Jordan is a beautiful country with many interesting places to visit. Petra might be the most popular one, but Amman, Jerash, the Dead Sea and Wadi Rum are all worth visiting!
When I started planning my trip to Jordan, I felt the most excited about spending the night in the desert. I had a similar experience in Morocco, but the sights in Wadi Rum seemed way more spectacular. After sleeping in a martian tent, we booked an incredible Wadi Rum jeep tour and started exploring the desert.
Once we started exploring Wadi Rum, my first feeling was that I arrived on Mars. The landscape was simply breathtaking and countless valleys and rock formations revealed themselves at every turn.
In this article I’ll share everything you need to know when planning a trip to Wadi Rum – how to book a 4×4 jeep tour, where to sleep and how to enjoy the most out of the desert. Let’s get to it!
1. Why is Wadi Rum special?
This apparently deserted place is actually inhabited by a few thousand Bedouins. Some of them live as nomads in the desert, while others now manage thriving businesses (camps, jeep tours) and live in Wadi Rum Village.
Nature has carved some pretty impressive shapes into the rocks of Wadi Rum. At every step, there is something spectacular to see and I can’t wait to tell you more about it in this article.
Wadi Rum was also the shooting scene for many movies, but probably the most important one is The Martian. Have you seen it?
2. Why should you book a Wadi Rum Jeep Tour? Is driving your own car in Wadi Rum an option?
Unfortunately, there is no infrastructure in Wadi Rum, meaning that there are just a few roads leading to the Visitor Center and Wadi Rum Village. You can’t explore the desert without a jeep tour because there are no roads inside the desert and driving anything but a 4×4 car is extremely dangerous.
Also, the desert can be very deceiving. With so many rocky formations and similar valleys, it’s difficult not to get lost. Although driving a 4×4 car in Wadi Rum is allowed if you pay a tax of around 30 JD at the Visitor Center, I do no recommend it.
Booking a jeep tour in Wadi Rum will make your life a lot easier. You’ll have an experienced driver that will know every corner of this desert. He will take you to the most beautiful attractions and he will tell you more about the life of Bedouins and how they live nowadays.
Also, jeep tours are affordable and they’re certainly a unique experience that you can enjoy without worrying that you’ll get lost. I’ve been to over 40 countries and honestly, exploring Wadi Rum is in my top 5 experiences I’ve had until now.
3. Where to book your Wadi Rum Desert Tour?
You have two options to book your tour. You can either go directly to the Visitor Center and book a jeep tour there or, if you’re spending the night in Wadi Rum, you can talk to your host and ask him to book a tour for you.
I spent the night in a martian tent at Hasan Zawaideh Camp and Hasan was kind enough to help me book my tour. He called a driver and we were picked up at our accommodation.
4. What to expect from a jeep tour in Wadi Rum
Honestly, I didn’t do much research before booking my tour. Therefore, I didn’t know what to expect, but I’m here to prepare you for this experience. Let’s talk about the car first.
The 4×4 jeep
The jeeps are actually pick-up trucks converted so that tourists can sit in the back. Two benches are placed on sides of the truck and I have to say that they’re actually quite comfortable.
One thing you should take into account when booking a jeep tour is that during summer, the days are extremely hot in Wadi Rum. Most jeeps don’t have a roof to keep you shade. However, some of them have roofs and I recommend booking one that does.
The ride will be quite bumpy. As I previously mentioned, there are no roads so you’ll pass over smaller or bigger dunes along the way. If you have back problems, you might consider staying inside the jeep’s cabin together with the driver.
The weather & what to wear
Exploring Wadi Rum during summer will be an interesting experience. I recommend covering yourself and wearing long pants, a long-sleeve blouse and something to cover your head. Also don’t forget to bring sun-screen and some water!
If you have sensitive eyes, bring some sunglasses. They’ll also protect you from small sand particles. When it comes to shoes, I recommend avoiding flip-flops or sandals. You’ll have to climb through the sand to get to some of the viewpoints so it’s best to wear sneakers.
Activities
Before booking your tour, talk to your driver about any activities that you’d like to try. You can try sand-boarding or you can choose a camel tour. Keep in mind that usually these activities are not included in the price of the tour, so make sure to ask beforehand how much they cost.
Bedouin camps
No matter which tour you choose, you’ll visit at least one bedouin camp while exploring Wadi Rum. These small camps come in the shape of souvenir shops. Here you can buy a cup of tea or a little something to remind you of this incredible place.
Most bedouin camps are located near important attractions like the Um Frouth Rock Bridge or the Mushroom Rock.
5. Which Wadi Rum jeep tour should you choose?
Depending on how much time you have to spend in Wadi Rum, you can choose between the following tours:
- 2-hour jeep tour
- 3-hour jeep tour
- 4-hour jeep tour
- 6-hour jeep tour
We chose the 4-hour tour and we loved it! I think it was enough to see the best of Wadi Rum. We visited the filming site for The Martian, the Nabathean inscriptions, the Um Frouth Arch, the Mushroom Rock, Barrah Canyon and Lawrence Canyon.
We chose the 4-hour tour because after the tour we had to go back to Amman. If you have more time, I recommend choosing the 6-hour jeep tour. Wadi Rum is huge and there are so many places worth visiting!
6. How much does a jeep tour in Wadi Rum cost?
Prices vary, depending on which tour you choose. A 2-hour jeep tour in Wadi Rum costs about 35 JD (per jeep) while a 4-hour tour costs 65 JD and a 6-hour tour costs 80 JD.
Of course, when it comes to prices, you should always negotiate them. Depending on the season you’re visiting, you might be able to find cheaper options than those mentioned above.
7. Where to spend the night in Wadi Rum
We chose to spend the night in a martian tent at Hasan Zawaideh Camp and it was an incredible experience. The tent had all the amenities we could have wished for and the view was simply breathtaking.
If you’re looking for other options, I’ve got you covered. Here are other accommodation options for your Wadi Rum trip:
- Budget – Moon City Camp – basic but clean room, friendly staff, authentic experience
- Mid-Range – Rum Angel – spacious rooms, beautiful view, breakfast included, good facilities
- Luxury – Bubble Luxotel – unique experience in a bubble apartment, luxurious rooms with excellent amenities, jacuzzi, breakfast and dinner are included
8. Final thoughts
Booking a jeep tour in Wadi Rum is one of the must-have experiences in Jordan. Spending time in the desert will make you realise how incredible nature is. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments section below.
May the travel bug bite you! Pin it for later!
Aurelia Teslaru is a professional travel blogger and the writer behind Daily Travel Pill. With a 4-year experience as a travel writer and photographer, Aurelia only shares travel guides about destinations that she visited.
She has been to more than 40 countries during the past 10 years and aims to explore 50 countries before turning 30 years old. Aurelia is a digital nomad who transformed her passion for travel into a lifestyle. Read more about her here.
To follow her adventures, check out her Instagram and Facebook pages!
Good evening: does the 6 hours Jeep tour in wadi rum ($80) is per person ? Would you please send me if possible other activities with price included to do in wadi rum? We are planning to expend 2 days there in Mid March and need to do our budget there as heard they only take cash. Thank you