Things to do
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Burdah Rock Bridge
Wind has cut a stone arch high on the Burdah massif, several storeys above the sand, reached by a scramble that finishes on exposed slabs with genuine drops beside the line. Guides fix a rope at the crux for anyone who wants it. Half a day covers the approach, the climb and the drive, and heights are the deciding factor.
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Jabal Umm ad Dami
Jordan's high point stands at 1,854 metres on the Saudi border, a granite peak south of the main reserve with views over the sandstone valleys and, on clear days, the Red Sea. The scramble takes around three hours up and back, with no technical sections. A guide and a vehicle for the long desert approach are required.
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Khazali Canyon
A narrow fissure in the Khazali massif runs a few hundred metres into the rock, its walls carved with Thamudic, Nabataean and Kufic inscriptions of figures, camels and script left by travellers over two thousand years. Scrambling in requires a little rock work and ends at a pool that holds water after rain. It falls on almost every jeep route, usually as a first stop, so late morning is busy.
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Wadi Rum Protected Area
Sandstone and granite mountains rise hundreds of metres out of red sand across a UNESCO-listed reserve that also protects Thamudic and Nabataean rock inscriptions. Jeep tours, camel rides, scrambles and overnight camps are run by local Bedouin families under a permit system. A full day covers the classic circuit, and a night in the reserve is what most visits are for.
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Wadi Rum Village
Every trip into the reserve starts at the settlement below Jebel Rum, reached through the visitor centre where permits are handled and camp drivers collect their guests. A handful of shops, a mosque and a school make up the rest of it. Mobile signal and cash machines thin out past here, so supplies are worth sorting before the sand begins.
