Sandboarding in Wadi Rum or near Aqaba

Nobody offers sandboarding in Wadi Rum and any sort of sport on the dunes is discouraged. They have a very fragile ecology, gradually coming back after years without rain and the Bedouin are highly conscious of this. People run jeeps up and down the dunes in Disseh quite a lot but not in Wadi Rum.

If you are there for just one night, then sitting around the camp fire and looking at the stars should fill up the evening very nicely.

I sincerely hope that sandboarding will never be allowed in Wadi Rum.

Dear Jordanfancy
As Ruth mentioned there is no sandboarding in Wadi Rum, however when i travelled through i went on some rock scrambles and a jeep tour that was heaps of fun. I also stayed out in the desert overnight-the food was amazing!
The company i went through was Wadi Rum Adventures, i think Mohammed was my guide.
www.wadirumadventures.com
Hope this helps, have fun
keeptraveling08

I note that poster #3 has posted just 3 times, and each time to recommend Wadi Rum Adventures.....

Thanks for the advice. I'm aware of the desert ecology and want to contribute to its conservation. If the sport is offered in an permitted environment, it would be fun. If not, I'm sure I'll have plenty of other offerings to occupy me in my brief stay at Wadi Rum. I'm from California and I miss the desert.

The reason I asked about sandboarding in Wadi Rum is I sandboarded at both Great National Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado, and in San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. Both locations are protected wilderness areas. In each case the permitted areas were clearly marked.

I know with my time limitation, it may be unavoidable to hire someone with a 4X. But I prefer to enjoy the desert without mechanical noises. I hear horses are an option. But is it advisable and cost-efficient for a one night stay in the wadi? I'm not an expert rider but I rode everyday for the summers when I was growing up. I'm not sure about my companion's horseback abilities.

Thanks Ruth for your wonderful web site! It has been my primary source of information on many of Jordan's sites. Is there somewhere better to stay at in Wadi Mousa? I've got a room booked at the Movenpick Nabatean Castle but would prefer somewhere that's more interesting than a Swiss-operated hotel. All I require is reasonable driving distance from Petra, and clean room with access to bathing facilities. Is the Ammarin Camp at Little Petra worth staying at? Thanks again.

Actually there used to be a company offering sand-boarding but
I can't remember the name and I'm not sure if they do it all year.

Regarding the ecological situation at wadi rum - the old vehicles
used by the many guides contribute to much deterioration of the ecology
and the Aqaba Authority is trying to rectify the matter as best as it can.

In my view - there shouldn't be the large number of guides that there are who
take out one traveller and charge him 35 Jd or whatever. They should be
limited trips where people can group together and the guides should come
under the employment of the Ministry of Tourism like other places. That
way damage to the environment would be limited as the number of trips
will be limited.

The present system of vehicle use is environmentally unsustainable.
Wadi Rum is actually sinking due the vehicles packing down the sand
according to a recent local article concerned about the future of Wadi
Rum.

In addition it stated that more damage than usual was being done
because the Bedouin guides now only use a handful of the more
than 100 routes in Wadi Rum than they did 20 years ago.

I'd genuinely be interested to know how sandboarding damages
the environment more than the dozens of old pollution belching
vehicles used by the guides along with the many other bad practises.

There's no other paying job than tourism in Wadi Rum, unfortunately, and it would be very hard to stop the older men from earning a bit of money. The status of "bedouin guide in Wadi Rum" is a special one and any attempt to limit this would bring a lot of trouble!!!

People are encouraged to get together at the Visitors' Centre to fill up the vehicles and most of them do.

I heard about this article, and asked the Director of the Nature Reserve about it. He said it was a load of rubbish - except that he didn't say "rubbish".

To #5 : several hotels are recommended in jordanjubilee: the Amarin camp is some 15kms from Petra, but if you have your own transport this is not a problem. It is mainly used by groups, for this very reason. Also the price is comparable to that of the Movenpick, without the same comfort.

We are talking about two different things here . .

Livelihoods and the ecological balance and protection of the environment.
Both are important and a solution should be found sooner rather than
later.

The first solution I would suggest is using the traditional method of camels
as opposed to vehicles. A vehicle should be used for exceptional uses ie
disabled or elderly visitors. That way the livelihoods of the bedouin guides
continue as normal. (As for the bit of money . . I don't think the prices
they charge are exactly a bit of money - by Jordanian standards)

I doubt the professional opinions are rubbish - one doesn't need to be
an environmentalist to see that the DJ Parties and decrepid oil belching
old jeeps, rubbish and human excement etc are destroying a unique
and wonderful place. Its truly sad.