise of Skywalker" and "Rogue One." Another "Star Wars" film, another desert country pressed into service.
Al KhaznehIn The Last Crusade, Indiana Jones is after the Holy Grail, and what better place to "house" it than in a real-life place called "The Treasury"? That's the popular tourist attraction, the Al Khazneh, in Petra, Jordan, a giant, ornately carved sandstone temple facade, which dates back to the first century AD.
A jockey competes with his horse in the Wadi Rum International Endurance Race in the Jordanian desert. Wadi Rum - In south-western Jordan, a desert landscape with bright, breathtaking shades of red and strange rock formations as seen from space makes Wadi Rum look so alien that it is nicknamed the Valley of the Moon.
Though Jordan is a very safe country, petty theft and crime does exist. Exercise the same safety precautions you would at home and be especially careful with your passport. Carry the business card of where you're staying so a taxi can bring you right to the door.
Jordan Is Not PoorHowever, poverty in Jordan is not just a matter of natural resources or a pervasive lack of wealth. The United Nations classified Jordan as a middle-income nation. Though it is by no means wealthy, it is also not in economic despair.
If you're wondering whether it's safe to visit Petra in Jordan, the quick answer is, yes. But it's easy to say, and we understand that when traveling in the Middle East like anywhere in the world, things can be confusing and sometimes reading around the internet can be scary (much like researching a medical condition).
Compared to many of its neighbors in the Middle East, Jordan is an exceptionally safe country to visit. In short, while people may have some trepidation about the region, Jordan is one of the safest places to visit in the region, and likely little will go wrong here.
Jordan is one of the safest places for women to travel around in the Arab world, and is an excellent introduction for first-time visitors to the Middle East.
If you're planning a trip to Jordan and wonder: is Jordan expensive? Then the answer is: Yes. Traveling Jordan on a budget is not easy and the country is much more expensive than other places in the region.
OVERALL RISK : MEDIUM. Even though there are certain risks in Amman, it is still considered as the safest capital in the region. Pickpockets are operating in crowded areas, the risk of mugging and scam risk exists, but there are no reports of serious criminal acts against tourists recently.
Jordan is filled with tourists, from all over the world, it's very safe and the people will treat extremely well. Its every where in Jordan and the great thing about is that it's really cheap like most things over there. You'll defiantly enjoy it, and try to go to Madaba, its really nice there.
Wadi Rum weather factsWith an average temperature of 14 degrees Celsius, January is our coldest month. Further, precipitation is limited to, on average, 15 days a year. These days are spread over the year, leaving the summer months without rain.
There are three border crossings between Israel and Jordan: the Yitzhak Rabin Terminal/Wadi Araba Crossing, the King Hussein Bridge (Allenby) Terminal and the Jordan River/Sheikh Hussein Crossing.
Among the mammal species still found in the Sahara are the gerbil, jerboa, Cape hare, and desert hedgehog; Barbary sheep and scimitar-horned oryx; dorcas gazelle, dama deer, and Nubian wild ass; anubis baboon; spotted hyena, common jackal, and sand fox; and Libyan striped weasel and slender mongoose.
Habitat. African lions once roamed most of Africa and parts of Asia and Europe. But the species has disappeared from 94 percent of its historic range and can only be found today in parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
The following are ten of the most dangerous animals that can be found in the desert.
- Saw Scaled Viper. Found across Africa, the Middle East, and south Asia, these snakes are among the most deadly in the world.
- Gila Monster.
- Wild Dogs.
- Cougar.
- Inland Taipan.
- Ostrich.
- Western Diamondback Rattlesnake.
- Killer Bees.
Where do giraffes live? They have adapted to a variety of habitats and can be found in desert landscapes to woodland and savanna environments south of the Sahara, wherever trees occur.
There are approximately 500 species of plants, 70 known mammalian species, 90 avian species and 100 reptilian species that live in the Sahara, plus several species of spiders, scorpions and other small arthropods, according to World Wildlife Fund. Camels are one of the most iconic animals of the Sahara.
Although we more typically associate camels with the deserts of the Middle East, there are millions of these large-eyed ungulates living in Africa. Most of them are found in North Africa, either in countries like Egypt and Morocco that border the Sahara Desert; or in Horn of Africa nations like Ethiopia and Djibouti.
The Sahara Desert ecoregion covers the hyper-arid central portion of the Sahara where rainfall is minimal and sporadic. Vegetation is rare, and this ecoregion consists mostly of sand dunes (erg, chech, raoui), stone plateaus (hamadas), gravel plains (reg), dry valleys (wadis), and salt flats.
North Africa has a plethora of wild animals including the leopard, the dama gazelle and the striped hyena. Whether you go to Morocco, Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria or Western Sahara, you are likely to encounter any of these animals at the local zoo or on a safari.
Foxes, spiders, antelopes, elephants and lions are common desert species.
- Desert fox, Chile. Now for the cool animals; the Addax antelope found in the Sahara Desert is one of the most beautiful antelopes in the world.
- Addax antelope.
- Deathstalker scorpion.
- Camel.
- Armadillo lizard.
- Thorny Devil.
- Rock Hopper penguin.
