Welcome; I'm Saleh. With my wife and family we offer every kind of guided tour in Rum. Camping, 4x4 safaris, mountain scrambles, bedouin cooking and culture, desert trekking, secret valleys and special places. Ten different tours! Mix and match from each tour to create your own individual experience. Stay in
Saleh's Safari Camp near Jebel Khazali to explore the real Wadi Rum. |
We are adding to these FAQs from time to time. If you have some specific queries or want to discuss your trip in advance then email us
and you're also very welcome to try to phone Saleh's mobile phone directly 0795 445 966 (or from Europe 00 962 795 445 966). He's also very good these days on WhatsApp.
When do the tours begin and how long do they take?
Every tour is personal and individual and different, so it can start when you want and last as long as you want. Normally, a good time to begin is at 9.30 in the morning; but we often have people arriving in mid-afternoon. It is important that we know in advance when you'll arrive so that Saleh can be there to meet you; if not you will have to wait for ten or fifteen minutes at the Visitors' Centre, while he drives to you. Please try to phone Saleh on his mobile if you're going to be later or earlier than planned.
We discourage people from coming for less than a day. Rum is not just about seeing a few impressive sites/sights (like Petra for example), it is about an entirely different way of life in an environment that is one of the most special on earth.You need time to connect with it and to start to feel at home.
Sunset is important and memorable. And staying overnight in Saleh's mother's bedouin camp at the foot of Jebel Khazali (see below) in the heart of the protected area is, for many people, the highlight of their visit.Almost no light pollution means that the smallest stars are crystal clear; the air is clean and pure and the location is tranquil beyond anything you'll have experienced before.
So, ideally, a tour takes one day and one night; it can be longer and we often have people staying for two or three days and nights. If you can't stay all night then at least try to enjoy the sunset and perhaps dinner at the camp before you leave.
Where do we meet Saleh?
At the Wadi Rum Visitors' Centre, which is well signposted from the main Desert Highway. It can be a bit of a jungle there, which is why we will send you a formal booking confirmation -- please print this and bring it with you, so that everyone can see you have a pre-booked personal tour.
It is here at the Visitors' Centre that you have to pay the 5JD per adult fee for entering the Protected Area -- this money is used for conservation of the fragile environment. And it is here that you can leave your car.
We want a personal individual tour, without other tourists!
That's exactly what you get with Saleh. That is also why he is expensive for one person on their own; on the other hand for couples or family groups, we believe he is the best value in Wadi Rum. Saleh's more personal approach has proved to be very popular and successful and he enjoys it too, as it gives him a chance to get to know his visitors.
What's different about Saleh and his tours?
Saleh and his family offer you a unique opportunity to share and begin to understand the bedouin way of life.He loves meeting and talking to visitors, introducing them to his family and helping them to understand why he feels that Rum is so special. In a way we're pioneering 'community tourism' in Rum.
We want to go trekking, hiking, scrambling and wild camping?
Saleh knows the best places and can provide full support for you.
We are serious climbers, what can Saleh do for us?
Not a lot, himself. However, his brother Attiyak is a good climber and climbing guide and a joy to be with! And if you want serious technical climbing, Saleh can advise.
We want to go hot-air ballooning/quad-biking/horse-riding
Great, all this is possible in the area. Saleh does not do any of it himself but he can organise it for you or advise you who you should contact. Most of these activities take place outside the protected area itself.
Is Wadi Rum suitable for young children
Yes, particularly if you are with Saleh. He understands children and will organise your tour so that it suits them. He also has a sand-board for surfing the dunes!! It's reassuring to know that mobile phones still work at the camp deep inside Wadi Rum. Have a look at the comments, several come from people whose children found Rum memorable.
Clothing and climate?
It can get hot and cold in Rum!! so it's a good idea to have several layers that are easy to take off and put on.A hat is sensible and shoes for walking and sun screen.
What should we bring with us?
A camera obviously. For those staying overnight, a small torch; it's never a bad idea to have a spare roll of loo/toilet paper (though Saleh does provide it, as well as soap and disinfectant); you may want to bring a sheet sleeping bag and even a soft pillow and pillow case -- if they're important to you!! And perhaps a towel.
What is provided?
Everything. There is always bottled water available and usually as much bedouin tea as you can drink! Lunch is normally a generous lunch box; dinner is a traditional bedouin meal cooked at the camp in the open air, or occasionally in the bedouin tent at Saleh's house in Rum village.
We can provide vegetarian alternatives if you give us advance notice.
If you stay overnight then there are mattresses and lots of fleece blankets and newly installed showers and WCs at both camps! -- but please don't use too much water!
Do you have any warnings for us?
Yes, they are on the web-site under the button marked "More. . ." and in the booking confirmation we ask everybody to read those warnings before they arrive.
We just want somewhere to sleep so we can explore on our own
Yes! Saleh offers luxury bedouin-style camping as well, either in Rum village or at his mother's camp in the heart of the protected area. You can book here.