General information about the trips
Here we try to answer a few of the questions that are most often asked by people before their arrival.
Food : we believe we offer a variety of dishes, based on local ones, ample in quantity and well cooked. In warm weather, lunch is usually a salad dish, supper is always hot. Vegetarian food can be supplied, but if possible, please tell us about this before you arrive. Breakfast is bread or buns which we can warm on the fire, and a choice of cheese, jam and etcs (whatever we see in the shops that looks good!). And of course, plenty of tea! We can also offer instant coffee for breakfast.
Sleeping equipment : we supply mattresses and blankets. In cold weather then we have comforters which keep you nice and warm. There is no real need for you to bring sleeping bags, but it is true that some people prefer to use their own. This is up to you.
In general : You should wear something on your head and bring plenty of sunscreen with you. You will also need a shoulder bag or rucksack for for daytime necessities. They would chiefly be a camera, a bottle of water, some kind of head covering, a snack if you think you will need one, perhaps a light sweater or something with long sleeves, and of course anything personal you think you might need.
Arriving in Wadi Rum : there is a daily bus from Petra to Wadi Rum, leaving Petra at about 6.30am. The procedure for this bus is that you aks your hotel to reserve you a place and the bus then comes to pick you up. When we are expecting clients coming from Petra, we meet this bus on its arrival at the Visitors' Centre. There are two buses a day from Aqaba which leave there at 1pm (13h00) and at 3pm (15h00). These two buses do not run on Fridays, but the Petra bus does.
Onward transport : except on Fridays buses leave Wadi Rum in the mornings for Aqaba at about 7am and for Petra (every day) at about 8h30am. We can always get you to Rum in time for these buses. If you are going anywhere else, there are plenty of connections in Aqaba for Amman and points north. I do warn you that the bus for Aqaba is usually crowded out with local people and it is difficult for a tourist to find a seat on it.
There are no other buses from Rum that go every day. If you leave later in the day, we can usually take you 30kms to the Desert Highway where there is a bus stop (the normal price for this is 5JD), or we can arrange a taxi for you to whatever destination you wish. This is a service we offer to our clients and we take no commission on it (if you were wondering!) You may pay us or the driver directly as you wish.
Some taxi prices (in every case the "vice versa" is the same price) :
Times : our standard jeep tour usually begins at about 9.30am. If you are in Wadi Rum much earlier than this, either because you have come on an early bus or because you have spent the night here, we suggest that you might like to stroll up to Wadi Shelaala above the Resthouse and look at the dripping well there. The path is very straightforward and you can go there and come back easily in 40 minutes or so. But the timing of the other tours is flexible, and we can start later or finish earlier to fit in with whatever your plans are.
Toilets and rubbish : There is a toilet in the camp where we usually spend the night. Otherwise, out in the desert, we are sorry but one has to go behind a rock! Please be sure that all wastes are buried, and push a bit of sand over any "evidence". Toilet paper should be burned or put into a plastic bag for you to bring back and add to the camp rubbish.
It is a good idea always to have a plastic bag or two with you for the rubbish that tends to accumulate. There will usually be a general rubbish bag with the car, there is always one in an overnight stop.
"Good" guides in Wadi Rum do not leave rubbish lying around. Most of us pick up any objects discarded by less careful souls.
Clothes : Don't try to look smart! You can wear almost anything that will let you sit on the ground / ride a camel / scramble into a jeep / etc. We do ask ladies not to wear anything too skimpy when they are in the village (halter necks, short shorts, etc). When you are out in the desert then it doesn't matter, we are used to just about anything! But please do keep a tee shirt available for the village.
Shoes : trekking sandals will be enough for most people (NOT beach sandals!) For scrambling you might prefer to bring sturdy shoes or boots, and certainly for the mountains like Jebel Rum or Jebel Khazali. Don't forget a supply of cotton socks. Otherwise whatever you like : tennis shoes or sneakers, boat shoes or trainers are all fine for hiking, as of course are the trekking sandals previously suggested.
Contact information
My phone number is +962.795.834.736 (or 0795.834.736 from inside Jordan). . It is a mobile phone and you can also send SMS text messages.
You can reach me by email at attayak@rumguides.com.
