To start with, on the left is an actual photo of Wadi Rum. On the right is a picture of the same rock formation with some visual effects to make it look a bit more like Mars. But as you can see, it's not a stretch.
I decided to take a tour through Jordan to visit the desert of Wadi Rum and the ancient archeological site of Petra in two days. After being blown away by Petra, I was skeptical that Wadi Rum could top it.
But when we arrived at the Bedouin camp in Wadi Rum after visiting Petra, I knew I was wrong. While Wadi Rum is mostly uninhabitable, Bedouins have lived in different parts of the desert for centuries. Today, many run luxury campsites for tourists and Jordanians.
Our guide pointed out a cliffside behind the camp that he suggested would be a good viewpoint to see the landscape during the sunset. It was a short, 10-minute hike up.
But the view was stunning. It was immediately apparent why some Jordanians call Wadi Rum "The Valley of the Moon." The landscape certainly looked lunar or Mars-like.
As sunset began to descend, winds picked up the fine sand that blankets the desert. The desert turned to an ethereal purple-red. It looked like one of the sandstorms that Matt Damon's character survives in The Martian.
Overlaid with a light fog (or dust, I couldn't tell), the sunset looked like a watercolor painting. I could have sat up there for hours.
I wasn't the only one. The rock formation was covered with other people in the tour, as well as the Jordanians staying at the camp, enjoying the sunset.
Here's an aerial look at the Bedouin camp where I stayed. In front is the restaurant and bar, followed by a pool and an encampment of tents and "chalets" (don't get excited, they're more like air-conditioned shacks), and an amphitheater for events.
While Wadi Rum has been used for countless sci-fi movies, its first appearance in a film was anything but. It figured prominently in the 1962 classic Lawrence of Arabia, based on the life of T.E. Lawrence, the British traveler famed for his participation in 1916 Arab Revolt.
The real-life Lawrence spent considerable time in Jordan, particularly in Wadi Rum. He called it “vast, echoing and God-like.” I have to agree.
The following morning I woke up at 5:45 a.m. to catch the sunrise. With only a 10-minute walk up to the view point, I had no excuses to miss it.
In the hour after sunrise, the desert lights up in crimson. It's a dramatic shift that I will not soon forget. For a moment, I forgot I was on earth.
After breakfast, I headed with the tour group for a Jeep tour through the desert. Turned out however that the definition of "Jeep" varies from culture to culture. We were being taken out in rickety old pickup trucks outfitted with benches.
But as soon as we passed onto the sand, all worry was forgotten. As Lawrence wrote, "Our little caravan fell quiet, afraid and ashamed to flaunt its smallness in the presence of the stupendous hills." Well said, old chap.
Despite the age of the trucks, the Bedouin drivers drove at full speed through the sand. They were skilled drivers. There was no slipping and sliding.
The sand in Wadi Rum is known for being the reddest in Jordan. It's colored by iron oxide.
Source: National Geographic
Interestingly, the desert was a pleasant temperature if you weren't in the sun. The structure of the valley creates a consistent breeze. Without this makeshift sun cover, though, I would have been roasted.
There are tons of activities that you can do in Wadi Rum, from camel-riding like T.E. Lawrence to hiking, rock-climbing, or camping. Some camps even have clear glass bubble tents so that you can watch the stars all night.
But I only had a day to explore. Next time, I'd like to camp out in the desert for four or five days. This view was from the top of a rock arch where the guides brought our group.
It's not just the color of the sand that makes Wadi Rum look like another planet, but the craggy structure of the rocks and hills. Many of the mesas are older than the Dead Sea that separates Jordan and Israel.
Source: National Geographic
The formations are the "result of primordial tectonic movement that cleaved the bedrock with almost cubic perfection before raising it high above the desert floor," according to National Geographic.
Source: National Geographic
Don't be fooled by the stray camels along the desert. None of them are wild. As our guide, Nizar Alhasani, told the group, the only wild animals left in Jordan are foxes, hyenas, wolves, and smaller animals.
What's perhaps most surprising is that Wadi Rum wasn't always this dry. Both Greeks and Romans refer to the desert as being known for its vineyards and olive and pine trees.
Source: Lonely Planet