Living in a Bedouin Camp in Jordan’s Wadi Rum Desert

Wadi Rum was a place I hadn’t heard of before I started looking into traveling to Jordan. The only thing I really knew was that I wanted to visit Petra. But as I began reading up on Jordan travel, every article mentioned that Wadi Rum was something not to be missed.

After a little bit of research, I discovered that instead of just going on a tour through the Wadi Rum desert, it’s actually possible to stay overnight in a Bedouin camp. These camps are all run by Bedouins, though they’re not true Bedouin camps anymore, as they’re not that portable, and even have flushing toilets. It’s almost glamping. So, I booked a stay at a camp called Wadi Rum Fire Camp.

Arriving in Wadi Rum

When I arrived in Wadi Rum, I was picked up by a man in a pickup truck who took me to a small house where I met a few other travelers staying at the camp. From there, we started the first Wadi Rum tour.

I was partnered up with six people from around the world. We sat in the back of a truck and were driven around to different locations of interest in the Wadi Rum desert. I once again got to challenge my fear of heights, as most of these locations were high up and required quite a bit of climbing or hiking to get to. But it was an awesome tour, and the people I got to travel with were super nice and helped me whenever I was about to give up. I’m very thankful for them and their support.

A Walk Alone in the Desert

The next day, it was just me and a Bedouin who didn’t speak English left in the camp, so I decided to go for a little walk alone in the Jordanian desert. I only walked around for about an hour or so, but it was quite a special feeling to walk around out in the open all alone like that. I would recommend it to anyone, though don’t go too far away, as there’s no phone signal, no signs or anything out there, so make sure you can find your way back.

Learning About Bedouin Life

My next tour was just me and a Bedouin guide. We went to see some more sights in Wadi Rum, but we also visited a couple of actual Bedouin camps and hung out with some camels in the middle of the desert. It was a lot of fun, he was very excited to teach me about Bedouin culture, and it was an experience to just hang out in a Bedouin camp, drinking tea and eating some sort of salty goat milk with him and his family.

The Beauty of Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum was truly amazing, and none of my pictures do its beauty justice. As one of the articles I read when researching this trip put it: You go to Jordan to see Petra, but you go home with Wadi Rum in your heart.

And I think that’s true. The quiet and beauty of this place are unmatched by anything I have ever experienced, and laying outside, looking up at the stars at night in the middle of nowhere, is something I’ll never forget.

So Wadi Rum comes with my highest recommendation for anyone planning a trip to Jordan.

The Sunsets