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General information about the trips

Photo by Tom Neys
Here we try to answer a few of the
questions that are most often asked by people before their arrival.
The most frequent single question is always the
weather! While we cannot guarantee what the
temperature will be when you arrive, there is a website which gives you at least
the current conditions at the Jordan
Met Dept. This address should bring you directly to the English version of
the site and to the conditions for Jafer which is the closest to us. If it
doesn't, then please click on towns until it comes up.
Food : we believe we offer a variety of
dishes, based on local ones, ample in quantity and well cooked.
(Note from Attayak Aouda : "Attayak Ali is the best cook
in Wadi Rum!")
In warm weather, lunch is usually a salad dish, supper
is always hot. Vegetarian food can be supplied, but if
possible, please tell us
about this before you arrive. Breakfast is bread or buns which we can warm on
the fire, and a choice of cheese, eggs, jam and etcs (whatever we see in the shops
that looks good!). And of course, plenty of tea! We
can also offer instant coffee for breakfast.
Sleeping equipment
: we supply
mattresses and blankets. In cold weather then we have comforters which keep you
nice and warm. There is no real need for you to bring sleeping bags, but it is
true that some people prefer to use their own. This is up to you.
You should wear something on
your head and bring plenty of sunscreen with you. You will also need a shoulder
bag or rucksack for
for daytime necessities. They would chiefly be a camera, a bottle of water, some
kind of head covering, a snack
if you think you will need one,
perhaps a light sweater or
something with long sleeves, and of course anything personal you think you might
need.
Onward transport : buses
leave Wadi Rum in the mornings, for Aqaba at about 7am and for Petra at about
8h30am. We can always get you to Rum in time for these buses. If you are going
anywhere else, there are plenty of connections in Aqaba for Amman and points
north.
There are no other buses from
Rum that go every day. If you
leave later in the day, we can usually take you 30kms to the Desert Highway where
there is a bus stop (the normal price for this is 8JD), or we can arrange a taxi for you to whatever
destination you wish. This is a service we offer to our clients and we take no
commission on it (if you were wondering!) You may pay us or the driver
directly if you wish.
Some taxi prices (in every case
the "vice versa" is the same price) :
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Wadi Rum to Petra
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35JD |
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Wadi Rum to central Aqaba
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25JD |
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Wadi Rum to Aqaba port, Aqaba
airport or the Saudi or Israeli borders |
30D |
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Amman airport to Wadi Rum |
100JD |
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Wadi Rum to the Desert Highway |
8JD |
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Times : we usually start out at around 9.30am and reckon to finish the tour about
4pm or before sunset.
But the timing of the tours is flexible, and we can start later or finish
earlier to fit in with whatever your plans are.
Toilets and rubbish : There is a toilet in
the fixed camp where we often spend the night. Otherwise, out in the desert, we are
sorry but one has to go behind a rock! Please be sure that all wastes are
buried, and push a bit of sand over any "evidence". Toilet paper should be
burned or put into a plastic bag for you to bring back and add to the camp
rubbish.
It is a good idea
always to have a plastic bag or two with you for the rubbish that tends to
accumulate. There will usually be a general rubbish bag with the car, there is
always one in an overnight stop.
"Good" guides in
Wadi Rum do not leave rubbish lying around. Most of us pick up any objects
discarded by less careful souls.
Clothes : Don't try to look
smart! You can wear almost anything that will let you sit on the ground / ride a
camel / scramble into a jeep / etc. We do ask ladies not to wear anything too
skimpy when they are in the village (halter necks, short shorts, etc). When you
are out in the desert then it doesn't matter, we are used to just about
anything! But please do keep a tee shirt available for the village.
Shoes : trekking sandals will
be enough for most people (NOT beach sandals!) For scrambling you might prefer
to bring sturdy shoes or boots, and certainly for the mountains like Jebel Rum
or Jebel Khazali. Don't forget a supply of cotton socks. Otherwise whatever you like : tennis shoes or sneakers, boat
shoes or trainers are all fine for hiking, as of course are the trekking sandals
previously suggested.
Contact information
Our office phone number is +962.795.899.723 (or
0795.899.723 from inside Jordan). This number
is
available 24/24 hours and
should always be answered by
somebody speaking English. Further (useful!) information
about contacting us is given on the page Contact
information
You can reach us by email at
info@bedouinroads.com or by fax at
+962.3.203.2651.
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