Every trip into the desert starts in two places: the Visitor Center, where you pay your entry, and Wadi Rum Village, where your guide is waiting. I grew up in this village. Here is how it works, simply.
The Wadi Rum Visitor Center
The Visitor Center is at the entrance of the Wadi Rum Protected Area, on the road coming from the Desert Highway. Everyone stops here: you show your Jordan Pass or pay the entry fee, and you receive a ticket. Keep it with you for your whole stay.
From the terrace you already see the great cliffs, including the rock the guides call the Seven Pillars of Wisdom. There is a small museum, toilets and a café. See the Visitor Center on Google Maps.
Entry fee and Jordan Pass
- Entry to the protected area: 7 JOD per person
- With the Jordan Pass: entry is included, just show your pass
- Payment: have Jordanian dinars in cash with you
- Opening: from early morning to the evening; if you arrive late for a night in the desert, tell us and we arrange it
Wadi Rum Village
About ten minutes by road after the Visitor Center, you reach Wadi Rum Village, also called Rum. It is a real Bedouin village: our families, the school, the mosque, small grocery shops and the houses of the guides. Most people here are from the Zalabieh tribe, like me.
The village is not a tourist town. There are no hotels in the streets: people come here to meet their guide, then leave for the desert. Behind the houses, Jebel Rum rises like a wall, one of the highest mountains in Jordan.
The Rest House and the free car park
The Wadi Rum Rest House is at the entrance of the village. It is our meeting point. Next to it, on the right, there is a large free car park for visitors: your car stays there safely while we go into the desert by 4×4. Regular cars are not made for the sand tracks.
- Jeep tours: we meet at the Rest House in the morning or in the afternoon, depending on your tour
- Nights in the desert: arrive between 6 and 7 pm, we drive you to camp
- Map: open the Rest House on Google Maps
Where to sleep in Wadi Rum
The magic of Wadi Rum is not in the village, it is in the desert. You can sleep in a Bedouin camp, in a traditional bivouac in our cave, or in real beds under the stars. We take you there in the evening after the Rest House, and dinner is ready when you arrive.
Spend the night in the desert
Bedouin camp, bivouac or real beds under the stars, with dinner and breakfast. Compare our Wadi Rum overnight stays.
Our practical tips
- Fill up your fuel tank before leaving the Desert Highway
- Bring cash in Jordanian dinars: in the desert, everything is paid in cash
- Mobile signal works in the village and in many places in the desert, not everywhere
- Dress modestly in the village, out of respect for the families who live here
- Coming by bus or taxi? Read how to get to Wadi Rum
— Eid, your Bedouin guide at Wadi Rum Best Tours
