Wadi Rum was one of the most unforgettable experiences of our Jordan trip. From sleeping in a luxury bubble tent beneath a sky bursting with stars to riding camels across the red desert at sunset, it genuinely felt like stepping onto another planet.
In this guide, I’m sharing our honest review of Wadi Rum Life Mars Camp, what the bubble tents are really like, the activities we tried, practical tips for visiting Wadi Rum independently and why adding Aqaba to your itinerary makes the perfect ending to a Jordan adventure.
Introduction
The Wadi Rum Desert is unlike anywhere else on earth – a vast sea of red sand and towering sandstone cliffs. Staying in a desert camp was the most extraordinary experience and one of my most wonderful travel mememories.
Waking up in a bubble tent surrounded by red desert and absolute silence was one of the most surreal travel experiences we’ve ever had. By night, the sky above exploded with stars. By morning, we were drinking tea in the desert before heading to snorkel coral reefs in Aqaba.
Aqaba is only an hour from Wadi Rum so, tacking on a morning in Aqaba on the Red Sea made a perfect final chapter for us.
Planning your Jordan trip? See our full itinerary:
👉Jordan Itinerary & Travel Guide: 6 Day Adventure on a Budget
Contents
- About Wadi Rum
- How to Get to Wadi Rum From Petra
- Where to Stay: Wadi Rum Life Mars Camp Review
- Activities in Wadi Rum
- Tips for Wadi Rum
- Wadi Rum to Aqaba: Jordan’s Red Sea Coast
- How to Get from Aqaba to Wadi Rum Without a Driver
- About Aqaba
- Driving from Aqaba to Amman Airport
- Useful Links
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About Wadi Rum
Wadi Rum is a protected desert wilderness in southern Jordan covering 720 square kilometres. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, celebrated for its extraordinary landscape of red sand, sandstone mountains and ancient inscriptions carved by the nomadic people who have lived here for over 12,000 years.
The Bedouin people are the traditional inhabitants of the desert – masters of surviving in one of the harshest environments on earth.
The landscape is so dramatic and other-worldly that it has been used as film locations for The Martian, Aladdin, Dune, Star Wars Episode IX and Rogue One.
The red colour of the sand and mountains comes from iron oxide in the sandstone – it really does look like another planet!
💗 We found the bedouin people to be incredibly warm and welcoming. The landscape beautiful, peaceful and untouched.
How to Get to Wadi Rum From Petra
Wadi Rum is about 1 hour from Petra (Wadi Musa) and 1 hour from Aqaba. Our driver Khaled took us directly to our camp. If you’re self-driving, you’ll park at the Visitor Centre and be taken to your camp by jeep.
Other Ways to Get There
- Local minibus – 6-6.30am from Wadi Musa – ask your hotel to reserve a seat
- Private taxi
- Rent a car – if you’re renting a car, you must park at the visitor’s centre in Wadi Rum
🌟 Tip: Arrive as early as you can in the day. You want to make the most of every hour in Wadi Rum – it’s worth it.
Where to Stay: Wadi Rum Life Mars Camp Review
We stayed at Wadi Rum Life Mars, a smaller camp than many of the options in the desert, which gave it a wonderfully intimate and cosy atmosphere.
The camp consists of 5 bubble tents and around 15 traditional tents, all with ensuite facilities. At the centre of the camp, a large rock provides natural shelter for the dining and fire area, which is lit beautifully in the evenings.
Is a Wadi Rum Bubble Tent Worth It?
Our bubble tent was luxurious – comfortable beds, hot water shower and a curved transparent wall that gave us a direct view of the sunrise in the morning. Watching the light creep across the desert from your bed is an experience I’d do again and again.
Our children’s standard tent was fine but didn’t have the same magic. The bubble tent is absolutely worth the extra cost.
Food
Dinner was prepared in the traditional Bedouin way: food buried in a hole in the sand and slow-cooked using solar heat. It was served as a buffet and every dish was delicious – there was plenty to go around.
Our host talked us through the process and also explained Bedouin traditions and their amazing knowledge of the stars.
Breakfast was also a generous buffet, with a cook making omelettes to order.
Throughout the evening you could help yourself to tea from the camp fire area, and there was a bar selling soft drinks.
Breakfast and dinner were both included in the price.
Price: We paid £200 for 1 bubble tent + 1 triple room for 1 night (including breakfast and dinner)
Activities in Wadi Rum
The camps organise a range of activities that you book on arrival:
- Jeep tours of the desert (various lengths available)
- Sunset camel ride
- Star gazing experience
- Hot air balloon ride (seasonal)
✨ Tip: Our driver told us to check the price board at the Wadi Rum Tourist Information Centre when we arrived. These prices are standard and gives you a good idea of what to expect.
We chose the 2-hour Jeep tour, the sunset camel ride and the star gazing experience.
The Jeep Tour
The Jeep tour takes you deep into the desert to see rock formations, ancient inscriptions and vast open plains of red sand. It’s great, but with hindsight I’d have chosen a longer tour – 2 hours goes very quickly and there’s so much to see. I was worried about not having regular toilet breaks but you do actually stop for lots of refreshment and comfort breaks.
Sunset Desert Camel Ride
The camel ride was wonderful. The camel handler obviously adored the camels and they were in turn very affectionate. Worth doing for the experience and photographs, but be prepared for a bumpy ride!
