Wadi Rum desert is often called unearthly as the landscape looks more like the landscape that we expect it to be on the Moon or Mars. That is why people often call Wadi Rum desert ‘Valley of the Moon’.
Wadi Rum is featuring an incredible variety of yellow and red sands combined with the dark color of the gradient base of some of the mountains. At night when the millions of stars illuminate the nighty, dark sky and the moon illuminates the mountains. Together it creates a fairy-tale landscape. Both are fabulous, but nothing beats the time of sunrise and sunset.
The magic of dawn in Wadi Rum desert
The sun rises anywhere between 05.30 and 06.45 in the morning, depending on the time of year. But the magic of dawn starts over half an hour before. When the first light starts to strike, the silence of the night will be broken by the light sound of birds in their morning chirp. The air is refreshed, and the darkness of the desert night slowly starts to disappear. Most of the year, the sky is cloudless.
When the sun rises, the sky starts to change from black to purple, then orange and finally a hazy blue, which will intensify as the sun rises above the horizon. The mountains lose their nighty grey and black colors. They slowly turn to soft yellows and reds. And when the first rays of the sun illuminate the mountain tops, it looks like they are set on fire. The serenity and magic of dawn is an extraordinary thing to be experienced by all. Luckily the chances of a completely over casted sunrise in Wadi Rum desert are minimal. So don’t forget to set your alarm clock. It is worth it!
The beauty of sunset in Wadi Rum desert
Depending on the time of year, the sun sets anywhere between 16.30 and 19.45 in the afternoon. Sunset is a stunning transformation of colors. It is a real color frenzy. The sky slowly turns from a soft blue to intense orange, to a burning red. As the sun sets, the sky turns pink, followed by purple, a dusty grey, and heavy dusk. And finally, the star-filled abyss of black is all that is left for the night.
Don’t forget to turn around now and then to see how the setting sun puts the red mountains on fire and turns the yellow mountains into giant lumps of gold. See the shadows lengthen far across rock formations and windblown dunes. Find yourself a rock to sit on. Let all the experiences of the day pass by. Be silent and let the beauty of life and nature overwhelm you. Or enjoy the romantic atmosphere this time of day holds together with your partner. And most important, enjoy the beauty of the moment. Soon after sunset, the temperatures drop quickly. In summer, this means that the blistering heat is gone, and a warm night will follow. In winter, we will make fires to prepare tea and to sit around to warm ourselves.
Wadi Rum’s top three places to enjoy the sunset
Which places are the best places to watch the sunset, depends on the time of year. Each season has its own best. Our favorites are located south of Khazali and Umm Fruth. It is an open area with great viewpoints and a couple of easy to climb rock formations and mountains. To the west, you only see mountains in the distance.
Our favorites are:
- Um Sabatah (rock formation)
- Um Mugur (mountain)
- Al Ramel near Jabal Al-Qattar (dune)
All of our tours include enjoying the sunset in one of our favorite areas. Are you excited to see it for yourself?
