Wadi Rum, located in southern Jordan, is a masterpiece destination - a Hollywood darling, designed for the silver screen and bucket lists alike.

With its otherworldly landscape and inspiring vastness, the Valley of the Moon has got a flair for the dramatic. Picture ancient petroglyphs, deceivingly steep sand dunes, and not a single paved road in sight. Top it off with a canvas of a million stars come nightfall, and you've just about found paradise. It's no wonder Wadi Rum is one of Jordan's most popular tourist attractions.

Its true wow factor comes from its vast, celestial setting, but its popularity arose thanks to Western blockbusters, where it played a starring role in the likes of Lawrence of Arabia, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Martian, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

If you're planning a visit to Jordan, you cannot miss this fabled and cinematic landscape - it's like nowhere else on earth. Keep reading for what to know before you go.

Visiting other places in Jordan? Check out my comprehensive guide to the country here!

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Entrance fees

Entrance into Wadi Rum costs 5 Jordanian Dinar (~USD$7) per person. You can pay for entry at the visitor's center.

When planning your trip, I highly recommend you get the Jordan Pass, especially if you intend on seeing other sites around Jordan. The pass includes free entry to Wadi Rum along with 40+ tourist sites around the country. Plus, if you purchase it before arrival, your tourist visa is also included – it’s a win-win!

The pass starts at 70JD (~USD$98) and can be purchased online here.

How to get there

The easiest way to get around Jordan is to rent a car. Not only does this provide flexibility to see places like Wadi Rum at your own pace, but it’s cost-effective – our rental cost around USD$45 per day with insurance. Plus, it’s an epic road trip.

Given Wadi Rum's popularity, though, you have options on how to get there:

From Amman: It's about a 4-hour drive down the Desert Highway to Wadi Rum.

A cab ride will run about 100JD - 90 if you're coming from the airport. There is no direct bus connecting the two places; your only option would be to take a bus from Amman to Petra or Aqaba, and grab a connecting ride from there.

From Petra: It’s about a 2.5-hour drive through some seriously stunning desert scenery. (Expect rugged foothills, rows of wind turbines, and spectacular sunsets as you cruise across the badlands.)

You can hire a taxi for about 45JD. There is also a public bus that departs Wadi Musa (the town outside Petra) daily between 6-6:30AM and arrives at Wadi Rum around 8:30 AM. It costs 7JD per person. Though it usually runs daily, it does operate on demand, which means service may be affected during the off-season. The bus will pick up at most Petra hotels.

From Aqaba: It will take you around 1 hour to drive from Aqaba up north to Wadi Rum.

A taxi from the town center runs about 25JD, while a ride from the airport will cost 40JD (there's a surcharge for drivers to access the airport.) Alternately, you can opt to take the once-daily bus (3JD one-way) which departs Aqaba at 1PM and gets you in to Wadi Rum around 2PM. Note that this bus does not operate on Fridays. It usually fills up, so arrive early to ensure you get a seat!

From the Dead Sea: The drive takes between 4 and 5 hours, depending on traffic and which route you take (it's quickest to take the Jordan Valley Highway, which hugs the Israeli border, but we somehow ended up taking the Desert Highway instead, which is more towards the middle of Jordan. It ended up being our longest drive of the whole trip! We kept stopping for snack and bathroom breaks so it took closer to 6 hours.)

There is no public transit between the two destinations, but you can hire a cab for around 100JD.

When to go

The most popular time of year to visit is during the springtime (March-May) and fall (September/October.) Temperatures are warm but not unbearable, and the hiking is prime.

I visited Wadi Rum the last week of February, and it was really nice. The weather was in the upper 60s/lower 70s during the day, which made for pleasant hiking conditions. It did get pretty chilly at night (especially as we were speeding to our campsite in the open bed of a pick-up truck LOL) but fortunately for us, our glampsite featured heated tents and cozy Bedouin robes to ward off the chill.

How much time to spend there

You can get a lot of ground covered in a day. That said, I would definitely recommend staying the night in Wadi Rum - multiple nights if you've got the time! Come for the adventure, stay for the stars.

When booking your Wadi Rum accommodations, you'll find a variety of options available to you, from primitive campsites to luxury glamping. I stayed in the latter and it was an experience I'll never forget.

If you're got the means to splurge on a glampsite bubble tent, do it! These specialty tents feature clear ceilings so you can fall asleep beneath a million-dollar cosmic view.

Most of the sites I browsed only featured these specialty tents with room for two, so if you have a larger group and/or don't want to drop the big bucks, a more affordable (but still really awesome) option is to stay in a Bedouin-style tent.

My friends and I opted for this at Wadi Rum Night Luxury Camp and it was one of the most epic experiences I've ever had. Our tent was a tricked-out, heated space featuring actual beds, Bedouin robes, and our own private bathroom.

On top of that, the setting was unreal. Spread over a copper-toned lunar landscape, camp is complete with a dining hall for home-cooked Jordanian cuisine, lounge for connecting with fellow campers, and a firepit for shisha and tea in the evenings. Not to mention, camp is equipped with an insanely hospitable staff who can get you set up on whatever excursions you'd like around the desert.

What to wear

Whether your visit involves glamping, good old-fashioned camping, off-road Jeep tours, desert treks, or a combination of it all, you're gonna be clambering around arid terrain at some point. Wadi Rum is vast, wild, and an at-times harsh environment, so proper dress is essential.

I recommend comfortable, sturdy hiking boots or tennis shoes, particularly if you're embarking on a Jeep tour. Pair your shoes with breathable clothing suitable for physical activity, and bring a hat or scarf to ward off the sun.

If visiting during the cooler months and staying the night, I definitely recommend packing warm clothing - desert temps drop dramatically after sundown. You'll feel nice and cozy lounging by the campfire in your layers after a day of exploring!

What to bring

Here's what you need to conquer the desert:

Water - tons of it!
Hat/scarf
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Backpack
Camera
Cash (there are souvenir stands located at some of the sights)
Snacks (our Jeep tour of Wadi Rum did not include meals of any kind, and there aren't exactly grab-and-go food stands in abundance around the desert; I highly recommend you come prepared with nourishing snacks)

Things to note

If you're staying the night, try to arrive at Wadi Rum Village during the daytime.

Most campsites require you to check in at Wadi Rum Village, which is located at the entrance to the park.

Our camp's check-in was open from 12PM to 8:30PM. The day we arrived, we were driving in from the Dead Sea, which ended up taking us longer than we expected. Because of this, we didn't arrive until around 8PM, when nighttime had fallen over the Village and we were in a bit of a scramble to find the check-in location before it closed.

At the check-in area, we were told to park our car and climb into the back of a pick-up, where we were whisked off-road and taken on a 30-minute journey to our campsite. While the ride felt like a theme park adventure, it was pitch-black and freezing, which meant we were a little stressed out and didn't really have a sense of our surroundings. We definitely wished we'd gotten there earlier in the day and I recommend this for future visitors.

Cell service is extremely limited in the park.

Download Google Maps offline prior to traveling, and take screenshots of any confirmation e-mails or important documents you may otherwise need service to access.

Don't miss the sunset.

We caught the sunset at the very end of our Jeep tour and it was the icing on top of a decadent day. We staked out a spot on a cliff overlooking the valley, and sat there for a while as rose gold ribbons and earthy matte shadows worked their magic. It was a pinch-me moment amidst a spectacular setting, and it cannot be missed!