Highlights of Jordan — Self-Launched
8 days · Jordan
G Adventures charges £1,000
No-markup version: ~£428 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
An 8-day self-launched version of G Adventures' "Highlights of Jordan": Amman, Roman Jerash, the Dead Sea, Madaba's mosaics and Mt Nebo, Karak Castle, a full day in Petra, a Bedouin camp night and 4x4 tour in Wadi Rum, and a Red Sea wind-down in Aqaba. Everything is booked yourself — JETT and local minibuses instead of a private van, licensed local guides on site at Petra and Jerash, and a Jordan Pass to cover entry fees. Costs are rough estimates for a solo traveller in shared hostel/dorm accommodation and are priced well under the operator's discounted tour price.
Day-by-day
Arrive Amman — settle into Downtown
Amman
Land at Queen Alia International Airport and take the Airport Express bus (Sariyah) to the Tabarbour bus station or the 7th Circle, then a Careem/taxi to Downtown Amman (~£2-3). Check into a hostel or budget hotel in the Downtown/Al-Weibdeh area. If you arrive before the Jordan Pass window opens, buy it online before travel (it waives the 40 JOD visa fee and covers Petra + Jerash entry). Evening: walk to Rainbow Street and Hashem Restaurant for cheap falafel and hummus (~£3), then mint tea at a cafe. Buy your JETT bus ticket for Jerash for tomorrow if you're not using local minibuses.
🚌Airport Express bus + short taxi to Downtown (~£5 total)
🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Downtown Amman (~£14-20/night)
- →Rainbow Street evening wander
- →Hashem Restaurant falafel dinner
- →Buy Jordan Pass online in advance
Roman Jerash and float in the Dead Sea
Jerash / Dead Sea
Get an early start: take a JETT bus or shared minibus from Amman's Tabarbour station to Jerash (~£2-3, 1hr). Enter with your Jordan Pass and walk the colonnaded Cardo Maximus, Hadrian's Arch, the Oval Plaza and the hippodrome — hire an on-site licensed guide at the gate for ~£15-20, or use the free audio guide app. Midday, return to Amman and head to the Dead Sea. The easiest self-launched option is a shared day-trip transfer or a hotel day-pass at a Dead Sea resort (e.g. Amman Beach or a resort day pass ~£25-35 including towel, shower and mud). Float, mud up, and rinse off. Return to Amman in the evening. Note: public Amman Beach is cheaper (~£12) but busier and less comfortable.
🚌JETT/shared minibus Amman–Jerash return (~£6) + shared transfer or taxi to Dead Sea (~£10-15)
🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Amman (~£14-20/night)
- →Jerash Roman ruins self-guided or local guide
- →Dead Sea float and mud bath
- →Optional: Bethany Beyond the Jordan baptism site
Madaba mosaics, Mt Nebo and Karak Castle en route to Wadi Musa
Madaba / Mt Nebo / Karak / Wadi Musa
Take an early minibus from Amman's Wahdat station to Madaba (~£2, 45min). Visit St George's Church for the 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land, and the Madaba Archaeological Park (~£3-5 each). From Madaba, a taxi or shared minibus takes you to Mt Nebo (~£6-10 return) for the view over the Jordan Valley — on a clear day you can see Jericho and Jerusalem. Continue south by minibus via Karak (change at Qatraneh or take a through-bus, ~£5-8): explore the Crusader-era Karak Castle (~£2-3, or included with Jordan Pass). Arrive Wadi Musa in the late afternoon and check into a guesthouse near the Petra gate. Buy your Petra ticket entry separately; if your Jordan Pass hasn't been validated at Petra yet, remember it covers one day, so decide now whether to pay for a second day on site.
🚌Minibuses/taxis Amman–Madaba–Mt Nebo–Karak–Wadi Musa (~£15-18 total)
🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Wadi Musa (~£12-18/night)
- →St George's Church mosaic map, Madaba
- →Mt Nebo viewpoint
- →Karak Castle self-guided visit
Full day in Petra
Petra / Wadi Musa
Be at the gate for opening (6am summer / 6:30am winter). Walk the Siq to the Treasury — the 1km gorge alone is worth the trip. From there, self-navigate the Street of Facades, the Theatre, the Royal Tombs, the Colonnaded Street and the Monastery (850 steps up, allow 1.5-2 hours return). Hire a licensed local guide at the visitor centre for a 2-3 hour morning walking tour (~£35-45 solo, cheaper if you pair with other travellers). Otherwise, use the official Petra audio guide or app. Optional: donkey/camel rides (~£10-15) — agree the price before you get on. In the evening, consider Petra by Night (Mon/Wed/Thu, ~£15) — candle-lit Siq to the Treasury with Bedouin music.
