Jordan · Wadi Rum Find a hotel
🌐 EN ▾
עבריתEnglishРусскийEspañolFrançaisDeutsch

Wadi Rum: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

Now in Wadi Rum--:--:--
·
--°

T. E. Lawrence rode into Rum in 1917 with the Arab Revolt and wrote that the valley was 'vast, echoing and God-like'. His book gave its name to the first cliff you see, and the film about him put the place on the world map. This route runs from the visitor center down past the village to the springs and inscriptions south of it. Do it by jeep in about three hours, or partly on foot in the cool of the morning.

Wadi Rum

A short history of Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum is a desert valley in southern Jordan, between mountains of sandstone and granite. Inscriptions and rock drawings thousands of years old bear witness to the presence of people and nomadic tribes, and in the 1st century BC the Nabataeans built a temple here. In 1917 and 1918 Thomas Edward Lawrence, 'Lawrence of Arabia', passed through the area with the fighters of the Arab Revolt and described it in his book. In 1962 the film about Lawrence was shot here, and since then many science-fiction films have been shot in the valley, where it serves as the landscape of another planet. In 2011 Wadi Rum was declared a World Heritage Site. The Bedouin tribes of the area still live there today.

The ten best sights in Wadi Rum

  1. Nabataean Temple
    1
    Nabataean Temple

    Low walls at the edge of the village, five minutes on foot

  2. Khazali Canyon
    2
    Khazali Canyon

    A narrow cleft with rock drawings on the walls; bring a torch for the far end

  3. 3
    Anfishieh Inscriptions

    Camels and riders scratched into the rock; most jeep tours stop

  4. Lawrence's House
    4
    Lawrence's House

    Nabataean ruins with a big view; the Lawrence link is legend

  5. Humayma
    5
    Humayma

    Nabataean and Roman ruins 40 minutes north, almost always empty

  6. Aqaba Castle
    6
    Aqaba Castle

    A Mamluk fort by the sea, worth an hour if you drive to Aqaba

  7. Seven Pillars of Wisdom
    7
    Seven Pillars of Wisdom

    The fluted cliff right by the visitor center; best in late-afternoon light

  8. Lawrence's Spring
    8
    Lawrence's Spring

    A short scramble above the sand to a trickle of water and a view of the valley

  9. Burdah Rock Bridge
    9
    Burdah Rock Bridge

    The big arch; about an hour of scrambling up, with a guide

  10. Um Fruth Rock Bridge
    10
    Um Fruth Rock Bridge

    The easy arch: a few minutes up for the classic photo

sleepntripMystery worldPlaces whose story is not over yet

The moai, the Nazca lines, Göbekli Tepe and more.

To the mystery world

What is an audio walk?

Tours in Wadi Rum →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Wadi Rum:

Lawrence's valley

Free walking tours in Wadi Rum

Lawrence's valley

T. E. Lawrence rode into Rum in 1917 with the Arab Revolt and wrote that the valley was 'vast, echoing and God-like'. His book gave its name to the first cliff you see, and the film about him put the place on the world map. This route runs from the visitor center down past the village to the springs and inscriptions south of it. Do it by jeep in about three hours, or partly on foot in the cool of the morning.

  1. Seven Pillars of Wisdom · The cliff with seven deep flutes was named after Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Lawrence's account of the Arab Revolt, first printed privately in 1926. The name is the book's, not the other way round: Lawrence took his title from the Book of Proverbs.
  2. Nabataean Temple · The Nabataeans, the people of Petra, built a temple here to the goddess Allat around the turn of the era, by a spring on the caravan route north from Arabia. Wadi Rum was listed by UNESCO in 2011 for both its landscape and remains like these.
  3. Lawrence's Spring · Lawrence describes climbing to a spring in the rock face at Rum and bathing in it. The water still comes out of the cliff into small pools, and a Nabataean channel once carried it down to the valley floor.
  4. Anfishieh Inscriptions · The panels mix Thamudic writing, left by early Arabian tribes, with drawings of camels in a line. Nobody knows exactly who the riders were, but the caravans they show were the reason anyone came this way.
  5. Khazali Canyon · The walls of this narrow slot carry carvings of people, footprints and animals. Bedouin tell that a fugitive named Khazali escaped his pursuers here by wedging himself up into the cleft and cutting holds as he climbed.
  6. Lawrence's House · The stones on this outcrop belong to a Nabataean building, but guides call it Lawrence's house, after a story that he stayed here. There is no evidence for it; come for the view over the red sand instead.

Arches and canyons

The south-east of the reserve is the part of Rum that ends up on screens: The Martian and Dune were both filmed in this desert. Wind and sand have cut the sandstone into bridges, mushrooms and long corridors. A full-day jeep tour covers it, with short climbs; go with a local guide, as the tracks are unmarked. Carry three litres of water each, and a scarf for the wind.

  1. Umm Ishrin · The great massif across the valley from the village has a name usually explained as 'mother of twenty', for its many domes. Its west face and Jabal Rum opposite form the walls of the main valley.
  2. Little Bridge · Arches like this form when water seeps through a thin fin of sandstone and wind scours the weakened rock from both sides, until a hole breaks through.
  3. Um Fruth Rock Bridge · Of the reserve's arches this is the easiest to stand on: a few minutes of scrambling get you on top, high enough for the classic photo over the sand.
  4. Burdah Rock Bridge · The arch sits high on the ridge of Jebel Burdah, high above the slope below it. The climb up is a real scramble, so local guides take visitors with ropes at the exposed steps.
  5. Mushroom Rock · The stalk is softer stone than the cap, so sand blown along the ground eats it away faster — the same process that undercuts the cliffs all over Rum.
  6. Barrah Canyon · This long canyon is part of the Jordan Trail, the walking route of about 650 km across the country from Umm Qais in the north to Aqaba, which passes through Rum on its last stages.

