Just you, the cold desert beneath you and the endless sea of stars above. This is what is waiting for you in the Wadi Rum desert.
While Wadi Rum might be known for unique rock formations, red sand dunes and the desert heat, its night skies are especially adorned by night owls for its crystal-clear views and unique desert setting.
| 4 Best Activities for Watching the Stars in Wadi Rum: |
| 1. Stargazing in a Wadi Rum desert camp. 2. Watching the Stars in a Bubble Tent. 3. Sleep Under the Stars in the desert. 4. Join a Stargazing Jeep Tour. |
Find out how you can go and chase the Wadi Rum stars during your stay in Wadi Rum. Let us tell you all about this amazing experience, what you need to know and how you can make it happen.
- Everything You Need to Know About Wadi Rum
- The Night Sky of Wadi Rum – Why Star Gazing is so Popular here
- 4 Ways to See the Stars in Wadi Rum
- Best Camps to Stay for Stargazing in Wadi Rum
- Best Time for Stargazing in Wadi Rum
- What to Bring for Stargazing in Wadi Rum
- See the Milky Way in Wadi Rum.
- FAQs
Everything You Need to Know About Wadi Rum
Before you plan your trip to Wadi Rum, there is a few things you should be aware of to make your trip to the desert a breeze:
- Arriving to the Wadi Rum desert: No matter if you are arriving to King Hussein International Airport by plane or coming by car from nearby cities such as Petra and Aqaba, arriving to Wadi Rum is fairly simple via the Desert Highway and Wadi Rum Road.
- The Wadi Rum Visitor Center: The Wadi Rum Protected Area enjoys a special status within Jordan. Therefore, visitors to the Wadi Rum desert are asked at the Wadi Rum Visitor Center to pay an entrance fee upon entering the protected area. The ticket costs 5 JD per adult. Jordan pass holders enter for free.
- Desert Climate: The best times to visit Wadi Rum are between October and March when it is winter in the desert and a moderate climate dominates. Do make sure to bring sunscreen and head covers at all times though. Funnily enough though, the best conditions for watching the stars are in summer.
- Bedouin Life: The Wadi Rum desert has served as a home to several Bedouin tribes for centuries now. Coming here, you will have the chance to have a glance a Bedouin life in the modern world with all its perks and downfalls.
- Jeep Tours: Coming to Wadi Rum, most of your activities will happen in form of a Jeep Tour. This is owing to the fact that Wadi Rum is indeed an extensive desert that would not be nearly as accessible to tourists without the Bedouin Jeep Tours – that goes for watching the stars, too.
Wadi Rum as a UNESCO World Heritage site
Since 2011, Wadi Rum can proudly claim to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site, elevating its status to some of the other domestic tourism magnets such as the ancient city of Petra.
The Wadi Rum desert earned its recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for a number of reasons. Most prominently, its unique desert landscape, cultural value and historical importance bear witness to Wadi Rum’s worthiness of being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Night Sky of Wadi Rum – Why Star Gazing is so Popular here
Wadi Rum, Jordan, is located in the southernmost district of Jordan, bordering Saudi Arabia in the South and Aqaba District in the West. The nearest actual city is Aqaba with Wadi Rum itself not hosting any actual city.
A look at the map of Wadi Rum reveals a wide expanse of desert landscapes dotted with semi-eroded rock formations. Only a few dozens of desert camps and villages present signs of human civilisation here. Light pollution here is minimal; the perfect setting for watching the stars.
To add to the favourable conditions, travelers opt to go star gazing in some of the smaller camps deep within the desert or in the desert outright. Without even the slightest bit of light pollution and cloud-free skies ahead, watching the stars is nothing short of a spectacle.
The Wadi Rum stars are plentiful. From sunset to sunrise, you will be able to see dozens of stars formations and even the Milky Way, which is visible with the bare eye in the Wadi Rum desert. Adding to that, the desert is a prime location for watching shooting stars, especially during meteor showers.
Notable Formations on the Wadi Rum Night Sky
Hunting for one specific formation on the Wadi Rum night sky? These formations are the most prominent ones on our beloved night sky: Orion, Taurus, Gemini, Canis Mayor, Ursa Mayor (including the Big Dipper). Add to that millions of other stars twinkling all over the night sky and the occasional full moon that illuminates the desert in a unique way.
4 Ways to See the Stars in Wadi Rum
It is no secret anymore that you can come to Wadi Rum to watch the stars. Therefore, you now have the chance to pick a Rum stars watching experience that fits you best.
To create your very own unforgettable experience, you can choose between these four options:
Watch the Night Sky in a Wadi Rum Stars Camp
The number one way to watch the stars in Wadi Rum is to to for a desert camp deep in the desert such as Wadi Tribe’s partner, the Desert Tree Camp. Smaller camps like this one have earned themselves the title of a Wadi Rum stars camp as they offer the perfect conditions to watch the stars at night.
In fact, this is the notion we went for during our stay in Wadi Rum. After all, it is quite simple. Enjoy good food, bedouin tea and the company of Bedouins and travelers alike and then grab yourself a blanket and pick yourself a star watching spot.
Lay down, get comfortable and get ready for a whole new world to open up in front of your eyes. As we were visiting the Wadi Rum desert in early September, we were not only blessed with clear night skies, but also got to see a number of shooting stars.
Spend the Night in a Luxury Tent with a View
To take it up a notch, you can also opt for option number two. Choose to stay in a Wadi Rum stars camp, but do it in style spending the night in an executive suite. These suites not only offer more space and a private bathroom, but also come with panoramic windows and porches with star watching sessions.
