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"Jordan Jubilee" Jeep Tours at the Visitors' Centre Climbing and the Bedouin Roads GENERAL INFORMATION
Weather in Jordan
GENERAL INFORMATION
JORDAN OUT OF DOORS
Trekking in Jordan Two Bedouin friends and their camels
HISTORY OF JORDAN MEETING THE PEOPLE
THE MIDDLE EAST AROUND
THE WEBSITE FUN
STUFF The Gates of Damascus More Jordan links
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Towns and Tourist Sites in Jordan Tours of
Wadi Rum
These programmes have been drawn up in Wadi Rum by Attayak Ali and Attayak Aouda Zilabia who are specialists in adventure tours in Wadi Rum. If you are interested in one of these trips, you should apply ahead of time directly to them. These guides are competent and experienced, and all are anxious that "their" tourists should have a good time. They all speak English and enjoy doing so! For any doubters, I assure you that these are "genuine" Bedouin who belong to one of the tribes in Wadi Rum.... You can see the full list of the tours that they offer on their websites at http://www.rumguides.com and at http://www.bedouinroads.com. The text that follows has been supplied by them. The prices given are all inclusive of the services offered : transport, guide services, all meals and sleeping equipment where sleeping out is part of the tour. Visitors wanting mineral water or any sort of alcohol however, should bring it with them, this is not provided by the guides.
Wadi Rum by jeep in one day ("a day with the Bedouin")
From there to the "sunset place" to watch the sunset and to appreciate the beauty of the changing colours of the landscape. Here we have supper, enjoy the evening and the stars and stay to sleep.
We should like to say immediately that this is not the cheapest trip around. You can find tours at the Visitors' Centre for less than this. But in Wadi Rum, you get what you pay for. Since the route takes you a considerable distance into the desert and we include all meals and an overnight, we think that we are offering something of a bargain! Extra excursions
An extra day in 4x4 going far to the south into the unfrequented valleys around the beautiful and lonely Wadi Saabit. You would be unlikely to see anybody other than a few scattered Bedouin tents.
A short camel ride After a night in the desert, if you wish we can bring you back to Rum Village by camel! It would take about two hours and will cost 30JD/person as always with a mounted guide. We could also arrange this at the end of any tour. If you are short of time the next morning, wanting to catch a bus, we could start you off on camels at the beginning of your trip, and pick you up somewhere near to the sand dunes to continue by jeep. Extra night in the desert An extra night in the desert can always be arranged either at the beginning or at the end of your visit. The price would be 20JD/person, including supper, breakfast and a return to the Resthouse at Rum Village.
The problem with hiking in Wadi Rum is that just walking in sandy valleys, however beautiful, often becomes boring after a fairly short time. We therefore concentrate on short hikes of 3 or 4 hours, often less, through the narrower valleys and canyons, interspersed with jeep rides when the walking becomes monotonous. Like this you can get a maximum of sightseeing in a jeep as well as covering more ground and having a more attractive walk. "The Khasch Route" : a two day jeep and hiking tour
The "Small Three Bridges" trip
Later we drive to a place where you have a view of the bridge high on Jebel Burdah, and you can take another hike in the afternoon through a very attractive narrow valley towards another rock bridge. You can climb this one as well if you wish - it is much easier than Burdah - before sleeping in the desert and returning to Rum for the early buses the next day. This is in fact a less taxing version of the very popular "Three Bridges Trek" to be done in one day, omitting the more difficult passage through the Rakebat Canyon and the climb to the Burdah Bridge. It offers about two and a half hours in a jeep and the same amount of time walking. The walks are straightforward and do not need an accompanying guide. The jeep will go on ahead and wait for you about three quarters of the way down, just in case you prefer to ride the last bit.
It is certainly a bit more expensive, since the camel for the guide has to be taken into account, but in our experience there is no comparison in the enjoyment felt. With a mounted guide, you go faster, you therefore cover much more ground, and since the basic technique of camel riding is easily and quickly mastered, within an hour or so you will be guiding your own camel and will feel much more independent. Your guide will only keep the leading rein if you are unhappy about being in charge. A camel is not like a horse and few people have any problem with one. Although they look decidedly unfriendly, in fact this is deceptive, and most people come quickly to appreciate their qualities. They make little noise and you will be able to experience the complete silence of the desert. We offer camel trips lasting from one to five days, but here we are only giving the "combined" trips where you can visit Wadi Rum in several different ways. A two day jeep and camel trip
After a night spent in the desert we start off on the camels for a 4 to 5 hours trip which will take you to some places you did not visit the day before. If you have any special suggestions about where to go we should be happy to hear them. We are not offering an itinerary, since it can vary with each client. We shall come back to Rum Village before sunset. This is about a 5 hours' ride on the camel which gives you the time to learn how to control it yourself without the help of the guide. You will enjoy the tour much better like this.
A three day jeep, hiking and camel trip
The next day we shall drive south for nearly an hour to a long ridge stretching approximately east to west across the desert. This is Jebel Khasch. It is easy to climb up and we shall walk the length of the ridge for three to four hours. There are fantastic views to the north over Wadi Rum and to the south over Saudi Arabia. We come down again in the distant valley of Nogara where the jeep will be waiting for us. We drive back to the previous day's camp. After a night spent in the desert we start off on the camels for a 4 to 5 hours trip which will take you to some places you did not visit the day before. If you have any special suggestions about where to go we should be happy to hear them. We are not offering an itinerary, since it can vary with each client. This is about a 5 hours' ride on the camel which gives you the time to learn how to control it yourself without the help of the guide. You will enjoy the tour much better like this. This is a programme with - we hope - something for everybody who loves the wild places and the desert. Certainly you see something of everything in Wadi Rum.
Two
days/two nights walking and jeep riding
The next morning we start with a climb to the Burdah Bridge before continuing the hike in the afternoon through a very attractive narrow valley towards another rock bridge. You can climb this one as well if you wish, but it is much easier than Burdah. We sleep near the "sunset place" before returning to Rum for the early buses the next day. Incidentally in 2006, this trip was selected by Royal Jordanian Airways as one of the five best adventure trips in Jordan - it even came in number two!
Hiking and Scrambling
Attayak Aouda - phone +962.795.834.736 email attayak@rumguides.com Attayak Ali - phone +962.795.899.723 email to info@bedouinroads.com
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