It traces the stunning, extraterrestrial landscape featured in films like Star Wars and Dune, while helping to preserve traditional Bedouin culture.

My Bedouin guide Abdallah led the way up and into the crags of Jebel Umm Ishrin (1,753m), the sheer, eastern wall of Jordan’s most spectacular valley: Wadi Rum. Though it’s considered one of the world’s most breathtaking desert landscapes today, few outsiders had ever heard of Wadi Rum in 1917 when British archaeologist and writer TE Lawrence travelled through, describing this eastern wall as “one massive rampart of redness”.

Forty-five years later, his journey inspired the film Lawrence of Arabia, which effectively introduced Wadi Rum to the outside world.

Long before Lawrence, local Bedouin scrambled to dizzying heights on these cliffs, blazing vertiginous paths to needle the mountains’ narrowest gaps, reaching their innermost fissures and skirting their dome-capped summits on the hunt for ibex.

Slowcomotion is a BBC Travel series that celebrates slow, self-propelled travel and invites readers to get outside and reconnect with the world in a safe and sustainable way.

As Abdallah and I followed in their footsteps, clambering up the cleft of Umm Ejil (also known as Rakhabat Canyon), the passage narrowed and rock walls popped with weathered niches and delicate natural columns, as if marking the approach to an ancient shrine. Panting, I dropped to a black sandstone bench to rest beside Abdallah. We were deep in the heart of Jebel Umm Ishrin, engulfed in its silence, until a human-like whistle suddenly broke the quiet. I craned my neck to scan the surrounding cliffs. Such high, hidden reaches have long been considered the hideouts of magical jinn (genies).

Abdallah smiled: a starling, he explained. Their two-part whistle is a familiar sound in the surrounding Hisma plateau.

Of the area’s hundreds of miles of red-sand desert, the bulk of which stretches beyond the Saudi border, it’s Jordan’s fortuitous sliver that is by far the best known. It’s this stretch, centred on the Unesco-inscribed Wadi Rum Protected Area, that a bewitched Lawrence described as “magically haunted” and “vast and echoing and God-like”. In recent decades, this extraterrestrial terrain has served as the backdrop of numerous blockbuster films, including Prometheus (2012), The Martian (2015), Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) and Dune (2021 and 2024).

It was in this mesmerizing setting that, after extensive exploration by a group of Bedouin and British enthusiasts, a new long-distance hiking trail was introduced in February 2023: The Wadi Rum Trail. This 10-day, clockwise journey spans 120km starting from Jebel Umm Ishrin, showcasing the surreal beauty of Wadi Rum’s landscapes, and reaching areas well beyond the common 4×4 routes into the depths of the Protected Area. As described by Ben Hoffler, one of the trail’s originators, the route is a blend of various Bedouin paths including walking, shepherding, camel, hunting, and smuggling paths, along with segments of the ancient darb al-hajj (pilgrimage route) to Mecca.

Hoffler has dedicated over ten years to developing mountain trails across the region, including the Sinai in Egypt and the Red Sea Mountain and Bedouin Trail — an extensive 1,200km path connecting Jordan to Upper Egypt. Yet, Wadi Rum holds a unique charm for Hoffler, resonating with a majestic landscape and a traditional Bedouin culture not found in other parts of the Hisma plateau, creating an enchanting experience.

Similar to the ingenious Nabatean civilization that built Petra centuries ago, the Zalabieh tribe, prominent within the Protected Area, was attracted to Wadi Rum by the perennial springs at the base of Jebel Rum – a magnanimous rock formation opposite Jebel Umm Ishrin. The area is rich in biodiversity and cultural history, featuring springs surrounded by wild mint and rock walls bearing ancient Thamudic and Greek inscriptions along with Nabatean shrines.

