"Vast, Echoing and God-like", these are the words T.E Lawrence used in describing Wadi Rum. It is the largest and most magnificent of Jordan's desert Landscapes, but by no means the only one. Jordan is crisscrossed with countless valleys of stunning beauty, from the knife-edged dunes of Wadi Araba to the Wadi Mujib, a wildlife reserve and Jordan’s answer to Grand Canyon.

There are many ways to experience Wadi Rum's fragile, unspoiled desert retreats. Serious trekkers will be drawn to Wadi Rum, with challenging climbs some up to heights of 1750 meters, while casual hikers can also enjoy an easy course through the colorful sandstone "Jabals" hills and canyons. Tourists with a high sense of adventure will want to try hiking and cliff climbing on Jabal Rum "Ramm", Jordan's second highest mountain. Those of calm disposition will probably prefer a camel ride or a night under the stars in a Bedouin tent.  

Relatively few of Jordan's Bedouin still follow the ways of their ancestors. Most have settled in cities and towns and are found in every walk of life. Yet low-slung Black tents and pack camels have not vanished from the landscape, and many travelers find a shared meal or coffee with traditional desert Bedouin to be their most memorable experience. Naturalists will be drawn to the desert in springtime, when rains bring the greening of hills and an explosion of hundreds of species of wild flowers. Red anemones, poppies and the striking Black Iris, Jordan's national flower, grow at will by the roadside and in more quiet reaches.

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