A DIWALI VACATION IN JORDAN – AQABA TO WADI RUM TO WADI MUSA 21 OCTOBER 2025

I had plans for an early start from Aqaba as I had arranged a tour of Wadi Rum at 9 am. Salman of Wild Wadi Rum Tours had given me detailed instructions on how to reach his home and what be aware of; it played out exactly that way. More of that later. I was given a breakfast coupon from Hotel Dweik 2 to 'enjoy' the buffet in Hotel Dweik 3, which was hardly 20 paces away.

The staff at Dweik 3 were apologetic as I was early and all the items had not yet been arranged for the buffet. The spread was awesome with a variety of greens, olives, jams, cheese, bread, cake, cereals, juices, kuboos, hummus, pancake, etc. I don't have stomach for early breakfast; hence, I left quickly after a couple of pancakes, honey and greens. The chef packed a couple of boiled eggs for me to have on the way!

There are two routes between Amman and Aqaba. One is the route via the Dead Sea called Route 65. The other is called the King's Highway. To go to Wadi Rum I took the latter and was pleasantly surprised by the awesome road, the industrial activity and the interesting landscape. The max speed in the King's Highway is 110 kph while in Route 65 it is 100.  Besides, the King's Highway passes through higher altitude and looks comparatively newer road. At the Aqaba Free Trade Zone Authority check post, the Customs inspected the boot of the car.

At a point one has to leave the King's Highway to go to Wadi Rum. The mostly four lane road has a bicycle track right up to the Wadi Rum visitors' reception! The other fascinating thing is a narrow-gauge railway station called the Wadi Rum station, which is on the historic Hejaz Railway route spanning Damascus and Medina. Included in the Jordan Pass is a short train ride to re-enact the early 20th century journey.

From the turn off the visitors’ center is about 25 km. One has to park in the designated and buy ticket or stamp the Jordan Pass before proceeding into the Protected Area. Just as Salman had warned me I was approached by two guys saying that I need a reservation to go inside and that they can arrange it. When I mentioned Salman's name they melted into the desert landscape. The counter clerk was very warm and a bit disappointed that I was not staying the night in Wadi Rum.

After the formalities I drove another 6 km to the Wadi Rum village, where I met with Salman. He invited me to his home for some tea. What fascinated me was live telecast of a camel race going on in Wadi Rum. The camels don't have any hickeys, instead a small electronic robot fastened on the saddle acts as one! The commentary of the 6 km race was itself so lively. Jeep loads of people ride in a track beside the racing track to goad the camels on. Finally, the race was over in 10 minutes.

Salman's brother Hussein was to be my tour guide. He was accompanied by his first son, Ahmed. They are Bedouins and the most prominent tribe among them is the Zalabieh. Most of the businesses are owned and operated by this tribe; besides Bedouins, none else can make a living out of the Wadi Rum tours and related enterprises. The tours are extremely expensive for a solo traveler. The cost of a five-hour tour is 70 JD for a group up to 3; a solo traveler has to pay the same price as there is no rebate.

I sat in the rear of a Toyota Hilux vehicle with bench seats at the back. It took me some time to get used to the bone shaker. Hussain told me that I could sit inside whenever I chose to, but the best views are from the bench seats in the rear seats, he told me. The first half of the tour I used the bench seat and in the second half I took the passenger seat in the front.

Wadi Rum is a protected desert wilderness which features dramatic sandstone mountains like the many-domed Jebel Um Ishrin, and natural arches such as Burdah Rock Bridge. Many prehistoric inscriptions and carvings line rocky caverns and steep chasms, such as Khazali Canyon.

The natural watering hole of Lawrence’s Spring is named after British soldier Lawrence of Arabia, who allegedly washed there. The house of Lawrence is another tourist attraction. The amazing rock formations, weathered by millennia, begs the lament, "if only the rocks could speak". I ventured to climb the little bridge but didn't have the necessary legs and balance to climb the Um Fruth.

Wadi Rum started getting tourist footfalls in the 1970s after the Lawrence of Arabia movie, which had a major chunk of it shot in Wadi Rum. But Hussain told me that it is the advent of internet that brought it to the living rooms across the world. This year the number of footfalls has been much less due to the prevalent situation in the Gulf for quite some time now. If the situation normalizes soon, visitors are likely to increase in November. When elephants fight, the ants get hurt. Nations fight and the poor people who entirely depend on visitors for their livelihood suffer the most.

After the tour and lunch, I left Wadi Rum by 1.30 pm. The distance to Wadi Musa was completed in 2 hours. While checking into the hotel I was told that the Petra tours are two types; the longer one takes 9 hours while the shorter one from Little Petra takes about 5 hours. While the longer tour starts at 6 am the shorter Little Petra tour begins at 7.30 am. I arranged for a taxi through the hotel to pick me up after 7 am. Even though the breakfast begins at 6 am, I requested for a packed breakfast, which I would have after the tour in Petra. With all that done, it was time to rest well overnight as I have a 250 km drive to Jerash after the Petra tour.