Star Gazing in Wadi Rum
For star gazing, our guide drove us to a spot with zero light pollution, unrolled rugs on the desert floor, built a small fire and made us tea. The sky was extraordinary – more stars than you’ve ever seen in your life.
We could hear our voices echo across the silent desert. It was one of the most peaceful and beautiful experiences of the whole trip.
One warning: Watch out for earwigs on the ground. One bit my son and my daughter found two in her hair. Wear insect repellent, wrap up well and don’t lie directly on the sand without the rug beneath you.
🌟 Tip: In July and August you can spot the Milky Way. My son spent time adjusting his camera settings to photograph the stars – there are great YouTube tutorials for this. Some of his photos were stunning.
Tips for Wadi Rum
- Book a bubble tent if staying at a camp with them – it’s a completely different experience
- Choose a longer Jeep tour – 2 hours is not enough
- Arrive early to maximise your time in the desert
- Wear insect repellent at night, especially for star gazing
- Bring cash – card payments are not available in Wadi Rum
- Wrap up at night – temperatures drop significantly after sunset even in warm months
- Consider 2 nights if your itinerary allows – we would go back for longer without hesitation
Wadi Rum to Aqaba: Jordan’s Red Sea Coast
After checking out of our camp in the morning, our driver Khaled took us to Aqaba – a vibrant coastal city on the Red Sea – for a few hours before the long drive to the airport.
Wadi Rum to Aqaba is only an hour’s drive so it makes an easy day, or over night trip from Wadi Rum or vice-versa.
How to Get from Aqaba to Wadi Rum Without a Driver
Getting from Aqaba to Wadi Rum independently is actually quite straightforward and much cheaper than arranging a private driver. Here are the main options:
Local Minibus (Cheapest Option)
- Local minibuses run between Aqaba and Wadi Rum village
- Journey time: Around 1 hour
- Cost: Usually only a few JOD
- Departure point: Aqaba bus station
- Arrival: Wadi Rum Village/Visitor Centre
Things to know:
- They don’t run on a strict timetable and often leave once full
- Services are more frequent in the morning
- You may need to ask locals or your hotel for the exact departure point as it can change
🌟 Tip: Ask your desert camp to collect you from Wadi Rum Visitor Centre once you arrive – most camps include this transfer for free.
JETT Bus (Most Reliable Public Transport)
JETT operates tourist buses between Aqaba, Petra and Wadi Rum during peak travel seasons.
Pros:
- Comfortable and air-conditioned
- More reliable than local minibuses
- Good option for tourists travelling independently
Cons:
- Limited schedules
- May not run every day depending on season
🌟 Tip: Book ahead if travelling during busy periods.
Taxi (Easy but More Expensive)
Taxis are easy to arrange in Aqaba and can take you directly to the Wadi Rum Visitor Centre.
- Journey time: About 1 hour
- Price: Usually far cheaper than a full private tour driver
- Good for families or groups splitting the cost
Make sure to:
- Agree the price before leaving
- Clarify whether the fare includes waiting or return journeys
Renting a Car
Our original plan was to rent a car and it was simple to arrange. Hiring a car in Jordan is surprisingly easy and roads between Aqaba and Wadi Rum are excellent.
Why it works well:
- Straightforward desert highway driving
- Gives flexibility for Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea
- Parking available at Wadi Rum Visitor Centre
You cannot drive into the protected desert itself unless authorised, so your camp will still transfer you from the visitor centre by jeep.
Important Things to Know
- Most camps do not allow direct access by regular car
- You’ll normally meet your camp representative at the Visitor Centre
- Bring cash – card machines can be unreliable in Wadi Rum. There is am ATM at the visitor’s centre
- Try to arrive early so you get as much time as possible to enjoy the desert
About Aqaba
Aqaba has a beautiful shoreline lined with 5★ hotels and a relaxed beach atmosphere. It’s a popular resort destination for Jordanians and a world-class destination for divers and snorkellers. The coral reefs here are among the finest in the world.
Snorkelling the Coral Reefs
Khaled had arranged a glass-bottom boat trip for us to nearby coral reefs. We spent the morning snorkelling above reefs that were vivid and alive – parrotfish, angelfish, vast fans of coral in shades of orange, purple and yellow.
We stopped at a beach on the way back and picked up a delicious fish and chip lunch, which we ate on the boat as we headed back to shore.
It was the perfect last morning – relaxed, beautiful and a completely different experience from everything else we’d done in Jordan.
Driving from Aqaba to Amman Airport
The drive from Aqaba to Amman airport takes approximately 5 hours. Plan your departure from Aqaba accordingly – we left with plenty of time and it was a comfortable journey on wide, empty highways.
🌟Tip: If you’re heading from Wadi Rum to Amman airport, consider stopping in Madaba along the way to see Mount Nebo (with views all the way to Jerusalem), Byzantine churches and famous mosaic art. This was our original plan before we chose Aqaba instead – I’d love to do it on a return visit.
Useful Links
- 👉 Search for a Luxury Wadi Rum Camp
- 👉 Jordan Itinerary & Travel Guide: 6 Day Adventure on a Budget
- 👉 Dead Sea Jordan: What to Expect & Where to Stay
- 👉 Petra Jordan: A Complete Visitor’s Guide
- 👉 Things to Do in Amman
- 👉 What to Pack for Jordan
- 👉 Book My Jordan Holiday – Itinerary & Booking Toolkit
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