After 40h without sleep we finally arrived in Amman, Jordan, at our Airbnb flat. Here is what went down in our sleepless hours:

Upon touching ground at 2 a.m. Saturday night at the Amman Jordan airport, we immediately rented a SUV and drove down to Petra. Our goal was to be the first ones there (it opens at 6 a.m.), so we could enjoy the canyons, ancient temples and tombs carved into stone by Nabiteneans without having any other tourists around. Goal achieved!

When we left Petra at 10 a.m., after 4 hours of exploring the entire region, it was crowded with masses of tourists. What we experienced was a totally different Petra – completely empty and silent. Basically a ghost valley!

We continued further south, as our next Jordan destination was the red desert: Wadi Rum.

The only way to discover the Jordan desert is with a local Bedouin guide. So we spent the rest of the day until sunset riding on the back of a modified Toyota pickup, as our guide drove us through the giant red desert, showing us several points of interest. From time to time, we climbed up rocky hills or made our way through canyons. Make sure to bring good shoes and eat well before this, as it surely is not a walk in the park.

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After sun down, we headed to a Bedouin camp, where we enjoyed local food and music and then, after 40 sleepless hours, spent the night in tents. It was overall an awesome experience, especially because this is similar to how the Bedouins still live in Jordan today – and we got to experience all this at first hand.

I recommend going to Wadi Rum in Jordan as soon as possible, because as time passes it will probably all become more touristy, expensive and regulated. In a couple of years, you probably won’t see how it is to drive through that desert genuinely anymore. We leave you with this fun fact: many Hollywood movies were partially filmed in Wadi Rum (to mimic the Mars-like surroundings).

For questions or feedback regarding the trip in Jordan, please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page.

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