Heading from Aqaba to Wadi Rum? You are about to witness one of the most unique places in the world, often referred to as Wadi Rum. But how to get there?
The Wadi Rum Protected Area is a red sand desert with eroding sandstone rock formations in Southern Jordan that is not exactly easy to get to.
Still though, there is plenty of transport options from Aqaba to Wadi Rum. We’ll show you all connections from the best to the cheapest.
| How to get from Wadi Rum to Aqaba – by mode of transport: |
| By Car: From Along Wadi Rum Rd, South on Desert Highway, then West on Aqaba Highway. By Taxi: Call a Taxi with the Help of Your Hosts, Prices Range from 30 JD to 40 JD. By JETT Bus: Book an air-conditioned Tourist Bus on the JETT Bus Website for 15 JD per person. By local mini bus: Once a day, in the early morning a white minibus leaves from Aqaba Bus Station. Price: 3-5 JD. |
Explore Wadi Rum.
Book Your Desert Tour at the best Price.
Book your trip with Wadi Tribe and save big bucks on desert camps and tours.
- Book Your Desert Tour at the best Price.
- 5 Things to Do Before Your Visit Wadi Rum
- How to Get from Aqaba to Wadi Rum – 4 Transport Options.
- What to Do in Wadi Rum – Wadi Rum Tours
- Return Journey from Wadi Rum to Aqaba
- Conclusion
- FAQs
5 Things to Do Before Your Visit Wadi Rum
Along with the Rose City of Petra, the Wadi Rum desert is one of the highlights of any Jordan trip. So let me walk you through a few things to bear in mind before heading into the desert to make the most of your trip.
These are 5 things to do before your visit to Wadi Rum:
- Get the Jordan Pass: Even before you visit Jordan, you should go online and book the Jordan Pass. This tourist pass waives your entry visa fee and entry fees to Petra and Wadi Rum among other sights. It the best way to save on your Jordan trip. Without the Jordan Pass, the entry to Wadi Rum costs 5 JD per person.
- Book Hotel & Tour: Talking about bookings, we highly recommend arranging a hotel stay and tours in Wadi Rum beforehand. Also, booking desert camp, jeep tours and camel rides with the same provider makes your whole experience smoother and less hectic.
- Get Cash: Use your free time in Aqaba to go to one of Jordan’s many banks and get out cash. There is only one ATM at the Wadi Rum Visitor Center and I wouldn’t solely rely on it. Once you are in Wadi Rum, there is no way to get more cash.
- Book Your Transport: Note that some forms of transport require prior booking. For better rates, book your taxi ride with Wadi Tribe. JETT Bus rides also need to be booked at least one day in advance.
- Enjoy Your Internet: Large stretches of the Wadi Rum Protected Area are without service. If you have important things to take care of online, do so before heading to Waid Rum.
How to Get from Aqaba to Wadi Rum – 4 Transport Options.
There is 4 ways to get from Aqaba to Waid Rum and from Wadi Rum to Aqaba again: rental cars, taxis, JETT Bus and local minibuses.
We will walk you through each of the options and give you all the details you need for your trip:
Rental Car
The option with the most flexibility for your trip is the rental car. You can rent cars conveniently at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman or at Aqaba International Airport. Rental cars sometimes got for as little as $20 a day.
To get to Wadi Rum, hop into your car and get on the Aqaba Highway east first. Transfer onto the Desert Highway north some 15 minutes later. Follow the Desert Highway for another 15-ish minutes until you reach the village of Rashidiyah. There, you take a right turn to get onto Wadi Rum Road.
From here, it’s a simple drive straight to Wadi Rum Village. Make a stop on the way to pay your entrance fee or present your Jordan Pass at the and finally drop or park your car at Wadi Rum Rest House in Wadi Rum Village. Here you will meet your Bedouin hosts and your Wadi Rum adventure will begin.
The whole independent journey from Aqaba to Wadi Rum by rental car will take you about one hour with a total distance of 70 kilometers covered.
Private Transfer (Taxi Transfers)
If you are not feeling confident about riding a car in Jordan yourself, you can opt for a private transfer. Taxi services are omnipresent in Jordan with multiple daily links between the major tourist destinations of Amman, the Dead Sea, Petra (Wadi Musa), Aqaba and Wadi Rum.
For the most hassle-free experience, make sure to check for taxi transfers online. When booking online, you can be sure to get an honest rate and added reliability for your ride. If you choose to do it the old-school way, however, we recommend hailing a ride from the area around Aqaba Bus Station.
When travelling to Wadi Rum by taxi, a one way journey costs between 25 JD and 35 JD, fitting up to four people. Depending on your itinerary, you can also catch a taxi straight from Aqaba Airport or Aqaba Port. In this case, expect to pay between 30 JD and 40 JD for your ride.
Book your taxi transfer with Wadi Tribe, for the best rates starting from just 25 JDs. Open the booking form and receive the latest rate for your route.
Taxi transfers between Aqaba and Wadi Rum cover a distance of 70 kilometers and usually take about one hour to complete. Your taxi driver will drop you at Wadi Rum Rest House where the host of your Bedouin camp will be waiting.
