10/17
http://www.guidesofwadirum.com/
The excursion costs 35 JD per person, including lunch and water, from dawn to dusk.
Summary: 25 JD taxi from Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum, 70 JD excursion and then another 25 for the taxi from Wadi Rum to Aqaba center, total 120 JD for 2 people.
A guy waits for us at 8.00 outside our hotel, in an incredible chaos, since, at the same time two package tour buses are leaving. I am pleased I had the intuition to check out the night before.
We get to the Wadi Rum Visitor Centre, where Ateh, a 60 years old Bedouin, with an old and tatty Toyota, meets us. We sit in the back of the pick up, outside.
Initially, we are unhappy with our car. Due to continuous strong jolts we have to hold firmly not to be thrown outside. We will change idea hours later, after seeing numerous modern jeeps silted, and our wreck instead running like hell with no problems, and even, in some cases, pulling some of them out of the sand….There is no doubt, our Ateh is a very experienced driver.
We follow the classic tourist circuit. At first, Lawrence Springs, a rocky hill, in the middle of which there is a spring. We see it from below, surrounded by green palm trees standing among the ocher sand. Ateh invites us to climb, there are no paths, we decline, since it does not seem anything special to us. A Bedouin tent have been erected nearby, local products are sold here, mainly herbal tea, myrrh. Here package travel tours stop, and eat as well. I read in some forums that some people complained for the heat, even in October. To be honest, I was not disturbed by the hot and dry weather, even when climbing the sand dunes. Only thing, I was constantly thirsty, despite I drank much much water.
The second stop is the Khazali Canyon, a narrow and deep wound in the mountains, red soil and dry trees surrounding it.
The canyon is very narrow, and after a while a 3 mts high rock obstructs the way, there are no ropes to climb, as in Wadi Mujib
Crossing Far West landscapes….
we reach the sand dunes, many people are excited. Since I have been at Erg Chebbi in Morocco, I feel less emotional.
For lunch we stop at Burragh Canyon, in the shade of a very high wall of rock. Ateh spreads a mat on the floor, and distributes plastic dishes, tuna, tomatoes, cucumbers, bread, cakes and orange juice. At the end, he prepares the tea, using bottled water
We go on passing some curious rock formations shaped like a mushroom,
and we reach Burdah rock bridge, located on top of a rocky hill. Ateh informs us that it takes about an hour to get there, but we think he is overestimating our skills; Lonely Planet affirms that to get on the top it is necessary to go through a passage which is strongly not recommended for those who are suffer vertigos, so, we give up. The only rock bridges we will see is so Um Frouth, which is more accessible.
Ateh stops up in from of the nth Siq, tells us that he will wait for us on the other side, the crossing time is about half an hour. During the whole time, he never put pressure on us, and he was always patient. After a while we get disoriented and do not know how to go on, since there are no signs or warnings. However, we are obliged to proceed if we want to  meet again Ateh. This siq is quite wide, and has a sandy soil which makes it more difficult climbs. This is the last Siq we will see, and I think that, at this point, I can afford to affirm “I am sick of Siqs”!! 🙂 🙂
Laughing and joking already 4 hours have been spent, so we go on to Um Frouth, easy to climb, a marvel, in the sunset time. I take 5 minutes to go up
Meanwhile, the western horizon has thickened with clouds, the sunset has not the usual warm and light colours. I do not remember the name of the rocks where we stop, but it must be a pretty famous place, in fact, after a while, more people arrive. A young Bedouin starts playing his guitar and singing, much better than the Petra by night show! Even if the sun is hidden under the clouds, it is a magical moment which has worthily concluded our holiday
After having greeted, thanked, and paid Ateh, we snuggle in a taxi booked by Guides of Wadi Rum, which takes us to Aqaba