Silence in the desert has a texture. On the first night in Wadi Rum, after the generator clicked off and the last voices faded from the tent next door, I lay on a mat outside and listened to nothing at all.
Into the valley
Our guide, Salem, picked us up from the village in a pickup truck so dented it seemed held together by stickers. For three days, he drove us between rock bridges and dunes the colour of paprika, stopping whenever a view demanded tea — which was often.
Bedouin tea is sweet, smoky, and brewed with sage. It is also, Salem explained, the only correct response to a beautiful view.
What to know
- Stay with a local camp. Many are family-run; ask about smaller ones away from the main tourist cluster.
- Bring a headlamp and warm layers. Desert nights drop below 5°C in spring.
- Climb Burdah Arch if you have a head for heights — the scramble is short, the view enormous.
The night sky
Wadi Rum has almost no light pollution. On our last night, the Milky Way stretched from one cliff wall to the other, so bright it cast faint shadows on the sand. We didn't take photos. Some things you just watch.