Until a few generations back, the Bedouin village at the base of Jebel Rum was merely a cluster of goat-hair tents. Government interventions from the 1930s onwards have facilitated permanent settlements, with modern vehicles replacing camels and 4×4 tourism becoming the economic backbone, predominantly focusing on tours towards the southern parts along a virtual highway of trails.

By contrast, the Wadi Rum Trail climbs east into the twisting bowels of the mountains, losing the crowds from the start. Ten days later, it ends where it began, with increasingly hair-raising abseils down the face of Jebel Rum landing you back at the springs.

Climber and adventurer Tony Howard was first drawn to Wadi Rum in the 1980s and has since played a pivotal role in putting Wadi Rum on the tourism map. In exploring and publishing the region’s first climbing routes, he struck up lasting friendships with Zalabieh members and was deeply impressed by their hospitality and knowledge of the steep terrain.

After Howard and Hoffler hiked the Sinai Trail together in Egypt, the two began collaborating with Howard’s friends in Wadi Rum – among them Zalabieh elders – to create a similar long-distance trail in Jordan.

Like Hoffler’s other projects in Egypt, the Wadi Rum Trail was designed with both hikers and locals in mind. Though tackling the trail on your own is permitted, the creators are convinced that the most rewarding experience is to be had in the company of Bedouin guides.

“The Wadi Rum Trail first and foremost pays homage to the Bedouin of Wadi Rum,” said Howard. “They know the area, its flora and fauna intimately from ancestral knowledge – and they are always good company and good fun!”

More like this:

• The King’s Highway: The road that reveals Jordan’s history

• 373 miles of secret treasures

• Jordan’s beautiful, cursed landscape

“There are many hearts in this path,” said one Zalabieh elder, Sabbah Eid. “[It’s a] beautiful experience with nature and the life of the Bedouin, far from communication and modern life… it gives a special spirit to the place – complete calm.” As Eid explained, much of the impetus for the trail’s creation was to support the Bedouin community, connecting “a new generation of young people to work on this path – instead of working with tours on cars”.

Hoffler believes that Bedouin-led efforts like the Wadi Rum Trail can help preserve the Bedouin’s natural environment and cultural heritage. “If history have shown us anything it’s that the Bedouin known how to live sustainably in the wilderness,” Hoffler said.

Hiking the trail

While hiking the complete trail takes 10 days, those short on time can tackle it in bite-sized chunks, as I opted to do, beginning with the first of the route’s six sections: the traverse of Umm Ejil. This leads to the spectacular dunes of Wadi Umm Ishrin, where the surrounding cliffs hide a trove of petroglyphs and Nabatean and Thamudic inscriptions. Scrambling over another craggy rise, the sandy expanse of the Khor al-Ajram basin spread to the south. After threading the gorgeous Abu Khashaba Canyon, we scaled Jebel Birda (1,574m) and stood atop its enormous rock arch. The views from Birda’s ridge encompass the greatest of Wadi Rum’s sandstone massifs to the north, west and south.

From here the trail leads east, leaving behind the camps and the sands of Wadi Rum’s classic landscape to enter the desolate Tablelands, among the route’s loneliest sections. It then arches south along an ancient camel trail, passing old burial grounds, further time-worn inscriptions and a valley dotted with traces of long-forgotten caravans.

Jordan’s highest peak is the route’s next landmark, located just 1km from the Saudi border: Umm ad-Dami (1,854m). The clouds burst with colour as I scrambled the final stretch to its stony summit. Salman, my young Bedouin guide for this stretch, explained that the peak’s name is linked to an old Bedouin code of justice and honour. Blood feuds, known as damm (“blood”) have long been resolved by way of this unwritten law. In Bedouin strongholds like Wadi Rum, this code still applies to this day, with tribal sheikhs still tasked as traditional jurists alongside – or in lieu of – civil authorities.

Looking west from the summit to the burnt-orange bluffs, I wondered if the name could perhaps have come from their rusty tinge at this hour. A welcome breeze picked up as I admired the succession of ridges, towering over enormous waves of immaculate sand. Just then, I felt my phone buzz: a message in Arabic welcomed me to Saudi Arabia.

