Explore Jordan: Self-Launched Amman to Petra, Wadi Rum & the Dead Sea

Land at Queen Alia International Airport and take the Sariyah airport express shuttle bus into Amman (around 3.5 JOD, ~£4) or split a taxi with other travellers (~£20 total). Check into a budget hotel in downtown Amman near the Roman Theatre. In the late afternoon walk the Rainbow Street and Al Balad streets, grab a falafel and knafeh dinner for a few dinars, and buy a Jordan Pass online tonight — it covers your visa fee plus Petra and Jerash entry.

🚌Sariyah airport shuttle bus to Amman city centre, then walking

🛏Downtown Amman budget hotel or hostel private room (e.g. around Al Balad / Rainbow St area)

• →Downtown Amman orientation walk (Rainbow Street, Al Balad)
• →Buy Jordan Pass online
• →Street food dinner: falafel, hummus, knafeh

Take a local minibus or service taxi from Amman's Tabarbour bus station north to Jerash (around 1–1.5 JOD, ~£1.50) or hire a shared taxi for ~£10. Spend the morning wandering the Roman colonnaded street, oval plaza and hippodrome — hire a local site guide at the gate for ~£15–20 per group, or download a self-guided audio tour from GetYourGuide for ~£8. In the afternoon take a taxi to the nearby village of Souf to visit Beit Khayrat Souf, the women-run cafe and co-op, for a home-cooked lunch and cooking demonstration (~£15, book ahead by phone or through your hotel). Visit the Amman Citadel and Jordan Archaeological Museum on the way back if time allows (covered by the Jordan Pass). Return to Amman by service taxi.

🚌Local minibus/service taxi Amman↔Jerash (~£3 return), taxi to Souf (~£5)

🛏Downtown Amman budget hotel (same as Day 1)

• →Jerash archaeological site (self-guided with audio tour or local guide)
• →Beit Khayrat Souf women's co-op cooking class and lunch
• →Amman Citadel and Jordan Archaeological Museum

Take a JETT or local bus from Amman to Madaba (~1 JOD, ~£1.20, ~45 mins). See the St George's Church mosaic map and the Madaba Archaeological Park; a local guide at the church will explain the mosaics for a small tip. Hop a taxi or service taxi to Mt Nebo (~£6–8) for the Moses memorial and the view over the Jordan Valley. From Madaba, take a bus or shared taxi down the Desert Highway to Wadi Musa, the town at the gate of Petra (~£8–10, 3 hours) — JETT runs a direct service in season, or you can change in Amman. Overnight in Wadi Musa and pick up your Petra ticket information at the visitor centre.

🚌Local bus Amman→Madaba, taxi to Mt Nebo, bus/shared taxi Madaba→Wadi Musa

🛏Wadi Musa budget hotel or guesthouse (e.g. near the Petra visitor centre)

• →Madaba mosaics and St George's Church map
• →Mount Nebo memorial and viewpoint
• →Evening walk around Wadi Musa

Enter Petra at opening time (6am in summer) to beat both the heat and the crowds. Walk the Siq to the Treasury, then continue through the Street of Facades to the Theatre, the Royal Tombs and up the 800 steps to the Monastery — or the shorter climb to the High Place of Sacrifice. Hire an official local guide at the visitor centre for a half-day (~£50–60 for a group, so pool with other travellers from your hostel) or buy a self-guided audio guide (~£10). Optionally book the candlelit Petra by Night (currently ~30 JOD / ~£33, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays) directly at the visitor centre. Skip the donkey rides and save your legs — bring 3 litres of water and snacks from town.

🚌Walking; 15-min downhill walk or 1 JOD local shuttle from town to the gate

🛏Wadi Musa budget hotel or guesthouse (same as Day 3)

• →Petra full-day entry (Jordan Pass)
• →Local guide or self-guided audio tour
• →Optional Petra by Night (~£33)

Take a morning bus or shared taxi from Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum Visitor Centre (~1.5–2 hours, ~£8–10). At the visitor centre your camp's shuttle picks you up in a 4x4 (usually included in the camp price). Choose a budget Bedouin camp such as Rahayeb or similar (~£30–40 per person half board) and add a 3–4 hour jeep tour of the desert — Lawrence's Spring, Khazali Canyon, the red sand dunes and the sunset viewpoint (~£25–35 per person when shared). Dinner is a traditional zarb (sand-baked Bedouin feast) at camp, followed by tea around the fire and a night walk into the desert. Optional stargazing session (~£20) if your camp offers one.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Wadi Musa→Wadi Rum (~£9), camp 4x4 transfer included

🛏Bedouin desert camp, Wadi Rum (tented cabin with proper bed, half board)

• →Half-day Wadi Rum 4x4 jeep tour
• →Sunset viewpoint and desert night walk
• →Bedouin zarb dinner and campfire tea
• →Optional stargazing (~£20)

After breakfast, catch the morning JETT/local bus north along the Desert Highway, or arrange a shared taxi through your camp (~£15–20 per person). Detour to Al Safi, near the Dead Sea, to visit the Al Safi craft workshop and community cafe for lunch — a good place to buy handmade soap and crafts direct from the makers. Continue to a budget-friendly Dead Sea hotel or guesthouse (the Crowne Plaza and resorts are pricey; a mid-range guesthouse inland or a shared resort day pass is much cheaper — a day pass at a Dead Sea beach resort runs ~£25–35 including towel and mud). Float in the hyper-saline water, slather on the black mud, and rinse off in the showers before sunset.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Wadi Rum→Dead Sea via Safi (~£18)

🛏Dead Sea area guesthouse or budget hotel (or Amman hotel if you prefer to push on)

• →Al Safi craft workshop and community lunch
• →Dead Sea float and mud (day pass or public beach)
• →Sunset over the Dead Sea

Visit the Baptism Site at Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Bethabara), a UNESCO-listed site on the riverbank where Jesus is said to have been baptised — entry is ~12 JOD (~£13) and includes a shuttle from the visitor centre; go early as it's hot and exposed. Then take a local bus or shared taxi back up to Amman (~£6–8) and check into your downtown hotel. In the afternoon explore the Jordan Museum or wander the Jabal Amman neighbourhood, then have a farewell dinner of mansaf or grilled meat at a local restaurant (~£10–12).

🚌Shared taxi/local bus Bethany→Amman (~£7)

🛏Downtown Amman budget hotel

• →Bethany Beyond the Jordan baptism site
• →Jordan Museum or Jabal Amman walk
• →Farewell dinner in downtown Amman

Depending on your flight time, squeeze in a last coffee and knafeh in downtown Amman or pick up souvenirs at the Jordan River Foundation shop. Take the Sariyah airport shuttle bus (~£4) or a shared taxi (~£20) to Queen Alia International Airport for your onward flight.

🚌Sariyah airport shuttle bus or shared taxi to Queen Alia Airport

🛏None (departure day)

• →Last-minute souvenir shopping
• →Airport transfer