Where To Stay In Wadi Rum: Best Desert & Bubble Camps 2023
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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? When I first arrived in the Wadi Rum desert, it was like stepping into a movie set. The red sand dunes, rock bridges and cliff faces were unlike any other landscape I’d seen before!
Wadi Rum (also known as the Valley of the Moon) covers over 183,000 acres of land and lies in the south of Jordan. It’s one of the biggest tourist attractions of the country and is somewhere every backpacker should have on their bucket list.
But as Wadi Rum becomes increasingly more popular, there are more and more desert camps and bubble tents to choose from. So, let’s look at the best bubble camps in Wadi Rum and find the best accommodation in the Jordanian desert for your stay!
If you’re visiting Jordan and the Wadi Rum desert, 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!
Other Jordan posts:
- Tipping in Jordan: Everything You Need To Know
- Where to Stay in Amman: Easy Area Guide
- What to do in Wadi Rum: Ultimate Guide for First-Timers
Where to stay in Wadi Rum: A Summary
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. Being such an area of natural beauty, it was proclaimed as a protected area back in 1997.
Your trip to 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 a magical place in Jordan.
To make your stay in Wadi Rum even more special, opportunists have jumped at the chance to build unique bubble tents and domes. They’re strategically placed in the middle of the desert, surrounded by nothing but sand and 4×4 trucks, making your experience feel like you’re visiting another planet.
But, wherever you stay in the Wadi Rum desert; whether it’s a luxurious bubble dome, or a local Bedouin tent, you’ll have a once-in-a-lifetime experience. So don’t be disheartened if your budget doesn’t stretch this time – Wadi Rum is still worth visiting.
Wadi Rum Tours: Our Top Picks
- Enjoy Wadi Rum Desert with this Half Day Jeep Tour (pick up from Wadi Rum village or visitor center, water and sandboarding are included)
- Travel through the Wadi Rum Desert on a well-trained camel during this Short Camel Ride Experience (round-trip pick-up via 4WD from Wadi Rum Village is included)
What are the Wadi Rum luxury bubble domes?
Bubble domes and tents in Wadi Rum started popping up after Matt Damon’s Hollywood movie The Martian. They’re a unique and different way to experience the desert, as most have transparent ceilings to watch the stars, and hot tubs on the balcony to soak in the views.
Staying in a bubble dome gives you an ‘outer-worldy’ experience, and from my first-hand experience, it does feel like your own little bubble on Mars. If you’re staying in a bubble dome in Wadi Rum for the first time, I recommend considering the following things:
🗺️ Location: Do you want to be in the middle of the desert? Away from civilisation and real life?
🐫 Activities: Are activities included in the price? What activities are offered at this specific resort?
🛌 The dome itself: Do you want a transparent dome? A hot-tub? Decking to overlook the desert?
🍎 Food and drink: As your bubble camp is likely to be in the middle of nowhere, checking the food and drink options is important!
✨ How the camp looks: let’s be honest, some of the bubble camps look a lot better than others! This may be important to you.
💰Price: How much do you want to spend on a luxury stay in a bubble dome? Some of the bubble domes were way out of our backpacker budget, whereas some we felt were justified.
How long should I stay in a Wadi Rum bubble tent?
If you are visiting Wadi Rum for the first time, we recommend staying for at least 3-4 nights. If you can only budget for 1-2 nights in a bubble tent, book a special stay for a night, then move to a cheaper Bedouin tent to explore more of the desert.
Staying in Wadi Rum accommodation budget guide
To help you, I’ve listed each hotel below with a budget symbol to indicate a rough price. For example;
- £ = £0-£100 a night
- ££ = £100-200 a night
- £££ = £200+ a night
Whilst some of the larger bubble camps may have three-pound signs, there are some accommodations in Wadi Rum suited to a budget backpacker too. Wadi Rum can be enjoyed by tourists of all budgets!
Where to stay in Wadi Rum: The best bubble tents and camps
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 vegetarian food)
- Friendly staff
- Wifi in the domes (although temperamental)
- Parking on-site
- Remote and away from the beaten track
- Great activities
👎 Cons:
- No music played at dinner (very minor)
- No hot tubs in the domes
- Limited hot water use (but it’s the desert, so this wasn’t a problem).
What I loved about the UFO Wadi Rum bubble tent
🐫 OVERALL REVIEW
The UFO Luxotel camp was one of the best stays we have ever experienced. If I were to return to Wadi Rum, I would stay here again! The staff are sweet and kind and go out of their way to make you feel welcome. The food is amazing, served in a buffet style for breakfast and lunch, with vegetarian options and Western-style food, as well as local cuisines.
UFO Luxotel has the classic bubble dome rooms, with views overlooking the desert, seemingly in the ‘middle of nowhere’. All rooms come with A/C and wifi, and a large balcony with a hammock.
➡ BOOK YOUR STAY AT THE UFO LUXOTEL NOW!
