Standing between the towering hulks of Jebel Rum and Jebel Um Ashreen, Wadi Rum Village is a small settlement with a population of around 2000 people. It is an entirely modern creation, with the first permanent residences appearing from the 1980s; only the crumbling ruins of a Nabataean temple, an old outpost of Jordan's border police dating to 1932 and a few black goat hair tents of local Bedouin families pitched between seasons were found here before. With its broken streets, rundown buildings and a total lack of ATMs, public bathrooms and many other basic facilities that might be expected in any one of Jordan's major tourism hubs, Wadi Rum Village has the feeling of a place that has been forgotten and neglected. Except for a few climbers staying in the village to explore the nearby local crags, it is a place few visitors currently choose to stay and it does not serve as a destination for tourism in its own right so much as the funnel through which tourism passes to the desert. Nevertheless, it has a special position on the Wadi Rum Trail, being the trailhead where the route begins and ends, and anybody who does stay may find the village grows on them; the local Bedouin community is welcoming, there are several good Bedouin camps and Wadi Rum's most magnificent mountains tower directly above. Cafes, restaurants and shops are all found along with a solid 4G internet signal. A fee of JD5 must be paid to enter Wadi Rum at the Wadi Rum Visitor Centre, located 7km north of the village. Anybody arriving on a public bus must disembark here and take a taxi into the village for 5JD. Asking prices can be 15JD on arrival, so always book the transfer with the Bedouin operator organising your hike before arrival. Every visitor must bring enough cash for the length of their stay in Wadi Rum.