Why we don't have private toilets and showers with tents.

Recently, we have been asked if our tents have private toilets and the answer is no, we are attempting to keep our water consumption down and to live more sustainably. While we cannot, presently, avoid plastic drinking water bottles we can try to control the amount of water being brought to camp.....private toilets lead to much higher water consumption which in turn leads to more frequent trips made by the water truck! Jordan is extremely water-poor and we don't want to add to that any more than is absolutely necessary! Our camp is small and so coping with a shared toilet/shower block is not a problem for travellers who enjoy camping... we are not so many people in one place!

What's there to see in October?

This is possibly our favourite time of year as the S’hel come into flower. This is a type of hyacinth which, the Bedouin believe, announce the arrival of the rain! Well, we can only hope, but one thing is for sure….they are stunningly beautiful and if you are lucky enough to spend some time in the White desert in the coming days you will see swathes of them. We even have some in the camp for those of you who only have time for an overnight stay!

Top tips for staying cool in August! 2022

Many travellers have asked if we run our tours in the summer months and the answer is, yes, we run all trips all year round. You may be surprised to find just how comfortable it is in Wadi Rum exploring shady canyons or simply lazing in the shade of an overhanging rock. The trick to staying cool is: Seize the day! Start early. Take a snooze or catch up on some reading in the shade in the hot afternoon and make the most of those balmy evenings either side of sunset and under the myriad of stars at night.

Do wear a hat or scarf - Scarves can be purchased from the many Bedouin tents if you have forgotten. Just ask!

Do stay hydrated - we always carry water for you! Remember there is always Bedouin tea available in a moment’s notice.

Do wet a scarf to wear aorund your neck or head while on the moving jeep - just don’t put the water on your skin or hair directly!

Do wrap a wet scarf around your water bottle and dangle over the edge of the moving jeep - make sure you hold onto it though!

Do cover your arms and legs in direct sunlight - layer up and off as needed throughout your trip.

Do wear sunscreen. Some shops in the village will have a limited selection but they do NOT stock ‘Aftersun’.

Do expect to go-slow. It is possible to do everything you want; just check your pace.

Do travel by jeep or camel if unsure about hiking in hot weather, let them do the work for you!

Do try bivouac camping if your budget will allow…it is magical and August is good for shooting stars.

If you are still not convinced…..perhaps try a half day tour instead.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sahtein!

Jebel Rum Panorama, Wadi Rum

Mehedi and Salem on the top of Jebel Rum many years ago now!

Jeep Tour in Wadi Rum - A Slideshow

A short slideshow about the tours offered by Bedouin Directions.

Whats in a name? All about Bedouin names ...

Demystifying how Arab names work ...

For Bedouin people our name is a very important thing and from a young age we start to teach our children their full name. 

To our guests in Wadi Rum Bedouin names are a bit of a puzzle... In this post I would like to explain a bit about how Bedouin names work... its not as mysterious as you might think...

I wonder how many of you know the name of your Great Grandfather or your Great, Great Grandfather?

For Bedouin people this is common knowledge because of how we name our children.

Firstly when a child is born they are given their own first name. The parents choose this.

Then his second name is the name of his father.

His third name is the name of his grandfather.

Then his last name is the name of his tribe.

Some people might have another second tribal name if his tribe is a sub branch or a large tribe.

Lets look at my name:

Mehedi - my first name.

You can call me Mehedi when we meet. : D

Saleh - my second name. This is the name of my father. 

You might need this when talking to other people about me. This is how we would differentiate me from another Mehedi in the village. There are not hoards of Mehedi's but there are a few others so to be sure who you mean when you talk about me you would say: Mehedi Saleh.

Sometimes if a person has a first name that is widely used - like Mohammed. Then you might well need his first name, second name and possibly even his third name to be sure who you mean. There is a fair chance if his name is Mohammed there are others with the same first and second name. Then you need to use his third name and possibly even his tribes name to differentiate him from the other Mohammed's.

Mohammed - my third name. This is the name of my Grandfather.

I don't use this so much in everyday life, but if my first name was Mohammed I might need to! However, I certainly know it and this is the name of my Grandfather.

Anyone only needs to know their fathers full name to know the name of their great grandfather. Most people will also know their grandfathers full name, and from that name you know your great grandfathers first name.

abu-Rabia - my tribe name. This is the sub group of a larger tribe.

This reveals the history of your tribe. Where your tribe comes from and your ancestry. Most people can talk about the relevant history of their tribe. How their tribe came to have the name they have, how they got to the place they are now living, and if there is a larger "parent" tribe when the smaller tribe became a sub tribe of the larger tribe.

Al Heuwaitat - my tribe name. This is the large "parent" tribe I belong to.

Finally this name reveals the large "parent" tribe I belong to and the history of my ancestry can be understood. The Heuwaitat can be traced back to the Prophet Mohammed and his daughter Fatima. You can read more about my tribe specifically on Bedouin Directions website HERE.

As you can see there is a lot in a name! 

Women are also given a first female name, then their second and third names are also the names of their father and grandfather. When women get married they don't change their names. All their paperwork/ ID's etc remain the same. 

Once they get married and have their first child they become known as: Um (mother) X (their first child's name). Usually if the first child is a daughter she will have her daughters name, then if she later has a son her name will change to Um (mother) of her son's name. Most people assume this is something sexist.

Perhaps it is, but in my opinion it is not sexist, the reason comes back to the fact that the girls will get married and move away (not necessarily but most likely). In the past particularly that would often involve moving far away from home during a time when travel was difficult and time consuming. The mother taking her children's name is a act of remembrance and we like to remember the present. Therefore, taking the name of your son you take the name of the person who will stay close to home, and it will most likely be his home you stay in when you are old. We see that as a beautiful thing.

Sometimes if the oldest son dies, people will switch to using the name of the second son, this is because they don't like to remind the mother of her loss. Perhaps, with girls names it is the same, because girls are destined to be "lost"....

Bedouin Music in Wadi Rum

Amazing camping trip with Bedouin Directions at Wadi Rum.

The Sound of the Desert

Bedouin Directions - You'll enjoy getting Lost...

A Video - Adventure in Wadi Rum

This video is about adventure in JORDAN WADI RUM with Bedouin Directions.

Thanks to Bryson and Kelsey Bohman for making and sharing this video with us.