Rum is the small Bedouin village at the end of the road into Wadi Rum, 35 kilometres from the highway. This is where every desert adventure begins — you meet your guide here, pile into a jeep or climb onto a camel, and head out into one of the most extraordinary landscapes on earth.
The village itself is not much to look at. A handful of concrete buildings, a few shops selling water and snacks, and the Wadi Rum Visitor Centre where you pay the reserve entrance fee and book tours. There is a rest house for basic meals. If you need proper supplies, stock up in Quweira before driving in.
Most visitors pass through Rum quickly on their way to a Bedouin camp deeper in the desert. But if you arrive in the late afternoon, the view from the village as the sandstone cliffs turn orange and red in the fading light is worth pausing for.