Petra & Wadi Rum 3 Days from Tel Aviv (Self-Launched)

Start early (05:30–06:00) and go south on your own steam. Cheapest: overnight/early Egged bus or train+bus combo Tel Aviv → Eilat (~4.5–5 hrs, ~£15–20). Fastest if you have the budget: a domestic flight Ben Gurion → Ramon/Eilat (~1 hr, ~£50–90 booked direct with Arkia/Israir/El Al). From Eilat take a taxi (~£12–15, 10–15 min) to the Arava/Wadi Araba crossing (Yitzhak Rabin Border Terminal) — it opens Sun–Thu 06:30–20:00, Fri–Sat shorter hours, so check before you go. Cross on foot, pay the Israeli exit fee (~£25), get the Jordanian visa stamp (free with a Jordan Pass, otherwise ~£45) and catch a local taxi/shared minibus to Wadi Musa/Aqaba side then onward to Petra (~1.5–2 hrs, ~£25–40 total for the Jordanian leg, shared). Check into a budget guesthouse in Wadi Musa, then walk 10 mins to the Petra Visitor Center and enter on your own Petra ticket (included in the Jordan Pass). Walk the Siq — the 1.2 km slot canyon — and emerge in front of Al-Khazneh (the Treasury). Stay for the late-afternoon light, then dinner in Wadi Musa village (mansaf or falafel, ~£6–9).

🚌Egged/Flixbus Tel Aviv → Eilat ~£15–20 (or domestic flight ~£50–90), taxi to Arava border ~£12–15, on-foot border crossing + shared taxi to Wadi Musa ~£25–40

🛏Budget guesthouse in Wadi Musa (e.g. hostels/guesthouses near the Visitor Center, ~£15–20/night, twin/dorm)

• →Cross the Arava/Wadi Araba border on foot
• →Self-guided walk through the Siq canyon
• →See the Treasury (Al-Khazneh) at golden hour
• →Evening in Wadi Musa village

No group timetable today — that's the point. Enter Petra as early as opening (~06:00 in summer) to beat the crowds and the heat. With your Jordan Pass ticket (2-day pass recommended, JD 75) you can go back in. Walk the Siq again or take the back route, then tackle the 800-step climb to Ad Deir, the Monastery — 45–60 mins up, best done before 10:00. On the way down detour to the High Place of Sacrifice, the Royal Tombs, the Roman Theatre and the Colonnaded Street. Optional extras booked direct on the ground: a candlelit Petra by Night (Mon/Wed/Thu, ~£15–20) or a guided 2-hr Petra intro walk via GetYourGuide/Klook if you want narration (~£20–30). Lunch from street stalls (falafel, ~£3–5). Sunscreen, 3L of water and decent shoes are non-negotiable.

🚌All on foot inside Petra; short local taxi ~£3–5 if you're wrecked

🛏Same Wadi Musa budget guesthouse (~£15–20/night)

• →Hike to the Monastery (Ad Deir)
• →High Place of Sacrifice and Royal Tombs
• →Optional Petra by Night
• →Optional GetYourGuide local guide add-on

Pre-book a night in a Wadi Rum desert camp (bubble/desert tents and basic Bedouin camps run ~£20–40 pp half-board) and a 2–4 hr 4x4 jeep tour through GetYourGuide/Klook or direct with the camp (~£35–50 pp). Arrange a shared taxi/minibus Wadi Musa → Wadi Rum village (~1.5 hrs, ~£20–30 pp) early, do the jeep tour past Lawrence's Spring, Khazali Canyon and the red dunes, then head back to the Arava border. Cross to Eilat (exit fee ~£8–10 Jordanian side, Israeli re-entry straightforward), take the evening bus or flight back to Tel Aviv. If you only have 3 days total and no overnight in the desert, the standard independent shortcut is a Petra day-tour from Eilat booked on GetYourGuide/Klook (~£45–65 pp including transport and guide) plus a separate short Wadi Rum 4x4 add-on — cheaper and more flexible than the operator's 06:30 flight-and-coach package.

🚌Shared taxi Wadi Musa → Wadi Rum ~£20–30, jeep tour transport included, shared taxi to Arava border ~£15–20, border fees ~£10, Eilat → Tel Aviv bus ~£15–20 or flight ~£50–90

🛏Wadi Rum budget desert camp (optional overnight, ~£20–40 pp half-board) or night bus/flight back to Tel Aviv

• →Self-booked 4x4 jeep tour in Wadi Rum
• →Khazali Canyon and Lawrence's Spring
• →Desert camp night (if extending)
• →Border crossing back to Israel