Explore Jordan: Self-Launched 8-Day Adventure

Land at Queen Alia International Airport (AMM). Skip the expensive private transfer and take the Airport Express bus to the Tabarbour/north bus station or downtown for about 3-4 JOD (~£4), or split a taxi (~20-25 JOD) if you arrive late. Most nationalities can buy the Jordan Pass online before travel — it covers your visa fee plus entry to Petra, Jerash and Wadi Rum, so buy it in advance. Check into a downtown hostel or budget hotel in the Al-Weibdeh or 1st Circle area, then spend the evening wandering Rainbow Street, grabbing falafel and knafeh from Hashem or a street stall, and getting your bearings. Book your Jerash day trip and Petra guide for the next days tonight.

🚌Airport Express bus ~£4, or share a taxi ~£20 split

🛏Downtown Amman hostel or budget hotel (dorm ~£12-18 or private room ~£25-35)

• →Airport Express bus to downtown
• →Evening walk on Rainbow Street
• →Falafel and knafeh dinner

Take a shared taxi or the local bus from Amman's Tabarbour station to Jerash (~1 JOD, 1 hour), then a short taxi to the South Gate. Explore the colonnaded streets, Hadrian's Arch, the Oval Plaza and the hilltop temples at your own pace — grab an audio guide or a licensed local guide at the gate (~15-20 JOD split). For the cooking class experience, book a women-run cooking workshop in the Jerash area in advance via GetYourGuide or by contacting Beit Khayrat Souf directly — Jordanian home-cooking classes typically run 15-25 JOD including lunch. Return to Amman in the afternoon and visit the Citadel and the Jordan Archaeological Museum (covered by the Jordan Pass), with great views over the Roman Theatre.

🚌Shared taxi/local bus to Jerash ~£1-2 each way, local taxis ~£3-5

🛏Downtown Amman hostel or budget hotel

• →Jerash archaeological site (Jordan Pass)
• →Women-run cooking class and lunch (~£20-25)
• →Amman Citadel and Jordan Archaeological Museum

Take a JETT bus or a shared service taxi from Amman to Madaba (about 1 JOD, 45 minutes). See the Byzantine mosaic map of the Holy Land in St George's Church and the Madaba Archaeological Park. Then take a taxi or local bus up to Mount Nebo (~2-4 JOD) for the Dead Sea views and the Moses memorial church. From Madaba, catch a bus or shared taxi south to Wadi Musa via the King's Highway (roughly 4-6 JOD, 3-4 hours) — or base yourself in Madaba and take the early-morning JETT bus to Petra the next day. In Wadi Musa, check into a guesthouse and optionally book a licensed Petra guide for the following morning via GetYourGuide or the visitor centre.

🚌Shared taxis and local buses Amman–Madaba–Mount Nebo–Wadi Musa ~£8-12 total

🛏Wadi Musa guesthouse or budget hotel (~£15-22)

• →St George's Church mosaic map
• →Madaba Archaeological Park
• →Mount Nebo viewpoint
• →Evening stroll in Wadi Musa

Get to the Petra gate at opening (6am in summer, 6:30am off-season) to beat the crowds and heat. Walk the 1km Siq gorge into the rose-red city, see the Treasury at first light, then push on to the Street of Facades, the Theatre, the Royal Tombs and the Monastery (an 800-step climb — start early). A licensed guide for 2-3 hours costs around 50-70 JOD and can be split with others; otherwise pick up an audio guide or a good offline map. Buy the two-day Petra ticket if you want to return — it's only slightly more than one day. In the evening, the Petra by Night candlelit walk runs Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (~17-30 JOD) — book in advance and bring a torch.

🚌Walk to the gate, or a 2 JOD local taxi from town

🛏Wadi Musa guesthouse or budget hotel

• →Full-day Petra entry (Jordan Pass covers 1 day; ~£5 extra for 2-day)
• →Optional licensed guide ~£10-15 split
• →Optional Petra by Night ~£20-30

Take a local bus or shared taxi from Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum village (~5-8 JOD, 2 hours; there's also a morning JETT connection). Book a Bedouin camp with a 4x4 jeep tour package in advance (typically 35-55 JOD per person including jeep tour, dinner, breakfast and a night in a desert tent) — the camp arranges your pickup at the visitor centre. Afternoon jeep tour through the red dunes: Lawrence's Spring, Khazali Canyon petroglyphs, the Burdah rock bridge area, and a sunset viewpoint over the desert. Return to camp for a zarb-cooked Bedouin feast and, if it's clear, a moonless night walk with your hosts to see the Milky Way.

🚌Shared taxi/bus Wadi Musa–Wadi Rum ~£6-8; jeep tour included in camp package

🛏Bedouin desert camp, tent or basic bubble tent (~£20-35 including meals)

• →Half-day 4x4 jeep tour
• →Khazali Canyon rock art
• →Sunset in the dunes
• →Bedouin dinner and night walk

Catch sunrise over the desert, then take a shared taxi or bus from Wadi Rum village north towards the Dead Sea (~10-15 JOD, 3 hours — easiest is a shared taxi to Aqaba highway junction and a connection north, or a private transfer split between 2-3 travellers). Check into a budget hotel or guesthouse near the Dead Sea's public beach areas — splurge slightly on a hotel with a pool and beach access since the facilities make the float-and-mud experience much easier. Spend the afternoon floating in the hypersalinity (bring goggles and don't shave your legs first!), coating yourself in the mineral mud, and watching the salt formations drift by.

🚌Shared taxi/private transfer Wadi Rum–Dead Sea ~£12-18

🛏Dead Sea budget hotel or guesthouse with beach access (~£30-45)

• →Floating in the Dead Sea
• →Dead Sea mud treatment
• →Sunset from the shore

Take a local taxi to Bethany Beyond the Jordan (about 8-15 JOD return from the Dead Sea hotels; entry is included with the Jordan Pass) — the UNESCO-listed baptism site with excavated churches, chapels and the Jordan River itself. Shuttle buses run from the visitor centre down to the site. Afterwards, catch a bus or shared taxi back to Amman (~3-5 JOD, 1 hour). Spend the afternoon in the Al-Weibdeh neighbourhood — indie cafés, bookshops, the Darat al Funun art foundation — and finish with a farewell dinner of mansaf or maqluba at a local restaurant or the Al Safi-style community kitchens.

🚌Taxi to Bethany ~£8-12 return; bus/shared taxi to Amman ~£4

🛏Downtown Amman hostel or budget hotel

• →Bethany Beyond the Jordan baptism site
• →Al-Weibdeh neighbourhood wander
• →Farewell mansaf dinner

Last morning for a final knafeh breakfast or a wander through the Gold Souk and downtown markets. Take the Airport Express bus or a shared taxi back to Queen Alia (about 1 hour). If you're heading onward overland to Israel, Egypt or Saudi Arabia, remember the 10 JOD land departure tax.

🚌Airport Express bus ~£4

🛏—

• →Downtown market shopping
• →Breakfast knafeh