Where to stay in Wadi Rum: Best Desert & Bubble Camps Explained
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Not sure where to stay in Wadi Rum for the best desert camp experience? No matter your budget, I’ve listed out the best places to stay in Wadi Rum to make sure you have the most *magical* experience.
Ever wondered what it’s like to walk on Mars?
Ok, that’s pretty niche, but I definitely have (huge space fan, here). So when I first arrived in Wadi Rum desert, it was like stepping into a dream.
Wadi Rum covers over 74,000 acres of land (that is huge, for those of you who don’t know acres), and lies in the south of Jordan.
Without being too boring, it was proclaimed as a protected area back in 1997, and is so special that the famous Lawrence of Arabia described it as ‘vast, echoing and god-like’. And boy, did we agree!
Wadi Rum is known for its incredible red rocks and sand, mimicking the appearance of Mars. It’s so similar to the red planet, that it’s been used as a filming location for movies such as The Martian and Star Wars. It’s pretty convincing!
(I literally stood in the same spot as Matt Damon at one point. Swoon.)
PSSST: If you’re visiting Jordan, you’ll need to purchase a visa before arrival. The easiest and cheapest way to do this is by buying a Jordan Pass. I’ve written a guide explaining this here!
Where to stay in Wadi Rum
Your time at Wadi Rum will be full of adventure. From driving over sand dunes on 4x4s, stargazing, and hiking to spotting petroglyphs (rock carvings) dating back over 12,00 years ago, Wadi Rum is special. Even if you’re not a history buff, that’s pretty cool!
But the all-important question is..where is best to stay in Wadi Rum? Do you need to fork out for a luxury bubble dome? And what on earth does a ‘Bedouin tent’ mean?!
I get it, I was the same as you before I visited Jordan for the first time. But luckily for you, I’ve got it all mapped out in this handy blog post.
So, let’s get down to the best places to stay in Wadi Rum and get going on your desert adventure!
Need a bit of help working out how to fit your Wadi Rum adventure into your itinerary? I’ve got you sorted! Check out my detailed 7-day Jordan itinerary here.
Where to stay in Wadi Rum: Bubble Dome Luxury Camps
You’ve seen the Instagram photos, you know what the bubble tents look like. Originally popping up after Matt Damon’s Hollywood movie The Martian, the bubble tents are a unique and incredible way to spend your time in the Wadi Rum desert.
Staying in a bubble dome gives you the full ‘outer-worldy’ experience, and makes you feel like you’re in a little bubble on Mars. With the stars to look at and the vast open sand, it really is special.
So, where do you begin when looking at what Wadi Rum bubble tent is best?
For me, choosing a desert camp is about these things:
- Location (we wanted away from the main road)
- Activities offered
- The roof of the dome appearance (I wanted to be able to see out to the desert from bed)
- Half-board options (you MUST get a dome with dinner included as you’re in the middle of nowhere!)
- Aesthetics of the camp itself
- Reviews on Booking.com
- And of course, price!
We’re ‘medium-to-low’ budget travellers, and we wouldn’t be forking out £500 a night to stay somewhere. So the price: experience situation is important to us.
I’ll note later on in the post, but some of the camps aren’t as remote as others. This was something that really stuck with me, and was super important. When I do unique stays like this, I want to be remote. Like remote, remote. Stick me an hour into the desert and I’ll be happy.
And that’s why we finally decided on the UFO Luxotel (more reasons explained underneath!)
I recommend this bubble tent if you’re staying in Jordan for the first time!
Wadi Rum accommodation budget guide:
To help you, I’ve listed each hotel with a budget symbol (pretty self-explanatory) but the fewer £ signs you see, the cheaper it is, and vice versa.
- £ = £0-£100 a night
- ££ = £100-200 a night
- £££ = £200+ a night
Right, let’s get started!
Ooh, PS: all of these stays have either been experienced by myself, or by someone who has recently visited and recommended them to me. Enjoy!
Visiting Jordan? Check out my other posts below:
- Is The Jordan Pass Worth It? A Must-Read Before Purchasing!
