Wadi Rum

Time for our week-long tour of Jordan. We crossed the Gulf of Aqaba by hydrofoil on the afternoon of 7 December, arriving shortly after 6:00pm. We’d already cleared customs before boarding in Egypt so disembarking was quick and easy.

Our first impression of Jordan? It’s cleaner than Egypt, or at least relatively free of hazy desert dust. This was obvious from the moment we stepped off the boat in Aqaba. Thanks to its haze-free air we enjoyed a crisp and clear sea view from our hotel room. The Gulf of Aqaba simply dazzled in the sunshine.

This is also where we got our first glimpse of Israel. The Israeli port of Eilat looks surprisingly close as you can see from the image above. Its proximity, less than 2km away, left an indelible impression. It's hard to imagine that this township on the opposing shore was once considered "enemy territory".

After a solid night’s sleep, we spent a lazy morning wandering the streets of this quaint seaside town, before the group set off for Petra via the Wadi Rum desert. The road climbs rapidly from Aqaba to the desert plateau more than 1600 metres above sea level. As it twists and turns it offers some stunning views of Israel and the Red Sea.

Wadi Rum was magic. Wadi is the Arabic term traditionally referring to the bed or valley of a river that's usually dry except in the rainy season. This particular wadi is home to an extraordinary desert landscape of red sand and strange-shaped rock formations. The overall effect is so alien that the area is often referred to as the Valley of the Moon. It's no surprise that Hollywood loves shooting movies here.

This is the desert of Lawrence of Arabia fame; blazing sands, purple mountains, and shadows playing tricks with your eyes. Matt Damon’s 2015 blockbuster, The Martian, was also filmed here. However, unlike the real Mars where the average daytime temperature hovers around  minus 64C, summer temperatures at Wadi Run regularly exceed 40C.

We spent several hours driving around in rusty old 4-wheel-drive utes, and exploring narrow ravines, before finally stopping to watch the sun sink slowly below the desert horizon. The contrast between the desert’s deepening shadows and its iridescent red sand was simply mesmerising.

Join us for our next stop in Petra. A magical place where Indiana Jones would feel right at home.