The path does not enter Saudi Arabia, but instead veers northwest towards the Hejaz Hills before reaching the trail’s crowning point: Jebel Rum (1,734m). For generations, the Bedouin have climbed the peaks of Jebel Rum, where wildlife such as rabbits and goats roam the wooded areas. For those hiking the whole route, the climax at Jebel Rum is stunning, requiring the use of ropes, harnesses and intricate rappelling down the western face of the mountain.

After departing the village, I shared with several guides my wish to undertake the entire trail in the future. Unlike the quick, standardized 4×4 tours commonly found in Wadi Rum, which increasingly include stays in deluxe space pods that mimic those in movies like The Martian, the trail’s slow and purposeful wander provides a more profound and sustainable connection to the locale.

Tatiana Haddad, a cultural anthropologist from the American University of Beirut, expressed optimism about the trail’s establishment, viewing it as indicative of increased awareness of Wadi Rum’s ecological vulnerabilities and the critical need for its conservation. She highlighted the misconception that desert ecologies are robust, noting that many Bedouins are now altering their way of life due to the environmental decline of Wadi Rum.

However, the importance of the trail extends beyond ecological preservation, focusing also on protecting the rich cultural heritage of the Bedouin community.

“Bedouin culture stands at a crossroads,” Hoffler said. “If [the ancestral knowledge of this land] is lost, it will be a cultural tragedy for all of humanity.” To live on, he explained, “it needs to actually be used. It needs to be learned. It needs to be practiced. It needs to be passed on to the next generations.”

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A Kentucky straight rye whiskey is the latest entry into The Macklowe collection.

In 2019, Julie Macklowe introduced her own brand of whiskey, focusing initially on American single malt as a luxury product. She explained to Forbes her preference for Scotch single malt and her motivation to create a high-end American alternative. Her latest venture aims to elevate rye whiskey with the debut of The Macklowe Silver Edition. This Kentucky straight rye, which doesn’t specify its age, is priced at $99 per bottle. Our exclusive tasting confirms it’s uniquely different from other rye whiskeys available today.

What sets it apart is its revolutionary finish in ex-American single malt barrels. After aging for at least four years in new charred American oak, the whiskey undergoes secondary maturation in barrels that previously aged Macklowe’s other whiskey releases. This process imparts a honeyed softness reminiscent of Highland scotch, a nod to Macklowe’s scotch influences. To achieve this unique blend, Macklowe enlisted master blender Brendan McCarron, renowned for his work at prominent distilleries such as Deanston, Ledaig, and Bunnahabhain.

Despite these innovations, the Silver Edition firmly maintains its rye whiskey characteristics. It features earthy, menthol aromas and a flavor profile that persists with notes of dill and fresh cracked peppercorn. The finish is long and reveals the depth of the rye, thanks to a mashbill composed of 95% rye and 5% malted barley. This complexity is enhanced by the single malt barrel finish, enriching the fruit-like qualities of the barley, producing a rich, robust profile where other rye whiskeys might feel dry and sharp.

“It was a great idea that I came up with in the shower,” Macklowe recalls of the rye’s unique finish. “I ran it by Brendan McCarron and he loved it. Our view is that everything should tie back to our core product.”

It also arrives in the market at an auspicious time for high end rye. A style of spirit that not long ago collected dust on shelves has undergone a complete transformation over the past decade. Popular brands like WhistlePig and Michter’s were the first to pave the way for ultra premium bottlings. But this month marks a new era for the “rye-naissance” as Beyoncé promises to make the drink even more mainstream with the introduction of her own SirDavis rye.

Just like Silver Edition, Beyoncé’s offering is one that’s engineered to resonate with scotch fans. SirDavis is finished in sherry barrels and uses an unusually high percentage of malted barley in its mashbill.

