Arranging a trip to Wadi Rum can be a bit of a minefield. With so many desert camps to choose from and a plethora of snazzy options, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. We were a bit concerned after hearing complaints about hidden fees but we ended up having a fantastic, budget-friendly experience which was a highlight of our time in Jordan. In this post, I wanted to share a few tips and considerations based on my own experiences in the desert.

The first thing to know is that it’s pretty much impossible to visit Wadi Rum independently – you can’t just walk around the desert or drive your own vehicle. Wadi Rum Village is the only settlement within the protected area, there are no hotels or hostels there and it’s not a particularly great place to spend time in any case. The only accommodation options in Wadi Rum are Bedouin desert camps with varying degrees of luxury and amenities, and the only way to visit the desert is to book a jeep tour through one of these camps. Every aspect of your visit, including transportation to and from the camps themselves, will be controlled by the camp, so it’s important to make the right choice when booking. I’d say that a jeep tour is absolutely essential, as without that you’ll likely be stuck in Wadi Rum village or sitting around doing nothing. Some camps may even refuse to host you. 

Street scenes in Wadi Rum village

When looking on Booking.com, the first thing that will strike you is the extremely cheap accommodation available – some camps offer accommodation for as little as $1 per night, which is absolutely insane. If you think this deal is too good to be true, it is. Apparently there’s fierce competition amongst the desert camps for business, so the low accommodation costs are designed to tempt in guests. The costs slowly begin to add up to once you arrive – meals, additional activities such as a jeep tour and the cost of the pick up from the Visitor Centre or Wadi Rum Village mean that guests in these ‘$1’ camps can usually expect to be paying upwards of 50JD per person per night. Sometimes participating in jeep tours organized through your desert camp results in the pickup fees being waived, however if you make the mistake of booking with an alternative supplier then expect to pay a lot to be picked up! There are also a plethora of fake reviews, and camps are typically deleted from booking websites and then re-uploaded to avoid bad reviews, which explains why there are so many (we heard that there are more camps advertised on Booking.com than actually exist in Wadi Rum).

Dome and traditional Bedouin-style tents are standard accommodation in Wadi Rum

It’s not that the guys running these camps are dishonest – we actually found them to be really down-to-earth, respectful and helpful. This is just the way things have developed in Wadi Rum. It is what it is and there’s basically no way around it. It can be frustrating for travelers who like to know the cost of things and/or have everything paid upfront. We spoke to a few travelers who’d been caught out by this at other desert camps and ended up paying way more than they were expecting.

To avoid being at the mercy of excessive jeep tours and price hikes, we decided to book a package deal on Getyourguide which included all meals, accommodation and the jeep tour – this worked out much cheaper than booking a camp independently. It was ideal to pay one set price and not have to worry about being overcharged for the jeep tour after you arrive. This is the package deal we booked on Getyourguide. I can personally vouch for the honesty of these guys, the quality of the camp and the fact that we were at no point asked for any extra money. We also had an absolutely great time on the tour.

Transport considerations

Getting to Wadi Rum itself isn’t too difficult. JETT runs a popular bus service from Amman and some other locations which drops off at the Wadi Rum Visitor Centre. We used Asri Tours (booked via 12go Asia), which operates buses to and from Wadi Musa and drops off at both the Visitor Centre and Wadi Rum Village. Asri also offers hotel pickups in Wadi Musa – we were contacted the night before by someone from the company to arrange a pickup location, which was a nice touch.

On the way to Wadi Rum, the bus drivers (JETT or Asri) usually make contact with your desert camp owner or tour provider on your behalf to ensure a seamless arrival. These guys are well versed and tend to know all the major camp owners. Your camp host will then meet you directly at the bus drop off location, so there’s no need to worry about making contact. If you’re driving yourself, there is a parking lot in Wadi Rum Village and the camp hosts will pick you up from there. I can’t vouch for the security of the parking lot, but another couple from our tour drove and their rental car looked like it was fine there overnight.

Desert jeep tours start in the morning – you will need to plan your transport to reflect this. We took the early morning bus from Petra, were picked up straight away for our jeep tour which lasted all day and then arrived at our camp just after sunset, departing Wadi Rum the next morning. I would say that this is by far the best schedule to work to for most visitors. If you can’t get to Wadi Rum by around 9-10am then you may need to stay for two nights rather than one at a desert camp. I don’t know what the logistics and cost differences would be regarding this. 

Jeep tours are a must do activity in Wadi Rum!

If you’re heading on to Aqaba like us, you’ll need to arrange a taxi as there is no public transport in the morning from Wadi Rum Village (a single minibus for local students leaves too early to make it feasible, and doesn’t operate on Fridays anyhow). Costs for the taxi can be cut if you find someone to share with – we were able to find someone, but this happened very much by accident. Nobody at our camp was heading to Aqaba, but a different camp owner spotted us with the taxi guy in Wadi Rum Village and asked if one of his guests could share the cab – we were happy to oblige of course. The cost should be around 25-30 JD total for the car – make sure you get your guide or desert camp host to arrange this as they will be able to get the best price for you. 

Other considerations

There are usually two types of accommodation offered at these desert camps: dome tents and bedouin-style tents. Rooms may be basic, or they may have modern amenities like ensuite bathrooms, electricity, air-conditioning and proper beds. It’s not like you’re staying in a yurt in a remote region of Kyrgyzstan, but don’t expect perfect luxury either. The photos on Booking.com and other promotional material can be misleading, but honestly we were surprised and impressed with the quality of our accommodation. There can be problems with the water supply at these desert camps, so don’t bet on getting a shower in the morning. 

Rozana Desert Camp turned out to be great!

Apparently there are some desert camps which aren’t even in the Wadi Rum protected area but in other nearby desert areas – make sure you don’t book one of these by accident.

There are no toilets outside Wadi Rum Village and the desert camps, so make sure you relieve yourself before the start of your jeep tour, bring toilet roll and be prepared to crouch behind a rock. It’s not pretty but unfortunately it’s a reality of being in the desert. 

There’s a ruined Nabatean Palace within walking distance of the village if you have some time to spare. 

If you’re participating in a jeep tour, I really don’t see any need to stay more than one night in Wadi Rum. You can experience the place in a full day and I don’t really know what else you would do with a longer stay.

For info about our jeep tour, accommodation and overall experience in Wadi Rum, check out my main Jordan page by clicking here!