Jordan & Israel Adventure (Self-Launched): Amman to Jerusalem

Fly into Queen Alia International Airport (AMM). Take the Airport Express bus to the North Bus Station (~3 JD/£3.40) or share a taxi (25–30 JD, ~£28–34, split if possible). Check into a hostel or budget hotel in Downtown Amman. Spend the late afternoon wandering the Roman Theatre, the Citadel at sunset, and the buzzing Friday-market energy of Al-Balad. Eat at Hashem (falafel & hummus institution) for a couple of dinars.

🚌Airport Express bus (~£3.40) or shared taxi (~£28–34 total)

🛏Downtown Amman hostel/budget hotel (e.g. dorm £8–15, private £20–30)

• →Roman Theatre
• →Amman Citadel
• →Downtown souk & street food

Do the classic G-day as a self-organised combo. Early JETT or local minibus to Jerash (from Amman's North Bus Station, ~1–2 JD). Explore the colonnaded streets, Hadrian's Arch, hippodrome and hilltop temples on foot — the site is huge, allow 3 hours. Return to Amman and join a shared half-day Dead Sea trip, or take a bus/taxi to a public Amman Beach access point and float. Bring water shoes; the salt crust is sharp. If budget allows, a local guide at Jerash is ~10–15 JD.

🚌Public minibus Amman–Jerash (~£1–2); shared Dead Sea transfer or taxi (~£10–20 split)

🛏Downtown Amman hostel/budget hotel

• →Jerash archaeological site (self-guided or local guide)
• →Dead Sea float & mud

Take an early bus to Madaba and see St George's Church and its 6th-century mosaic map, plus the Archaeological Park. From Madaba a taxi or shared car reaches Mt Nebo (~10 min) for the viewpoint over the Jordan Valley. Continue south: a JETT or local bus to Karak for the Crusader castle, then onward to Wadi Musa (Petra's town) for the night. If buses don't line up, a shared taxi (service) or a seat on a Wadi Musa-bound minibus works — ask at the Madaba/Karak bus stops. This is the most logistics-heavy day; consider a private driver for the whole southern leg if splitting four ways.

🚌Local/JETT buses + shared taxi (Madaba–Mt Nebo–Karak–Wadi Musa, ~£15–25 total)

🛏Wadi Musa guesthouse/hostel (dorm £10–16, private £25–40)

• →Madaba mosaic map (St George's Church)
• →Mt Nebo viewpoint
• →Karak Crusader castle

Buy your Jordan Pass in advance (it covers the Petra entry fee and the visa) and start at the gate as early as possible. Walk the Siq, emerge at the Treasury (Al-Khazneh), then push on through the Street of Facades, the Royal Tombs and up to the Monastery (Ad-Deir) if your legs allow — around 800 steps but worth it. Petra by Night (Mon/Wed/Thu) is a separate ticket (~17 JD) — beautiful, candlelit, but check the night against your dates. Optional: hire a local Bedouin guide at the gate (~25–40 JD, negotiable) or download an audio guide app.

🚌Walking; short taxi from Wadi Musa to Petra gate (~£2)

🛏Wadi Musa guesthouse/hostel

• →Petra UNESCO site full day
• →Optional Petra by Night
• →Optional Turkish bath in Wadi Musa

Morning visit to Little Petra (free, quieter, and a great warm-up). Then get to Wadi Rum: the local bus from Wadi Musa, or a shared taxi, drops at the Wadi Rum Visitor Centre where your camp's 4x4 meets you (most camps bundle the transfer + a 4x4 tour). Book a Wadi Rum desert camp directly (many are Bedouin-run with traditional dinner, music and stargazing) and add a 2–4 hour 4x4 excursion to Lawrence's Spring, the sand dunes and Khazali Canyon. Nights in the desert get cold — bring a layer.

🚌Shared taxi/bus Wadi Musa–Wadi Rum + camp 4x4 pickup

🛏Bedouin desert camp (tent £20–40 incl. dinner & 4x4)

• →Little Petra
• →Wadi Rum 4x4 excursion
• →Bedouin desert camp dinner & stargazing

Catch the morning bus or shared taxi from Wadi Rum to Aqaba (the Red Sea resort town). Check into a budget hotel near the beach or the South Beach dive hostels. Afternoon to relax on the public beach or, if you dive/snorkel, book a shared boat trip to the Japanese Garden or Aqaba Marine Park reefs. Aqaba is duty-free, so gear and electronics are cheap if you need anything.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Wadi Rum–Aqaba (~£5–10)

🛏Aqaba budget hotel/hostel (£15–30)

• →Aqaba public beach
• →Optional snorkelling/diving boat trip
• →Aqaba Marine Park

Retrace the route north. JETT runs a comfortable Aqaba–Amman service (~10 JD, ~4 hrs); the Desert Highway is fastest. If you have time and a driver, the Dead Sea Highway route lets you stop at Lot's Cave, Wadi Mujib viewpoints and Ma'in hot springs. Arrive Amman for a final Jordanian evening — mansaf for dinner if you haven't had it yet.

