CassieI feel like camping under the stars when traveling is an adventure that generally seems more romantic and fantastical than it usually is. Aside from the cold, it can be difficult to fully account for unexpected weather, invasive bugs, larger animals, and especially for solo traveling women, the threat of someone else inviting themselves into your space. A tent might not keep everything out, but it certainly helps create a feeling of safety and comfort. In typical me fashion, though, I couldnβt help be drawn in by the secluded warmth of Jordanβs deserts giving me the opportunity to sleep in the open air.
Letβs be real, Petra is the shit. I was clearly walking through some pretty incredible old ruins and it feels like an adventure out of Indiana Jones. Afterwards, I knew that I wanted to see a REAL desert. I chose Wadi Rum which, despite having been featured in several films as the setting for Mars, Agrabah, and as alien planets in both Star Wars and Dune, its also just flat out desert with Bedouin people still living very traditional lives sparsely throughout the region. I had originally planned to visit the desert as a day trip with a guide from my hostel in Petra, but plans changed the night before once I found out that I would be the only one going with him and he had already made several unwelcome advances towards me. Thankfully, friends that I had met earlier in the evening noticed my discomfort and invited me to join them on their overnight stay in a Bedouin camp. I eagerly agreed and prepared to leave in a few hours at 4 am. In the rush of it all, I had completely forgotten to pull out cash to pay for it. This wasnβt a place that offered online tours, this was just a group of local Bedouins so paying with card wasnβt an option.
After asking the bus driver if we could stop at an ATM and explaining the situation, he told me that we had passed all places where I could pull out any cash. Instead, he gave me the fare that I had paid for the bus, plus the extra that I would need to pay for the camp and the bus ride back. To this day it is still one of my favorite acts of kindness I have received while traveling.
The vast desert was unlike anything I had ever seen before- itβs hard to describe how something that is seemingly so empty could also be so beautiful. It reminded me of the ocean not only because it was such overwhelmingly beautiful nature, but also because of how deadly it could be.
We were welcomed by our Bedouin guide with some hot tea and delicious finger foods under a tent. He was quick to make us feel like friends that he was just showing us around his home. After spending some time getting to know each other, we visited the camels! I became great friends with one in particular. Absolutely cute as hell.
We had the option to ride the camel around the desert, but the three of us opted to ride in a jeep in order to capitalize on our short time in the area. It was a bumpy ride filled with laughs. I even got the chance to drive! It was difficult to maneuver over the sand dunes without making it feel like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, so my fun experience was likely to the dismay of my new friends. The endless sand made the sparse plants stand out and the rock formations looked particularly grand up against the otherwise empty background. We climbed over and through them to get more acquainted with the playgrounds of the desert including some of the more famous ones like the Um Frouth Rock Bridge and the Al Mahama Canyon before relaxing and enjoying a delicious Bedouin lunch.
For the rest of the day we continued exploring the desert and climbing over everything we could until it was time to watch an absolutely stunning sunset. We shared a meal with the locals and socialized with the Bedouin community that meets up for dinner every night. The food was delicious and the hot tea was such a vibe when it started getting darker and colder. Getting our gear ready for that nightβs sleep was fairly easy given that we had just small foam mattresses and a light blanket, but of course we had to make sure we stayed awake to do some star gazing that evening. To this day it is one of the best places I have ever done so. The hospitality of the locals combined with the generosity of the strangers and beauty of so much untouched nature has made the Jordanian outskirts some of my favorite places Iβve seen so far.
