The Wadi Rum Trail
Tony Howard describes the history and route of the Wadi Rum Trail
It ’ s almost forty years now since we first went to Wadi Rum to check out its climbing potential after seeing the Lawrence of Arabia film . Its desert mountains were so impressive and it ’ s Bedouin inhabitants so welcoming that we have returned every year since . The result has been four guidebooks to Rum and Jordan , and the knowledge gained led to the start of our explorations soon joined by others for what became the 670km Jordan Trail first walked in 2017 . Meanwhile , over in Egypt , Ben Hoffler created his Sinai Trail which Di Taylor and I later walked with him , then his Red Sea Mountain Trail . Whilst with him on his Sinai Trail we chatted about Wadi Rum and he suggested creating what became the 120km Wadi Rum Trail . Based on our knowledge of the area we worked on it together but were also greatly assisted by many of our Bedouin friends , in particular Sabbah Eid and Sheikh Kraim . The result was a ten day route circumnavigating Rum ’ s deserts and mountains . Perhaps uniquely it includes scrambling , climbing and abseiling though if that doesn ’ t appeal , the rock sections can be avoided . Some of it can even be done on camels if you prefer ! From the village of Rum , the first day cuts through the 500 metre high cliffs of the massif of Jebel um Ishrin via the concealed complexities of Rakabat Canyon . This includes a couple of exposed scrambles where a rope is advised . Then after a day trekking between sandstone domes , the first summit , Jebel Burdah with it ’ s now famous rock bridge is climbed on the third day . It was shown to us in 1984 by a local Bedouin , Defallah Atieq . The ascent to reach it finishes with a 10m grade 3 , Diff pitch , then another just beyond it before the scramble to the summit .
the way passes by the spring of Ain Shalaali where T E Lawrence famously bathed
Once down the east side of Burdah a camp is made , then after trekking through the quiet and remote south eastern part of Rum , Jebel um Adaami is reached and climbed on the fifth day . Its 1840m summit rises above the border with Saudi Arabia . It ’ s discovery as Jordan ’ s highest mountain was made in1992 by Defallah Atieq after which Di and I summited it with him and his brother . The ascent is an enjoyable easy scramble with superb 360 ° views from the summit including south into Saudi Arabia and its Hejaz mountains and north across a desert maze to the domed topped mountains of Wadi Rum . Camp is then made in a high hollow on Adaami ’ s western side before descending a canyon with some grade 2 scrambling the next day . The trail to the next camp then winds through another remote and quiet area to camp 7 , before continuing , still in a quiet part of Rum to camp 8 beneath Jebel Rum ’ s west face , a barrier of rock 10 kilometres long and 500 metres high . The way to its 1754m summit is up a route named after Sheikh Hamdan who took a party of surveyors up it in 1949 . It ’ s a magnificent and complex climb up a north facing canyon wall with sections of grade 2 ( Mod ) and a pitch of grade 3 . After summiting with another superb panoramic view , a bivouac is made part way down its eastern side in a sandy hollow with ancient junipers . The tenth and final day to Rum village descends an awesome chasm in the mountain ’ s east face known as The Great Siq . It was first climbed by Hammad Hamdan , a Bedouin hunter and coincidentally , son of Sheikh Hamdan . It ’ s ascent involves 250m of sometimes grade 4c , VS climbing and as always with Bedouin routes , Hammad climbed it up and back down without equipment , an impressive achievement . Climbers
12 outdoor focus / summer 2023