🚌JETT bus Aqaba–Amman (~£10)

🛏Downtown Amman hostel/budget hotel

• →Scenic drive north
• →Last Amman evening / mansaf dinner

Cross the border at the King Hussein / Allenby (Jordan River) crossing — this is the standard Amman–Jerusalem route. From Amman take a service taxi or bus to the crossing, clear Israeli border control (be patient, 1–3 hrs), then a shared sherut (taxi van) or bus 961/971 onward to Jerusalem. Check into a hostel in the Old City or nearby (Abraham, New Petra etc.). Evening: wander the Old City's Christian and Muslim quarters and eat at a hummus spot.

🚌Service taxi/bus to border + sherut/bus to Jerusalem (~£20–35)

🛏Jerusalem Old City hostel (dorm £15–25, private £40–60)

• →Border crossing experience
• →Jerusalem Old City evening walk

Self-guided Old City day. Start on the Mount of Olives for the classic panorama, walk the Palm Sunday road down past the Garden of Gethsemane, enter the Old City at Lion's Gate, and follow the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Afternoon at the Western Wall, then the City of David & Hezekiah's Tunnel (book a slot online). Optional: join a free walking tour (tip-based, ~3 hrs) for the context a group CEO would give you.

🚌Walking (Old City is fully walkable)

🛏Jerusalem Old City hostel

• →Mount of Olives & Gethsemane
• →Via Dolorosa & Holy Sepulchre
• →Western Wall
• →City of David & Hezekiah's Tunnel
• →Optional free walking tour

Take bus 231 or a shared taxi to Bethlehem (checkpoint crossing, take your passport). See the Church of the Nativity and Manger Square, then the Banksy 'Walled Off Hotel' and the separation-wall art. Optional half-day tour from a Palestinian operator (book locally) often includes the Shepherds' Fields and a refugee camp walk. Back to Jerusalem for the evening.

🚌Bus 231 / shared taxi (~£2–4 each way)

🛏Jerusalem Old City hostel

• →Church of the Nativity
• →Manger Square
• →Walled Off Hotel / Banksy wall art
• →Optional local West Bank guide

Do the famous Masada sunrise: take the earliest bus/private shuttle from Jerusalem (many hostels run a sunrise shuttle, ~£15–25). Climb the Snake Path for dawn over the Dead Sea, then tour the Herodian fortress and its water systems. Continue to Ein Gedi Nature Reserve for the desert wadis and ibex, then float again at a Dead Sea beach on the Israeli side before returning to Jerusalem.

🚌Sunrise shuttle or public bus (Jerusalem–Masada–Ein Gedi, ~£15–30)

🛏Jerusalem Old City hostel

• →Masada sunrise hike
• →Masada fortress tour
• →Ein Gedi Nature Reserve
• →Israeli Dead Sea float

Bus north to Tiberias (~2 hrs). Base yourself here for the Galilee: Nazarene/Christian sites, Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes, Yardenit baptism site and the ruins of Beit She'an en route. Public buses link Tiberias to Nazareth and Capernaum; a local tour or shared taxi covers the tighter sight cluster more efficiently. Sunset over the lake from Tiberias' promenade is a highlight.

🚌Public bus Jerusalem–Tiberias (~£8); local buses for Galilee sites

🛏Tiberias budget hotel/hostel (£20–35)

• →Tiberias old town & lake promenade
• →Capernaum & Mount of Beatitudes
• →Optional Nazareth day trip

Full day on the lake circuit. See the Sea of Galilee boat (Ginosar), Yardenit, and the archaeological sites around the shore; or head north to the Golan Heights viewpoints if you have a car. Nazareth's Basilica of the Annunciation and its market make a strong half-day. Optional: kayak, paddleboard or a pedal boat on the lake.

🚌Local buses or shared taxi (Galilee loop, ~£5–15)

🛏Tiberias budget hotel/hostel

• →Sea of Galilee boat & baptism site
• →Nazareth Basilica & market
• →Optional Golan Heights viewpoints / lake watersports

Train up the coast to Haifa for the Bahá'í Gardens terraces and the German Colony, then continue to Acre (Akko) for the Crusader halls, the sea walls and the Ottoman-era Old City — arguably Israel's most atmospheric town. Sleep one night in Acre's old city if you can, or train back to Jerusalem. Israel's trains are cheap and easy to use with a Rav-Kav card.

🚌Israel Railways train (Haifa/Acre, ~£5–9)

🛏Acre Old City guesthouse (£25–45) or Jerusalem hostel

• →Bahá'í Gardens, Haifa
• →Acre Old City, Crusader Halls & sea walls
• →Optional Acre Templar Tunnel

Last morning in Jerusalem: the Temple Mount (limited visiting hours — arrive early, dress modestly), the Israeli Museum with the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Machane Yehuda market for a final hummus and juice. Then depart — Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) is reached by train from Jerusalem (~£5–7, ~30–40 min) or bus. If flying home late, a last swim or Old City rooftop sunset is the perfect send-off.

🚌Train Jerusalem–Ben Gurion Airport (~£5–7)

🛏Departure day — no night

• →Temple Mount (early, timing-dependent)
• →Israel Museum & Dead Sea Scrolls
• →Machane Yehuda market
• →Departure via Ben Gurion (TLV)