Romancing the Desert
Jordan, almost entirely landlocked and nestled in the center of the Middle East, is quite the travel destination. If you’re a cinephile, you’re probably already familiar with some of the sights in the country. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade concludes at the hugely awesome Petra. The stunningly beautiful Lawrence of Arabia also takes place throughout various locations in the south, including Wadi Rum. Jordan is also rich in Roman ruins and ancient splendors, as well as being politically stable and safe to travel around, which is all too rare for that region.
Jordan not being a super popular travel destination isn’t too shocking. What is surprising is that a large portion of tourists to the country visit as a day trip. Tourists visiting Israel typically are the ones doing day trips to see Petra. Don’t think the Jordanian government hasn’t noticed. It’s enough of an issue for them that they have added a ‘day-tripper tax’ to the entrance fee for Petra. As stated on the website, visitors who go to Petra on their first day in country will pay an additional 40JD (that’s almost $60 extra).
Ouch!
I’m not here to talk about Petra. Instead I want to focus on the area located in the south, Wadi Rum, and why you should visit it. Wadi Rum is the country’s 2nd most popular tourist destination, after Petra, and the film location for over a dozen popular movies. It is a protected area, so you can’t just wander in there on your own.
Read our review of Real Bedouin Experience Tours & Camp to see how we got around.
There is a mandatory 5JD entrance fee, per person, which will not included in the price of any tours you book. If you buy the Jordan Pass, Wadi Rum is covered.
Why You Should Go To Wadi Rum
The sparsely populated area is filled gigantic rock formations, sand dunes, and seemingly endless Martian landscape. It’s alternately known as Valley of the Moon, so that should clue you into to the type of landscape you’ll be drinking in.
There aren’t many manmade things to see, but there are some petroglyphs. They’re not really extensive; expect about a twenty-minute stop to see them. You’re not coming out here to see man’s domination over nature. Your purpose should be to appreciate the beauty of nature.
If you’re on the right tour, and with a tour guide worth his salt, you can be totally isolated. Our guide left us alone a few times to hike some lineal trails. So, there were no other humans in sight, or anything manmade around. No modern sounds, like of cars, airplanes, motors, etc. This is pretty unique.
As mentioned above, Wadi Rum is a protected area. The only people living in the area are part of the tribal groups that have been living there forever, for all intensive purposes. Because of the restrictions on visitation, the environment has been neatly preserved. You won’t find trash or litter dotting the landscape. It is entirely unsoiled, which is a lot more that most other desert areas. It’s actually kind of rare for Jordan, which sadly does have a serious issue with littering and trash.
How Long To Stay in Wadi Rum
Don’t do a single day tour!
At the very minimum, you need to stay overnight. The desert cools down and the dry air is incredibly clear. Since there are no lights to pollute the sky, it’s allows for one amazing view. We spent hours just staring up at the sky. We even set an alarm for 3am so we could sky gaze after the moon set.
If you want to Wadi Rum justice, you should do a 2 day/ 2 night stint. This is exactly what we did, in fact.
Day 01
We arrived a few hours before sunset. Met our guide and headed out to our private campsite. Our guide took us to a view area for the sunset. After it got dark, we head back to camp for dinner by the fireside.
Day 02
The next day we did the greatest hits of Wadi Rum. Basically all the famous landmarks. For the most part, you will spend most of your day shuttling from one rock formation to another. While they were all nice, it gets a little mechanical. Stop, get out, walk around, take some photos, back in the 4×4, drive, rinse and repeat. We ended the day by visiting another sunset viewing area, that was equally as gorgeous.
Day 03
The last day we headed out deep into the desert, close to the border with Saudi Arabia. We took an extended hike up some mountains. The area was full fish fossils, as this entire area was once under water. We could see into Saudi Arabia, which is probably the closest we’ll ever get to that country.
