Wadi Rum Protected Area

The view from the summit of Jebel Rum (Photo Preis)

Wadi Rum was established as a Nature Reserve (otherwise known as a "protected area") in 1998, and is administered by Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN). This will undoubtedly involve many changes in the way that people visit the area. Until now, there has been little organisation of tourism here, this is already being taken in hand, and an ambitious Visitors' Centre is being built, some six kms to the north of the Rest House. The Centre is scheduled to be opened in 2003 and the idea is that after this, tourists will not normally visit the village of Rum, but will start the sightseeing tour from Wadi Um Ishrin.

A vociferous lobby has managed to gain a number of exceptions for climbers, and it seems probable that they will still be able to base themselves in Rum village and sleep in Wadi S'Bach, although the future of the present Rest House is uncertain. (See Wadi Rum Forum for more details on this).

Among the measures planned to benefit climbing are : the training of climbing guides to internationally accepted standards; the establishment of a properly equipped Rescue Team; and the obligatory registration by climbers, the day before, of their planned climbs. All these are theoretically sensible measures, but are not yet in full effect.

One useful concession which has been obtained is the exemption of "specialised guides" from the normal rota of available guides in the Rest House. Climbing, scrambling and trekking guides are important specialised guides, so it is not necessary to reserve with them 48 hours beforehand, as was the case at one time.

No decisions have yet been taken on any other measures in Wadi Rum, either for general tourism or for climbing and trekking. As soon as anything at all is announced, it will be posted here.