Burdah Arch Hike

Do you love adventure? Then, this popular tour serves up excitement by the bucketful. Your local Bedouin guide will help you scramble over obstacles and along a winding route up the mountain. Until you reach a dramatic natural rock bridge called the Burdah Arch. Along the way you will be treated to wonderful views.

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“ we wheeled into the avenue of Rumm, still gorgeous in sunset colour; the cliffs as red as the clouds in the west, like them in scale and in the level bar they raised against the sky”.

~ T.E Lawrence, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom

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Scrambling, adventure and good views

Program

Arrival: This adventurous hike can be combined with a Jeep Tour in the morning.

OR you can do the hike up to the Burdah Arch in the morning and in the afternoon enjoy a linear hike with your guide and Jeep going ahead in stages with the Jeep. In this case, the afternoon hike can be flexible according to your energy.

Please note: If you will do an all day Jeep tour on a multiday tour with the Burdah Arch hike on day two, then you should choose option two or you will cover too much of the same ground.

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We meet at Rum Rest House in the morning and then we will show you the way to my (Sulieman's house).

OPTION ONE: BURDAH ARCH with Jeep Tour

The tour starts with a Jeep Tour. During the tour you will visit the following sites:

• Lawrence Spring - Our first stop takes you to Abu Ainah a natural spring now named after Lawrence of Arabia. The spring water is still used for grazing animals. Look out for camels who arrive to help themselves (they are not wild they have owners). You can give your legs a work out and walk for about 20 minutes up the side of the mountain. Here you can see the spring’s source and enjoy excellent views across the valley. This spring is one of 4 springs in a row along the mountains here which used to be the only source of spring water for miles around. There are also inscriptions here on a massive 'cheese shaped' rock at the foot of the mountain.

• Khazali Canyon - Khazali is a dramatic mountain made up of a steep gnarly and crevassed red sandstone base topped with smoother rounded yellow sandstone. At Khazali you can visit and walk inside a dramatic canyon. Inscriptions can been seen on the canyon walls and you can see how water erosion has shaped the mountain. At the natural end of the canyon you may find a small pool with some hidden water. This is another reminder of the past and how local Bedouin used to rely on hidden rain water catchments like this one. This mountain has also played an important role providing shady spots even in the heat of summer when the sun is at its highest point in the sky. Look out for the old false fig tree entwined with a sandstone rock at the entrance to the canyon.

• Big Red Sand Dunes - At these huge sand dunes of red sand piled up against the mountain you can find your inner child again. By all means climb for the view. But don't forget to run, and jump on the way down. Fast fact: These dunes can be seen in the movie Tranformers Revenge of the Fallen. Although in the film the story goes that they are in Egypt.

• Anfisheyh Inscriptions - On the side of the Anfisheyh mountain you can see a range of Nabataean and Thamudic inscriptions carved into the rocks. They date back to the 4th century. Said to be located on the old camel caravan route through the area, these inscriptions were perhaps left to guide those traveling through. There are 20,000 inscriptions recorded within Wadi Rum (plus another 25,000 rock carvings) but the inscriptions at Anfisheyh are some of the most visible when it comes to location.

• Lawrence House - This is another example of sites named after Lawrence of Arabia. However, the house itself is much older and there is no evidence Lawrence came to this location. An archaeological site the ‘house’ itself is Nabataean and was probably a outpost used when the Nabataeans controlled trade routes between Petra and Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Pay attention to the large sandstone blocks, you can see they were cut by hand. Don't miss turning around for the views. It's no accident there's an outpost here.

• A Bedouin style lunch break to suit the season.

• After lunch you will enjoy the 2-3 hour hike up to the Burdah Arch. The exciting route involves lots of scrambling but doesn't involve any rock climbing.

• Um Frouth Arch - This elegantly formed natural rock bridge can be climbed for those all important photo ops. We only visit this Arch time permitting and according to the time of year. In winter, there is less likely to be time. Priority will be given to getting to a good place for sunset.

• Sunset - No trip to Wadi Rum would be complete without taking the time to sit, soak up the views and watch the sun set. Enjoy.

The tour finishes in Rum Village around 4pm or back at Wadi Rum Sky Bedouin camp and a chance to enjoy memorable and delicious Bedouin dinner.

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OPTION TWO: BURDAH ARCH with afternoon hike

You leave the village by Jeep and drive directly to the start of the hike with your local Bedouin guide. You then spend 2-3 hours completing the exciting hike and scramble to the Burdah Arch. Will you brave the drop and stand on the arch?

After the hike you enjoy a rest and a Bedouin picnic lunch. Your guide will prepare it for you.

After the lunch break you continue on foot. You can enjoy a linear hike through the landscape of Wadi Rum. And this is when you can truly appreciate the scale of the desert.

You will have the Jeep with you, so your guide drives and goes ahead in stages. You can walk and take in the vast, silence, and space.

The route and distance is flexible according to your mood and ability. As your guide has the Jeep, you can continue walking or stop if you feel you have walked enough.

The hike will finish at the Wadi Rum Sky Camp for an overnight stay. Or you can return to the village. Usually arriving back around 3-4pm.

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Prices

One day hiking tour to Burdah Arch with a Jeep tour OR afternoon linear hike, AND an overnight stay at Wadi Rum Sky Bedouin Camp.

Includes:

• Use of Jeep for the day and local Bedouin Guide

• A 2-3 hour guided hike with scrambling up to the Burdah Arch

• One night at Wadi Rum Sky Bedouin Camp

• Bedouin style picnic lunch, dinner and breakfast

• Drinking water and Bedouin tea

One person: 170 JD

2 people: 80JD per person (160JD)

3-5 people: 75 JD per person (225-375JD)

6-9 people: 55 JD per person (330-495JD)

Price per child: 30JD

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Prices

One day hiking tour to Burdah Arch with a Jeep tour OR afternoon linear hike without overnight stay

Includes:

• Use of Jeep for the day and local Bedouin Guide

• A 2-3 hour guided hike with scrambling up to the Burdah Arch

• Bedouin style picnic lunch

• Drinking water and Bedouin tea

One person: 160 JD

2 people: 75 JD per person (150JD)

3-5 people: 70 JD per person (210 - 350JD)

6-9 people: 50 JD per person (300-450JD)

Price per child: 50JD

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PAYMENT MUST BE MADE IN CASH BEFORE DEPARTURE.

There are no ATM's in Wadi Rum.