Jordan - wadi rum camp recommendation
 

I am also looking for the same thing.

I had planned on doing that on my upcoming trip to Jordan but I gave up as I couldn't find any reliable information either. I subsequently came across this place, too late, which Abercrombie and Kent use https://www.suncitycamp.com/

I'm still searching and finding that the unfortunate combination of high cost of and poor customer service is common in Wadi Rum! I'm travelling with my 79 years young mother; I do not want her to navigate the dark and the cold to go to a latrine block in the middle of the night. As for me, I do not want to sleep on sheets that have not been washed between guests.

cayohueso, thank you so much for sharing the information on which camp Abercrombie & Kent uses - that is an excellent benchmark for a quality lodging! One thing to note - Sun City is in Diseh, which is outside the protected area of Wadi Rum. It makes sense that camps on the outskirts will have plumbing and better amenities since they are closer to infrastructure, on the grid so to speak. Raheyeb Desert Camp is a cheaper camp in Diseh that is used by US tour groups as well.

If we spend the night at a camp, we would prefer to be in the desert. As a result, I'm looking at Wadi Rum Night Luxury Camp because it looks like it is clean and is in the protected area. I presume being deeper in the desert means less light pollution at night, less travel time to get to the major sites on the 2 hour jeep tours, etc. Wadi Rum Night Luxury Camp is about $50 more per night than Sun City, which seems like it is worth the extra cost given the staff have to schlepp everything to the middle of the desert. $200+ a night for the room, dinner and breakfast seems very expensive, and the reviews are mixed.

Several camps in the interior protected area of Wadi Rum offer ensuite private bathrooms at various price points; however, it is difficult to ascertain quality. The cheaper camps have been far more responsive to email / Facebook messenger / WhatsApp than the posh ones. Some camps provide blankets but do not provide sheets... Others require you to bring your own towel... When sheets have been provided, travelers have wondered whether they have been washed at all... Most of the cheaper camps are cash only operations. These wallet friendlier camps are $30night for a shared toilet, but the ensuite tents are $70-100/night.

The camps with nice(r) facilities are looking to be $200/night in May. The price is very first world and the service is poor. The nice camps are not responsive to inquiries regarding tour costs / options and simple questions like How much is a jeep tour? When is dinner? When is breakfast? The phone lines do not work well either. I keep getting disconnected. The plus is the high end camps accept credit cards. Given the poor communication, I expect there will be hiccups and it is nice to have a credit card company on your side.

Guidebooks have not been very helpful for recommending campsites either. Wikitravel has a good listing of Wadi Rum camps but you have to dig to find which ones offer private bathrooms. I've trawled the internet looking for camps that offer private bathrooms; these are listed below. None is a clear winner.

Ensuite Options in the Wadi Rum Protected Area:
Discovery Bedu - $700/night (!)
Wadi Rum Night Luxury Camp - shows up in a lot of blogger reviews
Aicha Memories
Desert Rose - very responsive but there are hardly any reviews
Bedouin Lifestyle
Jamal Rum Camp
Khaled's Camp - very responsive, not pushy
Wadi Rum Shooting Stars
Candles Camp

It's interesting that it's so difficult to find a reliable place to stay in Wadi Rum. Wondering if it's even worth the trouble then?

If I end up going to Wadi Rum, I'll certainly let you know of my experience!

Missko, I stayed at the Aicha Memories Luxury Camp in a skyview-dome tent at the beginning of january. They were good at responding via e-mail (think 1-2 days), transportation to the camp a very bumpy ride on the back of a jeep. Check-in with explanation of everything and possibility to book tours as well. All rooms are basic (domes and tents), have a bathroom with toilet. Breakfast and dinner is a buffet.

All in all it was an okay stay with an incredible sunset i wouldnt want to miss. At night there was a very scenic open fire in the rocks

Don't expect extraordinary despite paying 5* prices. Photos on the website are very accurate.

I also booked memory of aicha camp in my upcoming trip, plan to stay at the 'bubble tent"(expensive!). They have been responsive in email so far. I've seen few youtubers posting videos of their trip.

After lots of research, I found Rum Stars was highly rated on Lonely Planet. I saw that most of the tripadvisor reviews had a low score on Fakespot, except for this one, which got an A. If Lonely Planet is willing to stand behind them, then that works for me. Hope this helps.

https://www.rumstars.com/

Wow - Hamburglar. Fakespot is amazing. Really helps weed through the spurious reviews.

I ended up staying at Desert Rose Camp because I decided en suite was a necessity. I was definitely concerned about going to Wadi Rum because of the number of unreliable reviews about the various campsites. I went with Desert Rose Camp because the owner was very responsive while I was planning the trip and never pushy. I decided to give his camp a shot. I was really pleased with the facilities and especially the service at Desert Rose Camp.

The room was very clean as was the en suite bathroom. No sand inside despite being in the middle of the desert. The en suite shower had excellent water pressure. My tent had running water and electricity 24 hours a day. Solar panels generate the electricity - the one thing Jordan has no shortage of is sun! Water, however, is scarce - Desert Rose brings in water from the village by truck. I'm sure this is the case for the other camps since the desert is off the grid.

Jordan is an expensive company for visitors. Desert Rose Camp was one of the few places in Jordan I felt was good value.

Note that Wadi Rum is for the physically fit. The 4x4 tours take you to various places where you can walk up sand dunes (hard work!), climb up interesting rock formations, walk through canyons. The tours are not about sitting in the back of a truck and taking in the sites; they are about interacting with them.