Milky Way Ecolodge

The kitchen staff were kind and helpful, and the owner was nice. The dining area was cool and had a beautiful view, and breakfast and dinner were decent, typical Jordanian food. We stayed two nights, and I came away with mixed feelings. The tents are basic, with a bed, blankets, and an electricity socket that only worked in the evening. The shared bathroom wasn't the cleanest, though with desert sand that may be expected. Dinner costs an extra 10JOD per person on top of the accommodation. The main problem was Dahi, the worker who drove us from town. He tried to mislead us twice, about both room and tour prices. When we challenged him, he was rude and kept making inappropriate comments through the rest of our stay. He also deliberately gave us a jeep without a shade cover, so we were out in the sun all day while other tourists had roofs on their vehicles. The full-day tour cost 100JOD for two and didn't feel worth it. We covered almost 40km through the desert, but the guide offered no explanations or other added value. Lunch was heated in a pan and made from canned beans, canned tomato, and canned tuna, rather than local Bedouin food. Much of the time was spent being told to climb viewpoints. The half-day tour without lunch is a much better and cheaper option.

The rooms have no air conditioning, which may be expected this far out, but it's still useful to know. The owner said they were working on it and would install ACs very soon. Also, Orange had no service coverage there, so call your significant others in town beforehand. We hadn't realized that, but Abdullah kindly drove us to a nearby spot with a connection so we could call. We stayed one night and did a sunset trip and a half-day jeep tour with Abdullah. Everything went really well, and we're glad we chose to stay. Dinner was a traditional chicken meal cooked under the sand, with a good range of sides, followed by tea and desserts. Breakfast had lots of choices and was great. Abdullah and Said, the cook, were wonderful and made us feel welcome. We'd definitely recommend this place.

The views, food, and chance to learn about the culture made our stay at Milky Way Camp really memorable. For a night in Wadi Rum, it felt like the best choice, and we'd love to come back. Special thanks to the owner's nephew. Greetings from Spain.

The setting is idyllic and dinner was sublime, but what really lifted the stay was how warmly the staff welcomed us. A beautiful experience, and five stars well deserved.