Full Day Jeep Tour in Wadi Rum

If you’re visiting wadi Rum, going on a jeep tour is pretty much a given. It’s the best way to see the best sights in the desert and get amazing photographs along the way. Wadi Rum is a protected area, and while you can technically drive through it yourself in a 4×4, I can’t imagine who would be crazy enough to actually do it. There are no streets. It’s just you, the sand, the camels, some shrubs, and some other passer-by animals such as hedgehogs and birds. 

Most people who visit Wadi Rum will stay at least one night in a Bedouin camp inside the reserve. Jeep tours can be organised through the camp accommodation and it’s worth noting that you’ll probably have to pay in cash, so ask your accommodation in advance. Our full-day jeep tour cost us 70 JOD per person, which is exorbitant, but totally worth it. 

The day started at 10am. We joined four other people in our camp on the back of a utility truck, which luckily had a shade cover on top. We did see other people on vehicles with no shade at all which seemed like a sure way to roast yourself. 

The first stop was at a large sand dune, where we were given a snow board and no further instructions whatsoever. The dune wasn’t quite steep enough and Clinton is not quite fat enough, so despite putting in his best efforts to gain some speed, he ended up shuffling down at about 1km/h but still looking very cool. 

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After waiting around for about 30 minutes for the others to finish their camel ride, we set off to the nearby Khazali Canyon, famous for its Nabataean inscriptions from around 500 AD. We were advised to walk through the gorge, which I wouldn’t recommend unless you’re steady on your feet. Most of it involved using stepping stones to cross over large pools of scum water full of dead beetles and mosquito larvae. Like usual, Clinton and I were wearing thongs (aka flip flops/whatever they’re called in your country), and I escaped with just a mild moistening of one foot. 

The next stop was the first of two arches we visited that day. A mildly steep walk up a rocky hill is all that’s involved to reach this beautiful viewpoint.

Following this, we had lunch inside the opening crack of a canyon. It was the first day of Ramadan, but it didn’t affect our tour at all. Our guide made a chickpea stew from scratch and had brought along a few other foods such as meatballs, hummus, baba ganoush, olives and pita bread. Some strange noises were coming from inside the canyon and we joked that flash floods were coming to get us. 

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After a short siesta on the back of the 4×4 at a relatively uninteresting stop I don’t remember, we proceeded to hike through a canyon, which was a nice break from walking in the unsheltered 30^° heat. We visited in April, so I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like between June and September. Here we found some trees, including fig trees. We actually walked barefoot most of the way, which is much easier than trudging around in sneakers filled with sand. 

Mushroom Rock was our subsequent destination. At this point people started to figure out that there weren’t going to be any toilets on the tour. It was followed by a visit to Chicken Rock, which I think looks more like someone’s rear end than an avian.

The second arch of the day was our next stop. Reaching the top involved a rather steep climb up a rock mountain that takes less than 10 minutes. We preferred the view from the bottom, so we didn’t climb up. If you like you can give your camera to your tour guide and they will take your photo when you reach the top. 

Finally it was getting close to sunset and our tour guide took us to a location where there were no other tourists. This was the only spot throughout the whole day where it was just the six of us. It was golden hour and the remoteness made for an amazing atmosphere and even more amazing photographs.

Our last destination was where we would view the sunset. We climbed up yet another small rock mountain which had enough crevices for everyone to find their own secluded spot. The clouds were in full force and we couldn’t get any good sunset shots, so we were forced to sit quietly and endure each other’s company. 

After that we were escorted back to our camp and treated to a Bedouin buffet which included various vegetarian options. This was followed by hot tea and a show of traditional music under the stars.

Read more on how long to spend in Wadi Rum and where to stay and Driving in Jordan

Jeep tour operators

At the entrance to the Wadi Rum reserve, at the tourist office, we did notice that they were offering private jeep tours for about half the price that we paid, although we can’t vouch for the quality of the tours. This of course would not include a night’s accommodation in a Bedouin camp.