- Tipping in Jordan: Everything You Need To Know
- Driving in Jordan: The Ultimate Car Hire Guide
- Jordan 7 Day Itinerary: A Perfect Trip to the Middle East
- Is Petra Worth Visiting? A Must-Read Before You Go!
1. Wadi Rum UFO Luxotel (££)
🤑 Price per night: £180+ (varies depending on the season)
🍱 Breakfast and dinner provided in buffet style
🥾 Activities (at an extra cost): 4×4 tours, camel rides, stargazing, hiking, sunrise and sunset tours
👍 Pros:
- Room size, comfort and aesthetics
- Amazing viewpoints
- Lots of buffet options for breakfast and dinner (including local and western food)
- Friendly staff
- Wifi in domes (although temperamental)
- Parking on-site
- Remote and away from the beaten track
- Great activities
👎 Cons:
- No music played at dinner (how minor is this! I just couldn’t think of anything)
- Wish we had a hot tub but, again, this is me being a bit too sassy for my own good.
- Set times to use hot water (I mean, you’re in the desert, what do you expect)
You can book your stay at the Wadi Rum UFO Luxotel here!
🧡 What I loved about this Wadi Rum bubble tent
Everything. Honestly, it was one of the best unique stays I’ve ever had!
The staff are some of the kindest, friendliest people you will ever meet and will go out of their way to make you feel welcome from start to finish. We stayed for 2 nights, and by the end of our trip, everyone knew who we were!
Our 4×4 tour of the desert lasted over 4 hours and exceeded all of our expectations. For only £30 each, we had our own private jeep, and visited all of the major landmarks at our own pace! We even had a rest stop for the sunset and drank tea with some of the locals.
A surprisingly good activity was the stargazing. It was only £15 each and lasted a few hours out on the sand, using professional telescopes to look at the night sky. The tour guide was super friendly and knowledgeable and really made the experience special!
You can expect the classic bubble dome room here, with views overlooking the desert and not a road in sight. Plus, all rooms come with A/C and wifi (although it can be pretty sketchy) and a large balcony with a hammock.
A Wadi Rum luxury camp that I’ll remember forever!
It really is an incredible remote desert experience.
You can book your stay at the Wadi Rum UFO Luxotel here!
2. Bubble Luxotel (££)
🤑 Price per night: £180+ (varies depending on season)
🍱 Breakfast and dinner provided in buffet style
🥾 Activities (at an extra cost): 4×4 tours, camel rides, stargazing, hiking, sunrise and sunset tours
👍 Pros:
- Room size, comfort and aesthetics
- Amazing viewpoints
- Hot tub!!
- Lots of buffet options for breakfast and dinner (including local and western food)
- Friendly staff
- Wifi in domes (although temperamental)
- Parking on-site
- Remote and away from the beaten track
- Great activities (exact same as UFO hotel)
👎 Cons:
- No music played at dinner (it’s the same restaurant as UFO, as they’re adjacent)
- I personally don’t like the aesthetic look of these bubble tents, but that’s super personal to me and just what I like.
- Set times to use hot water (I mean, you’re in the desert, what do you expect)
🧡 What I loved about this Wadi Rum bubble tent: Bubble Luxotel is actually owned by the same people as UFO Luxotel, so you’re sharing all the same facilities. Meaning it’s again, an epic bubble tent resort to stay at!
It’s another amazing Wadi Rum luxury camp and worth every penny.
You can book your stay at Bubble Luxotel here!
3. Sun City Camp (££)
Another major Wadi Rum luxury camp that’s super popular is Sun City. It’s actually the original bubble dome camp and the closest to Matt Damon’s famous Martian spot.
🤑 Price per night: £100+ (tents) £190+ (domes) which varies depending on the time of year
🍱 Breakfast and dinner provided in buffet style
🥾 Activities (at an extra cost): 4×4 tours, camel rides, horse riding, stargazing, hiking, sunrise and sunset tours
👍 Pros:
- Room size, comfort and aesthetics. It’s like you’ve landed right on Mars!
