Adventures in the Wadi Rum Desert, Jordan

During our visit to Jordan, we went on one of the most memorable journeys of my life – an overnight trip to the Wadi Rum desert.

It was a two-hour drive from Petra, where we had made our home base for 2 weeks, to Wadi Rum. We arrived to the little town right outside the desert and met the Bedouin owner of the camp who invited us in for tea and explained our journey. We then met the Bedouin guide who would drive us through the mystical desert all day and the later to our tent where we would spend the night.

As we ventured on our journey in the back of a Toyota truck all fixed up with Bedouin designs, we stopped about 5 times at different little sites throughout the desert.

The sand was dark orange and it almost looked as if it were fake. There were many dunes and cool rocks that looked like different shapes. My favorite stop of the day was at a huge sand dune where I tried sandboarding for the first time. It was so much fun!

For lunch we stopped in a cave where our guide made a fire and cooked us traditional Jordanian food with all fresh ingredients. We even stopped for tea with some other tourists in a tent and enjoyed the beautiful landscape.

As the sun started setting, we made our way to a special spot where we could see the sunset perfectly and we sat there for about a half an hour. Watching the sun go down on the red sand hills was one of the most magical things I had ever seen in my entire life.

Once the sun set, it started to get dark quickly, so we headed to the camp where we would eat and then later go to sleep in our tents. Once we got there we settled into our tent which was a two bedroom tent with a full bathroom equipped with electricity. I found this very shocking for a tent in the middle of the desert. Before we went to bed, we had a traditional Bedouin dinner that was cooked inside a pot underneath the sand. It was so awesome!

After dinner they invited us to sit outside on cushions and drink tea, which was being heated by an open fire. The tea was amazing and spiced with cinnamon, cardamon, and tons of sugar! It was the best tea I have ever tasted.

After we drank tea, one of the guides started to play the guitar and sing and then all the other staff joined in. After about 30 minutes of singing, they put out the fire so we could gaze at the stars. I was shocked by all the stars I could see!! There were millions and there were no lights around us so it looked like I could see the whole galaxy. After almost everyone had gone to bed and it got quiet, I was on the lookout for a shooting star. Finally, after about 30 minutes of staring at the twinkling sky, I saw my first shooting star and it shined across the whole sky!

The next morning they gave us a quick breakfast and took us back to the town on the edge of the desert where a car came and took us back to our hotel in Petra.

The trip to Wadi Rum was one of the most wonderful days of my life and my favorite part was looking at the magical sky at night.

XOXO Cassidy

About the Author: Hi, I’m Cassidy. I am 14 years old and have been traveling and volunteering with my family for the past 2 years. I grew up in Italy where I found my love for singing, dancing, and pretty much all things Italian. My favorite place in the world is Venice, Italy – where I spent my childhood and consider my true home. I love to write about the fun and sweet side of life and travel (desserts, friends, fashion, dogs, etc…) and hope to share my unique perspective as a traveling teen with you! You can follow my sweet adventures at TheTravelingCupcake.net