Denis Villeneuve’s Arrakis combines real desert landscapes with sets and digital work, and two deserts supplied the landscapes: Wadi Rum in southern Jordan and the Liwa desert in Abu Dhabi. Both Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024) filmed in each of them. The ocean world of Caladan, the Atreides home in the first film, was filmed on Norway’s west coast, at Stadlandet.
These are three separate trips in three countries, not stops on one desert tour. The deserts are protected or remote landscapes, so the right way to see them is with local operators and on established routes, not by hunting for the exact rock from a frame. This guide covers only the real landscapes you can visit, not the studio sets.
Quick answer: which film, which place
| Real place | Country | On screen | Film |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wadi Rum | Jordan | Arrakis: rock towers, canyons and red sand | Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024) |
| Liwa desert | United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi) | Arrakis: the deep dune sea | Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024) |
| Stadlandet (with Kinn) | Norway | Caladan | Dune (2021) |
Jordan: Wadi Rum
The office of Queen Rania of Jordan, in a press release, describes Wadi Rum’s sand dunes as the backdrop for several films set on other planets, naming Dune Parts I and II. Jordan’s Royal Film Commission supported both productions, and the commission’s statements reported by the Jordan Times place filming in the Wadi Rum area in 2019 for the first film and in 2022 for the sequel.
Visit Jordan, the national tourism board, describes it as one of Jordan’s UNESCO World Heritage sites, a landscape of towering rock formations, narrow valleys and sand that is home to Bedouin communities. It says tours can be booked through the visitor centre or through a camp, including guided 4×4 trips and nights in Bedouin-style camps.
That structure is the practical answer to “how do I see the Dune landscapes”: you go in with a local guide and driver. Do not plan to drive yourself into the desert. Sand tracks are not roads, conditions change quickly, and the protected area is managed for the people who live there and for the landscape itself. A film crew’s vehicles and permits are not a model for an independent visit.
Can you see the exact filming spots?
Not reliably. The official statements name an area, not coordinates, and camps and tours sometimes advertise “Dune” spots that are simply striking scenery. Enjoy the landscape for what it is. If a guide points to a precise rock from a scene, take it as part of their tour’s story rather than a documented fact.
Abu Dhabi: the Liwa desert
The deep dunes of Arrakis come from Liwa, on the edge of the Empty Quarter in western Abu Dhabi. The emirate’s Creative Media Authority states that the Liwa desert was used for both Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024). For the sequel, the Abu Dhabi Media Office says filming used nearly 20 locations across the Liwa desert over 27 days in the winter of 2022.
Liwa is a long drive from Abu Dhabi city, and its dunes are serious terrain. Visit Abu Dhabi points visitors to tour operators from the city and to desert hotels and resorts that run guided experiences. Use them. Driving on dunes is a specialist skill, and an ordinary rental car should stay on the paved road.
Dune shapes shift with the wind, so no ridge is a permanent marker of a scene. Desert heat is also extreme in the warmer months. Follow your operator’s advice on season and timing, carry water and keep to the plan they give you.
Norway: Stadlandet and the coast of Caladan
Caladan’s green headlands and cold sea are on Norway’s west coast. The Norwegian Film Commission lists Dune (2021) with locations at Stadlandet, in Stad municipality, and in Kinn, and says key sequences were shot at Stadlandet. The European Film Commissions Network, which shortlisted Stadlandet for its 2021 location award, describes the area doubling for Caladan in the last stretch of principal photography in August 2019.
There is no Atreides castle to find. The building on screen was created for the film; the steep green slopes, small farms and sea are what is real. The photographs here show the Stadlandet coast around Fure and Ervik as regional context, not marked filming spots.
Stadlandet can be reached by road and explored on foot, but the weather shapes any visit. Fjord Norway, the regional tourism board, describes Stadlandet’s weather as dramatic and says the Vestkapp plateau, 496 metres above the sea, is known for having both the best and the worst weather. Dress for wind and rain, check the forecast, and keep well back from cliff edges.
Stadlandet is a hiking and surfing area in its own right, with small coastal settlements tucked under the mountains. Plan it as a Norwegian coastal trip, not an add-on to a desert holiday.
Part One and Part Two: keep them apart
- Dune (2021): Wadi Rum in Jordan, the Liwa desert in Abu Dhabi, and Stadlandet and Kinn in Norway for Caladan.
- Dune: Part Two (2024): Wadi Rum again and Liwa, where the Media Office counts nearly 20 locations. The sources above record no Norwegian filming for the sequel.
Responsible visiting
- Go with licensed local operators in Wadi Rum and Liwa, and do not attempt off-road driving on your own.
- Respect the people who live there. Wadi Rum’s Bedouin communities and Norway’s coastal farms are homes, not film sets.
- Leave no trace in fragile dune and coastal landscapes.
- Do not chase exact frames. A place that looks like a scene is not proof it was the filmed spot.
Are these photos from the films?
No. They are licensed photographs of the real landscapes, not production stills. They show the areas used for filming, not exact camera positions.