Bedouin Directions

ANSWERS

How can I make a reservation?

If you know the tour you want to book, please use the BOOK NOW form. For other more general enquiries, please use the Enquiries form. You can also email me on: wadirum.mehedi@gmail.com.

I can also receive bookings by  telephone: 00 962 772800913. However, I do prefer when possible to do things by e-mail  or the website. This is so things are clear between us, as over the phone it is easy to forget what was said, to get your name wrong etc. Also when calling many evenings I am in the Camp with no reception so it is best to call in the morning, or before 4pm. In summertime we are GMT + 3, in winter daylight saving hours we are GMT + 2.

No deposit is needed to secure your booking and there is no charge for cancellation. Once you have made your booking an email will be sent with all agreed details, tour/s, prices, arrival/departure dates, please check the information in this confirmation and please let us know if there are any errors.

A few times a year during the most busy times (Easter Weekend & Christmas/ New Year Holidays) we can get fully booked. If you are booking last minute on those dates please send an enquiry first as we do not yet have a sophisticated booking system to manage availability. We manage all our bookings manually. We will post news items on the book now page & on our Facebook page when possible about dates that are getting full/ or are fully booked.

Payment

No deposit is needed when booking and there is no charge for cancellations.

We can only accept cash payment in JOD (Jordanian Dinar) before you leave at the end of your tour. But with prior agreement we can sometimes accept other currencies (EUROS or USD). Please be aware there are no ATM's in Rum village and no facility to take credit card or visa payments.

Food: What will I be eating?

Breakfast
Breakfast is usually: Zattar (Bread dipped in olive oil then dipped into a herb mixture), very good for your digestion! See if you can guess which herb it is?….We also serve assorted jams, halawa, eggs, cheese etc. Of course provided along with the ubiquitous Bedouin tea.

Lunch
Lunch on most of the tours is cooked for you on the fire by your guide. Usually a simple Bedouin dish which is vegetarian with tomatoes and beans, but sometimes with tinned fish (tuna). Served with salad, yoghurt, sometimes hommous or similar.

This is not done on the full day Camel Trek or if you are doing a Pure Hiking Tour, this is because the camels and you cannot carry all the pans etc. A picnic lunch or packed lunch is provided on these tours.

Dinner
Dinner again does vary but we will prepare for you a traditional Bedouin dish.

For example: The Zaarb, the traditional Bedouin meal cooked in something like an oven/ barbacue under the sand. Served with rice, vegetarian dish, salads & bread.

Mansaff, another traditional dish of chicken cooked with a kind of yogurt. Served with rice, vegetarian dish, salads & bread.

We are happy to cater for vegetarians/ vegans/ people with allergies. Please do inform us of your diet on booking.

What do I need to bring?

Our suggestions:

• Suncream

• Hat

• Sunglasses

• Towel

• Torch/Flashlight

• We do not provide sheets or pillowcases. Bringing them is not obligatory, but if you will sleep more comfortably with them you are welcome to bring your own.

• A Basic First Aid Kit. Especially handy for hikers, in cases of blisters, scrapes, or twisted ankles etc.

Clothing:

'Is it cold at night?', 'How hot is it really in the daytime?' ' What are the temperatures in Wadi Rum?'

• In the winter months (Nov - February) it can be very cold in the evening, and cool in the day time. We can get windy days, and rainy days (perhaps once or twice a month in a normal year - sometimes up to 5 days in a row if a big storm comes over us). You should pack warm comfortable clothes for sleeping. Including warm layers to put on in the day time if needed: A jacket, hat, gloves, warm trousers, socks. Even in the tent when your body is warm under the blanket, your face and head can feel cold as it is exposed to the nightime air (not like in an insulated house) so Bedouin sleep with our Keffiyah over our head or under the blanket. You can wear your hat and this will help you to sleep comfortably. Especially important when visiting us with young children at this time of year.

• In the times of year when the weather is changing from hot - cold or from cold - hot (Sept/ Oct & March/ April) the nights can still be cold. Although not as cold as in the winter. At this time of year the temperatures can really vary so you will need cooler layers for the daytime than in the winter as the days start to feel hot. But you should still pack a good jumper or jacket, pair of warm trousers, socks in case of a cool evening/ day.

• May - August is summer. The days are hot and long and the evenings comfortable or warm. Mostly the heat is very dry rather than humid.

• Notes for men and women: Bedouins are Muslim and our culture and beliefs are very conservative. Men and women cover their bodies here, so please be aware of this when choosing your clothes. In the village in particular, men and women will attract unwanted attention in shorts and revealing clothes. Single female travellers can also really help themselves to keep boundaries in place & make clear your intention (reduce the chance of a mis-understanding), by dressing modestly. However, be aware that it is not just clothing but how you behave as well!

