Wadi Rum Glamping: Bubble Tents, Domes, Tents and Suites Compared

Wadi Rum glamping covers a wide range of stays, from clear bubble tents and Martian-style domes to Bedouin tents and suites with big glass fronts. They all promise roughly the same thing: a proper bed, a hot shower and the desert right outside. What they deliver can be quite different once you look past the photos. This guide walks through the main kinds of stay, what to compare before you book, and where SunCity Camp's rooms fit.

What glamping means in Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum is a protected desert valley in southern Jordan, about an hour's drive from Aqaba. Its sandstone and granite mountains rise straight out of red sand, and the Wadi Rum Protected Area has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2011.

For a long time, a night here meant a simple Bedouin camp: woven tents, mattresses and a shared washroom. Glamping is the comfortable version of that night. Most glamping camps now offer private rooms with real beds, electricity, a private bathroom and some way of controlling the temperature.

Beyond those basics, the style of room is the main choice you make. It shapes how the night feels more than almost anything else, so it's worth understanding the options.

The main kinds of Wadi Rum glamping stay

Bubble tents

A bubble tent is a clear or partly clear shell with a bed inside. The appeal is simple: you lie down and the sky is right there. On a clear, moonless night that is a lovely way to fall asleep.

Bubble tents vary a lot from one camp to the next. Some are fully transparent, some are clear only on top, and some have covers or curtains. The details below matter more than the name.

Martian and geodesic domes

Domes are solid structures built on a frame of triangles, with a large section opened up with glass. The "Martian" name comes from the way Wadi Rum has stood in for Mars on screen, most famously in The Martian.

A dome keeps a big window on the view, while the rest of the shell gives you walls, shade and privacy. It sits somewhere between a bubble and a room.

Bedouin-style tents

These take their look from the traditional Bedouin tent: woven textiles, warm colours, timber and low lamplight. In a glamping camp they usually come with proper beds and an en-suite bathroom.

They suit people who want the feeling of a desert camp more than a view from the pillow.

Suites

Suites are the larger rooms, often with wide windows or a glass front and space to sit inside during the hottest part of the day. Some are made for families, with more than one sleeping area.

They are the closest thing to a hotel room in the desert, with the valley as the view.

Wadi Rum bubble hotel or dome: honest pros and cons

If you've been searching for a Wadi Rum bubble hotel, you're probably weighing a bubble tent against a dome. Both can be lovely. They behave differently, though, and it helps to know how before you choose. These are general points about the two designs, not about any particular camp.

Heat and cold

Clear walls let the sun in and hold its heat. In Wadi Rum's summer, when days are often above 35°C, a clear shell can warm up quickly in the afternoon, and the air conditioning has to work hard to keep up.

In winter it's the other way round. Nights can drop close to freezing, and thin walls lose warmth fast. A solid dome or suite with one glass wall takes on less heat by day and holds warmth better at night. Whatever you choose, check that the room has both cooling and heating.

Privacy

A fully clear bubble is see-through both ways. That's why many come with curtains or covers, and once those are closed you lose much of what you came for.

Ask how far apart the units are and which way the clear side faces. Glass that looks out over open desert, rather than towards other rooms, gives you the view without an audience.

Light

The desert gets light early. In a clear bubble, sunrise reaches you whether you're ready or not, and full-moon nights are bright too. Some people love that.

Light sleepers may prefer a room where the glass is on one side, so you can choose how much of the morning to let in.

The view

This is where bubbles do best. Nothing beats a clear shell for seeing the whole sky at once. A dome usually gives you one wide panorama rather than every direction. It's still a big, open view, just framed.

What to compare before you book

Photos tell you what a room looks like at its best moment. These questions tell you what it's like to sleep in.

• A private en-suite bathroom. Check that the bathroom is part of your room, not a shared block a short walk away. It matters most at 3am.
• Heating and air conditioning. You want both. Wadi Rum days are hot for much of the year, and winter nights are cold.
• Privacy. Look at how close the units are, whether the glass faces other rooms, and whether you can close it off.
• View direction. Ask which way the window or clear side faces. Cliffs, open sand, sunrise or sunset each make for a different morning.
• Location inside the Protected Area. Some camps sit inside the Wadi Rum Protected Area and some outside it. Inside, you're surrounded by the landscape you came to see.
• Meals included. There's no popping out for dinner in the desert. Check whether breakfast and dinner are part of the stay, and whether special diets are possible.
• Getting there. Find out whether you can drive to the door or need to switch vehicles, and whether a transfer can be arranged.
• Wi-Fi and signal. Many desert camps only have Wi-Fi in shared areas. If you need to work, ask before you book.

