Spending a night in the desert in Wadi Rum has got to be one of the highlights of any trip to Jordan.
There are dozens of options for camps, tours and guides, and there’s definitely something for every age and budget.
In the end we decided to go with Bedouin Roads. Part of the decision was due to the company’s ability to quickly and easily communicate – and the price range was within budget – 80JDR or about $112 per person. For that we got breakfast, lunch, dinner, accommodation and the jeep tour.
The bog standard itinerary takes you to several sites, before stopping for lunch. There are a couple more stops after lunch, before you’re dropped off at your desert camp for the night.
We had a rendez-vous at the Wadi Rum visitors’ centre around 0930. It’s about an hour and a half from Aqaba, so make sure you have enough time.
Most of the groups meet around the Wadi Rum visitors’ center. Note well there are two massive carparks with dozens of cars and minivans coming and going. It’s sort of overwhelming and very chaotic. Thankfully, everyone knows everyone, and it didn’t take us long to get the information we needed.
Not also, you have to pay to get into the national park housing Wadi Rum. It’s 12JOD pp or about $15. It is included in the Jordan Pass, so definitely consider getting your hands on one of those if you’re thinking of doing a few sites in Jordan.
Our meeting spot was actually at a local house about five minutes from the visitors centre. It was easy enough to find, and by about 1030 we were on our way.
The desert is seconds from the town and so before long we were tearing through the sand, heading for our first site: Lawerence Spring.
It’s a bit of a climb, and pretty busy, and while the spring isn’t much to look at, the views from the top are pretty special.
Wadi Rum is much busier than I remember it being back in 2010 when I first went to Jordan. There were jeeps tearing all across the desert and camps around every corner.
Second stop on our tour was the red sand dune.
You can climb up it and sand surf down.
We just enjoyed our time and the views before heading off to our next stop Khazali Canyon. It’s here you can see ancient inscriptions and a water hole.
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Red Sand Dune, Wadi Rum, Jordan
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A little further on is the little bridge and Lawrence house.
Around 1330 it was time for lunch so we found a shady spot to have some snacks.
Lunch was pretty underwhelming, and when the driver decided to go for a nap afterwards we found ourselves a bit bored.
A couple of hours later it was time to hit the road again – first stop Mushroom Rock.
Next up was Burdah rock bridge.
Finally we arrived at Abu Khashaba canyon – a long, narrow and surprisingly green passageway.
By 1830 we arrived at our camp – giving us enough time for a quick shower before finding a nice spot to watch the sunset.
Dinner, was a traditional bedouin meal, cooked in a fiery pit buried under sand.
We had tea and cakes and listened to a bit of local music before calling it a night.
Our tent was cosier than expected, and our beds were warm and comfortable.
The following day we had a bit of breakfast and wasted some time pottering around, before being dropped off back in town. We packed up our car and began our drive north to Petra.
All in all I think the overnight tour is a great thing to do – it gives you a great taste of the desert and a little (probably very superficial) glimpse into the Bedouin lifestyle. I’m not sure if I needed the lunchtime nap, or the afternoon of sightseeing. I think half a day might be enough to explore the desert. But I’d definitely recommend spending the night.