Wadi Rum Desert: Spending a Night in a Bedouin Camp in Jordan

A trip to Jordan has to include a night in the Wadi Rum desert. It’s a famous desert, a natural park and used as a movie set due to its Mars appearance. I’ve seen the desert before, but the red sand of the Wadi Rum desert is not a common sight. 

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How to get to Wadi Rum Desert

I have to tell you, as it’s a top attraction in Jordan, that Wadi Rum is not an ordinary desert. You can drive there by car, take a taxi from Aqaba, or even join some sort of tour. It’s easy. It was part of my 7-day road trip in Jordan.

What’s the Wadi Rum desert location? It’s easy to find it, and you will need to set your GPS to Wadi Rum village.

The road gets you almost to the middle of the Wadi Rum desert, a few km past the entrance office of the natural park.

There, right in the middle of the desert, you’ll find the village. Basically, here is where all the Bedouins have their home, the ones that have the businesses of desert camps. At the entrance, you will find a supermarket and a pretty big parking lot (considering the size of the village).

How to spend a night in the Wadi Rum desert

The desert has countless Bedouin camps. Just check Booking.com and be amazed. If you take a look at the map on booking, you will see that this desert is a pretty touristic place considering the number of Wadi Rum hotels. 

There is a huge range of Wadi Rum desert camps for you to choose from.

From basic desert tens to luxurious Mars-like bubble tents (which have a clear roof so that you can watch the stars as you are falling asleep), Wadi Rum deserts had accommodations for any kind of traveller. 

Wadi Rum desert: Booking a Bedouin camp

Most Wadi Rum camps offer extra tours in the desert, as there are some touristic spots. You can book a tour to include both an overnight stay in the desert, a sightseeing tour and dinner.

During a Wadi Rum desert tour, you’ll see special rocks which form the amazing Mars-like desert landscapes.

Of course, there will be plenty of opportunities to take some spectacular photos for your Instagram account. Those tours can vary in price and duration, starting from 3 hours to a full day. 

I booked the accommodation 3 hours before arriving at the Wadi Rum desert. Booking.com gave me a really good deal, as it was a last-minute accommodation in the Wadi Rum desert.

But I don’t recommend booking last minute if your group is bigger. Most of the time, the Wadi Rum desert is a busy place, and you might not find something suitable for you. 

But we weren’t sure if we wanted to spend a night in the Wadi Rum desert, so that’s why we didn’t make a fuss about it, and the same was applied to everything else during our trip in Jordan.

I was super relaxed, booking hotels a night before getting there or sometimes even a few hours before. Yes, it was a spontaneous trip to the Wadi Rum desert, and it was super awesome! 

Sometimes, when you are not sure about what you want to see or what you will find, it’s better to have a flexible schedule and say ‘Yes’ to whatever comes your way.

What to expect if you want to spend a night in the Wadi Rum desert?

When I stayed in the Wadi Rum desert, I booked Candles Camp.

It was a good choice, and I recommend staying at this Bedouin camp in the Wadi Rum desert. It was a simple camp when I visited in 2018. But today is one of the best-rated places in the place.

The basic package is accommodation for the night (in a private tent for 2 with a big bed) and breakfast. Dinner and the ride from the village to the camp are extra. 

How is the accommodation in a Wadi Rum Bedouin Camp? 

Just as you see in most photos, there are many 2-person tents with a bed, clean sheets, towels, light and a plug to charge your phone.

The tent closes from the inside, but there is no key to lock the door. They have another building for the toilets and shower. It was really clean and comfortable. 

We arrived around 4 pm in the Wadi Rum village. The ticket to enter the natural park is 5 JD, but it’s free if you show the printed Jordan Pass. 

After we arrived in Wadi Rum village, we met our host Mahdi, from Candle Camp, who let us park our car in front of his house in the village.

After we parked, he invited us in the back of his 4×4 Toyota, and he drove us and some other tourists to his Bedouin camp in the Wadi Rum desert. It was a 10 min drive through the desert. Also, we left him our car keys in case he needed to move them.

We settled in, took some pictures and prepared for dinner.

After dinner, they prepared a nice candle and music show for us. I guess that’s why the camp’s name is “Candle Camp” – because they put candles all over the place.

We listened to some traditional music and drank tea. Good thing they have a bathroom.

Because we didn’t have any time to do a desert tour, the next morning we woke up at 5 am to take some photos around our Wadi Rum desert camp.

We had breakfast at 8 am, and after that, we got a ride back to the village. It was a short experience, as we didn’t have time to do any desert tours, but it’s still beautiful and enough. But if you have a bit more time, try to make time for a tour, even if it’s a short one. you won’t regret it.

Other cool-looking accommodations in Wadi Rum

This is indeed an extraordinary location. It’s been a while since my visit, and I have travelled a lot since then, but I have still to find a place that resembles Wadi Rum.

If you want to splurge a bit, or simply really soak in this outer-worldly experience, then I would also consider staying at these cool-looking domes (they are listed as tents on booking) in the desert. The construction allows you to feel like you are literally sleeping under the stars.

Rum Leader Luxury camp – Their tents are gorgeous; all have a luxury private bathroom and breathtaking views.

Rum Kingdom Camp – Gorgeous tents suitable for families with children, they have a playground.

Rum Mars luxury camp – They provide skiing equipment if you are a sports enthusiast. They also have a heated pool.

Wadi Rum Relax camp & jeep tour – Jeep tours, car rental, skiing, cycling, gorgeous tens with hot tub!! What more do I need to say?

The best part of spending a night in Wadi Rum Desert

The desert night sky is what I love the most about these kinds of experiences. I guess that’s the highlight for which most people go there. In any desert, actually.

The sunrise was around 5 am.

If you are like me, and you like to take nice pictures of the places you are visiting, you will want to wake up early, as you will take some of the best pictures at sunrise. I loved that light.

Please note that it can be chilly, as the sand is cold. I caught a cold after 1 hour of walking barefoot through the desert. But it was worth it, and the photos are so pretty. My mom said she felt like crying.

Some insights if you are planning to spend a night in the Wadi Rum desert

During the day, it is hot, but at night it gets chilly. Pack socks and anything else you need to survive a night in a tent at 10°C (50°F).

The food was very good. Both dinner and breakfast were an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Last-minute booking can get you a better deal. But for larger groups, it can be tricky, and for that, it’s better to book it at least one week before.

The tents have plugs, so you can charge your phone, camera, laptop etc.

You can go inside the natural park by yourself, you just need to pay for a ticket (it’s included with Jordan Pass) and you can drive to the village, where you can park your car and walk around. Desert is all around.

Are you planning your trip to Jordan?

Make sure to read more about my road trip in Jordan, visiting Petra and some other tips to keep in mind for first-time travellers to Jordan.

f you like the desert, read more about Camel trekking in the desert of Morroco.

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