The modern visitor centre at the entrance to the Wadi Rum Protected Area is where every visit officially begins. You pay the entrance fee here (5 JD, or free with a Jordan Pass), and this is where most guides and tour operators meet their groups.
Inside, a small museum covers the geology and human history of the area, with displays on Nabataean trade routes, Bedouin culture, and the desert's unique ecosystem. The exhibits are well-presented if modest in scale, and worth 20 minutes of your time before heading into the desert. A relief map of the protected area helps you understand the geography of what you are about to see.
The centre also has a rest house serving basic meals — rice, chicken, hummus — and a small shop for water, snacks, and the inevitable postcards. If you are arranging a tour on the spot rather than through a pre-booked camp, this is the place to negotiate with the Bedouin guides who wait here for walk-in visitors.