Wadi Rum Camel Ride with Bedouin Tea and Guide

Wadi Rum, the Valley of the Moon

Wadi Rum is a protected desert in southern Jordan, listed by UNESCO for both its landscape and its long human history. Its nickname, the Valley of the Moon, comes from the rust-red sand and the sheer sandstone and granite mountains that rise from it like islands. Rock inscriptions left by Thamudic and Nabataean travellers show that people crossed these valleys with camels for thousands of years.

Is Wadi Rum worth visiting just for a camel ride? Many travellers find that the slow pace of a camel reveals the desert better than any vehicle: you hear the silence, notice the tracks of animals in the sand and see how the light shifts on the cliffs. The best time to visit Wadi Rum is spring and autumn, when afternoons are warm and evenings are mild.

Wadi Rum Village and the Rest House

Your experience begins at the Wadi Rum Rest House in Wadi Rum Village, the small Bedouin settlement at the foot of Jebel Rum where most desert activities start. The guides and their families live in the village, and its camel herds are part of daily life rather than a show for visitors.

How to get to Wadi Rum: the Visitor Centre is just off the Desert Highway, about an hour by road from Aqaba and under two hours from Petra, and the village lies a short drive beyond it. The protected area entry fee is paid at the Visitor Centre or covered by the Jordan Pass. From the Rest House a 4x4 takes you about 15 minutes into the desert to meet the camels, and brings you back at the end.

The camel ride across the sand

Before the ride your guide gives a short safety briefing: how to sit, how to lean back as the camel stands up and kneels down, and how to hold on. Camels rise rear legs first, so the first moment always brings a laugh. Once you are up, the ride is slow and rhythmic, with the guide leading the animals by rope across the sand and between rock formations.

Along the way there is plenty of time for photos from the saddle, with the mountains and dunes all around. Camels have been the lifeline of the Bedouin for generations, carrying people, water and goods across the desert, and your guide shares how they are raised, named and cared for. Riders over 100 kg are not accepted, for the animals' well-being.

Bedouin tea and the sunset viewpoint

Halfway through, the group stops for traditional Bedouin tea, brewed strong and sweet over a small fire and often flavoured with desert sage. Sharing tea is the heart of Bedouin hospitality, and it is a chance to sit on the sand, rest your legs and ask your guide about life in the desert.

The default 2-hour ride leaves in the afternoon and is timed to end at a desert viewpoint as the sun goes down, when the cliffs glow orange and red before the sky fades to violet. In winter the air cools quickly after sunset, so a warm layer is useful. If you prefer, the daytime 2- and 3-hour rides reach deeper into the valleys, while the 30-minute and 1-hour rides are ideal for first-timers and children.