SanthuWhen we think about what are the greatest national parks to travel, our thoughts immediately shift to countries like the United States, Australia or Canada. But did you know that even Asia has a number of national parks which are often known for their uniqueness such as topography, desertness and crazy outdoor activities under sunny weather conditions (but most of them are underrated).
Yes, today I’m going to explain Asian’s most underrated national park, Wadi Rum National Park. You may wonder why we insist you to visit this national park rather than the rest of Asia’s best national park. There are many reasons behind picking Wadi National Park instead of others.
Compared to the rest of the popular national parks in Asia, Wadi Rum National Park is one of the rarest places on earth, provide a feels like another planet. Its huge red sandstone mountains, epic rock formations, wide desert valleys and strong Bedouin history and cultural roots, and other smaller things make it one of the stand alone national parks in the world.
Where is Wadi Rum National Park?
Wadi Rum National Park situated in the Southern part of Jordan. You can reach from Aqaba, just 60 km away from. The park is home to the highest mountain in Jordan, Jebel Um ad-Dami and the country’s massive red rock formations. Don’t forget to explore while you are looking for what to do.
Why is Wadi Rum National Park different from other National Parks?
As we said earlier Wadi Rum National Park is a totally different place to explore, whilst there are plenty of attractions a visitor can expect. Let’s see why it is differ;
- Visitors once reach its land there is no more word is needed to appreciate its natural beauty. From its towering cliff, sand dunes and canyons to iconic rock bridges, each of its natural beauties are perfectly eligible to get 100% marks by its visitors.
- Bedouin Cultures have even added more values and legacies to national park beauties. Every time while you are traveling inside its park, each corner and atmosphere explain land once strongly rooted by the local traditions of Bedouin peoples. And interestingly still it is passing from generation to generation.
- The majority of places and attractions motivate you to capture brilliant photos. Sunset and Sunrise period here in Wadi Rum surely motivate you to take your camera from your bag and click its epic beauty while passing over its sand dunes. The park is often dotted with local flora and faunas, so don’t miss to take along with your sunset photos.
- I know most backpackers choose Wadi National Park just because of unique things to do. Since it is a unique national park we happily say that most of its activities are totally different from other and more crazy ones.
Your upcoming reading is trying to help you to know what are the Unique Things to Do in Wadi Rum National Park?
Things to Do in Wadi Rum National Park
1. Start Your Day through Camel Ride
You landed in Wadi Rum National Park and confused where to start your things to do in Wadi Rum National Park. I think camel riding is a fascinating activity to start. Don’t just think it is slow, Camel ride at Wadi gives a clear traditional desert experience and helps backpackers to feel more connected to the landscapes.
Camel Ride being one activity in Wadi which is still part of everyday life of locals, and it could be yours too. Actually you can do camel rides in either morning or sunset periods, but we recommend you start your ride during sunrise. When the air is cool, quiet and great time to see red sand stone landscapes.
If you’d like to do one activity without the distractions of the city’s hustle and bustle and wish to connect with the deep nomadic feel at Wadi, then Camel ride is the perfect choice for you. Every step of the Camel leads us to see dramatic cliffs, narrow gorges and different phases of the desert at each point.
2. Spend Overnight Stay at its Camps
If you ask me which is one of the easiest ways to understand Wadi Rum National Park more deeply, without thinking too much, I can easily say camping. Currently the park contains more than 100 camps and you’ll have an option to choose which is convenient to you. Most of the campsite offers dinner, music and a quieter night to feel the desert ambiances and see clear skies.
Camping could be an alternative option to your Wadi rum Hotels. Most of the tents available to us range from simple Bedouin to luxury tents (which includes A/C and hot showers). But we recommend you to choose your campsite near where you want to start your Wadi Rum National park expeditions like hiking, easy to see stargazing, desert tours and close to Bedouin villages. This helps you to walk or travel from your campsites.
I think it is a good idea to stay at luxury camps in Wadi Rum, since the desert is so hot and not environmentally friendly. Choose Luxury and Stargazing dome camps like Sun City Camp or Memories Aicha Luxury Camp. If you really like to stay at authentic traditional camps, choose Wadi Rum Bedouin Camp or Bedouin Lifestyle Camp.
3. Appreciate the Beauty of Sunset
Every backpacker has to figure out how beautiful desert lights are when the sun sets down. The sunset in Wadi is magical, it is more blessed to see the rock and sands turn deep orange and red colors when the sun slowly goes down. The sun set makes every desert landscape like Sandstone Mountains painted orange, purple and red at every phase of its time zone.
Maybe even today this epic and interesting thing tempts nomadic backpackers to capture the brilliant beauty of the desert. When evening western side lights directly hit red rocks and create deep crimson and gold hues will really urge you to click photos from your camera or mobile. If you’re with your family then don’t miss to take backdrop pictures with family members when the sun hits rock and sand dunes.
Actually you can enjoy sunset at 3 different spots, Um Sabatah, Um Mugur and Al Ramel near Jabal AI-Qattar dunes. In each place the sun sets exactly anywhere between 16:30 and 19:45 in the afternoon. Once the sunsets temperature starts to drop immediately and you may feel warm night atmospheres. Sooner this ideal temperatures makes you to sit with your family or partner to see how beautiful starts illuminating the night from desert.
