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Wadi Rum: The best way to visit one of the most beautiful deserts in Jordan

Our trip to Jordan was through a tour group, and if you really want to make good use of a trip to the incredible Wadi Rum desert I would recommend going on your own. Because we were restricted to the group and only had a certain amount of time to do everything it was difficult to really appreciate this incredible desert in the south of Jordan.

I had first heard about Wadi Rum through Lawrence of Arabia. It was here that T.E. Lawrence passed through several times in the early 1900s during the Arab revolt. Apparently, it was this film that skyrocketed Jordan’s tourism industry when people saw the beauty of the Jordanian desert (worth the hype!). It has also been featured in The Martian. Do you recognize this landscape?

Andreas surveys the desert

About Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum (Arabic for ‘Roman valley’ or ‘sand valley’) is a desert in the south of Jordan. It is also known as The Valley of the Moon and it is the largest wadi in Jordan.

There is a lot of history in the desert, including some writings on canyon walls from the Thamud people that are thousands of years old. The Bedouin people also live here and you often seen huge caravans of camels moving across the desert floor.

Desert panorama (yes, it really was that colorful!)

Where to stay

We stayed in an amazing Bedouin desert camp which felt more like a 3 or maybe 4-star resort. We had tented camping with study beds and electricity, and the wifi was the best we experienced anywhere in Jordan! The camp also had a pool, and served buffet style dinners and breakfasts which were really good – especially the fresh bread in the morning!

Glamping in a Bedouin campsite!

Breakfast at the Bedouin campsite

At night, the camp had set up beautiful lanterns leading to a higher rocky place which we climbed up after dinner. We found that the top of the place was flat and perfect for stargazing. The stars in the desert are always incredible!

Bedouin campsite at night

We met some people who refused to stay in the camp because they thought they would be roughing it, and instead stayed in the nearby city of Aqaba. This is definitely an option if staying in a camp doesn’t agree with you, however, we would highly recommend staying in a camp! It felt more like glamping than anything else, and the local Jordanian hospitality is a wonderful thing to experience. Check out this link if you want to browse through some more options for accommodation in Wadi Rum!

Things to do

1. See the sunrise and ride camels

We booked a camel ride into the desert to see the sunrise the first morning we were in Wadi Rum. The camel ride was around 30 minutes one way and probably not recommended for people who aren’t very fit. Camels can be uncomfortable when you are not used to them and it is a long enough ride that you need to do some work to stay on! The Bedouins guiding us took us to a rocky outcropping which we climbed up to watch the sunrise over the desert before heading back to the camp.

Watching the sun rise over the desert

Riding camels at sunrise through the desert (find Andreas and Karis grinning like idiots while everyone else is concentrating on not falling off their camels!)

Andreas riding camels at sunrise in Wadi Rum

Camel riding can really be a lot of fun! If you can stay on, that is …

2. Jeep Safari

After breakfast, we drove about 5km to get to our “Jeep safari.” The “Jeeps” were actually tiny pickup trucks that had been fitted with benches in the back for tourists to ride. We drove nearly 10 minutes into the desert to see some ancient Arabic writings on some canyon walls, then we went dune climbing. In short, the appeal is definitely not the Jeep ride, though it’s worth it to get to the destination!

Take a Jeep safari through the desert!

The sand really is this red in some places

3. Snowboard down a sand dune

Near the Arabic writings was a giant red dune which people were attempting to snowboard down. I don’t think it was steep enough for sand snowboarding as we didn’t see anyone successfully make it down! We climbed to the top and were treated with a really incredible view of the desert. This view was what I had been waiting for all day! Really surreal with such a stark beauty that only the desert of Wadi Rum possesses.

Sand dune snowboarding

We highly recommend wearing a scarf! Wind and sand do not mix … But check out those views!

4. Do more camping, rock climbing, and adventuring

We managed to do all of these things in one half day before heading to Aqaba. If we had been traveling alone I think Andreas and I might have gone camping in the desert and done some more driving to see more of the incredible hues of the sand and rock. There is also some great rock climbing where you can follow ancient Bedouin trails and find old Arabic carvings.

Looking for ancient Arabic writings on the stone walls

Camels taking a break in the desert

Of course, add some kisses in epic places with your sweetheart!

Our visit to Wadi Rum wasn’t nearly long enough!

Reconsider the tour group if ...

If I could do my trip over to Wadi Rum I would do everything that we had done with our tour group, but I would have spent more time in the desert itself and added a few activities. A tour group can be great for a first-time visit, but if you are more adventurous you may want to schedule a separate trip for yourself. There are 4×4 vehicles for rent to drive around the desert with, and I would do more research on camping and rock climbing in the desert, although our Bedouin campsite was wonderful.

What to bring:

• Hat
• Sunscreen
• Conservative clothing (you are among conservative people, the Bedouins)
• Lots of water
• Cash (USD or dinar)
• Scarf (to keep the sand out of your eyes and hair)
• Camera
• Tripod (I regretted not having mine to take night photos)