Israel and Jordan Adventure — Self-Launched

Land at Ben Gurion and get your free 90-day tourist visa on arrival (usually stamped on a separate slip, not in your passport). Take the airport train to HaHagana or Tel Aviv Savidor Central (~18 ILS, 20 min) or a shared sherut taxi to the city centre (~70 ILS). Check into a Florentin or Kerem HaTeimanim hostel/guesthouse, then wander to the beach for sunset and grab a cheap hummus-and-salad dinner. Sort your Jordan Pass online tonight — it waives your Jordan visa fee and covers Petra, Jerash, Karak and Wadi Rum.

🚌Airport train ~18 ILS; on foot in the city

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse, Florentin/central Tel Aviv (dorm or private single)

• →Beach sunset walk
• →Buy Jordan Pass online

Start early with a self-guided walk through Jaffa's old town — the flea market, the Old Port, St Peter's Church and the zodiac fountain — all free to roam. Take the train from Tel Aviv to Akko (~30 ILS, 1h20), then explore the Old City: Al-Jazzar Mosque, the souk and the fantastic underground Crusader halls (combined ticket ~50 ILS). Late afternoon bus from Akko to Nazareth (~25 ILS, 50 min). Stay in the Old City near the Basilica of the Annunciation. Note: the paid Druze-village lunch isn't easily replicated solo — swap it for a home-style meal at a Nazareth family restaurant or a Druze kitchen in Isfiya if you pass through by bus.

🚌Train Tel Aviv–Akko ~30 ILS; bus Akko–Nazareth ~25 ILS

🛏Guesthouse in Nazareth Old City

• →Jaffa Old Port and flea market (self-guided, free)
• →Akko Old City, Al-Jazzar Mosque and Crusader halls (~£11)
• →Nazareth Old City evening walk

Local bus to Tiberias (~15 ILS), then a public bus or shared taxi loop around the lake: Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes and Tabgha. In the afternoon, take a bus up to the Golan (Katzrin or the Banias Nature Reserve, ~30 ILS each way) for the viewpoints over the Heights. Book a night at a kibbutz guesthouse (Kibbutz Lavi, Ein Gev or similar) — many take direct bookings online and cost far less than the tour's included hotel. Dinner in the communal dining room is a genuine kibbutz experience.

🚌Local buses around the lake and to the Golan (~£15 total)

🛏Kibbutz guesthouse, Galilee

• →Capernaum and Mount of Beatitudes
• →Banias Nature Reserve / Golan viewpoints
• →Kibbutz stay

Long travel day: bus from Galilee to Jerusalem (~40 ILS, 2h), then take the 486 Egged bus from Jerusalem to Masada (~35 ILS, 1h30). Climb Masada — either the Snake Path at sunrise (free, ~1h up) or the cable car (~£12 return). The fortress, palaces and Roman camps are all covered by the ~29 ILS site entry. Continue by bus down to Ein Bokek on the Dead Sea and float in the salt water at the free public beach — bring water shoes, and shower off after. Accommodation in Ein Bokek or Arad is limited and pricey; a hostel in Arad (~£30) is the budget move with a short bus to the shore.

🚌Buses Galilee–Jerusalem–Masada–Dead Sea (~£20 total)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Arad / Ein Bokek

• →Masada Snake Path or cable car (~£20 all-in)
• →Float in the Dead Sea (free public beach)

Bus to Beersheba (~40 ILS) and onward to a Negev Bedouin village. Several community-run camps (Kfar Hanokdim, Chan HaShayarot, or the Desert Days / Sheikh families' camps near Mitzpe Ramon) offer direct online booking, short cultural talks, tea and a traditional dinner. Arrange a sunset camel ride or a short desert hike for the late afternoon. Sleep in a Bedouin-style tent — blankets provided, but bring warm layers outside summer.

🚌Public buses to Beersheba and Negev junction (~£15)

🛏Bedouin-style desert camp, Negev

• →Bedouin village visit and cultural talk
• →Optional camel ride (~£15)
• →Desert sunset hike

Bus north to Jerusalem (~50 ILS), drop bags at your hostel, then take the 231 or 234 bus from Damascus Gate to Bethlehem (~10 ILS). Visit Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity, then the Separation Wall and the Aida or Dheisheh refugee camps — a local Palestinian guide (bookable through Bethlehem-based operators like the Alternative Tourism Group, ~£25) adds essential context. Return to Jerusalem by bus. Note the border-wall realities and carry your passport.

🚌Buses (~£12 total); local guide £25

🛏Hostel in East or West Jerusalem

• →Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem
• →Dheisheh/Aida refugee camp visit with local guide
• →Evening in Jerusalem

Full day on foot inside the walls: the Western Wall, the Temple Mount (non-Muslim entry mornings only, free), the Via Dolorosa, the Holy Sepulchre, and the Muslim and Jewish quarters. In the afternoon pick one paid extra — the Israel Museum and Dead Sea Scrolls (~£10), the City of David and Hezekiah's Tunnel (~£7), or Zedekiah's Cave. Friday evenings the Western Wall fills with worshippers — worth timing your visit around. Eat your way through the Mahane Yehuda market in the evening.

