Captain’s Camp Review: Is It the Best Desert Camp in Wadi Rum

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You know what really me buy that flight to Jordan? Well, I follow Cassandra from EscapingNY on Instagram, and on one of the group tours she leads in Jordan, they stayed in a funky CAVE ROOM in the middle of the desert. The location tag: Captain’s Camp.

“Cassandra,” I slid into her DMs. “I NEED to stay here. I’m booking a trip.”

“Don’t worry boo, I gotchu,” Cassandra replied, give or take a few “boo”s.

And…that’s it. That’s the story of how I hauled myself around the world to sleep in a desert. For THIS PARTICULAR CAMP. I know, it doesn’t take a lot to convince me to go somewhere.

Getting to Captain’s Camp

Jordan is a relatively small country. From the capital of Amman, the Wadi Rum desert is about a four hour drive one way. Honestly, it’s not too bad in my opinion. To get there, the most popular options are to either have a personal driver (either for hire or via taxi), rent a car, or take a shuttle/bus. Both having a driver or getting a taxi is expensive. I unfortunately don’t know the exact price, but for a personal driver (and acting tour guide), I was once quoted $1500 USD for five days. And I paid about 140 JOD for a 2.5 hour taxi ride and I didn’t even get to my destination (that’s a whole other story though). USUALLYYYY though, if you’re a solid negotiator and can stand your ground, you can grab a taxi from Amman to Wadi Rum for about 110-120 JOD.

On the flip side, taking a bus is very affordable. Since there is a high demand for traveling south to Petra, Wadi Rum, and Aqaba. There are local buses, but you can also get a JETT bus ticket. JETT is about 8-10 JOD and the seats are super comfortable and the bus is air conditioned. The only downside, the stops closest to Wadi Rum are Aqaba and Petra. Then the bus from Aqaba to the Wadi Rum Village is about 3 JOD.

Driving to Wadi Rum

The method I used to get to Wadi Rum was both affordable AND the easiest. I rented a car. Renting a car and driving in Jordan comes with its own quirks, but overall it’s very straightforward.

MOST desert camps in Wadi Rum are not accessible by normal rental cars. In those cases, you have to leave your rental at the Wadi Rum Village, and you would need to take a 4×4 shuttle or ride to get to that particular desert camp.

LUCKILY, you do NOT need a 4×4 to access Captain’s Camp. You can drive right up to it with your normal sedan! WOOHOO!

Accommodations

This is a desert camp, so I just want to emphasize that it is actually CAMPING. So. Just keep that in mind.

Now then!

There are a few lodging different options at Captain’s Camp. The first, and the cheapest, being a shared room. The next tier level is a private room, with a private bathroom. And the most expensive room (with the most seclusion) is the cave suites. Prices range from $56-$200 USD and night.

I want to point out that I did receive my room stay for free in exchange for my blogging and content services. So while I did not pay, I was also not PAID, so I am going to be completely honest and forthcoming with my review.

Overall, the prices were about the same as similar desert camps in the area. But since the STANDOUT and unique angle to this camp is the cave suites, let’s start there!

Captain’s Camp has about 8 cave suites (I think), and will soon increase to about 12 cave suites. They are located towards the back of the camp, built into rock! They are detached from each other, so there is no sound from noisy neighbors.

The Cave Suites

The cave suites are very spacious, with a couch and seating area (equipped with a shisha!). There is also a vanity and small open closet area. Then in the corner is a full private bathroom with running water. The room also has a fully functioning AC and heater unit, and in November both were VERY NEEDED.

My favorite feature of the cave suites turned out to be the large skylight. And, of course, the heater for those cold desert nights!

The Tents

While I didn’t stay in the tents, I did poke my head into an empty one! I liked that the tents had carpet, as well as AC/heater and a fan to circulate the air. It was surprisingly still pretty spacious, and the beds looked sturdy and clean.

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I also peeked into the public showers and restrooms (when no one was there) for the shared dorm tents. They were surprisingly VERY NICE and perfectly clean! Awesome!

Other Shared Areas

Captain’s Camp has tons of sitting spaces, perfect for sitting. If you’re in a large group, there’s lot of room for group ice breakers and activities.

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Food at Captain’s Camp

The food served at Captain’s Camp was buffet style for both breakfast and dinner. I’ll start with breakfast since it was more straightforward. There was a lot of bread and hummus, the usual Jordanian foods, but I LOVED the option for the made-to-order omelettes! Plus, the chefs are hilariouss!! But more on them later.

The food is all put out in it’s own tent, which surprisingly had no flies or anything! It’s great! Like, I know it’s a small detail, but a very nice one! Then again, I guess it makes sense that there are not a lot of flies in the desert…but I digress. The food is also mostly covered as well, so the germaphobe in me rejoiced.

Breakfast is pretty low key. If you’re a late riser like me and you arrive on the tail end of breakfast, then you’ll mostly be alone. Tours and activities usually head out around 10am to make use of the daylight before it gets too hot.

Dinna-time

Dinner is a whole different affair. It is the HIGHEST of keys, going all out in every way possible. It starts with getting the BBQ out of the ground.

Yes. Out of the ground. You heard me right.

Jordanian BBQ, or zarb, is cooked in an underground oven for most of the day, then is ceremoniously uncovered at dinner.

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After the meat is removed from the ground, the buffet dinner begins. There is an assortment of vegetables and salads, as well as rice, cous cous, hummus. Then you get all of the meats as well! They really stack the plate high! If you are vegetarian or vegan, there are plenty of options for you as well. Jordan, in general, is a fantastic country for vegetarians and vegans. 80% of the cuisine is hummus and falafel.