“I’d like to think that Beyoncé was inspired by my product,” says Macklowe. “It’s great to see someone else break the mold and it will shine a huge spotlight on this market. It also creates a huge opportunity for new drinkers to explore different luxury items. We’re creating a new taste profile for this category. A different product that didn’t exist before.”

The Macklowe Silver Edition rye will be available at local liquor stores starting later this month. Alternatively, you can experience it first at Jean-Georges in New York. The renowned chef, who manages several Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide, is a close friend of Macklowe and has secured a special allocation of 60 bottles for his flagship establishment.

Julie Macklowe, the founder of The Macklowe, alongside chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

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The public are being warned about counterfeit bottles of Glen’s Vodka that have been discovered to contain an industrial solvent potentially fatal in severe cases.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has reported that some 35cl bottles, which are counterfeit, have been detected with isopropyl alcohol, a substance not safe for consumption.

These counterfeit vodka bottles may exhibit an unusual odor and taste dissimilar to authentic vodka, according to the FSA.

This alert follows a recent warning from Food Standards Scotland that counterfeit Glen’s Vodka had been identified in convenience stores across Glasgow and Lanarkshire.

In a statement, the FSA – which covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland – said it “has been made aware of the production and distribution of counterfeit vodka labelled as Glen’s Vodka”.

“Products sampled were found to contain isopropyl alcohol, so they are unsafe. Isopropyl alcohol is an industrial solvent and is not intended for human consumption,” it said.

Drinking the solvent “can quickly lead to alcohol poisoning and in severe cases death”, the FSA said.

It advises consumers to check for a “laser etched lot code applied to the bottle between the rear label and the base of the bottle”.

The FSA mentions that isopropyl possesses “a strong odour and it may be possible to detect contaminated products by smell alone”.

“If the vodka emits a strong odor, do not consume it. Instead, store it in a safe location and inform your local authority for further instructions and advice,” the agency advised.

Following the warning issued by the FSS in Scotland on Tuesday, a representative for the Loch Lomond Group, which owns Glen’s Vodka, stated: “Our priority is the health and safety of the public, which includes our many thousands of loyal Glen’s customers.

“We are diligently working with the commendable efforts of Food Standards Scotland and other involved authorities to resolve the issue promptly.”

It traces the stunning, extraterrestrial landscape featured in films like Star Wars and Dune, while helping to preserve traditional Bedouin culture.

My Bedouin guide Abdullah led the way up and into the crags of Jebel Umm Ishrin (1,753m), the sheer, eastern wall of Jordan’s most spectacular valley: Wadi Rum. Though it’s considered one of the world’s most breathtaking desert landscapes today, few outsiders had ever heard of Wadi Rum in 1917 when British archaeologist and writer TE Lawrence travelled through, describing this eastern wall as “one massive rampart of redness”.

Forty-five years later, his journey inspired the film Lawrence of Arabia, which effectively introduced Wadi Rum to the outside world.

Long before Lawrence, local Bedouin scrambled to dizzying heights on these cliffs, blazing vertiginous paths to needle the mountains’ narrowest gaps, reaching their innermost fissures and skirting their dome-capped summits on the hunt for ibex.

Slowcomotion is a BBC Travel series that celebrates slow, self-propelled travel and invites readers to get outside and reconnect with the world in a safe and sustainable way.

As Abdullah and I followed in their footsteps, clambering up the cleft of Umm Ejil (also known as Rakhabat Canyon), the passage narrowed and rock walls popped with weathered niches and delicate natural columns, as if marking the approach to an ancient shrine. Panting, I dropped to a black sandstone bench to rest beside Abdallah. We were deep in the heart of Jebel Umm Ishrin, engulfed in its silence, until a human-like whistle suddenly broke the quiet. I craned my neck to scan the surrounding cliffs. Such high, hidden reaches have long been considered the hideouts of magical jinn (genies).