Booking a luxury tent, you can esssentially choose between a bubble tent and a more traditional Beoduin executive suite. The bubble tents offers up to 360 degrees views of the night sky, if the windows of the bubbles are cleaned properly.
The latter resemble more the style of a traditional Bedouin Camp, while still offering a special and private star watching experience.
Sleep Under the Stars for one Night in Wadi Rum
If you are looking to not only explore the night sky but also the Wadi Rum desert at night, you might just opt for the third option; to sleep under the stars in Wadi Rum. This is a highly recommended experience that man Wadi Rum stars camps offer and it might just be the perfect fit for you.
To sleep under the stars in Wadi Rum, you can simply arrange a nightly trip with one of your Bedouin camp hosts. They know the best spots to spend one night in the middle of the desert, either right on the sand or tucked away in the safety of a sandstone cave.
Far away from any camp, you will not only enjoy even better views, but also get to have a wonderful camping experience. Sleep Under the Stars packages usually come with a delicious dinner cooked right on the campfire in the desert and – of course – lots of Bedouin tea.
Hunt the Stars on a Stargazing Jeep Tour
To top it off, we have yet another suggestion for absolute Wadi Rm stars lovers. A Stargazing Jeep Tour is without a doubt the ultimate way to see the Wadi Rum stars.
Usually hosted by a Wadi Rum stars camp, the Stargazing Jeep Tour is a nightly desert tour taking you far out into the desert to give you the best possible glimpse at the night sky. Including a stay under the stars, a desert tour and all the amenities a hotel offers, this option truly offers incredible value.
To arrange a stargazing tour, we recommend you to get in touch with the hosts of your camp. Usually, this special jeep tour includes star watching, nearby attractions, food cooked in the middle of the desert in the evening as well as a delicious buffet-style breakfast the next morning – as well as, you guessed it, BEDOUIN TEA.
Best Camps to Stay for Stargazing in Wadi Rum
Picking a Wadi Rum stars camp for your stargazing adventure is not the easiest task ever, but we can spare you the pains of flipping through hundreds of camps with a simple hack.
Essentially, you will find two types of camps in Wadi Rum: the traditional Bedouin camp and the more modern take on it, the luxury tent. Let us iterate the pros and cons of both.
Traditional Bedouin Camp
The traditional Bedouin camp aims at giving you a real view inside what Bedouin life used to look like. While Bedouin life has been subject to immense changes in the last decades, these camps still display some of the key features of Bedouin culture. These include the iconic black goat-hair tents and Bedouin-style cooking for dinner such as the Zarb (you will find out what it is).
While giving guests a look into Wadi Rum’s history, the typical Wadi Rum stars camp still provides all the amenities you need to have a comfortable stay: bathrooms, electricity, a private room, as well as delicious food and super friendly service.
Luxury Camp
A Luxury Camp is somewhat of a symbiosis between Bedouin traditions and the modern instagrammable idea of travel. Bubble tens and other forms of Luxury Tents have now become commonplace in Wadi Rum and you will surely also find one in your Wadi Rum stars camp.
While offering many of the same perks you will receive on a normal desert camp experience such as access to food (breakfast and dinner), tours (at an extra charge) and transportation to and from the village, there is some extra perks you can expect. They include: more room, extra beds, a private bathroom as well as a private porch.
Best Time for Stargazing in Wadi Rum
Most travels guides will tell you to come to Wadi Rum during the winter months between October and March. While this is true when you are trying to beat the heat in Southern Jordan, you might want to take a different approach if you are coming to see the stars in Wadi Rum.
The Wadi Rum night skies are, in fact, clearest during the summer months. Adding to that, in August there is a higher chance of meteor showers and therefore shooting stars on the Wadi Rum sky. Overall, it is therefore smartest to come to Wadi Rum in late summer, if you are coming specifically to watch the stars.
What to Bring for Stargazing in Wadi Rum
Coming to a Wadi Rum stars camp, you don’t really need to bring a whole lot for your stars watching experience. As they are reared for several activities, your hosts in your Rum stars camp will be happy to supply you with all the blankets you need to watch the stars comfortably.
However, we do advise you to come equipped with at least a light jacket as the nights in the desert can be become quite fresh – and yes that also goes for the summer months. If you are opting for a nightly jeep tour, too, a head cover to shield you from the dust, will be a smart choice as well.
For star Chasers.
See the Milky Way in Wadi Rum.
Book a stay in an authentic Bedouin camp in the middle of the Wadi Rum desert – with Wadi Tribe.
FAQs
Which Wadi Rum camp is best for stargazing?
While we recommend do not claim that any one camp is best for star gazing, you will generally be luckier with camps that are situated deeper in the desert. That goes for Wadi Tribe as well. To learn more about or desert experiences, click here.
Who are the people of Wadi Rum?
Wadi Rum looks back at a history of over 12,000 years of human settlement. While it was settled by the Nabataeans in ancient times, the Bedouin people have dominated life in Wadi Rum for centuries and continue to do so today.
Is Wadi Rum safe at night?
Yes, Wadi Rum is as safe as your own bedroom at night. While you should not venture out into the night alone for the risk of losing your way, there is absolutely no risk in sending one night under the stars in Wadi Rum.
What is so special about Wadi Rum?
Coming to check out Wadi Rum, you will see multiple special things. For one, it is the unique culture of the semi-monadic Bedouin. Then, it is the stunning desert landscapes such as the red sand dunes and the sandstone rock formations. Adding to that, you can discover thousands of years of history through the rock inscriptions of Wadi Rum.
Wadi Tribe 