The adrenaline-fueled action franchise, John Wick, continues its legacy by featuring Wadi Rum as a shooting location for the highly anticipated fourth installment.
The 2021 remake of the classic sci-fi Dune movie, starring Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya, follows a noble family's battle for the desert planet, Arrakis. Like the previous movies, Dune was also filmed in and around Wadi Rum, mimicking otherworldly terrain with spectacular red sand dunes.
Wadi Rum is a protected area and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011. Wadi Rum also has a long and notable history. There is evidence of settlements dating back to prehistoric times and Lawrence of Arabia, T.E.Lawrence, made his base in Wadi Rum in the Arab revolt of 1917-1918.
Over 20,000 petroglyphs and 20,000 inscriptions have been documented inside Wadi Rum, tracing human existence back some 12,000 years in this spot. Even today, some nomadic Bedouin make their home here, along one of the migratory courses modern humans took out of Africa, providing a living portrait of our human origins.
Petra is gorgeous, but it's teeming with tour groups. Wadi Rum was much less crowded than Petra, and I found it to be a truly peaceful escape. It was more expansive, and I had no problems getting photos of the landscape without people in them.
The Bedouin people who live in the area are friendly and welcoming, and the Jordanian government has taken steps to ensure the safety of tourists. However, it is always important to take precautions when travelling alone, such as avoiding isolated areas and being aware of your surroundings.
Part of the reason that camping in Wadi Rum is so affordable during the initial booking process is that the guides running the camps make a good chunk of their money selling Jeep tours and camel rides. This is simply part of the process, and nothing to be worried about at all–but it helps to know what to expect.
Tunisia has stood in as the desert planet of Tatooine in several Star Wars films, starting with the very first one, 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. The African country was later used in the prequels, including Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005).