Bedouin Camp in Wadi Rum, Jordan - Day 3

Stepping out of the ordinary, our plan today was to spend the night at a Bedouin tent camp in Wadi Rum - an unforgettable experience that includes authentic Bedouin music, dance, and delicious local cuisine. 

Arriving to Bedouin Lifestyle Camp in Wadi Rum, Jordan

Our day started bright and early to catch our 3am shuttle for the 5-hour ride to the border of Jordan. Still not on any particular time zone, getting up and ready was no problem for us. I had already been laying awake for hours … I was pretty nervous about today's logistics and whether or not I had done the correct research. Jordan was the country we were all looking forward to the most and I hoped nothing was going to mess that up. And I didn't want to spend another day in Israel.

I booked the transportation from Jerusalem to the Eilat/Aqaba border through Tourist Israel for a very affordable rate of $40pp. The meeting point was the David Citadel Hotel, just outside the Jaffa Gate. I was surprised to see all the people waiting there at 3am for different tours. When 3am came and went with no shuttle in sight, I grew concerned. This is where I wish the company was a little more informative. A Tourist Israel coach pulled up and we got on it, even though it was for guided tours headed to Petra and we weren't on a tour. Combining these transports is a simple piece of information that would've been helpful to tell me in advance.

Crossing the Eilat-Aqaba Border aka the Wadi Araba Border or Yitzhak Rabin Border on your own:

The Wadi Araba border connects the two Red Sea resorts of Eilat (Israel) and Aqaba (Jordan). It was the first border crossing to open between Israel and Jordan. There are only 3 land border crossings in total, and they all have different rules.

At the Yitzhak Rabin Border between Israel and Jordan, I quickly took a picture of the border crossing only to get admonished and then pulled aside to show our passports. Oops.

A travel blogger I follow who travels similarly to us with her family (before she went public) wasn't willing to try the complicated crossing of the border from Israel to Jordan without a guided tour.

Online in advance, I paid our Israel exit fees, bought our Jordan Passes, and completed our Jordan entry form. Also just in case, I read to have a bank statement to prove we could fund our travels.

We arrived at the border at 8am when it opens and were about 30th in line. I noticed Americans in front of us and all their printed paperwork in hand so asked them how they figured out the crossing. They said lots of research. I was happy we would follow them through. But his research failed short of figuring out there are Israel exit fees so he had to go back to the financial services line, like everyone else in front of us. Now of that original long line we were the first ones crossing.

You have to go through Israel's border control and then Jordan's. All of the workers were very nice. First we needed our biometric scan in Israel. Then since we had already paid our exit fees, we could skip the passport window and leave Israel. One last person asked for our passports, and then handed them back without even looking at them.

Walking between Israel's border control and Jordan's border control

On the Jordan side we walked right through the unmanned security only to have to turn back around so they could man it. They scanned our bags, pulling out Greg's to inspect it. I have no idea what Greg keeps trying to take into these countries but they pulled his bag on our way to Israel too. They asked if we were family, then let us go - all while pointing to each other's big bellies telling us who had more chicken the day before. Then we went to room 10 where he asked us for our passports and Jordan Pass. He processed our e-visas on the spot without any problems. (Buying the Jordan Pass and staying for 3 nights waived our visa fee.) Then we had to stop at window 8 to have our passports stamped and pictures taken. Through the process we were asked several times if we were a family. Once we were asked if we were with a tour guide, so I said yes they were waiting for us on the other side (even though I was actually our tour guide, lol). Lastly we had to show our passports one more time, and our crossing was complete. We were officially in Jordan!

The whole process took us 30 minutes because we were first and didn't have to wait in any lines. The only piece of information that I was missing was that Jordan is an hour ahead of Israel. Just this year, for the first time, Jordan decided to not participate in October's time change. It didn't negatively impact us but it meant that we were actually crossing the border at 9am Jordan time, not 8am. (And I had told the taxi driver 8am.)

You enter Jordan in a sort of demilitarized zone and must leave it by car, not walking. That is where our taxi driver Hussein met us, arranged by our camp host. The five of us needed 2 taxis.

I can't believe we made it across with no problems! It must be my lucky day! Or at least my birthday! And the day just got better from there … a whole lot better.

Jordan has become a popular tourist destination since 2007 when Petra was announced as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. It is the safest country in the Middle East. Tourists are welcomed warmly and the local customs highly value hospitality towards guests.  Even though the Middle East is often perceived as a cheap place to go, Jordan is not an inexpensive country. The Jordanian Dinar is the official currency of Jordan, and is very strong - not due to a strong national economy or large scale of exports but because it is pegged to the United States Dollar at 0.709 JOD = 1 USD.

Wadi Rum is tucked away at the southernmost point of Jordan. Wadi Rum - a 280 square mile dramatic desert - is the last stop before the vast emptiness of Saudi Arabia. Known as the "Valley of the Moon," this Jordanian wadi is one of the most amazing desertscapes on Earth. It is known for its towering chiseled red sandstone walls, natural bridges, and red-orange sand dunes. You feel as if you stepped through a portal and arrived on Mars.

