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Wadi Rum
Information
General
information As many
days as you like, hiking and scrambling!
One day trips
Two day trips
Three or more days
Unusual programmes
Extra excursions
or "add-ons"
Short self guided hike to Wadi
Climbing |
General information about the trips
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. Our camp : It is close to Jebel Raka (site number 9 on the map), about 10kms from the village, and consists of several Bedouin tents (large ones) which form a square with the cliff, thus sheltering us from the worst of any bad weather. You can sleep in the tents, in the square beside the fire, or on the big sand dune under the stars. Usually a family can take possession of one of the tents for themselves. There is a bathroom block, with sit down toilets and showers for people staying here for several days. This is cleaned every day and the water is heated by the sun. There is a great view of the sunset from the dune or from the rock mound from which the photo at the head of the page was taken. It is very easily climbed. See the page "Our camp site" where you will find more photos and descriptions Sleeping equipment : we supply mattresses and blankets and pillows. In cold weather 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. In the winter, we move the fire and supper inside one of the tents and snuggle up with blankets for after supper talk. You should not be cold at night, but in the evenings in the winter you do need sweater and/or jacket. Food : we believe we offer a variety of dishes, based on local ones, ample in quantity and well cooked. 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 or about any allergies 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.
What to bring : 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. 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 : unless you are doing a heavy scrambling programme, you do not need boots for the hiking programmes. Trainers or good walking shoes, even sneakers are fine. Socks are a good idea, though! Trekking sandals are very good, especially in warm/hot weather. The models with closed toes are best. Onward transport : buses leave Wadi Rum in the mornings, for Aqaba at about 7am (there is no bus on Fridays) 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. We should like to say that the early bus to Aqaba is notoriously unreliable. We do not recommend it to our clients. It is supposed to leave from the Resthouse at 7.30am. It is a small bus, with seats for only about 15 people and very often after passing through the village it is already full when it reaches the Resthouse, with no room for any other passengers. If it is full early on, then it will leave early - I have known it leave before 7am. It can also do this if it suits the driver to be in Aqaba earlier than usual. On the other hand, if there are only a few passengers, it might not go at all. It is not a good idea to base your travel plans on taking this bus. The only alternative is a taxi costing about 25JD to central Aqaba. 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) :
Times : we usually start out at around 9.30am and reckon to finish the tour about 4pm or before sunset. We do expect you to be here at this time, or we reserve the right to charge you the Private Tour surcharge. See the FAQ section. Toilets and rubbish : There is a toilet in the fixed camp where we usually 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. Please read also the Tour conditions and FAQs! 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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