3 Ultimate Bedouin-style camps for an authentic experience in Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum is dark skies filled with a glittering crowd of stars or a luminescent moon rising over a dramatic cliff. Wadi Rum is rolling red sand, meeting white sand and gnarly sandstone cliffs swooping up, reaching for the sky. Wadi Rum is a warm firelight reflected in happy faces enjoying an interesting conversation together. Wadi Rum is witnessing the depth and breadth of nature and the power of its forces. Wadi Rum is feeling small, feeling free, feeling awed. Wadi Rum is, for many people, the highlight of their visit to Jordan, especially when combined with an overnight stay in a Bedouin Camp. 

These camps are purpose-built for visitors, but some cater to the camping adverse. Some cater to people who want to experience a taste of ‘ye old Bedouin life’. This article is about those camps that intend to give their visitors a glimpse into the nomadic past.

The Bedouin now

The majority of Bedouin living in Jordan now lives in villages. But in a few places, some families do still permanently live in tents. In places like Wadi Rum, there are a couple of families permanently living in the desert. Other families will go to the desert with their animals for a month or two, especially in Spring when there’s food for the animals to graze on.

Wadi Rum 20 years ago

Thirty years ago, there was minimal infrastructure in Rum Village and even less so in the protected area itself as accommodation for tourists. However, a few entrepreneurial locals had begun to figure out what visitors coming to the desert liked to see. They soon realized having some tents already set up to sleep in would come in handy. Soon, everyone got in on the act, and there were a handful of tents set up in different places for tourists to stay. First, people would spend the evening around the fire and sleep together in the same tent on little mattresses. Then, it soon followed that they should make a bathroom, a kitchen, a few more tents, and guides began constructing.

The last ten years

As there has been a shift from backpackers and travelers to day-trippers, more and more people have visited Wadi Rum. As a result, many visitors aren’t comfortable with using a simple bathroom or sleeping with mattresses on the floor. These demands triggered a race. As a result, many businesses have been upgrading the status of their camp. For example, locals have been adding extra features such as western-style cabins and tents. Or bathrooms with tiling (rather than a simple concrete structure as before). They add metal-frame beds, tables in the social tents, and shared tents are now unheard of – initially, they were the norm.

While there are benefits to all this change, many people still want an experience that feels more authentic rather than trying to replicate a hotel experience in the desert. They want to feel the sand between their toes, to sleep inside a goat-hair tent because that is part of the experience. Part of getting a little insight into the Bedouin lifestyle. After all, isn’t travel about leaving our comfort zone? Not wanting to replicate what the norm is for you? Instead, to experience a different way of life. So this is what I mean when I say authentic. The listed camps all actively resist the pressure to create a Western-style accommodation and create a place where you can experience a glimpse of a different, vanishing lifestyle.

1. Wadi Rum Sky

Wadi Rum Sky is the newest camp I’m suggesting, with the youngest owner. However, Sulieman has built the accommodation with simplicity in mind – so his camp meets the authenticity bar for this article.

Located quite far from the village, a short walk from the tents rewards with beautiful views to the South. If you like hiking, then this is an excellent place to base yourself. You can do independent self-guided walks to the South, West, and East and not encounter too many other people.

The owner arranges Jeep tours, camel tours, and all the usual programs and does an excellent job. He speaks good English and enjoys talking and getting to know his guests.

2. Bedouin Directions

Bedouin Directions have made a beautiful, small and cozy camp in a wonderful location. One of the furthest camps from Rum village and removed from other camps, visitors will feel like they’re the only ones in the desert. 

The camp is tucked away inside a naturally formed alcove of a mountain. Still, a short walk from the tents rewards guests with beautiful unobstructed views across the landscape. They have made a small but functioning and clean bathroom. The social tent is big enough for people to have space and chill out themselves or gather around the fireplace, as they prefer. The tents for sleeping are metal framed and raised from the ground (good for anyone with scorpion/snake fears) but still covered with traditional black and white goat hair materials. So with a bit of imagination, you can project yourself back to the past.

This camp makes a good base for hikers or an overnight stay or base for a few rest days for anyone walking The Jordan Trail. In addition, the camp is the closest camp to the endpoint of the first day of walking after Rum Village.

This business has been running for 13 years now. They have a solid reputation and plenty of experience.

3. Bedouin Meditation Camp

This camp is one of the original handful of camps set up to cater to tourists many years ago. The business has been running for more than 20 years. Located at the top of a sandy gradient with a small mountain on the East side of the camp, there are excellent views of the sunset. Suppose you only plan to do a short Jeep tour or will arrive in the afternoon. In that case, this camp makes a great choice because you can see the sunset from the camp for free (rather than having to pay to see it on tour). The only downside of the location is that many other camps have also flocked to the same area because it’s such a good spot. As a result, you can see a dozen different camps from your position. So the quiet experience of being isolated in the natural landscape does get lost.

The tents and bathroom have been recently ‘upgraded’, but the focus is still very much around authenticity. The camp does provide some comforts, but without negating the overall experience. 

The owner, Zedane, is quite a character, and well-worth meeting, you can learn a lot from him. He also places much importance on the cultural experience, so staff will play music most evenings which is a memorable experience.

Don’t miss out

While I do understand, not everyone likes or enjoys camping. However, if you enjoy being in nature and can manage for one night without a hot shower, don’t miss out on staying at one of these camps. The twinkling stars and the experience of being submerged in the breathtaking landscape are like a long drink for a thirsty soul.