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Wadi Rum With Kids: A Family Desert Day That Actually Works

Wadi Rum, JordanNovember 5, 20242 min read
By MASA Editors
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A weathered sandstone massif rising from the flat red sand of Wadi Rum under a deep blue sky01
A weathered sandstone massif rising from the flat red sand of Wadi Rum under a deep blue sky

Sand dunes as playgrounds, canyons with ancient carvings and dinner dug out of the ground — a paced, realistic day in Jordan's red desert with children.

Wadi Rum might be the easiest hard-looking place to visit with children: the sand is soft, the jeeps feel like adventure rides, and the desert does the entertaining. The trick is pacing — short hops, long play stops, shade in the middle.

Key facts

  • Best months: March–May and September–November; summer middays are too hot for small children
  • Getting in: enter via the visitor centre; tours run by 4x4 with Bedouin drivers from Rum Village
  • Pack: hats, high-factor sunscreen, more water than seems reasonable, warm layers for night

8:30 — Arrive and meet your driver

Arrange a private jeep through your camp in advance and agree the shape of the day: with kids, fewer sites and longer stops beat the standard checklist loop. The open truck bed (with rails and a firm grip on little ones) is half the fun.

9:00 — Lawrence's Spring and the first scramble

A short drive to the spring traditionally linked to T. E. Lawrence. The easy rock scramble up is exactly the right size for small climbers, and the view over the red valley gives parents their first photograph worth framing.

A sheer red sandstone buttress in Wadi Rum glowing in late light, with four tiny walkers silhouetted on the sand ridge beside it to show its scale.
A sheer red sandstone buttress in Wadi Rum glowing in late light, with four tiny walkers silhouetted on the sand ridge beside it to show its scale.Photo: Aleksei Filimonov / Unsplash

10:30 — The big red dune

Park at the base of one of the great sand banks and let gravity run the morning: climb, leap, roll, repeat. Many camps and drivers can lend a sandboard — ask the day before. Shoes off works best; sand here stays soft.

The slot canyon at Jebel Khazali is flat and shady at its entrance, and its walls carry centuries-old carvings of camels, hunters and footprints. Turn it into a treasure hunt: who can spot the most animals?

13:00 — Lunch and the long shade break

Back to camp (or a Bedouin tent stop) for lunch, mint tea and the siesta the desert demands. Do not fight this pause; the light and the temperature will both be better on the other side of it.

The old town of Wadi Rum, Jordan
The old town of Wadi Rum, JordanPhoto: Konstantinos Kaskanis / Unsplash

16:00 — Umm Fruth Rock Bridge

The low rock arch that children can actually summit — a few minutes of easy scrambling with a guide's steadying hand, and a triumphant photo on top.

17:30 — Sunset from the sand

Your driver knows the spot. Blankets out, tea poured, and the mountains turning from orange to ember. This is the day's true main event.

19:00 — Zarb, dug from the earth

Back at camp, dinner emerges from the ground: zarb, the Bedouin barbecue slow-cooked in a buried oven, unveiled in a plume of smoke that children never forget. Stay out afterwards — Wadi Rum's starfield needs no telescope.

Tip: Book a camp with private family tents and confirm bathroom arrangements when reserving — comfort levels vary widely, and a good night's sleep decides the whole trip.

In pictures
Art and music in Wadi RumPhoto: Laurene Gicquel / Unsplash
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