Extras For hiking:

• Supportive, light, with a good grip, covered shoes

• Clothes you don't mind getting dusty

• Long sleeves & long trousers

Luggage:

• When taking a camel trek to/ from the camp your luggage is transported to/from the Camp by Jeep.

• When taking your tour you are welcome to take you bags with you in the Jeep.

• We can also take any bags you don't want with you for the day to the camp for you (by Jeep).

• We can also keep any bags you don't want with you for the day or in the camp for the night, in the village. Mehedi will keep them safely for you in his house.

• There are no charges for luggage handling : D

How can I find you when I arrive in Wadi Rum?

Arrival in Wadi Rum

When using the bus from Petra or arranging your own transport (taxi or rental car) please note the following directions for meeting up: 

Arrival By Rental car or Taxi

If you are driving to Wadi Rum by rental car/ taxi firstly you will reach the visitor center, where you will need to park the car, and go to the desk to buy your entrance ticket. If they ask you what your plans are you can tell them you have an e-mail reservation and that you are meeting your guide in the village. THERE is no charge for any vehicle to drive on the tarmac road to Rum Village. There is only a charge if you have a 4x4 and want to drive in the desert.

Once you have your ticket continue down the road with your car/taxi for about 5KM. You will reach the village. I will meet you at the Guest House which is the 1st building on the right as you enter the village. There is a car park there where you can park your car safely. Please call or text me from the road when you  are close to Wadi Rum, so that I know you are on your way and on schedule.

If you are arriving in a TAXI, take a little bit of care.  If the driver wants you to change to another guides car, before the Visitor Center or before the village, or at a different place in the Village (other than the GH), he is not giving you to me but a guide who will give him commission for 'delivering' you. If you are suspicious or have any problems you can call me (00 962 772800913)

Arrival on the Bus from Petra:

(Dep: 6-6.30am, arr: 8.30am, price: 7JD p.p)

If you are arriving on the bus from Petra, then please tell the driver you have a booking and that you are meeting your guide in Wadi Rum village at the Guest House. He will firstly stop at the visitor center, where one of you should quickly go to get your tickets, while the other one stays with the bags and bus, to make sure he doesn't leave without you. Once you have your tickets, the bus will continue to Rum village. The Guest House is the 1st building on the right as you enter the village and if he doesn't stop please indicate to him that you want to get off there. I will be waiting for you. 

Sometimes a few Hotels in Petra will tell you the bus is not running when it is. This is usually because they want you to take a shared taxi, they will usually (not always but it does happen) also try to get you to change your booking to their contact in Wadi Rum. If the Hotel is telling you the bus is not running please whatsapp me and I will call the driver to check if this is correct or not. Sometimes it will not run if there are not enough people, the road is closed etc, so it can happen. If you do decide to change to their guide, please do contact me to cancel so I am not waiting unnecessarily for you. Many thanks.

All Guests: PLEASE NOTE **

Please don't listen to the people who are waiting outside the Visitor Center building as they spend the whole day waiting to 'catch' tourists and they will lie to you quite happily and tell you they are me or work for me! They can be convincing but don't believe them. I will not wait for you there, and a guide that works for me will not wait for you there. We will wait in the village. Also don't give them the money for your ticket as they will keep it & not give it to the Visitor Center. You can simply walk to the Visitor Center Office without talking to them, buy your ticket and then continue to the village in your car to the village.

Can't you just meet us at the Visitor Center?

As much as I would like to meet you at the Visitor Center, I don't usually do this as it is simply not practical.

The Visitor Center is 5KM away from the Village where we all live, where the shops are, petrol shops and so on.

Practically if I try to meet all my guests at the Visitor Center, one you have arrived we then need to drive to the village to sit together talk about the tour, drink some welcome tea, get organised etc. (nowhere to sit at the Visitor Center). Then when I am driving between the Visitor Center and Village or sitting talking with people that have just arrived, the Visitor Center is left unattended. Then if you are expecting to meet someone there and we are not there, it will be easier for people to trick you. I could pay someone to sit there all day, everyday waiting for my guests, but even then once he has met them, he would either need to call me to collect them, or to bring them to the village himself, leaving the Visitor Center unattended again. This also quickly adds up to a lot of backwards and forwards journeys between the Visitor Center and Village. Not good for the environment and a waste of time when it is easy for you to come to the village.

People can either arrive in Wadi Rum on the bus from Petra, by Taxi or in a Rental Car. For all three options it is easy to continue to the village and to meet us there. Then when you arrive we can sit together, drink some tea, talk about the program, introduce you to your guide etc, then if other people arrive at the same time it is okay, and no-one is left waiting, or arrives to find no-one waiting to meet them. 

Most guides who live in Wadi Rum will meet their guests in the village, usually at their house. We meet at the Guest House because it is very easy to find. 

The Guest House is also known as the Rest House & the Hillawi Rest. All three names are for the same place. 

How can I travel to Wadi Rum?

All detailed information about transport to/from Wadi Rum can be found on our Transport Page.