Abdallah smiled: a starling, he explained. Their two-part whistle is a familiar sound in the surrounding Hisma plateau.

Of the area’s hundreds of miles of red-sand desert, the bulk of which stretches beyond the Saudi border, it’s Jordan’s fortuitous sliver that is by far the best known. It’s this stretch, centred on the Unesco-inscribed Wadi Rum Protected Area, that a bewitched Lawrence described as “magically haunted” and “vast and echoing and God-like”. In recent decades, this extraterrestrial terrain has served as the backdrop of numerous blockbuster films, including Prometheus (2012), The Martian (2015), Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) and Dune (2021 and 2024).

It was here that a new long-distance hiking route was launched in February 2023: The Wadi Rum Trail. This 10-day, clockwise circuit stretches for 120km starting from Jebel Umm Ishrin and showcases the prime features of Wadi Rum’s surreal landscapes, journeying beyond the usual 4×4 routes deep into the Protected Area. According to Ben Hoffler, one of the creators of the trail, it integrates various Bedouin paths including walking tracks, shepherding tracks, camel tracks, hunting routes, smuggling routes, and segments of the old pilgrimage route (darb al-hajj) to Mecca.

Hoffler has dedicated over a decade to developing mountain trails across the region, from Egypt’s Sinai and Red Sea Mountain trails to the Bedouin Trail – a vast 1,200km route that connects Jordan to Upper Egypt. But Wadi Rum holds a unique charm for him, with towering mountains that exhibit a magnificence unmatched in other parts of the Hisma plateau. The area also sustains a Bedouin culture that is notably more traditional than in the Saudi Arabian sections of Hisma, imbuing it with a remarkable ambiance.

Much like the resourceful Nabatean civilization, which constructed Petra centuries earlier, the Zalabieh tribe—the most prominent Bedouin group in today’s Protected Area—was attracted to Wadi Rum by the perennial springs at the foot of Jebel Rum, which faces Jebel Umm Ishrin. These springs, surrounded by rocky walls adorned with ancient Thamudic and Greek inscriptions as well as several Nabatean shrines, sprout lush wild mint thickets.

However, as recently as a few generations ago, the Bedouin village at the base of Jebel Rum was merely a cluster of goat-hair tents. With governmental initiatives since the 1930s, most of the Bedouins here, like others across Jordan, have settled permanently, favouring SUVs over camels and 4×4 tourism as a main economic driver, with tours typically heading southward along a populated track through the valley.

By contrast, the Wadi Rum Trail climbs east into the twisting bowels of the mountains, losing the crowds from the start. Ten days later, it ends where it began, with increasingly hair-raising abseils down the face of Jebel Rum landing you back at the springs.

Climber and adventurer Tony Howard was first drawn to Wadi Rum in the 1980s and has since played a pivotal role in putting Wadi Rum on the tourism map. In exploring and publishing the region’s first climbing routes, he struck up lasting friendships with Zalabieh members and was deeply impressed by their hospitality and knowledge of the steep terrain.

After Howard and Hoffler hiked the Sinai Trail together in Egypt, the two began collaborating with Howard’s friends in Wadi Rum – among them Zalabieh elders – to create a similar long-distance trail in Jordan.

Like Hoffler’s other projects in Egypt, the Wadi Rum Trail was designed with both hikers and locals in mind. Though tackling the trail on your own is permitted, the creators are convinced that the most rewarding experience is to be had in the company of Bedouin guides.

“The Wadi Rum Trail first and foremost pays homage to the Bedouin of Wadi Rum,” said Howard. “They know the area, its flora and fauna intimately from ancestral knowledge – and they are always good company and good fun!”

More like this:

• The King’s Highway: The road that reveals Jordan’s history

• 373 miles of secret treasures

• Jordan’s beautiful, cursed landscape

“There are many hearts in this path,” said one such Zalabieh elder, Sabbah Eid. “[It’s a] beautiful experience with nature and the life of the Bedouin, far from communication and modern life… it gives a special spirit to the place – complete calm.” As Eid explained, much of the impetus for the trail’s creation was to support the Bedouin community, connecting “a new generation of young people to work on this path – instead of working with tours on cars”.

