Today I invite you to daydream for a few minutes and read about Frances's memories of her first impression of Wadi Rum:
My eyes were still closed tight, although my ears were open and I could hear the sounds of people not too far away from me, talking. The sounds were foreign, but somehow beautiful, musical, rhythmic. The sound was Arabic being spoken, not harsh at all like you are led to believe....
Taken by Bedouin Directions
Who can resist the charms of hedgehogs? Well not even Bedouin people it seems. We like them very much. Although mostly because they eat scorpions and snakes, rather than for sentimental reasons. Hedgehogs are surprisingly hardy and do very well in the desert of Wadi Rum.
They can often be seen visiting the camp by night looking for some discarded chicken bones to munch on, or for some water in the bathroom. They may even attempt to enter your tent if you have some chocolate or other goodies in your luggage. Don't worry they are not dangerous visitors : D. They can be seen all year around however, they are most active in the summer months. They will hole up in the mountains during the coldest weather and sleep.
Look out for their telltale tracks in the sand. Four little prints usually following the same route multiple times, keeping close to the walls or mountain sides as much as possible.
They are easy to catch to get a closer look, but there is a special technique to pick them up without being spiked. If you spot one ask your guide and he can catch it for you.
Of course we always release them again quickly so they can be safely on their way.
Today I would like to invite you to take a few minutes out from your work day to daydream, and read about Pat & Larry Ernst's memories of Wadi Rum:
Our journey through Jordan from Amman to Aqaba included a 1 day 1 night guide though Wadi Rum with Bedouin Directions. Eid was our guide for the day. There were many things about our desert experience that I remember: lunch prepared in the desert, watching my husband climb the rocks up to the arch, trekking thru the narrow pass, gathering for dinner at camp with everyone sharing stories. I do wish we could have spent more time at Wadi Rum and perhaps one day we will be able to journey back.
If I were to share just one moment of that trek it would be watching the evening sun set and the moon rise over the red desert. One cannot always plan the "perfect" moment but, it was as if everything was in alignment that night. Even tho the temp was cooling off, it was a magical, I could photograph the sun and the moon at the same exact time. And remind myself that I was in the desert in Jordan far far from home. Things like that are priceless, unplanned and totally spontaneous.
Taken by Pat Ernst
A beautiful selection of photographs, taken by one of our guests, posted with comments from Bedouin Directions.
Taken by Bedouin Directions
‘No man can live this life and emerge unchanged. He will carry, however faint, the imprint of the desert, the brand which marks the nomad; and he will have within him the yearning to return, weak or insistent according to his nature. For this cruel land can cast a spell which no temperate clime can match’ – WILFRED THESIGER, ARABIAN SANDS
Thank you to all the people that have already responded to my post yesterday and written to my e-mail address with your memories of Wadi Rum... keep them coming... Insha'Allah.
Today I would like to invite you to take a few minutes out from your work day to daydream, and read about Katie Al-Akras's memories of Wadi Rum
To all our wonderful past guests, who chose us to be their guides in Wadi Rum. As a part of our new blog we would like to do a weekly post every Monday featuring a memory that a past guest has shared with us about their visit to Wadi Rum...
Submissions should be sent to wadirum.mehedi@gmail.com
Today while checking the analytics for my website I saw that a google search had lead someone to my site (in vain) trying to find the answer to the above question.
Why do Bedouin use socks in the desert?
I feel bad! This is one question I haven't been asked before and have not previously addressed : D.
I thought I would write a quick post in the hope the person searching for the answer to this pressing question will see it, or perhaps that there are others also puzzling over the mystery of sock wearing Bedouin people...
Camels grazing in Wadi Rum, Jordan
Many people will see camels roaming around the desert while they are on their tours around Wadi Rum protected area. They will often then wrongly assume these camels must be wild...
However, all the camels you see roaming alone are not wild, they have an owner. Camels have a homing instinct and they will either return home to their owners tents, or the owner will regularly come, round them up and check on them. The camels also know where to find water in the desert, you will often see camels drinking at Lawrence Spring, they will have walked there themselves to have a drink.
Camels do go missing sometimes, but they can usually be found once the owner looks for them. A female might have gone off with a passing male. Or they might have seen a bigger herd passing and decided to join them. Depending on their desires in the moment...
Fact: When you see camels walking in single file, one behind the other their plan is to go a long way.
