Martian Landscape of Wadi Rum

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Part 3 of Jordan Travel Blog Series: Martian Landscape of Wadi Rum. We went with absolutely no expectation, but the Wadi Rum desert blew our mind. Check out our blog to plan the desert tour and a night stay here.

Part 1: 1 Week Itinerary for Jordan

Blog Part 2: Exploring the Lost City of Petra

Part 4: Floating in the Dead Sea

Be it the recent Star Wars movie or Martian, so many films have been shot in this beautiful landscape. And it’s hard not to see why. Wadi Rum easily gives the feeling of exploring Mars on earth. We have never seen a landscape so surreal and unique! The brilliant sandstone rock formations, vast desert, and free-roaming camels made for the most wonderful experience. Our guide on the Martian landscape of Wadi Rum will help you plan the trip and experience this first hand.

How to Reach this Martian Landscape of Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum is about 2 hours drive from Petra or about 5 hours drive from Amman. There is public transportation from Amman to Wadi Rum desert, but no direct bus, and the frequency is not great. We highly recommend renting a car for your trip as driving in Jordan is fairly easy and the roads are in good condition.

We started our trip from Petra and then drove to Wadi Rum after exploring the Lost City of Petra.

Best time to visit Wadi Rum

Spring and Autumn in general are the best times to visit Jordan. The weather is not scorching hot or very cold. We traveled in early November, and the weather was gorgeous.

Where to Stay in Wadi Rum

We had the most amazing experience of sleeping under the sky full of stars. There are so many amazing glamping options in Wadi Rum that you will be spoilt for choice. People usually choose between the traditional Bedouin-style tent or the Martian-style tent, which allows you to view the sky full of stars at night from the comfort of your bed. These tents are pretty glamorous, as they come equipped with AC and a private bathroom with a hot water shower. Below are some of the amazing stay options, to help you plan your stay.

We stayed at Jamal Rum Camp and the guys at the camp were very friendly and took good care of us. We booked one of their martian tents for our stay.
For a more fancy stay, check out Memories Aicha Luxury Camp. These are some of the most luxurious tents we have seen in Wadi Rum and are entirely made of glass. So cool!
Wadi Rum Bubble Luxotel is another great option and comes with a private jacuzzi tub, great for those winter evenings or early mornings.

Most of the camps will offer traditional Bedouin dishes on their dinner menu. The chicken and vegetables are baked for a few hours underground with traditional spices and taste very unique. One of the must-try food in Jordan.

Desert Tour to explore the Martian landscape of Wadi Rum

We highly recommend doing a desert tour as the beauty of Wadi Rum’s stunning landscape will blow you away. These tours can last from a couple of hours to a couple of days. You can either choose from one of the tour operating companies or for convenience simply check with the owners of your camp.

We wanted to go for a sunset tour of the desert and approached the camp. They arranged a 4 hours tour of the desert for about 35JD per person. Our tour guide was very patient and took a look of care while driving the jeep so that the ride is less bumpy for us.