🚌Walking; occasional tram

🛏Hostel in Jerusalem

• →Western Wall and Temple Mount
• →Via Dolorosa and Holy Sepulchre
• →Optional City of David / Israel Museum (~£10)

Get an early bus to Beit She'an (~30 ILS) and stop at the spectacular Roman-Byzantine ruins (~£9). Continue by taxi or bus to the Sheikh Hussein / Jordan River crossing (~30 ILS), clear Israeli exit and Jordanian entry, then take a shared taxi or service bus from the border to Irbid and onward to Amman (~£8-10 total). Show your Jordan Pass for a free visa. Check into a hostel in Downtown Amman and eat at Hashem's falafel stand — the city's most famous cheap meal.

🚌Buses and shared taxis via Beit She'an / Sheikh Hussein (~£18)

🛏Hostel in Downtown Amman

• →Beit She'an Roman ruins (~£9)
• →Amman Downtown and Hashem falafel

Take a public minibus from Amman's Tabarbour station to Jerash (~£2, 1h) — the Roman site is superb and included on the Jordan Pass. Hire a licensed local guide at the gate (~£15) for the colonnaded streets, Hadrian's Arch and the hippodrome. Return to Amman, then take a bus or shared taxi to the Dead Sea (Amman Beach or a hotel day pass, ~£5-15 transport) for a second float and a mud bath (~£3). Back to Amman for the night.

🚌Minibuses/taxis Amman–Jerash–Dead Sea (~£12)

🛏Hostel in Amman

• →Jerash guided visit (~£15)
• →Dead Sea float and mud bath (~£3)

Bus from Amman to Madaba (~£1.50) for St George's Church and its 6th-century mosaic map, plus the Madaba Archaeological Park. Continue to Mt Nebo for the panorama over the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea (~£2 by taxi or bus). Then the King's Highway bus or shared taxi south to Karak (~£5), where the Crusader castle is included on the Jordan Pass. Onward to Wadi Musa (Petra's town) by bus (~£4, 1h30). Settle into a cheap Wadi Musa hotel and confirm tomorrow's Petra entry.

🚌Buses/shared taxis along the King's Highway (~£14)

🛏Budget hotel in Wadi Musa

• →Madaba mosaic map
• →Mt Nebo viewpoint
• →Karak Crusader castle

Enter Petra at opening time (6am) to beat the crowds and the heat. Walk the Siq, see the Treasury, then push on to the Street of Facades, the Theatre, the Royal Tombs and — if you have the legs — up the 800 steps to the Monastery, or the trail to the High Place of Sacrifice. Petra's entry is covered by your Jordan Pass (1-day pass needs to be used on the first day). A local licensed guide at the entrance costs ~£20-25 for a couple of hours; many travellers do it with a guidebook and signage instead. Optional evening: Petra by Night (Mon/Wed/Thu, ~£25) — candlelit Siq, tickets on the spot.

🚌Walk from town to the Petra gate

🛏Budget hotel in Wadi Musa

• →Petra full-day visit (Jordan Pass)
• →Monastery or High Place hike
• →Optional Petra by Night (~£25)

Morning shared taxi to Siq al-Barid (Little Petra), free with the Jordan Pass, and a short walk into the carved canyon. Then taxi or bus to Wadi Rum village (~£6-8, 1h30). Book a Bedouin camp directly in advance — most include a 2-hour jeep tour, dinner cooked in a zarb sand oven, tea by the fire and a desert sunrise for around £35-45 per person, sometimes with a private tent. Add a short camel ride (~£12) or scramble the sand dunes before dinner.

🚌Shared taxi/bus to Wadi Rum (~£8)

🛏Bedouin desert camp, Wadi Rum

• →Little Petra (free with Jordan Pass)
• →Wadi Rum 4x4 tour and sunset
• →Optional camel ride (~£12)

Sunrise over the desert, then a final walk or jeep ride back to the village. Bus to Aqaba (~£3, 1h) if you want a Red Sea snorkelling afternoon or Aqaba Castle, otherwise head north to Amman by JETT bus (~£7, 4h). The G Adventures route beds down in Amman for the last two nights — do the same if you want an easy departure, or split the last nights between Aqaba and Amman.

🚌Local bus/JETT coach (~£7)

🛏Hostel in Amman (or Aqaba)

• →Desert sunrise
• →Optional Aqaba snorkelling or castle

A relaxed day in the capital: the Citadel and Roman Theatre (Jordan Pass covers both), the Jordan Museum for the Dead Sea Scrolls-adjacent artefacts and the country's deep history, and the Rainbow Street cafés. Book a traditional Turkish bath / hammam in the evening (~£30-40) — the same optional the tour offers in Petra, at Amman prices. Last-minute souvenir shopping in the Souk al-Sagha.

🚌Walking and local taxis

🛏Hostel in Amman

• →Amman Citadel and Roman Theatre
• →Jordan Museum
• →Optional hammam (~£35)

Take the airport shuttle bus from Amman's North Bus Station or a taxi (~£10-15) to Queen Alia International. If you're flying out, Jordan's departure tax is included in your ticket; if leaving overland there's an ~8 JOD exit fee. Budget a final tip tin — tipping is expected across the region, roughly £3-5 a day for drivers, guides and hotel staff.

🚌Airport bus/taxi (~£12)

🛏—

• →Departure