- Amazing viewpoints
- Evening entertainment
- Lots of buffet options for breakfast and dinner (including local and western food)
- Friendly staff
👎 Cons:
- Not too far from the visitor centre, so isn’t AS remote as I’d like
- Set times to use hot water
- The evening entertainment is very temperamental and doesn’t always happen
🧡 What I loved about this Wadi Rum bubble tent: You’ll have probably seen Sun City the most on Instagram, and it is a pretty incredible spot.
Plus, like most of the Wadi Rum luxury camps (and actually all of Jordan) Sun City is full of staff who want to help you out and make your experience a special one.
You can book your stay at Sun City Camp here.
4. Memories Aicha Luxury Camp (£££)
🤑 Price per night: £160+ (tents) £200+ (domes) which varies depending on the time of year
🍱 Breakfast and dinner provided in buffet style
🥾 Activities (at an extra cost): 4×4 tours, camel rides, horse riding, stargazing, hiking, sunrise and sunset tours, archery, themed evening events, live music and performances
👍 Pros:
- Room size, comfort and aesthetics. The decor inside the domes is exceptional.
- Amazing viewpoints
- Can hire guides with drones (I’ve heard Sultan is the guy to ask for!)
- Evening entertainment
- Lots of buffet options for breakfast and dinner (including local and western food)
- Friendly staff
- Remote location
👎 Cons:
- Can only remove the dome curtain after 6pm due to heat (not their fault at all)
- Price is pretty steep but totally worth it!
- Gets booked up QUICK so you’ll need to be organised!
🧡 What I loved about this Wadi Rum bubble tent: Memories is definitely the most luxury bubble tent out of the ones I’ve already listed. So if you’re looking for chandeliers and exquisite decor, Memories is your place to stay in Wadi Rum!
You can book the Memories Aicha Luxury Camp here.
5. Zeina Desert Lodge (£)
🤑 Price per night: £50 (tents) £200+ (domes) which varies depending on the time of year
🍱 Breakfast only provided in buffet style
🥾 Activities (at an extra cost): 4×4 tours, camel rides, hiking, hot tub
👍 Pros:
- Can eat your breakfast on your dome terrace (not all allow this)
- The cheapest luxury dome listed
- Amazing views and viewpoints
- Lots of buffet options for breakfast and dinner (including local and western food)
- Friendly staff
- Remote location
👎 Cons:
- Have to pay extra each night for dinner (20 JD per person)
- Set times for hot water
- Unreliable wifi (but most are quite unreliable!)
- Can get quite light in the morning from the thin curtains
- No complimentary water
🧡 What I loved about this Wadi Rum bubble tent: Zeina is one of the newer properties in the Wadi Rum desert, and I think it’s wonderful. It has a real authentic, dusty, desert appeal to it, and the decor in some of the lower costing tents is incredible.
It’s also one of the cheapest luxury camp options, so if you’re on a tight budget, it’s a great place to start!
You can book your stay at Zeina Luxury Desert Lodge here.
Where to stay in Wadi Rum: Traditional Bedouin tents
If you’re looking for a more traditional stay in Wadi Rum, you can opt for a desert camp. These are smaller campsites with traditional Bedouin tents and don’t have all the fancy frills the bigger resorts do.
As well as being a unique experience, they’re much cheaper than the luxury domes, so you’ll be able to save precious pennies whilst still having an epic Wadi Rum desert experience.
1. Wadi Rum Desert Adventures (£)
Wadi Rum Desert Adventures is one of the most popular authentic desert camps, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. From the friendly staff to the incredible location, I can’t wait to go back and visit!
🤑 Price per night: £19+ (depending on time of year)
🍱 Breakfast and dinner provided
🥾 Activities (at an extra cost): 4×4 tours, camel rides, hiking, happy hour, themed dinners, local culture tours, horse riding
👍 Pros:
- Authentic Bedouin experience where you get to meet and mingle with the locals
- Exceptionally clean rooms
- Friendly atmosphere with helpful staff
- Food cooked in the ground and local tea served
- Amazing sunset views
- Remote location
👎 Cons:
- No wifi (but I think this is a pro…? Authentic desert experience right?!)
