Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Eid Mohamed Al-Sowelleh
(
079-5624671)
General guide.
Sabagh Eid
(
/fax 2016238; 03-7891243)
Climbing guide.
Diseh
Diseh is northwest of Rum village, about 12km as the vulture flies but 22km by road. The
scenery is almost as spectacular as at Wadi Rum, and there are plenty of places to hike
outside the official Wadi Rum protected area. There are seven camps in the desert near
Diseh offering basic facilities. If you stay at one of these, you can organise transport to
Wadi Rum visitor centre and book your desert excursion from there.
The paved road to Diseh from the turn-off to Rum offers some interesting places to ex-
plore. For a negotiable price, locals will drive you out into the desert area north of the rail-
way line, which is dotted with Nabataean and Roman dams, artificial rock bridges, rock
carvings and inscriptions. The landscape around
Jebel Amud
is the most interesting. A
longer trip could take in the 2m-high rock carvings at
Abu Hawl
(Father of Terror), 7km
north of the Bait Ali camp, and on to a rock bridge at Jebel Kharazeh. A three-hour 4WD
trip costs around JD45.
Sleeping
A number of camps outside Diseh have been recommended by readers. The camps are
roughly wrapped around a large hill with the first few camps adjacent to each other and
accessible by 2WD (unless there's been heavy rain). They all offer traditional sitting areas
with cushions and beds either in cramped individual tents or larger, partitioned Bedouin
tents. The camps listed below have clean shower-toilet blocks. If you are looking for a
quieter, more tranquil experience, the camps located in more isolated parts of the desert
and requiring 4WD for access are a better bet - make sure you check on the location be-
fore you book to avoid disappointment.
Rahayeb Camp$$
Offline map
BEDOUIN CAMP
( 079-6909030;
www.rahayebcamp.com
; half-/full-board per person JD32/38)
This
beautiful new camp wedged into a secluded bend of the rocks, well away from the other
Diseh camps, represents camping in style. Two professional chefs rustle up delicious tra-
