Captain's Desert Camp Wadi Rum

Stunning in its natural beauty, Wadi Rum ranks as one of my favorite places on earth. To best experience T.E. Lawrence's "vast, echoing, and God-like" landscape, put yourself in the gracious hands of Captain's Desert Camp. Spread across three locations inside the Wadi Rum Protected Area, these traditional Bedouin camps offer an authentic desert experience. Spend the day hiking in the sandstone mountains, or hop in a jeep to explore the rust-colored sand dunes, ancient Nabatean inscriptions, slot canyons, and razor thin rock bridges scattered across this 720 square kilometers of dramatic desert wilderness. After working up an appetite, return to camp to enjoy a traditional Bedouin meal of mansaf, mezze, and zarb cooked for hours in a deep sand pit. Scramble up the surrounding rocks to watch the sun dip below the horizon, then congregate around the campfire to sip some tea and enjoy the music and dancing before retiring to your goat hair tent for the night. As the sun rises and the thick blanket of stars slowly fades away, grab a friendly camel to transport you out of the desert or even better, take a sunrise hot air balloon ride.