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There is free seating under the large tents.

After-Dinner Party

The best part about staying in a desert camp is the communal environment. And at Captain’s Camp, there’s a fun party every night after dinner! The music is bopping, dance circles form, and the DJ breaks out their best jams! The staff also leads the group in four traditional dances that are unique to the area. There is the Jordanian and Bedouin dances, a Lebanese dance, and I believe the fourth is a Syrian dance, but don’t quote me on that one. It was incredibly fun to participate in the traditional dances!

After those, the dance floor is basically a free-for-all! If you have a particular song or artist you want to listen to, feel free to tell the DJ! The mood of the party definitely depends on the tours and groups staying at the camp. It’s always fun, but some nights might be rowdier than others. That said, the staff members are ALWAYS ready to drop it low on the dance floor with you!

If you aren’t much of a dancer, there are also someone giving Henna tattoos, as well as a few roaring campfires with the tastiest (sweet!) tea in the desert!

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After a long night of feasting (TRULY FEASTING), dancing, laughing, and sipping tea, it’s time to see the desert’s grand finale.

The night sky.

I had witnessed Jordan’s desert night sky before, when I glamped near Petra, so I already knew what to expect. But still, it was breathtaking the second and third nights just as much as the first time I stood outside, gazing up at the Jordan sky. I am not the best at night photography, but I still managed to get some great shots with how clear the sky was! I don’t know if you can see it in the picture, but I even manage to catch a shooting star on camera (right in the middle!)

There IS a bit more light pollution than in Petra, but this was also standing right on the door step of my room. You can easily drive around the corner (behind the giant mountain) to get a pitch black view of the sky! Just…be careful and don’t get stuck in a sand dune.

Activities

You didn’t think you were just gonna sleep, did you?? I mentioned that a lot of the tours head out around 9-10am to beat the afternoon heatwave, but what kind of tours?

WELL IMMA TELL YOU.

Captain’s Camp offers the following tours:

• Desert Jeep Tours
• Camel and Horse Tours
• Desert Hikes
• Hot Air Balloon Rides
• Transportation to/from other Jordan sites (including Petra!)

Out of these, I only did the desert jeep tour, AND IT WAS AWESOME! If you’ve ever done a desert jeep tour before, like in the UAE for example, I promise you that Wadi Rum will be completely different. For one, Wadi Rum is much more “mountainous” than just sand dunes, and is the filming site to a number of different movies and television shows. It was an insanely fun way to spend the morning!

The Vibe

This is kind of an arbitrary ranking, but one that I think is important to mention in lodging reviews. The vibe of Captain’s Camp is definitely laid back, chill, and fun. For those reasons, it’s an extremely popular lodging choice for group tours to stay at. Depending on the rowdiness of the tours, the vibe can shift from ALL NIGHT PARTY to a chill kickback with good conversation.

Captain’s Camp: The Negatives

Because NO place is perfect, right?? I want to keep it 100 with all of you, so here are some of the things I saw that others might have an issue with. Or even just things to “keep in mind” so that you are not unpleasantly surprised. Also, remember. YOU ARE CAMPING. So. This won’t be a 5-star Marriot.

• The water pressure/temperature: Although my shower was fine, the sink water pressure in my cave suite was pretty low. It was fine for brushing my teeth, but since I do a full 9-step Korean beauty skincare routine morning and night, it made washing my face take FOREVERRR. Someone else mentioned that their private tent’s water temperature didn’t get that hot. However, I heard from other guests that the public restrooms have much better water pressure and the water there is very hot.
• Insects: Like, I know I was camping, but the cave suite is so nice that it’s easy to forget!! So you might see and ant or two (or five) casually minding their own business in your cave suite because…well, you’re literally sleeping in a cave. It wasn’t so much that they were swarming the place, but they are there. No one in the tents mentioned any ants tho, but it’s also carpeted so less space under the door crack for them to get in I suppose.
• Food taste?: Buffets are always a hit or miss. My first night at the camp, I was worried that the food would be bland to accommodate for large groups of people who might be sensitive to spices. But thankfully Captain’s Camp has a solution. SAUCES. There are tons of sauces available at meal time, so please feel free to load up on them to add additional great taste (and a kick!) to your food!

The Staff

The beating heart of the desert camp: the staff. I want to mention them because they truly are the soul of this place, and it wouldn’t be the same without them. Everyone is BEYOND welcoming, hardworking, and helpful, and it’s hilarious watching them tease each other. They all come together on the dance floor at night, and they go out of their way to ensure everyone is having an equally memorable experience. Osama, the owner, is especially kind and full of great stories.

I want to thank them, from the bottom of my heart, for making my stay enjoyable. And also teaching me how to dance, hahaha.

Final Thoughts

Captain’s Camp in Wadi Rum was incredible. I am not a hardcore camping gal, so this was right up my alley. I felt “in the desert,” but with the comforts of a shower. The cave suite definitely lived up to all expectations! What I enjoyed most, however, was the close-knit community feeling. Captain’s Camp is THE BEST desert camp in Wadi Rum if you are looking for lodging that encourages togetherness, while still offering amazing tours and comfortably beds!

If you would prefer to visit in a group, check out the Jordan group tours led by Cassandra of EscapingNY! She planned my entire Jordan itinerary, and her group tours stay in Captain’s Camp when they visit Wadi Rum!

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