🌵ACTIVITIES
Whilst staying at the UFO Luxotel, we tried a few different activities. Even if you don’t opt for the activities, you can wander around the desert camp and relax on the hammocks overlooking the desert. We even climbed up to some of the surrounding rocks for outerworldly photos.
But our favourite activity was the 4×4 tour of Wadi Rum. For only £30 ($35) each, it lasted four hours and exceeded all of our expectations. We had our own private driver and jeep, allowing us to see all of the Wadi Rum landmarks at our own pace. We even had a rest stop for the sunset and drank tea with some of the locals.
Another amazing activity at the UFO Luxotel was stargazing. Set under the night sky, the stargazing workshop was only £15 ($17) each and lasted around two hours. We were able to use professional telescopes to look at the moon, surrounding stars and night sky. Our guide was friendly and fun, and had a crazy amount of knowledge about space!
2) Bubble 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
- Hot tubs included with some of the domes
- Buffet options for breakfast and dinner (including local and Western food)
- Friendly staff
- Wifi in domes
- Parking on-site
- Remote and away from the beaten track
- Great activities (exact same as UFO hotel)
👎 Cons:
- No music played at dinner (very minor)
- Limited hot water use (but it’s the desert, so this wasn’t a problem).
Bubble Luxotel is actually owned by the same people as UFO Luxotel, so you’re sharing all the same facilities. It’s another amazing Wadi Rum luxury camp that’s away from any civilisation, and is worth every penny!
➡ BOOK YOUR STAY AT THE BUBBLE LUXOTEL NOW!
3) Sun City Camp (££)
🤑 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 or main road, so it isn’t as remote as some of the other domes
- Limited hot water use (but as it’s the desert, so this won’t be a problem).
➡ BOOK YOUR STAY AT SUN CITY NOW!
Another popular Wadi Rum luxury camp is Sun City. Sun City is the original Wadi Rum bubble dome camp, and it’s the closest to the filming locations for Matt Damon’s ‘The Martian’.
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 6 pm due to heat
- The price is higher than other domes
- Books up quickly so you need to book in advance
➡ BOOK YOUR STAY AT MEMORIES AICHA NOW!
Memories is one of the most luxurious bubble tents in Wadi Rum. If you have the budget for it, it’s a place you’ll never forget! If you’re looking for chandeliers and exquisite decor within your desert dome, Memories is your place to stay!
5. Zeina Desert Lodge (£)
🤑 Price per night: £50 (tents) £200+ (domes) which varies depending on the time of year.
🍱 Breakfast only in buffet style.
🥾 Activities (at an extra cost): 4×4 tours, camel rides, hiking, hot tubs.
👍 Pros:
- Can eat your breakfast on your dome terrace
- 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
➡ BOOK YOUR STAY AT ZEINA NOW!
Zeina is one of the newer properties in the Wadi Rum desert. 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!
Other Wadi Rum bubble tents and luxury stays
If none of the bubble tents on the list are available, check out the following. They’re all still just as beautiful, but may be new or just starting to host visitors! Be sure to always read the reviews before booking any accommodation; things can change fast, and I’d hate for you to have a bad experience!
Simply click the link to read the reviews and check prices on Booking.com!
- Rum Desert Princess Camp: Super 9.0 Rating ➡ BOOK NOW
- Wadi Rum Guest Camp: Super 9.3 Rating ➡ BOOK NOW
- Wadi Rum Martian Camp: Exceptional 9.7 Rating ➡ BOOK NOW
- Rum Kingdom Camp: Exceptional 9.6 Rating ➡ BOOK NOW
- Desert Magic Camp and Resort: Superb 9.2 Rating ➡ BOOK NOW
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, where you’re likely to stay with some locals, drink tea under the moonlight and experience Jordanian culture in a different type of way. Bedouin tent experiences are also a lot cheaper than the bubble domes, so they’re perfect for backpackers on a budget.
1. Wadi Rum Desert Adventures (£)
🤑 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
- Exceptionally clean rooms
- Friendly atmosphere with helpful staff
- Food cooked in the ground, local tea served regularly
- Amazing sunset views
- Remote location
👎 Cons:
- No wifi
Wadi Rum Desert Adventures is one of the most popular authentic desert camps, with raving reviews from all who visit. From the friendly staff to the incredible location, it’s known as one of the best Bedouin camps to stay in in the Wadi Rum desert.
2. Bedouin Tours Camp (£)
🤑 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
- Additional fee for dinner
Another budget-friendly and authentic desert camp is the Bedouin Tours Camp. Located in a remote part of the desert, you’ll experience a true desert experience with the locals.
Other Bedouin desert camps in Wadi Rum
If none of the Bedouin camps on the list are available, check out the following. They’re all still just as beautiful, but may be new or just starting to host visitors! Be sure to always read the reviews before booking any accommodation; things can change fast, and I’d hate for you to have a bad experience!
Simply click the link to read the reviews and check prices on Booking.com!
