Jordan Multisport — Self-Launched Edition

Fly into Queen Alia International Airport and take the Airport Express shuttle bus to the 7th Circle or downtown (~3 JOD, ~£3.40) — much cheaper than the ~25 JOD taxi. On arrival buy your Jordan Pass online beforehand: the Jordan Pass (from ~70 JOD / ~£78) waives the 40 JOD visa fee on a 3+ night stay and includes Petra, Wadi Rum and Jerash entry — it's the single best money-saver on this trip. Check into a downtown boutique hostel/guesthouse near Rainbow Street or the Roman Theatre, then walk the Citadel and Roman Theatre if time allows, and eat at Hashem (falafel and hummus, ~3 JOD) or a Rainbow Street restaurant. Ask at your hostel about shared minibuses to Ajloun for tomorrow.

🚌Airport Express bus ~3 JOD (~£3.40); walking + local taxi around Amman

🛏Boutique hostel / guesthouse, downtown Amman (private room ~£30-38/night)

• →Amman Citadel & Roman Theatre (self-guided)
• →Rainbow Street evening wander
• →Buy Jordan Pass online

Take a shared minibus or JETT/local bus from Amman's Tabarbour bus station to Ajloun (~2-3 JOD, 1.5-2 hrs). Base yourself in a small hotel or eco-lodge near the Ajloun Nature Reserve (book direct — the reserve's own cabins and nearby guesthouses are ~35-45 JOD). In the afternoon hike the RSCN-marked trails through the Ajloun Forest Reserve (~2-4 JOD entry, self-guided trails of 2-4 hrs through oak and pistachio woodland, with the Soap House and Biscuit House craft stops along the way). Finish with a look at Ajloun Castle, then a simple local dinner in town.

🚌Shared minibus Amman–Ajloun ~2-3 JOD (~£3); local taxi to trailhead ~3 JOD

🛏Ajloun guesthouse or eco-lodge cabin (~£32-42)

• →Ajloun Forest Reserve self-guided hiking trails (entry ~3 JOD)
• →Ajloun Castle visit
• →RSCN Soap House & Biscuit House

Head south via a shared service taxi to Madaba or the Dead Sea road (~8-10 JOD). Book the Wadi Mujib Siq Trail directly through the RSCN Wild Jordan website (entry ~22 JOD / ~£25) — a slot canyon wade and scramble up to a waterfall, open roughly April to October only (check dates; in winter it closes). You can store bags at the Mujib visitor centre. Afterwards, move to a Dead Sea hotel or the public/Amman Beach access point for a float and mud-rub (public beach ~15-20 JOD including towel and shower). Budget hotels cluster around Sweimeh; alternatively base in Madaba (~£25-30/night) and take a taxi down. Optional: the Baptism Site at Bethany beyond the Jordan (~18 JOD).

🚌Shared service taxi Madaba/Sweimeh ~8-12 JOD (~£10); taxi to Mujib ~10 JOD

🛏Dead Sea budget hotel in Sweimeh or Madaba guesthouse (~£30-40)

• →Wadi Mujib Siq Trail canyoning (RSCN, ~22 JOD)
• →Dead Sea float and mud bath (~15-20 JOD)
• →Optional: Bethany Baptism Site (18 JOD)

Take a bus or shared taxi south down the King's Highway to Dana (~10-12 JOD, 2.5 hrs) — one of the most scenic roads in the country. Hike a self-guided Dana Reserve trail; the short Village Walk and the Wadi Dana Trail into the reserve can be done independently with a reserve entry ticket (~8-12 JOD, purchased at the Dana Guesthouse/visitor centre), while the longer Wadi Ghwayr canyon route needs a guide (arrange via the RSCN guesthouse, ~35-45 JOD). In the late afternoon continue by minibus or service taxi to Wadi Musa (~5-7 JOD). Check into a Wadi Musa hotel 10 minutes' walk from the Petra gate, and buy your Petra by Night ticket (~17 JOD) for a candlelit Siq walk if you're there on a Monday, Wednesday or Thursday.