Food : we believe we offer a variety of dishes, based on local ones, ample in quantity and well cooked. In warm weather, lunch is usually a salad dish, supper is always hot. Vegetarian food can be supplied, but if possible, please tell us about this before you arrive. Breakfast is bread or buns which we can warm on the fire, and a choice of cheese, jam and etcs (whatever we see in the shops that looks good!). And of course, plenty of tea! We can also offer instant coffee for breakfast.Sleeping equipment : we supply mattresses and blankets. In cold weather then we have comforters which keep you nice and warm. There is no real need for you to bring sleeping bags, but it is true that some people prefer to use their own. This is up to you.
In general : You should wear something on your head and bring plenty of sunscreen with you. You will also need a shoulder bag or rucksack for for daytime necessities. They would chiefly be a camera, a bottle of water, some kind of head covering, a snack if you think you will need one, perhaps a light sweater or something with long sleeves, and of course anything personal you think you might need.
Arriving in Wadi Rum : there is a daily bus from Petra to Wadi Rum, leaving Petra at about 6.30am. The procedure for this bus is that you aks your hotel to reserve you a place and the bus then comes to pick you up. When we are expecting clients coming from Petra, we meet this bus on its arrival at the Visitors' Centre. There are two buses a day from Aqaba which leave there at 1pm (13h00) and at 3pm (15h00). These two buses do not run on Fridays, but the Petra bus does.
Onward transport : except on Fridays buses leave Wadi Rum in the mornings for Aqaba at about 7am and for Petra (every day) at about 8h30am. We can always get you to Rum in time for these buses. If you are going anywhere else, there are plenty of connections in Aqaba for Amman and points north. I do warn you that the bus for Aqaba is usually crowded out with local people and it is difficult for a tourist to find a seat on it.
There are no other buses from Rum that go every day. If you leave later in the day, we can usually take you 30kms to the Desert Highway where there is a bus stop (the normal price for this is 5JD), or we can arrange a taxi for you to whatever destination you wish. This is a service we offer to our clients and we take no commission on it (if you were wondering!) You may pay us or the driver directly as you wish.
Some taxi prices (in every case the "vice versa" is the same price) :
- Wadi Rum to Petra - 35JD
Wadi Rum to central Aqaba - 25JD
Wadi Rum to Aqaba port, Aqaba airport or the Saudi or Israeli borders - 30JD
Amman airport to Wadi Rum - 100JD
Wadi Rum to the Desert Highway - 8JD
Times : our standard jeep tour usually begins at about 9.30am. If you are in Wadi Rum much earlier than this, either because you have come on an early bus or because you have spent the night here, we suggest that you might like to stroll up to Wadi Shelaala above the Resthouse and look at the dripping well there. The path is very straightforward and you can go there and come back easily in 40 minutes or so. But the timing of the other tours is flexible, and we can start later or finish earlier to fit in with whatever your plans are.
Toilets and rubbish : There is a toilet in the camp where we usually spend the night. Otherwise, out in the desert, we are sorry but one has to go behind a rock! Please be sure that all wastes are buried, and push a bit of sand over any "evidence". Toilet paper should be burned or put into a plastic bag for you to bring back and add to the camp rubbish.
It is a good idea always to have a plastic bag or two with you for the rubbish that tends to accumulate. There will usually be a general rubbish bag with the car, there is always one in an overnight stop.
"Good" guides in Wadi Rum do not leave rubbish lying around. Most of us pick up any objects discarded by less careful souls.
Clothes : Don't try to look smart! You can wear almost anything that will let you sit on the ground / ride a camel / scramble into a jeep / etc. We do ask ladies not to wear anything too skimpy when they are in the village (halter necks, short shorts, etc). When you are out in the desert then it doesn't matter, we are used to just about anything! But please do keep a tee shirt available for the village.
Shoes : trekking sandals will be enough for most people (NOT beach sandals!) For scrambling you might prefer to bring sturdy shoes or boots, and certainly for the mountains like Jebel Rum or Jebel Khazali. Don't forget a supply of cotton socks. Otherwise whatever you like : tennis shoes or sneakers, boat shoes or trainers are all fine for hiking, as of course are the trekking sandals previously suggested.
Contact information
My phone number is +962.795.834.736 (or 0795.834.736 from inside Jordan). . It is a mobile phone and you can also send SMS text messages.
You can reach me by email at attayak@rumguides.com.