When you are not familiar with a climate, it can be difficult to choose suitable clothes. What do I need to bring to enjoy my adventure? Do I need to bring hiking boots for my trekking? How to dress for desert? Questions like these are asked by customers preparing for their experience. In this blog, we give you the answers. We explain to you how to dress from head to foot.
Most people are not familiar with desert climates. We have a ‘hot arid’ desert climate in Wadi Rum. But what does this mean? What are the temperatures like in summer? Are there a lot of sandstorms? How much rain falls annually? To learn more about our climate, we refer you to our blog ‘An interesting insight on Wadi Rum climate and seasons‘. Or read our blogs about the seasons:
Headwear
Protecting your head is very important in a desert environment. Not only to protect your head from the harsh sunshine, but also wind and sand. In the desert, we prefer to wear our traditional headwear, the shemagh. In our blog ‘Bedouin wear: traditional clothes in modern times‘ you can read all about it. Whether you also choose to wear a headscarf or other headwear, make sure it covers your head and your neck. In case you prefer a scarf, we are more than happy to teach you how to tighten it ‘Bedouin style’.
Eyewear
Preventing your eyes from getting damaged by ultraviolet radiation is very important. Especially in the desert as the sun is harsh and almost always there. So don’t forget to bring your sunglasses. Sunglasses that are close to your face can also give some protection from blowing sand.
Bodywear
Protect your body from the unrelenting sun, blowing sand and dry air. You can make your life easy by covering as much skin as possible. Wear 100% cotton or linen clothes—preferably loose clothes with long sleeves. Light-colored clothes are most suited to wear, although some colorful accessories may be helpful for the pictures. Skirts and dresses are impractical, especially if you want to scramble up a mountainside or ride a camel. Bring layers of clothes so you can find easily adept yourself to the heat of the day and the cold of the night. By covering your shoulders, arms, and legs, you also respect our custom of dressing modestly.
Footwear
During the day, it is essential to protect your feet from the hot desert sand by wearing sneakers, especially during summer, when the sand is burning hot during the day. And during the coolers season’s sneakers keep your feet warm. They also come in very handy when you walk canyons and climb rocks. Those of you who love the flip flops, bring them too. At certain times of the day, they come in very handy. Like when you are in our camp.
Last but not least, it is a good idea to bring lip and facial salve to protect your skin from the desert air. And of course, bring sunscreen protection to safeguard your uncovered skin.