Where to stay in Wadi Rum: FAQs
1) Is it worth staying in Wadi Rum?
Yes, it is worth staying in Wadi Rum. There is simply not enough time to explore and enjoy the desert to its fullest in just one day! The stars at night alone with so little light pollution are enough to stay for the night. Most of the accommodations in Wadi Rum are also an experience in themselves worth staying for.
➡ Need accommodation in Wadi Rum? You can check out the best places to stay in here.
2) 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 per night, or upwards of £150 a night for a bubble dome.
➡ View all Wadi Rum accommodation on Booking.com here.
3) Can you sleep in Wadi Rum?
Yes, 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.
4) Can you drive yourself in Wadi Rum desert?
Some of the camps are accessible by your own car, but you will be met by a member of staff and directed to the car park. They’ll carefully lead you over the bumpy dunes and ensure no damage is made to your car! After that, you will need to take a 4×4 tour to explore more of the Wadi Rum desert.
Not sure whether or not to hire a car Jordan? Check out my detailed guide to driving in Jordan here!
5) What should I wear in Wadi Rum, Jordan?
Dress codes and rules are more lenient in some of the bubble camps and resorts in Wadi Rum. However, it’s important to remember that Jordan is an Islamic country, and dressing conservatively is important. If you’re not sure about what to wear, check out my detailed guide on Jordan dress codes here.
6) What tours should I do in Jordan?
Looking to book a tour in Jordan? Tours are one of the best ways to see the hidden gems of the country you are visiting. If you’re travelling during peak season, I highly recommend pre-booking your tours to ensure you don’t miss out!
When travelling, we use this company to book our tours. Tours include skip-the-line tickets to the world’s most iconic attractions, walking tours by top local experts, immersive food and beverage tours, cooking and craft classes, bucket list experiences, and niche offerings you won’t find anywhere else!
Some of the best tours in Jordan include:
- Scuba diving in the Red Sea ➡ BOOK NOW!
- Private Petra tour with transfers ➡ BOOK NOW!
- Day trip to the Dead Sea from Amman ➡ BOOK NOW!
➡ Check out more tours for your trip here!
7) Do I need a SIM card to travel around Jordan?
Yes, it’s worth downloading an eSIM on your phone to ensure you can use it for directions and avoid roaming charges as soon as you arrive.
ESIMs are easy to download and ready to use within a few minutes of purchasing, so there’s no longer a need to hunt down free Wifi! ➡ You can check out the prices and packages for eSIMs here!
8) Do I need a car to travel around Jordan?
Driving in Jordan is safe and straightforward. Some of the main attractions are a distance away from each other, so to maximise your time in the country, you may want to hire a car.
If you’re looking to hire a car in Jordan, we rent our cars from this company. They’re reliable, cheap and have car rentals all over the world! ➡ You can check out the prices for car hire in Jordan now!
Where else to stay if you’re visiting Jordan for the first time
If you’re travelling around Jordan for the first time, these are some of the best hotels and hostels.
🇯🇴 AMMAN
- Hotel: W Amman: for a 5* hotel in Shmeisani, within walking distance of all of the best attractions ➡ BOOK THIS HOTEL NOW!
- Hostel: Nomads Hostel (Jabal Amman) For backpackers and solo travellers in Amman ➡ BOOK AND READ THE REVIEWS NOW
🇯🇴 WADI RUM
- Bubble dome: UFO Luxotel has classic bubble dome rooms, with views overlooking the desert. ➡ BOOK AND READ REVIEWS NOW
- Traditional Bedouin tent: Wadi Rum Desert Adventures is one of the most popular authentic desert camps in Wadi Rum. ➡ BOOK AND READ REVIEWS NOW
🇯🇴 PETRA
- Hotel: Petra Sky Hotel: A hotel close to Petra’s entrance that’s cheap, includes breakfast and has a decent-sized room.
- Hostel: Petra Boxtel Hostel: for backpackers and solo travellers. ➡ BOOK AND READ REVIEWS NOW
Where to stay in Wadi Rum: In a Nutshell
So, there you have it! Everything you need to know about where to stay in Wadi Rum. When you’re planning a trip to Jordan, make sure you let me know over on Instagram or in the comments below!
If you haven’t seen my blog before, I write posts aimed at first-time backpackers on a budget. I’m currently backpacking around the world with my boyfriend (read more here!), creating guides and itineraries for you to follow in our footsteps!
Keep an eye out for more Jordan content, all written from a personal and realistic point of view. You can sign up for my newsletter and juicy travel updates here!
As always, thanks for reading and supporting the blog!
Happy travelling 🙂
Jennie x
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!
MEET THE AUTHOR!
Hi! I'm Jennie! As a part-time travel blogger based in London, I'm using my 10+ years of travel expertise to encourage & inspire you to step out of your comfort zone through sustainable, mindful and purposeful travel.
If I'm not writing, I'm either reading, drinking coffee or taking a wild swim (all at the same time if I'm feeling impressive).
