The four-wheel drive vehicle rattled over the desert stones between Wadi Rum village and the Mohammed Mutlak Camp. A vast silence washed over us the moment the driver turned off the engine. A dust storm had passed through earlier in the afternoon but now there was no sound of wind, bird or beast between us […]
Ridley Scott’s, The Martian is based on Andy Weir’s best-selling novel. It was filmed in Jordan’s beautiful Wadi-Rum desert. Hollywood loves adventure stories, especially tales of humans struggling to survive in the wilderness. The Martian has something in common with The Life of Pi, 127 Hours, Castaway, Into the Wild and All is Lost. But a […]
If I had a head’s up that the world was ending, I’d pack up a decent book and head to Jordan’s Wadi Rum where ancient granite and sandstone rocks – set in a giant’s sandbox – warp all sense of time. It looks as it looked a century back when British officer T.E. Lawrence camped […]
Jordan will waive its 40 dinar ($57) visa fee for incoming tourists to make visits to Jordan “more convenient and affordable for people of all nationalities,” according to a government press release. The action aims to boost tourism to kingdom attractions such as Petra, Pella, and the protected area of Wadi Rum. It’s just one of several new initiatives to reinvigorate Jordan’s […]
Planking’s passé, horsemaning is history, and while selfies are thriving in Tunisia, a new photo trend has emerged with the winning combination of mashing the beauty of nature and people. “The Topless Tour” invites people everywhere to shed their shirts to “feel the freedom and share their beauty with the world”.
Jordan’s magical red dessert is short on plastic bags, throwaway bottles, and paper litter. Begs the question, does raw nature shame us into better environmental behavior? If so, a stay in Wadi Rum nature reserve should be a national obligation.
Israel’s Negev Desert, Jordan’s Mount Nebo, Medaba and Wadi Rum are a few dark sky destinations for stargazing. Paris is known as the city of lights. So is Medina Saudi Arabia, Be’er Sheva Israel and Las Vegas, Nevada. We shouldn’t overlook Baltimore Maryland, Varanasi India, Quanzhou China and Milford Pennsylvania. Each of these cities is also […]
Release some inner and outer light at Jordan’s lantern festival in the desert. The Cosmic Love Sky Lantern Festival is sure to be a feast for the eyes this fall in Wadi Rum. As if the dramatic mountain scenery weren’t breathtaking enough, sky lanterns will rise like one thousand moons over the vast expanses of […]
A quick tutorial on how to make your own low-impact light graffiti, in the desert or anywhere it’s dark. Although I can appreciate the artistry of good graffiti, I don’t necessarily support it because of graffiti’s potentially harmful effects on Earth’s atmosphere and because of its borderline vandalistic properties (see our post on Sheikh graffiti […]
Can Wadi Rum cope with a predicted influx of tourists attracted by its World Heritage status? In June, the Jordanian desert valley of Wadi Rum joined the UNESCO World Heritage List, with a decision which has been much predicted since the end of 2010. According to Green Prophet’s Tafline Laylin, writing in September 2010, UNESCO […]
As both a cultural and natural marvel, if Wadi Rum’s candidacy as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is approved, sustainability will be easier to achieve. Concerned organizations have taken huge leaps towards preserving Jordan’s culture and wild heritage. The Royal Society for the Protection of Nature have set aside an additional nine protected areas in […]