From Rum to the Red Sea

Rum sat on the routes that linked Arabia with the Mediterranean: the caravan tracks, then the Hejaz Railway, now the Desert Highway. This drive follows them out of the valley and down to Aqaba, about 70 km each way. Count a half day with stops; the castle and Ayla are side by side in Aqaba, so lunch by the sea fits well.

  1. Jabal Rum · The cliff above the village is one of the big desert climbing walls of the Middle East. Bedouin hunters had their own routes up it, and British climbers Tony Howard and Di Taylor began recording them in 1984; their guidebook brought climbers here from around the world.
  2. Wadi Rum Station · The Hejaz Railway was built between 1900 and 1908 to carry pilgrims from Damascus to Medina. During the Arab Revolt Lawrence and the Bedouin blew up its trains and track again and again; the old station here is still used now and then for Lawrence-themed train rides for visitors.
  3. Diseh · Under this village lies the Disi aquifer, fossil water tens of thousands of years old. Since 2013 a pipeline more than 300 km long has carried it north to Amman, which depends on it for much of its drinking water.
  4. Humayma · The Nabataeans founded a town here called Hawara, and the Romans later added a fort. In the 8th century the Abbasid family lived quietly in Humayma while they planned the revolution that put them on the caliph's throne in 750.
  5. Ayla · Ayla was one of the first towns founded under Islam outside Arabia, laid out around 650 with four gates facing the compass points. Across the bay stands Eilat, which keeps the same ancient name.
  6. Aqaba Castle · The Mamluk sultan al-Ghuri rebuilt this fort in the early 16th century. In July 1917 Arab forces with Lawrence took Aqaba by coming at it overland from the desert, where the Ottoman guns facing the sea could not reach them.
sleepntripFree with every roomThree audio walks in every city

A guide in your headphones, stop after stop.

To the walks

Getting to Wadi Rum and getting around

  • King Hussein Airport, Aqaba · The nearest airport, under an hour away by car
  • Wadi Rum Station · An old Hejaz Railway stop by the turn-off; trains now carry only phosphate and the odd tourist special
  • Wadi Rum Visitor Center · Pay the entry here (or show the Jordan Pass); beyond the village it is Bedouin jeeps only

Cheap eats in Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum village is small, and most visitors eat at their desert camp. Lunch and dinner there often come as zarb: lamb, chicken and vegetables cooked for hours in a sealed pit under the sand. For quick eating, the main street has falafel, shawarma and tea. Prices are in Jordanian dinars, a little higher than in Aqaba.

  • Falafel Restaurant · Falafel sandwich and hummus, about 1-2 JOD
  • Abu Ali · Simple plates and shawarma on the main street, 2-4 JOD
  • Restaurant & Coffee · Coffee, tea and sandwiches, 1-3 JOD
  • Rum Gate Supermarket · Water, dates and snacks for the jeep; a big bottle about 0.5 JOD

Museums in Wadi Rum

  • Nabataean Temple · Temple of Allat by the village; free, ten minutes
  • Khazali Canyon · Rock carvings in a narrow slot
  • Anfishieh Inscriptions · Thamudic writing and camel caravans
  • Humayma · Nabataean town, Roman fort and Abbasid house; off the highway
  • Aqaba Castle · Mamluk fort and the flag of the Arab Revolt beside it

Nature and day trips near Wadi Rum

  • Jabal Umm ad Dami · Jordan's highest point; 1-2 hours up, guide needed
  • Burdah Rock Bridge · High arch on a ridge; a guided scramble
  • Barrah Canyon · Long sandy canyon for walking or camels
  • Seven Pillars of Wisdom · The fluted cliff at the entrance
  • Umm Ishrin · The domed massif east of the village; sunset turns it red

Things to do in Wadi Rum with kids

  • Little Bridge · A small arch children can climb
  • Mushroom Rock · A giant stone mushroom; good for photos
  • Lawrence's Spring · A short climb to water in the desert
  • Petroglyphs · Rock drawings near the village, a short walk
  • Um Fruth Rock Bridge · An easy arch with a camel stop nearby

Where to eat in Wadi Rum

  • Wadi Rum Rest House · Buffet and grills at the village entrance, facing Jabal Rum
  • Rum Castle Restaurant & Café · Mansaf and grills in the village
  • Jabal Rum Camp · Desert camp with zarb dinners; book ahead
  • Wadi Rum Village Hostel · Home-cooked dinners for guests in the village
sleepntripRoad and rail routesEvery night on the road, our hotel

Whole routes, with a room up to $80 at every stop.

To the routes

Frequently asked questions about Wadi Rum

What is there to see in Wadi Rum?

The top sights in Wadi Rum are Nabataean Temple, Khazali Canyon and Anfishieh Inscriptions. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Wadi Rum?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Wadi Rum without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Wadi Rum?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Wadi Rum, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Lawrence's valley.

How do you get to Wadi Rum and get around?

The main ways are King Hussein Airport, Aqaba, Wadi Rum Station and Wadi Rum Visitor Center. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Wadi Rum, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Wadi Rum that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

Looking for a hotel in Wadi Rum for your dates?

Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.

All hotels in Wadi Rum
Plan a trip across JordanDesert, rose stone and the Red Sea→