JETT Bus
Coming to Wadi Rum from the North, it can happen that you are forced to spend at least a night in Aqaba. As there is no direct JETT Bus connection between other Jordanian cities and Wadi Rum, you will have to wait until the next morning to catch another bus to Wadi Rum.
JETT buses to Wadi Rum depart from Aqaba Bus Station right in front of Aqaba Police Station every morning at 8 a.m. Make sure to book at last one day in advance because there is limited seats available.
JETT Bus is the major Jordanian tourist bus company with connections to all iconic destinations such as Amman, the Dead Sea, Petra (Wadi Musa), Aqaba and Wadi Rum. With a fleet of clean buses with air-conditioning, the company is a great options for travellers looking for comfort while saving money.
A bus ticket from Aqaba to Wadi Rum costs 15 JD per person. With three total stops in Aqaba City, the bus transfer takes a bit longer than taxi transfers to Wadi Rum. Expect thee bus ride to take about 75 minutes. The bus will drop all passengers at Wadi Rum Rest House.
Wadi Rum Bus (White Minibus)
Besides JETT Bus, there is also a local bus running daily between Aqaba and Wadi Rum. The white mini bus leaves from Aqaba Bus Station located just opposite of Aqaba Police Station. With daily departures from Aqaba, it is good enough as a reliable transport link.
However, bear in mind that this Wadi Rum bus is a local offer and doesn’t follow a strict timetable. It is but to arrive at Aqaba Bus Station in the early morning hours to ask around for the next bus departure. The bus leaves once it’s full.
With a single fare of 3 JD to 5 JD the local bus is the cheapest option to get from Aqaba to Wadi Rum. The whole minibus journey from Aqaba to Wadi Rum will take you between two and three hours, factoring in waiting times, stops and driving time.
What to Do in Wadi Rum – Wadi Rum Tours
Once you have arrived in Wadi Rum Village, you will b dropped at Wadi Rum Rest House or park your car on the free parking lot just next to the Rest House. To explore the Wadi Rum desert, you will be transferred via pickup truck to your camp.
We always recommend booking your desert camp stay, tours and camel rides altogether to get the smoothest experience possible. This way, you can embark on a Two Hour Jeep Tour or Half Day Jeep Tour right after arriving.
Half Day Jeep Tours and Full Day Jeep Tours are the best way to explore the Jordanian desert as its sights are dotted all through the desert and almost impossible to reach without a motor. On a Jeep Tour, your driver will give you an extensive introduction into Wadi Rum’s nature, history and culture, all while stopping for iconic photo spots.
After your tours, you will be brought to your desert camp by your Bedouin guide, where you will not only spend the night but also get the chance to try real Bedouin food such as Zarb, a Bedouin meal cooked underground. Let the food settle and watch the stars before you head to bed to rest up for another day of exploring.
On the next morning, visitors usually like to take the chance to go on a sunrise camel ride. In Wadi Rum, camels are cared for with great pride and rides are offered in the mornings and evenings to avoid the mid-day heat.
Camels are an integral part of Bedouin culture and receive adequate treatment by their owners. To learn more about ethical camel riding in Wadi Rum, read our full article on the topic.
Return Journey from Wadi Rum to Aqaba
To get back from Wadi Rum to Aqaba, the process is mostly the same as with your arrival. On the day of your check-out, arrange a morning transfer to Wadi Rum Village with your Bedouin host.
Once in Wadi Rum Village, ask to be dropped at Wadi Rum Rest House to either collect your car, hail a taxi or catch a bus.
As for buses, bear in mind that connections are limited. If you wish to leave Wadi Rum in the morning, opt for the local mini bus. It usually leaves around 6 a.m.
Once again, delays are quite frequent, because the driver will wait until his bus is full. Tickets are bought from the driver at 3 JD to 5 JD per person.
JETT Bus also currently offers one bus per day from Wadi Rum to Aqaba. The daily JETT bus leaves at 7 p.m. from Wadi Rum Rest House. As for the connection into Wadi Rum, the tickets for the bus cost 15 JD per person.
Arrange for tickets before going to Wadi Rum to avoid connectivity and availability issues.
Conclusion
From car rentals and taxi transfers to modern JETT buses or charming small Wadi Rum buses, your transport options from Aqaba to Wadi Rum are plentiful. Just make sure to get your plans right to catch one of the limited daily departures.
And once you get off at Wadi Rum Rest House the real adventure starts. Good luck!
FAQs
How do I get from Wadi Rum to Aqaba?
Getting from Wadi Rum to Aqaba is possible via private transfer, shared taxi, tourist bus, local bus and (rental) car. To take care of taxi bookings, make sure to communicate with your camp hosts. To catch a tourist bus, simply book a ticket on the JETT Bus website.
How much is a taxi from Aqaba to Wadi Rum?
Going from Aqaba to Wadi Rum by taxi, you must expect to pay between 30 JD and 40 JD for the ride. To cut costs we recommend you to find other travelers heading to Wadi Rum as there is always somebody heading this direction.
Is Wadi Rum worth seeing?
Wadi Rum is without a doubt worth seeing. The UNESCO World Heritage site holds immense natural, cultural and historical value to Jordan and welcomes millions of visitors every years. Trust me when I say, you do not want to miss Mars on Earth.
Wadi Tribe 