Wadi Rum — the “Valley of the Moon” — is the vast, Mars-red desert of southern Jordan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of sandstone mountains, dunes and Bedouin camps. It pairs naturally with Petra, and most travellers see the two together. Here's how to reach it from Amman and how a visit actually works.
The essentials
- From Amman
- ~320 km, ~3.5–4 hours via the Desert Highway
- From Petra
- ~110 km, ~1.5–2 hours
- Status
- UNESCO World Heritage Site (since 2011)
- Getting around
- By camp 4×4 — private cars aren't allowed in the reserve
How a visit works
You don't drive into Wadi Rum yourself — the protected area is explored by 4×4 jeep, usually run by the Bedouin camp you book. A typical visit is a half-day jeep tour across the sand to rock bridges, canyons and dunes, a sunset viewpoint, then an overnight at a desert camp with a traditional zarb (underground-cooked) dinner and some of the clearest stargazing you'll ever see.
Where you sleep — camps and bubble tents
Camps range from simple Bedouin tents to “Martian” bubble tents with transparent domes for watching the stars from bed. An overnight is what makes Wadi Rum special; a rushed daytime stop doesn't do it justice.
Wadi Rum as a same-day trip from Amman is a very long haul — around eight hours of driving for a couple of hours in the desert. It's far better experienced overnight, and most efficiently combined with Petra on a multi-day loop rather than chased on its own.
Combining Wadi Rum with Petra
Because Petra and Wadi Rum are only about 1.5–2 hours apart, nearly every worthwhile itinerary bundles them: Petra by day, Wadi Rum by evening and night, often with the Dead Sea added on the way back to Amman. Our 2-day tour with a Wadi Rum bubble-tent night is the classic version; see all tours for longer loops, and how to get from Amman for the first leg.
