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Wadi Rum

Jordan

Middle East modest ~$70/day
How to get there

Fly to Amman or Aqaba; the Jordan Pass bundles the visa and entries. An hour's drive from Aqaba.

Where to sleep

A Bedouin camp deep in the protected area — the farther from the village, the darker the sky.

What to expect

Lawrence's desert, unchanged: rust-red sandstone mountains rising from pink sand, Nabataean inscriptions, camel trains, and silence with actual texture.

First move on arrival

Sleep out on a mattress outside the tent — the Milky Way here is a physical presence.

When to go

March to May, September to November

One phrase to carry

Ahlan wa sahlan — the fullest Arabic welcome.

Read before you go

Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence — written about, and partly in, these exact wadis.

Getting weirder nearby

Petra is 90 minutes north — enter through the back door hike from Little Petra at dawn.

One honest warning

Yes, it appears in every film shot in 'space' — go for two nights minimum and walk beyond the jeep circuits to lose the other camps.

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