About five kilometres south of Quweira, a signposted junction marks the point where you leave the Desert Highway and head east into the desert. This is where the journey to Wadi Rum really begins. The road stretches out ahead of you, dead straight across flat gravel desert, with nothing much in sight — and then, gradually, the red sandstone mountains of Wadi Rum begin to rise from the horizon, first as dark shapes, then as walls of layered rock lit up orange and purple in the morning or late afternoon light. The 21-kilometre drive to the Visitor Centre is one of those rare stretches of road that builds genuine anticipation.
The junction itself is a practical landmark as much as a scenic one. If you are hitching, this is where you will wait — there is usually a small amount of traffic turning off, mostly heading to camps in the protected area. Early morning is the best time to catch a ride. Coming from the south, the junction is about 40 kilometres north of Aqaba on the Desert Highway. It is well signed in both Arabic and English.