You can book your stay at the Wadi Rum Desert Adventure stay here.
2. Bedouin Tours Camp (£)
Another insanely low priced authentic desert camp is the Bedouin Tours Camp. Located in a remote part of the desert, you’ll experience a true desert experience in this little piece of heaven.
🤑 Price per night: £15+ (depending on the time of year)
🍱 Breakfast only provided
🥾 Activities (at an extra cost): 4×4 tours, hiking, local culture tours, horse riding
👍 Pros:
- Authentic Bedouin experience
- Comfortable beds with cosy blankets
- Excellent breakfast
- Clean facilities
- Friendly atmosphere with helpful staff
- Amazing sunset views
- Remote location
👎 Cons:
- No wifi (but again, I think this is a good way to switch off)
- Have to pay an additional price for dinner
You can book your stay at the Bedouin Tours Camp here.
Other desert camps worth noting:
How many nights should you stay in Wadi Rum?
If you’re visiting Wadi Rum for the first time, I would recommend staying at least 2 nights. This gives you enough time to enjoy the atmosphere and surroundings of your camp, and to have a day full of activities.
However, if you can’t fit two nights into your trip, make sure you stay for at least one to really make the most of it. Trust me, you won’t want to leave once you arrive!
Is it worth staying in Wadi Rum?
Absolutely. Like I said, Wadi Rum is completely unique and unlike any other desert on the planet. You can stay for at least 2 nights without getting bored or running out of things to do!
How much does it cost to stay in Wadi Rum?
This depends on whether you want to stay in a traditional Bedouin tent or a luxury bubble dome. You can expect to pay around £20-50 for a tent, or upwards of £150 a night for a bubble dome.
🚰 The tap water in Jordan isn’t safe to drink, so I used my filter water bottle pretty much every day to keep myself hydrated. I take it everywhere with me, and it works in every country where you can’t drink tap water! You can grab yours here.
Can you sleep in Wadi Rum?
Yes, and there are a few options to choose from. You can either stay in a luxury bubble dome, with facilities like a hot tub and buffet restaurant, or book into a traditional Bedouin camp for local food and tea around a campfire. There are also options to stay with Bedouin families and homestays.
Can you drive yourself in Wadi Rum desert?
The dunes in Wadi Rum are pretty bumpy and uneven, so they can’t be driven over by a regular car. If you want to do a self-tour of Wadi Rum, you’ll need to hire a 4×4, and pay for a guide to lead you around the desert. Some of the camps are accessible by your own car, but again you will be professionally led there or you’ll park your car somewhere to transfer into their 4×4.
Not sure whether or not to hire a car Jordan? Check out my guide to driving in Jordan here!
🔌 Whilst you won’t want to be glued to your phone whilst travelling Jordan, I highly recommend carrying a power bank. Losing battery whilst driving in the Middle East and not having a map would not be ideal! It also gets super hot so your battery will drain faster than normal. I use this power bank, and it’s not let me down yet! It easily lasts for a whole week trip!
What to wear in Wadi Rum?
If you’re staying in one of the bigger resorts, the rules are definitely more lenient than in more traditional sites. It’s important to remember that Jordan is still a conservatively dressed country, so just wear clothes that are respectful and aren’t too revealing.
I’ve written a blog post with all the details on what to wear in Jordan here.
Book your stay at Wadi Rum using this comparison site for the cheapest deals!
Where to stay in Wadi Rum: In a Nutshell
Well, it’s a lengthy blog post, but hopefully, you have a bit more of an idea about where to stay in Wadi Rum than when you began reading!
Wherever you decide to stay in Wadi Rum, I am absolutely positive you will have a once-in-a-lifetime, incredible experience.
Jordan is one of the best countries I’ve ever visited, and I’ll cherish my memories from Wadi Rum forever.
Visiting Wadi Rum and want to share your experience? Let me know in the comments below!
All of my photos and videos from our epic Wadi Rum trip are also over on my Instagram. Come and join me there!
Happy travelling!
Jennie 🙂 x
Visiting Jordan? Check out my other posts below:
