Desert dome camp in Jordan offers tourists “The Martian” experience

Most of us at this point in human history can only dream of journeying to Mars. But Freedomes and SunCity Camp are making that experience almost possible with a dome tent camp in Wadi Rum, Jordan – close to where the 2015 movie “The Martian” was filmed. Visitors can now get that Martian experience inside one of 20 geodesic dome structures dotting the desert.

Freedomes is known for their inexpensive DIY backyard dome kits. But you may not know they also created the domed habitat astronaut Mark Watney survives in for The Martian’s set design. Freedomes’ brand F.Domes created smaller versions of that big screen dome suitable as part of their glamping line, and set them up at SunCity Camp in Wadi Rum, allowing visitors to get about as close as they can get to visiting Mars.

The camp is near where the movie was filmed, and Freedomes said the sandstone and granite rock formations amidst the desert allow tourists to feel as if they’ve traveled to the red planet. Each dome includes a private bathroom and panoramic window for a sweeping view of the Wadi Rum desert.

5,000 Bedouins reside in the Wadi Rum desert, which they call the Valley of the Moon. SunCity Camp says they can connect visitors to local Bedouin guides, whom they described as hospitable and friendly. The Bedouins have a deep knowledge of the desert; they are semi-nomadic and many still dwell in traditional goats’ hair tents. SunCity Camp has a restaurant which serves Bedouin meals like zarb, or lamb cooked beneath the desert sand.

There’s no mention of how much it costs to stay the night in one of the Martian domes; but SunCity’s other tent accommodations range from around $159 to $318 a night.