The Martian, starring Matt Damon, was filmed in Wadi Rum.  Jordan's majestic landscape, rolling deserts, pink sandstone cliffs, and narrow valleys were backdrops to scenes throughout the movie.

Right After leaving the border we made a quick pit stop at an ATM since there would be none at Wadi Rum village, and the camp only accepted JOD cash.

Basic concrete homes in Wadi Rum Village. No hotels or services here.

Immediately when we arrived after our hour drive from the border, our Bedouin camp driver Jalal swept us off on a 5 hour desert safari tour in the back of a pickup. We were all laughing and smiles the whole time - what an adventure unlike anything we have experienced!

And we are off on our desert safari!

Our 5-hr tour included Khazali Canyon, Small Rock Arch, Umm Fruth Rock Arch, Lawrence's House, sand dunes, Anfeshiyeh inscriptions, and Burdah Arch.

Khazali Canyon is a popular stop

My adventure-seeking boys are particularly enjoying today. "This is one of the more intense trips you've planned" - commented Jeremy.

Following our guide, a Bedouin who has a natural ability to climb these rocks, my climbing boys tried to climb past the pool. Poor Chris found an unstable rock to step on and fell in - soaking his shoes and ripping a hole in his new Kuhl pants. 

The Anfaishiyya inscriptions are etchings depicting camels, warriors, and animals, reminding us that these areas have been inhabited for thousands of year.

Jeremy snowboarding down the sand dunes

Chris at the bottom of the dune 

While Jalal made lunch we walked through a canyon. 

Jalal preparing our lunch

We finished our late lunch at 3pm. The meal consisted mostly of canned food, making it a surprise to us when we actually liked it. Not a fan of the food so far, it was Kate's first solid meal.

Our lunch was canned beef and bean stew, sliced olives, corn, vege salad, tuna, hummus, feta, and pita. Surprisingly, it hit the spot!

Burdah rock bridge is 984 ft above the sand and 115 ft above the surrounding rocks. It is considered one of the highest natural arches in the world and one of the most spectacular sites in Wadi Rum. To hike to the top is 1 1⁄4 miles and takes 3 hrs; ropes may be needed.

Burdah rock bridge (top center of photo) would have been a cool hike, if we had more time in Wadi Rum.

Umm Fruth Rock Arch is an estimated 50 ft high. The top of this free-standing arch can be reached by scaling a slippery slope.

Our guide Jalal called Umm Fruth Rock Arch "bigger bridge"

Some tourists were struggling with the slippery path to the top so just Chris, Jeremy and I went up.

At the last second this morning I took a gamble and upgraded our tour package to include a sunset camel ride despite grumbling from the birthday boy. Why not - it's my birthday too! The whole day was an unforgettable experience and our camel ride turned out to be the frosting on the cake.

So much fun!

My honey riding off into the sunset

Seeing camels up-close, Kate said "Ohh they look hard to stay on!"  "It's a little bumpy", Chris said when the camels started walking. His watch thought he was on an elliptical machine. The best part is when they are standing up or sitting down ... hold on tight! It is like they are trying to launch you off!

If you want to enjoy the Wadi Rum desert overnight, you have to sleep in a Bedoiun Camp; there are no hotels in Wadi Rum. At first I had dismissed the option since it would be 45 degrees at night but I was assured the blankets would keep us plenty warm. (It was still chilly).

Our 6-person tent meant we had to stay in the shared facilities section of camp. We got to share a 3-stall bathroom with close to 40 other guests. The other ~20 guests had bathrooms in their 2-person tents. 

The meal and entertainment tent

The chicken dinner was cooked in the ground

Dinner was very good!

Our hosts took much delight from entertaining us with their Bedouin song and dance

We walked out into the desert to light a bonfire and wait for midnight to come. They amused themselves by daring each other to jump over the fire.

Lacking light pollution, Wadi Rum is known for its starry skies. It was too cloudy during our visit for any stargazing. 

Despite waking up at 1:30 this morning, somehow we managed to make it to the midnight fireworks to ring in the New Year!  Our desert day was an amazing and surreal experience!

Logistics of the camp:

There are actually over 100 Bedouin camps in Wadi Rum. We stayed at Wadi Rum Lifestyle Camp which is currently #2 on TripAdvisor. All the services are great - food, beds, dessert tour, camel ride, and the friendly people. The string of communication beforehand was excellent and reassuring; I knew we were in good hands.

A headlamp is most helpful for getting around camp in the dark. By morning all the electricity was used up so the tent and bathrooms were dark and cell phones were no longer charging. The shower water is heated with solar; it is lukewarm during the day and freezing in the morning.

While I could handle the camp facilities and the cold weather for a night, I was done with it by morning, and content to be leaving.