🚌Walk from guesthouse to Petra gate (5-15min)
🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Wadi Musa (~£12-18/night)
- →Petra full-day entry via Jordan Pass
- →Optional licensed local guide
- →Optional Petra by Night
Little Petra, Wadi Rum 4x4 and Bedouin camp
Little Petra / Wadi Rum
Morning: taxi to Siq al-Barid (Little Petra, ~£5-8, 15min) — quieter, free with Jordan Pass, and worth 1-2 hours. Then take a minibus or shared taxi from Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum Visitor Centre (~£8-12, 1.5hr). At the village, pick a licensed camp and book a 2-3 hour 4x4 desert tour (~£25-35 per person sharing; a private jeep is ~£45-55) covering Lawrence's Spring, sand dunes, the Khazali canyon inscriptions, and the Mushroom Rock. Settle into your Bedouin camp for the evening — zarb (underground-baked meat and veg) dinner (~£12-15), tea by the fire and stars. Book the camp directly rather than through an agent; better-value camps include the bubble tents and basic tents around Wadi Rum Village.
🚌Shared taxi Wadi Musa–Wadi Rum (~£10) + 4x4 tour
🛏Bedouin desert camp (tent incl. dinner and breakfast, ~£25-40)
- →Little Petra (Siq al-Barid)
- →Wadi Rum 4x4 desert tour
- →Bedouin camp dinner and stargazing
Wadi Rum to the Red Sea at Aqaba
Aqaba
Sunrise over the desert, breakfast at camp, then a transfer to the Desert Highway to flag a minibus or shared taxi south to Aqaba (~£8-12, 1.5-2hr). Check into a hostel or budget hotel near the waterfront. Afternoon: swim off the public beach or grab a spot at a beach club, or take a glass-bottom boat trip (~£15-20). If you're into diving, Aqaba has some solid shore diving from the Marine Park (~£35-50 for a two-dive guided shore trip). Evening: fresh seafood at a local restaurant near the fish market (~£8-12), then walk the corniche.
🚌Shared minibus Wadi Rum–Aqaba (~£10)
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Aqaba (~£15-22/night)
- →Red Sea swim or beach day
- →Optional glass-bottom boat
- →Optional shore diving
Aqaba back to Amman via the Jordan Valley
Aqaba / Amman
Take the morning JETT bus from Aqaba to Amman (~£10-13, 4hr) — book the day before online or at the station. Or take the slower local minibus route via the Dead Sea highway if you want one more sea view. Back in Amman: lunch at Books@Cafe or a local Jordanian kitchen (~£5-8); support a community cafe (Al Safi in the Jordan Valley is hard to reach without your own car, but several Amman social enterprises — such as Beit Sitti for a cooking class, ~£30 — do the same job). Afternoon: Amman Citadel (~£3) and the Roman Theatre (~£2) before they close at 5pm. Last-night dinner: knafeh at Habiba and a wander through the Downtown souk.
🚌JETT bus Aqaba–Amman (~£12) + local taxis (~£4)
🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Amman (~£14-20/night)
- →JETT bus back to Amman
- →Amman Citadel and Roman Theatre
- →Optional Beit Sitti cooking class
- →Downtown souk and knafeh
Depart Amman
Amman
Breakfast, then head to the airport via airport taxi (~£20-25) or the Sariyah Airport Express from Tabarbour (~£3-4). If your flight is late, leave bags at the hostel and squeeze in the Jordan Museum or a final coffee in Al-Weibdeh. Note: no departure tax if flying — it's included in your air ticket (10 JOD if exiting overland).
🚌Airport Express bus or taxi to Queen Alia International (~£4-22)
🛏None (day of departure)
- →Optional Jordan Museum
- →Departure from Queen Alia International Airport
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£428 | £1,000 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £572 per person (57%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£428
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Highlights of Jordan — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £428 per person for 8 days in Jordan. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £1,000 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £428 — a saving of roughly £572 (57%) per person.
How long is the Jordan trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 day-by-day stops through Jordan.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, adventure, budget trip through Jordan, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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