🚌Bus/service taxi King's Highway ~10-12 JOD; Dana–Wadi Musa minibus ~5-7 JOD

🛏Wadi Musa hotel near Petra entrance (~£25-35/night)

• →Dana Biosphere Reserve self-guided trail (entry ~8-12 JOD)
• →Optional: Wadi Ghwayr canyon with local guide
• →Optional: Petra by Night (17 JOD)

Enter Petra at opening (6am in summer) with your Jordan Pass — one-day Petra entry is 50 JOD standalone but included in the Pass. Walk the Siq to the Treasury early before the crowds, then take the Al-Khubtha trail up to the Treasury viewpoint, and the 800-step climb to the Monastery (allow 5-7 hours total). If you want a local guide for the first 2-3 hours, licensed guides wait at the visitor centre (~50 JOD for a half day; solo travellers can join a small group or split the cost). In the afternoon, hire a taxi or take the local minibus to Little Petra / Siq al-Barid (~5 JOD return) — free with your Jordan Pass and quieter than the main site. Optional Turkish bath in town (~20 JOD) or a camel ride (~14 JOD).

🚌Walking to Petra gate; shared taxi to Little Petra ~5 JOD (~£6)

🛏Wadi Musa hotel (~£25-35)

• →Petra full-day self-guided (Jordan Pass)
• →Monastery and Al-Khubtha viewpoint hikes
• →Little Petra / Siq al-Barid
• →Optional: licensed guide or Turkish bath

Take a morning minibus from Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum Visitor Centre (~7-10 JOD, 1.5-2 hrs; book through your hotel the night before). Pay the 5 JOD reserve entry (separate from the Jordan Pass) and your camp will collect you. Book a Bedouin camp direct by email or Booking.com (~25-40 JOD for a desert tent incl. dinner and breakfast — Al Zawaydah and similar camps are easy to find). Standard camps run 2-hour 4x4 tours (~35-45 JOD per vehicle, so ~£15-20 each if you share with other camp guests; the longer full-day version is ~70 JOD). Sunset from a dune, a traditional zarb dinner in the sand, and stargazing in the quiet of the desert.

🚌Minibus Wadi Musa–Wadi Rum ~7-10 JOD; camp 4x4 pickup included

🛏Bedouin desert camp, Wadi Rum (tent incl. dinner/breakfast, ~£28-40)

• →4x4 desert tour (~35-45 JOD/vehicle shared)
• →Sunset dune climb
• →Zarb dinner and stargazing

Do a sunrise walk or short camel ride (~14 JOD) before leaving camp. Take the morning bus or shared minibus from Wadi Rum/Aqaba road north toward Amman; ask your camp about a transfer to Al Safi in the South Ghour region (~10-15 JOD). The Al Safi Kitchen community bike tour (run by the Baraka Destinations / RSCN-affiliated community tourism project) can be booked direct by email — expect ~25-35 JOD including bike, local guide and a farm-to-table lunch, a great way to support a women-run community enterprise. Alternatively, do the bike ride as a half day and continue to Amman by bus (~3-5 JOD, 2 hrs). Return to a downtown Amman hostel for your last night and eat at a local restaurant in Jabal Amman.

🚌Wadi Rum–Al Safi transfer ~10-15 JOD; Al Safi–Amman bus ~3-5 JOD

🛏Boutique hostel / guesthouse, downtown Amman (~£30-38)

• →Al Safi Kitchen community bike tour with lunch (~25-35 JOD)
• →Optional: sunrise camel ride in Wadi Rum (14 JOD)

A slow final morning: breakfast at your guesthouse, a last walk through the downtown souk for spices and knafeh at Habiba, then the Airport Express bus (~3 JOD) or a shared taxi out to Queen Alia International for your flight home. If your flight is late, squeeze in the Jordan Museum (5 JOD) or a day trip to Jerash by JETT bus (~8 JOD return, 1 hr each way) — Jerash entry is covered by your Jordan Pass.

🚌Airport Express bus ~3 JOD (~£3.40)

🛏—

• →Downtown souk and knafeh
• →Optional: Jordan Museum (5 JOD) or Jerash day trip