Hoffler believes that Bedouin-led efforts like the Wadi Rum Trail can help preserve the Bedouins’ natural environment and cultural heritage. “If history have shown us anything it’s that the Bedouin known how to live sustainably in the wilderness,” Hoffler said.

Hiking the trail

While hiking the entire trail takes 10 days, those with limited time can explore it in sections, as I did, starting with the first section: the traverse of Umm Ejil. This path leads to the breathtaking dunes of Wadi Umm Ishrin, surrounded by cliffs that conceal ancient petroglyphs and Nabatean and Thamudic inscriptions. Crossing another rocky ascent reveals the sandy expanses of the Khor al-Ajram basin to the south. Passing through the stunning Abu Khashaba Canyon, we climbed Jebel Birda (1,574m) to its vast rock arch. The panoramic views from the ridge of Birda showcase Wadi Rum’s impressive sandstone massifs.

Leaving the well-known landscapes of Wadi Rum, the trail turns east towards the remote Tablelands, one of the most solitary parts of the route. It follows south on an ancient camel path, skirting old burial sites, enduring inscriptions, and valleys filled with remnants of ancient caravans.

Jordan’s tallest peak, Umm ad-Dami (1,854m), near the Saudi border, is the next significant marker on the route. Reaching the summit, the sky explodes in color. Salman, my young Bedouin guide, shared that the peak’s name relates to an ancient Bedouin justice system, where blood feuds known as damm (“blood”) were settled. This tradition of justice still prevails in Bedouin communities like Wadi Rum, where tribal sheikhs continue to serve as arbiters of justice, maintaining their role despite modern laws.

From the peak’s summit, looking west to the crimson cliffs, I considered whether the name could be inspired by their rust-like hue at sunset. A cool breeze greeted me as I admired the landscape’s grand ridges and expansive sand waves. My phone vibrated, signaling a welcome message in Arabic from nearby Saudi Arabia.

The trail doesn’t actually enter Saudi Arabia, but curves north-west into the Hejaz Hills before approaching the final summit of the trail: Jebel Rum (1,734m). For at least a century, the Bedouin have scaled Jebel Rum’s summits, where rabbits and goats still flit through its wooded gullies. For hikers completing the entire trail, it’s a jaw-dropping finish, involving ropes, harnesses and multipitch rappelling down the mountain’s western face.

Upon leaving the village, I mentioned to a handful of guides my desire to return and complete the full circuit. In striking contrast to the fast-paced, formulaic 4×4 tours on offer in Wadi Rum, increasingly featuring stays in luxury space pods inspired by films like The Martian, the trail’s slow, deliberate meander offers a deeper, more visceral experience here – and in far more sustainable fashion.

Tatiana Haddad, a cultural anthropologist at the American University of Beirut, told me she was hopeful that the trail’s creation is “emblematic of a growing consideration towards the ecological fragility of Wadi Rum and the vitality of its protection”. Contrary to common assumptions, she noted that “desert ecology is in fact quite fragile, and many Bedouins are already having to change their lifestyles to adapt to Wadi Rum’s degradation”.

But alongside preserving Wadi Rum’s natural environment aside, safeguarding the rich cultural heritage of the Bedouin community is at the heart of this route.

“Bedouin culture stands at a crossroads,” Hoffler said. “If [the ancestral knowledge of this land] is lost, it will be a cultural tragedy for all of humanity.” To live on, he explained, “it needs to actually be used. It needs to be learned. It needs to be practiced. It needs to be passed on to the next generations.”

If you liked this story, sign up for The Essential List newsletter – a handpicked selection of features, videos and can’t-miss news, delivered to your inbox twice a week.

For more Travel stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.