4. Watch Stargazing
Stargazing one of the rarest activities which you can do at rarest places on earth, under that Wadi Rum National Park is one of them. When the sun set, Wadi park started to witness a clear sky and slowly thousands of stars started to display in its sky. Since the desert is more isolated, elevated and less polluted, you and your family member’s easily spot brilliant views of stargazing.
Once you start to see stars through telescopes, eyes start to find sheer density if they start from this epic Jordan desert, sometimes even possible to find the Milky Way from earth. Additionally Orion, Gemini, Taurus and Ursa Major are perfectly visible from Wadi. But one thing as a backpacker should know is, staying near a place where stargazing is more visible and the ideal season to see.
We already inform you where to stay, but when to go for the best stargazing is also a crucial task. Choose to stay at Wadi Between March to May and September to November (it combines both spring and autumn season). Both these witnessing more clear sky, dry surfaces and less cloud covers, help us to see stars without any distractions. Out of this 2 best seasons, winter has longer night time and dark sky but release extreme cold temperature (23℉), be ready for that.
5. Try to Hike at National Parks Mountains and Sand Dunes
Wadi is home to some of the incredible hiking destinations which try to cater every sort of adventure hiker. If you are one of them, choose to hike its massive sandstone and granite mountain towers. Most national parks hiking trails depict different sides of park culture and natural beauty, sandy valleys and narrow canyons which help you see panoramic views of the entire national park at one point.
Choose “Jebel Um Ad Dami” if you truly wish to do daring or adventure hiking journeys. Despite being an uneven terrain system and climbing over rocky terrain, the summit offers excellent views of Wadi Rum, Red Sea and Saudi Mountains.
I personally prefer you to take some seriousness while hiking at “Burdah Arch”. While comparing other hiking destinations, Burdah Arch is perfectly suited to photographers. Thanks to its natural rock bridge, epic view of national park arches. Spend more time at its summit and take plenty of photos from its top.
Your plan to head on Wadi Rum National Park during winter and leisure/ easy hiking trails, then Jebel AI Hash is exclusively waiting for you. Throughout the hiking journey your duty is to appreciate the beauty of the flat ridge of the trails, Wadi Sabit views and spot the region’s endangered species like Lizards and fossils.
6. Get Enough Clicks of Desert Beauty from Your Camera
One of the primary reasons behind your trip to Wadi is to capture some of the brilliant photos from your camera. Each step of your journey exhibits different attractions and natural beauties.
If you’re a big fan of calligraphy or rock formations, take a picture of Rock Petroglyphs. Canyons are the heart of the national parks and spread across major parts of it. While you walk amidst its beauty it urges you to take aerial photos of Canyon, especially Abu Khashaba.
Most of the time you might think Sunset is the only great thing to take epic photos. Even Lawrence Spring, Rock Bridge Red Dunes are the most eligible places for your camera. If you’re not satisfied with these photo-friendly places, choose wild desert panoramas or night sky photos for better photos.
7. Indulge in Rich Bedouin Food
Every place you’re going to visit will try to explain its ancient roots and cultural legacies through different ways. And it is possible only through understanding their current lifestyles, cuisines and festivals, which are generating over a decade. Perhaps you may experience it too at many other destinations.
We also request you to do it here in Wadi Rum National Park too. Local Bedouin peoples are the nomadic Arab peoples who once migrated from the Arabian Peninsula. But if you observe today they cultivate unique traditions than rest of the Arbaian cultures especially when it comes to oral poetry and animal herdings (camel, goats and sheep). Oral traditions are part of their daily life, music poetry, tribal battles and genealogy are usually explained orally, and if you ask them about anything related to their culture and traditions, majorly they will explain orally.
Bedouin Cultural Trip will only be complete once you try traditional Bedouin Food. Even today many campers loved to eat Zarb, a traditional dish cooked underground in the sand. Food contains pieces of chicken, vegetables and potatoes at its lower sections and once it starts to boil the entire metal plate is covered and poured sand over it.
Additionally, you have an opportunity to try goat meat, lamb and dry yogurt along with Zarb. Make sure that cardamom coffee and aromatic sage tea is really good here, just try it.
How to Get to Wadi Rum
Once you land in Amman International Airport (closest airport to Wadi Rum National Park), you have to take a rental car/taxi or buses to reach Aqaba, unfortunately there is no direct transportations available to reach Wadi Rum directly from the airport.
Once you reach Aqaba, there are plenty of private buses/ taxis that offer direct connectivity to the national park. Located just 60 km, and your journey won’t take more than 2.5 hours to reach. To return journey choose minibuses operated from Wadi every 1 PM.
When Should You Visit
Visiting Wadi Rum National Park is always based on your intention and convenience of travel. Not each season helps you to do the above things, some may be unfit in some seasons. So, choose your purpose for why you are actually heading to Wadi Rum.
According to my research one thing I notice here in Wadi is if you’re going to do all the above things at a time, then choose the spring or Autumn season (March to May and September to November).
Your intention is visiting just to spend overnight camping or see the beauty of Stargazing, then visit the winter season. Starting from December to February, winter offers clear skies and clouds, chill nights to spend overnight stays.
For Additional references:
Best Campsites in Wadi Rum National Park
Best Hotels in Wadi Rum National Park
