ROCK ARCH & SAND STONE MOUNTAINS, Wadi Rum, Jordan

2006.05.22.

We started off the afternoon with climbing the Um Fruth Rock Arch. The arch is about 20m high. At first glance, the steep surface of the rock arch seemed impossible to climb. With his bare feet, our guide showed us the way to ascend the slope. The key was: climb in a slight diagonal, move fast, never stop and never look back. We did what he said and reached the top in a single breathe. Of course, climbing back down was a bigger challenge.

Before retiring to our evening camp, we did a 1.5km walk through a canyon. Everything appeared red and orange under the afternoon sun. The walk allowed us to admire the two most remarkable features of Wadi Rum: the red sand dunes and the rugged rock mounts (or desert mountains as the locals called them).

Near our camp, we climbed another rock mount where we watched the sunset. From the mount, Wadi Rum appeared vast, dry and windy. Despite tired, I totally fell in love with the horizontality of the desert. As the sun receded below the horizon, so as the vivid colours of the landscape. The wind felt a little chilly as the desert colours faded with the evening twilight. We had a delightful night chatting and laughing with the Bedouin hosts, and had a delicious dinner of lamb and chicken rice.

The Um Fruth Rock Arch is one of the most accessible and beautiful rock bridges in Wadi Rum.

The arch opening is about 15m high.

Across from Um Fruth Rock Arch, an even more massive rock cliff rises from the desert floor.

Before heading to the campsite, we had a short hike in a desert valley.

It was cooler in the late afternoon, while the red tone get more vivid as the sun set.

The desert landscape of Wadi Rum offers movie directors the perfect set for a Martian setting.

View from atop the arch, or any sand stone mount in Wadi Rum, showcases an amazing landscape.

Even without the vivid red colour, the desert landscape of Wadi Rum remains majestic.

The constant windy condition creates the ever changing patterns on the sand.

Wind erosion plays a major part in shaping the rugged sand stone mounts as well.

Without a guide or any GPS, we could get lost in the desert easily.

At late afternoon, we climbed a stone mount near our camp.

While we were climbing the stone mount to watch the sunset, our host was busy preparing dinner and our tents.

Rock formation is a major attraction at Wadi Rum.

We sat down and quietly waited for the sunset on the mount.

From a distance, the layering of plateaus and stone mounts looked glorious.

No matter where we go in the world, seeing a stack of prayer stones or trail indicator stones is always a good sign.

At the camp, we could choose to sleep in the tent or out in the open.

At night, our Bedouin host made us a delicious dinner with the camp fire.