Wadi Rum – A Harsh and Beautiful Landscape

After our visit to Aqaba, we continued the tour toward Wadi Rum — a vast desert area in southern Jordan, known for its red sand, towering rock formations, and cinematic landscapes. Several well-known films have been shot here, including scenes meant to portray Mars or distant planets — and it’s easy to understand why.

The main part of the visit was a jeep tour through the desert. We drove between massive rock cliffs and through wide, open sand dunes. The colors here are striking — deep red earth, brown cliffs, and a sharp blue sky that made the whole place feel surreal and remote.

There were several stops along the way — some for short walks or tea breaks, others where vendors set up stands with souvenirs. At one point, we saw ancient rock carvings estimated to date back to the 5th century BCE. The guide explained their meaning briefly, though the stop itself was short.

One part of the visit left a very different impression. We saw camels tied and waiting for tourists. According to our guide, they are intentionally underfed to keep them weak, so they won’t try to run when people ride them. It's hard to hear, and harder to see. If you're planning to visit, we strongly suggest not supporting animal rides. What’s being done to these animals amounts to cruelty, and it’s avoidable.

The natural beauty of Wadi Rum is real, not polished or packaged. The scale of the place is hard to convey in photos. The silence, the dry air, and the size of the rock formations give a sense of smallness, but also wonder.