This was the activity that really left a lasting impression on us. My suggestion is not skip the greatest hits, because that was all worthwhile. You need to see that stuff before venturing into the parts of Wadi Rum where no one goes.
If I could go back and do it again, I would actually stay another day and go further into no man’s land. However, we really like hiking. I think for most people, the 2 day/ 2 night set up will give you your fill of the place.
Pitching a Tent
A lot of the tour groups have campsites with tents, dining areas, limited electricity, and bathrooms. Honestly, I think this is the wrong way to go. Let me lay out a few reasons why.
It’s a waste of resources.
You can go without electricity for a few days. One of the best parts of being out in the middle of the desert is disconnecting with the modern world.
While you might think this is crazy, you don’t need running water. I implore people to consider the lack of this precious resource. You can go two days without a shower, especially since it’s so dry. Yes, you will get a bit grimy, but this part of the charm.
This is going to be a hard sell, but you also don’t need a toilet. I can already hear people gasping. Squatting behind a rock is not as bad as it sounds. Again, this is part of the experience.
Getting lumped together with a bunch of random tourists.
One of the major draws about going out to Wadi Rum is getting away from the tourists. Why put yourself through the tourism grinder at a campsite? The quite moments at night, in total darkness and silence, staring up at the sky is what it’s about. You’re not going to get that at campsite with overstuffed and spoiled tourists that will probably find something to complain about.
It ruins the uniqueness of Wadi Rum.
There is something amazing unique about being in Wadi Rum under the stars. What’s the point of going out to desert to stay in a tent? Just a book a hotel if you really need that kind of comfort.
You will miss out on seeing the sky.
I just can’t say this enough, but the sky is amazing. Seeing shooting stars, planets, and UFOs drift by as you doze off to sleep is amazing.
It’s not as if you’ll be sleeping on sand. Our guide prepared a nice comfortable sleeping area for us to sleep on. We were nestled up next to a towering sandstone that helped protect us from any wind gusts. I’m willing to bet it is equal to the bedding found in the tents.
Who shouldn’t go
Being that Wadi Rum is a desert, the environment is extremely harsh and unforgiving. Temperatures can fluctuate wildly. Summer days are incredibly hot. So hot that your guild will probably stop the tour in the mid-afternoon for an hour or so when the heat is overwhelming. Summer nights can get very chilly, enough so that you’ll need a heavy blanket.
People with health conditions might want to give this a skip. If you are prone to heat stroke, I would certainly advice against this tour. Even if you’re just being shuttled around in a 4×4. There is no AC, and it could be too much for some people to handle.
If you are unreasonably out of shape and/or very overweight. Any extra weight isn’t going to do you any favors in the extreme heat.
Families with young children. I think the heat will be too much for them.
People with extreme dietary restrictions. I would check with a tour company before hand. As you might imagine, the food options are limited. Everything we had was cooked by the fire and/or didn’t require any refrigeration.
If you’re looking for a luxurious time. I’m not sure if Jordan is the right travel destination for you.
Lastly, if you’ve already done other desert tours, like in Morocco or Egypt, and have stayed overnight in true desert environments, you might not get the same amount of enjoyment. Deserts have a lot of overlap.
Getting There
Getting to Wadi Rum can be a bit tricky, at least when we were there in 2017. There are some buses that travel the country, but they can be few and far in-between. If you have a few days to burn, you make it work. For people on a tighter schedule; you could fly, but you’ll still need to arrange transport from the airport to Wadi Rum.
The best solution is renting a car. Outside of the capital city, Amman, traffic is minimal. There are well paved highways that run the length of the country, in addition to well maintained secondary roads that mostly cover the west side of the country.
Unfortunately, these are your only options.
Need more information about Jordan?
Check out our full write up on Amman HERE.
Read about our amazing miscellaneous adventures off the beaten path HERE.
Learn all about Petra HERE.
If you never seen Lawrence of Arabia, I implore you to make 4 hours in your life for it.
