Ancient rock drawings have been etched by desert dwellers over millennia. The Bedouin tribes still living here conserve the environment and run the tourist operations as an eco-friendly means of income. Their large goat-hair tents serve as their own accommodation where they welcome off-road tourists.
Off-roading here was a simple exercise of engaging 3 local Bedouins and their 4WDs to head off for the afternoon into the canyons where previous tyre tracks in the sand are readily obliterated giving a perception of remoteness and isolation. But the Bedouins know this place intimately and, if you got stuck, another group would probably turn up after not too long a wait.
Captains Camp is one of the several tented accommodation options in the Wadi. Mini Bedouin goats hair tents fit three at a squeeze, an hygenic, hydraulically-equipped albeit tented ablutions block serves its intended purpose without challenging those whose western sensibilities baulk at the notion of the random splatter patterns of middle-eastern squatters.
Captain's Camp is bottom centre. Look closely and there are two parrallel lines to be seen leading from the entrance to the Tener's tent at the back, tracking Bruce's progress through the sand with his wheelie bag.
The Tener's tent, next to ours, smelled of urine - the night was inky black and freezing and I was really busting. Bruce thought that a stray camel had gotten in.
The evening was spent around warm fires with tea and shishas in the big tent across the front of the camp. We engaged some friendly Yanks in conversation - god-botherers on a quick tour before leaving their daughter to preach Jesus to the locals. Not too sure how such proselytizing would go down with the locals - as hospitable as they were, folks in this part of the world take their Islam pretty full-on.
The alternatives to Captains Camp fit into the glamping category. We enjoyed our B&B (Bedouin & Breakfast). If you're in the middle of a desert in the Middle East in a tent then WTF do you want with hand lotion, silk sheets and a private terrace?