I had only a vague idea of what Wadi Rum was about, that it was desert mountains, but boy was it grander than I realized. This is the area that Lawrence of Arabia stayed in for a while, and is also where some of the 1962 movie was shot. Its a long movie but worth watching which we did on recommendations of our tour operator in Israel.
Our ferry ride from Egypt arrived in Aqaba where we were met by our next driver. He drove us in a van to the edge of Wadi Rum where we transferred to what the locals call a Jeep (which was a 4×4 pickup truck). The meeting point was at an old Turkish train; the cars looked like they could be from the Ottoman Empire time period, the locomotive I wasn’t sure about. Our next stop was a Bedouin camp for the night and it took us only about 20 minutes to get there and even though we cut across the desert, we reconnected with the road again and could have easily taken our van the whole way. So we were all a little confused on why we had to transfer, but sometimes you just scratch your head and go along for the ride.
The Bedouin camp ended up being way more than just a tent (which we were kind of hoping for) and much more glamping than we anticipated. However, we had an amazing dinner and it was a really nice spot so we were glad we were there. Maybe next time we go it will be more rustic in a true Bedouin tent, but then maybe end in a nice place like this 
Similar to the Hawaiian luau, they cooked their feast in a pit in the ground covered in sand. Rather than a pig though, it was chicken (and some vegetables). Must be something about pit cooking as it was fantastic, just like the Hawaiian food.
I should have clued in sooner since earlier in the day when driving through Aqaba discussing Ramadan with our driver, he pointed out that all the alcohol stores where closed. So I wasn’t thinking when I ordered a “beer” that night and they gladly handed over to me a 0% alcohol strawberry carbonated drink. The girls were more than willing to share this beer.
The next morning our adventures in Wadi Rum began with a camel tour.
Looking back we could see a storm coming up to the camp we had left and it was hard to tell if it was rain or sand. It was a bit of both and thankfully it mostly skirted past us. We got a few drops, and definitely some wind and sand but nothing too dramatic.
By the end our bottom sides and legs were all a little stiff from the 1 hour tour. We were already heading back when one of the girls discovered sitting cross legged made it more comfortable and when we ended up watching Lawrence of Arabia, sure enough, if they weren’t going fast, they had their legs up.
Next up was a “jeep” tour in the back of a 4×4 pick-up. This led us further into the back country so to speak and we really got a sense of how large and majestic Wadi Rum is. We also learned more about its history and how it was a resting spot on part of the spice route.
Ancient road signs cut into the rocks pointed to Petra, indicated where water was, and warned of bandits.
One of the watering holes was back deep into this canyon.
It wasn’t all History and Geology lessons that day, but a little Physical Education break as well. Our guide stopped at this sand dune and busted out a snow(sand?)board. Julia had to show Annika how to do it first, using it more like a toboggan, and then the girls took two turns each with Marika trying standing the last time. Was nice to have a bit of fun every once in a while, even if a dose of encouragement is needed to get it going!
Almost made it to the bottom!
It was also interesting to us when our guide stopped by a bush and showed us that if you smash it and mix it with water it turns into a soap. This was exactly the same as we had seen on an island in Lake Titicaca in Peru.
We had a stop at a Bedouin camp for some tea (which was delicious!). This was also the camp area from Lawrence of Arabia.
It’s hard to capture scale with a camera but if you look closely at this picture, two of the scrub bushes way down the path are actually two hikers.
Such stunning landscapes and we really enjoyed our short time here.