Bedouin Directions is happy to announce that we have been awarded the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for 2017. This is the seventh year of the award and the seventh year we have been awarded.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all our generous, kind guests who take the time to write such positive reviews about our tours and camp. Without your words we could not earn this award and the "right" people, who are looking for what we offer, would find it harder to find us.
Insha'Allah we hope to continue to run our business in a way which people are happy with.
See you in Wadi Rum soon, Insha'Allah!
Eid ul Fitr is a very special holiday for Muslims marking the end of the month of fasting Ramadan. How do Bedouin people celebrate Eid ul Fitr and will the holiday affect your visit to Wadi Rum? .....
A quote from the book "World without Time - The Bedouin". A feeling some of you may well have experienced when visiting the desert of Wadi Rum... a feeling perhaps some of you have yet to experience... The quiet time on your lunch break is the ideal time to go for a short walk alone and appreciate the silent expanse of the desert...
Bivouac Camping - sleeping under the stars with Salah at Um Momgour, Wadi rum. Bivouac Camping will be available again after Ramadan. July, August, September and October are all excellent months of the year to try sleeping outside, while the weather is still mild, Insha'allah.
Disclaimer: we don't guarantee music will be played while guests are Bivouac camping. This depends on the guide who goes with you and if he is a musician with a Oud.
Ramadan is a blessed month... but how will it affect your visit to Wadi Rum?
I have a lot of people who write to me asking about the possibility of taking a Hot Air Balloon trip while staying with Bedouin Directions in Wadi Rum.
In short "yes you can" but we recommend you book with them directly. The Hot Air Balloon company charges 130JD p.p. for the flights. Children under 14 years are 1/2 price (65JD p.child).
There is only one company that runs the Hot Air Balloon trips. To book with them you can call them on one of the numbers listed on their website: Royal Aero Sports Club of Jordan. The pilots name is Khalid. You can contact them for reservations on:
Khalid Shishani
kahashishani@yahoo.com
Facebook: Rum Balloon
Mobile and What's up
00962797300298
Once you have booked your flight, the procedure for meeting up with them after a stay at our camp works out as follows:
The flights are always very early morning. Meeting time with them is usually at 6am (this varies according to the time of year). The general rule is meeting up takes place about 30 minutes before sunrise. When you are here we confirm the meeting time with them the night before just in case the time differs.
You either need to do the trip before meeting us on your first day (you would finish by 8.30am and can then meet us by 9am).
OR after staying overnight with us. If you stay overnight with us first then you should be doing the flight on your departure day (i.e if you stay two nights, not on the day between the two nights you are staying with us, but the day you leave).
If you stay overnight with us before the flight, when you book with them, you need to inform them on booking that you will stay overnight at a camp inside the protected area. They will then agree to meet you at the Visitor Center. The other meeting point is the Diseh Petrol station, which is further away (they have maps you can consult on their website). They will NOT collect you from my camp, they only collect people from the Diseh camps which are close to the launch pad.
You need to be ready to leave my camp at 5am (1 hour before the meeting time). We give you sandwiches to take with you rather than a sit down breakfast.
If you have a rental car we take you to the village and you can drive the 5/7KM to the Visitor Center to meet them. We charge 20JD for the early morning transfer from the camp to the village or Visitor Center (if you don’t have a rental car). I need to pay the guide extra to bring you early from the Camp, and this is what I pay him.
Flights can be cancelled last minute due to winds etc, so usually we will call the Balloon company the night before the flight to check everything is on schedule and the flight will go ahead. If the flight does not go ahead we would bring you back to the village at the normal time after breakfast, and there is no charge to do that.
I hope this helps to provide some more information for people wanting to book a Hot Air Balloon flight.
Taken by Debbie Cowley
We have one solo traveller seeking to share the Desert Soul program from the 8th-10th May. The tour is one of our most popular and includes canyon scrambling, a Jeep tour to the highlights of Wadi Rum, a day of desert floor level hiking, walking up the highest mountain in Jordan, a 2 hour Camel trek and two nights of Bivouac camping.
Do contact Mehedi: wadirum.mehedi@gmail.com if you are interested in sharing and you would like more information.
Ever want to recreate the addictive Bedouin tea at home? Well now you can!
When you visit Wadi Rum take the time to look around, enjoy the views, but don't forget to look down too....
A Funny dance Video from one of our past guests. Can anyone guess the guide who helps them out along the way?
Today is a special day in Wadi Rum because we have had a LOT of rain. All night we were treated to the sound of rain thundering down, and after a rain free morning, this afternoon some more rain has started.
