Wadi Rum Desert Track — Rum Village to Burdah Rock Bridge

T.E. Lawrence camped in Wadi Rum during the Arab Revolt and called it vast, echoing and godlike, and the sandstone walls make you believe it. From Rum Village the track runs south across red sand flats, then threads between towering jebels past Lawrence’s Spring and the narrow slot of Khazali Canyon. It continues to Umm Fruth Rock Bridge and finishes at the Burdah Rock Bridge, set high on a ridgeline above the valley. Navigation is mostly by line of sight, and the tracks braid and fade into open sand.

Difficulty is moderate and comes down to sand. Soft patches will bog a loaded vehicle with highway tyres, so air down, carry recovery boards and drive with momentum. Wadi Rum is a protected area, so you buy a ticket at the visitor centre, and the guide and camp rules there are enforced. Self-driving is limited, and most overlanders travel with a local Bedouin guide, which is worth doing for the route knowledge alone. Go October to April, because summer heat is brutal. Fuel and water are in Rum Village, and phone signal comes and goes in the canyons. You get clean desert driving and a night under proper stars. Have a dirty day.