About an hour drive northeast of Aqaba lays Wadi Rum. One of the most stunning desert landscapes in the world. It was described by T.E. Lawrence as "Vast, echoing and God-like". Lawrence adored Wadi Rum, and his book "Seven Pillars of Wisdom", was inspired by his admiration for this giant valley.

Rum is the result of an enormous upheaval that thrust granite and sandstone outcrops through the surface of the earth several million years ago. The cliffs stand like skyscrapers in the hot sand reaching heights of 1,840 meters. They change color depending on the hour of the day. The cliffs are purple at dawn, then turn mauve at sunrise, brown in the morning and fawn at noon. After midday, the colors flow the other way: from brown back to mauve, then orange, purple, a hot red at dusk to black, and finally silver under a full moon.

The Wadi Rum area has been inhabited since prehistoric periods, mainly the Neolithic period between the 6th and 8th centuries BC. There are various inscriptions and writings on various slabs of rock around Wadi Rum, mainly Thamudic. At the same time there are some ruins of Nabatean temples and some roman dams.

In the present day Wadi Rum is inhibited by the Zulabia tribe, which is part of the Huweitat Bedouin tribe. Most of them live in the village of Rum, but the elders would spend time in the desert under their black goat hair- tents with their camels and goats. A night under the stars in a Bedouin tent  is something to experience.

Wadi Rum became a world heritage site in 1998, and for the last ten years had become a paradise for Mountaineers and campers. Climbers from all over the world to come to climb the various different routes on the vast mountains in the area. At the same time it is most famous for trekking from easy walks to more difficult treks and scrambles throughout the beautiful dunes, canyons and mountains.

Horse riding and camel riding is another way to discover this vast timeless beautiful valley. And 4X4 vehicle tours of the valley are available as well.

Wadi Rum holds plants both rare and endemic to its ecosystem. There are abundant water springs in this valley, and in the springtime the hills become green and various species of wild flowers appear.  Wild animals are rare to spot, but various surveys detected the existence of the Gray Wolf, Blandford's Fox, the Sand Cat and the Ibex within the area.  At the same time, the valley is an ideal area for bird watching with many recorded species.