How SunCity Camp's rooms fit

SunCity Camp is a family-owned luxury desert camp inside the Wadi Rum Protected Area, owned by the Al-Nawafleh family. It's known for its Martian Domes, and it also has Bedouin-style tents and two kinds of suite.

Every room has air conditioning and heating, a private en-suite bathroom with a hot shower, bathrobes and slippers, a hairdryer, a coffee maker and a private terrace with seating. So the comfort basics are the same everywhere, and the choice comes down to the style of room and how many of you there are.

Martian Dome

The Martian Dome is our signature room and the one most people picture when they think of glamping in Wadi Rum. A panoramic glass wall faces the desert, so you can watch the stars from bed, while the solid shell keeps the room private. It sleeps up to three.

Deluxe Tent

The Deluxe Tent is a traditional Bedouin-style tent with handwoven textiles, warm timber and soft lamplight, plus a modern en-suite bathroom and a minibar. It sleeps up to three, and suits guests who want the feel of a desert camp with hotel comforts.

Grande Suite

The Grande Suite is our most spacious single-room tent. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the valley, and an indoor seating area makes it easy to spend a slow afternoon inside when the sun is high. It sleeps up to four.

Family Suite

The Family Suite has two separate sleeping areas and panoramic desert views, made for families and friends travelling together. It sleeps up to five.

If you're still torn between a clear bubble and a dome, our bubble tent and Martian Dome comparison goes into more detail.

Meals, Wi-Fi and the evening

Breakfast and dinner are included in every stay at SunCity. Breakfast is served from 07:00 to 09:00 and dinner from 19:30 to 21:30.

The signature dinner is Zarb, the Bedouin underground barbecue: lamb, chicken and vegetables slow-cooked for four to six hours in a sand pit, served alongside Middle Eastern and international dishes. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free meals are possible with advance notice. There's more on our dining page.

Wi-Fi is in reception, the café and the dining hall only, and there's mobile signal at the camp too. If you need to send a few emails, the café is the place to do it.

Getting to your Wadi Rum glamping camp

SunCity is easy to reach. You can drive or take a taxi straight to the camp. The road is easy and any car can make it, so there's no need for a 4x4, and the team sends the exact location after you book.

It's about an hour from Aqaba (around 60 km), 1.5 to 2 hours from Petra and 3.5 to 4 hours from Amman. A private transfer from Aqaba, Petra or Amman can be arranged, and the team confirms the details.

Check-in is from 14:00. Arriving between 14:00 and 16:00 gives you time to settle in before sunset and dinner. Our getting here page has the full directions.

Things to do from your stay

Most people come for more than the room. Jeep tours, camel rides, hot-air balloon flights, hiking and climbing, and stargazing with telescope sessions are all possible during a stay.

These are run by the local Bedouin community, not by the camp, and they aren't included in the stay. We help arrange them, and the team confirms prices and times.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between a bubble tent and a Martian Dome?

A bubble tent is a clear shell, so you see the sky in every direction, but it can get hot by day and offers little privacy unless you cover it. A Martian Dome is a solid structure with a large glass wall, which keeps a wide view while giving you walls, shade and privacy.

Is Wadi Rum glamping comfortable in summer?

It can be, as long as the room has air conditioning and you plan your days around the heat. From June to August days are often above 35°C, so mornings and evenings are the best time to be out. Rooms with solid walls generally stay cooler than fully clear ones.

Is it cold at night in winter?

Yes. From December to February the days are mild and sunny, but nights are cold and sometimes near freezing. All rooms at SunCity are heated.

Do glamping rooms in Wadi Rum have private bathrooms?

Many do, but not all, so it's worth checking. Every room at SunCity has a private en-suite bathroom with a hot shower.

Are meals included?

At SunCity, breakfast and dinner are included in every stay. Extras such as soft drinks and bottled water are charged.

Do I need a 4x4 to reach the camp?

No. You can drive or take a taxi straight to SunCity in any car. We send the exact location after you book.

Which room works best for a family?

The Family Suite sleeps up to five, with two separate sleeping areas. Bigger groups need two rooms, for example two Martian Domes, or a Family Suite and a Deluxe Tent.

When is the best time of year for glamping in Wadi Rum?

March to May and September to November are the most comfortable, with warm days and cool nights. Winter is mild by day and cold at night, and summer is hot, so it shapes how you spend the middle of the day.

When you're ready, booking direct on our website is our best price, or send the team a message on WhatsApp with any questions.