Self-Launched Jordan: Amman, Petra, Wadi Rum & the Dead Sea in 9 Days

Fly into Queen Alia International Airport (AMM). Buy your Jordan Pass online before you fly (from ~£55 / JOD 70 for the 2-day Petra tier) — it covers your visa fee and entry to Petra, Jerash, Wadi Rum, the Amman Citadel and most of the sites on this itinerary. Take the Airport Express bus or the shared Sariyah shuttle to the 7th Circle / downtown (~JOD 3.30 / £3.70), or a fixed-price airport taxi (~JOD 25 / £28). Check into a hostel in downtown Amman or Jabal Al-Weibdeh. In the evening walk to Rainbow Street for falafel, hummus and knafeh at Hashem's or Al-Quds (~JOD 5 / £5.50).

🚌Airport Express bus or shared shuttle (~£4); walking in the city

🛏Downtown or Jabal Al-Weibdeh hostel, dorm (~£12/night)

• →Airport transfer to downtown
• →Evening walk on Rainbow Street
• →Cheap street-food dinner at Hashem's

An early start. Take a JETT bus or a service taxi (serveece) from Amman's Tabarbour station to Jerash (~JOD 2–5 / £2–6, 1 hr). Spend 2 hours in the Roman city — Hadrian's Arch, the Hippodrome, the Oval Forum, Temple of Artemis, the colonnaded street and Nymphaeum (Jordan Pass covers entry). Optional local guide at the gate ~JOD 20/£22 if you want context. Then a taxi to Ajloun Castle (Al-Rabid) for self-guided wandering and views (~JOD 10 / £11), and on to Umm Qais (Gadara) for the black-basalt ruins looking over the Sea of Galilee and the Golan (~JOD 15–20 / £17–22). Return to Amman by late afternoon; your hostel can arrange a shared taxi back. Dinner downtown.

🚌JETT/serveece minibus to Jerash (~£4); local taxi between sites (~£20 shared)

🛏Downtown or Jabal Al-Weibdeh hostel, dorm (~£12/night)

• →Jerash Roman ruins self-guided (Jordan Pass)
• →Ajloun Castle self-guided visit
• →Umm Qais (Gadara) ruins

Morning: hit the Amman Citadel (Temple of Hercules, Umayyad Palace, Jordan Archaeological Museum) and the Roman Theatre, then wander the downtown souq — all walkable and covered by the Jordan Pass. Skip the £55 guided option; a guidebook or free walking-tour app does the job. In the afternoon hire a taxi for a half-day loop to the desert castles (negotiate ~JOD 60–80 / £65–85 for 4–5 hours, splittable with hostelmates): Qusayr Amra with its 8th-century frescoes, Qasr Kharana and Qasr Al-Azraq. Back in Amman for a cheap mansaf or shawarma dinner.

🚌Walking in the city centre; hired taxi for desert castles (~£70 for the car)

🛏Downtown or Jabal Al-Weibdeh hostel, dorm (~£12/night)

• →Amman Citadel & Archaeological Museum
• →Roman Theatre of Amman
• →Downtown souq browse
• →Qusayr Amra frescoes, Qasr Kharana & Qasr Al-Azraq

Take a minibus from Amman's 7th Circle station to Madaba (~JOD 2 / £2.20, 45 min). Visit the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George to see the 6th-century Madaba Map, then St. John the Baptist Church round the corner (climb the bell tower for the views — small tip expected). Hop a taxi to Mount Nebo (~JOD 8 / £9) for the Moses viewpoint over the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea. From Madaba, head south: local bus to Qatraneh or Al-Karak then a taxi into Dana (~JOD 25–35 / £28–38 in total, or an organised shared service). Check into a budget guesthouse in or beside Dana village. Late-afternoon self-guided walk through the terraced gardens past the craft workshops, with sunset over the Wadi Dana reserve.

🚌Minibus Amman–Madaba (~£2); taxi Madaba–Madaba sites–Mt Nebo (~£12); bus + taxi to Dana (~£30)

🛏Dana guesthouse or eco-lodge, budget double (~£22/night)

• →St. George's Church Madaba Map
• →St. John the Baptist Church & bell tower
• →Mount Nebo viewpoint
• →Dana Village self-guided hike through terraced gardens

Arrange with your guesthouse for a taxi down to Shobak (about 45 min, ~JOD 20–25 / £22–28; agree the whole run to Wadi Musa in one fare). Explore the Crusader castle on your own — quiet, dramatic, free with the Jordan Pass. Continue to Wadi Musa and, after checking in, take a local taxi (JOD 5–8 each way / £6–9) out to Little Petra (Siq al-Barid) — the Nabataean tricliniums and dining rooms are often nearly empty late in the day. Optional short hikes in the surrounding hills. Eat dinner in Wadi Musa town on the cheap (~JOD 5 / £5.50).

🚌Taxi Dana–Shobak–Wadi Musa (~£30 for the car); local taxi to Little Petra (~£14 round trip)

🛏Wadi Musa budget hotel or hostel near the Petra visitor centre (~£18/night)

• →Shobak Castle self-guided
• →Little Petra (Siq al-Barid) Nabataean tricliniums
• →Optional short hike near Little Petra

Be at the gate for opening (~6am in summer). Entry is on your Jordan Pass. You can guide yourself with a good app or book a 2–3 hour licensed Petra guide through GetYourGuide/Klook (~£35–45, cheaper split between hostelmates), covering the Siq, Treasury, Street of Facades, Roman Theatre, colonnaded street and Qasr al-Bint. Then spend the afternoon on your own terms: the 800-step climb to the Monastery is the highlight, with the High Place of Sacrifice as a strong alternative or add-on. Bring water, snacks and a packed lunch — the on-site cafés are pricey. Skip the golf carts and camel rides unless you fancy it. Optionally return for Petra by Night (Mon/Wed/Thu, ~JOD 17 / £19).

🚌Walking from town to the visitor centre (~15 min) or a JOD 2 local taxi

🛏Wadi Musa budget hotel or hostel (~£18/night)

• →Petra full-day entry (Jordan Pass)
• →Optional 2.5hr licensed guide via GetYourGuide/Klook
• →Monastery climb
• →High Place of Sacrifice
• →Optional Petra by Night

Morning minibus or shared taxi from Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum Visitor Centre (~JOD 10–15 / £11–17, about 2 hrs). Pay the reserve fee or show your Jordan Pass. Your camp picks you up in a 4x4 and takes you in. Book a 4–5 hour 4x4 tour with a local Bedouin guide direct through your camp or via GetYourGuide (~£45–60 per person sharing), hitting the Nabatean Temple, Lawrence's Spring, the red dunes, Khazali Canyon, Little Bridge, Um Frouth Rock Bridge, Lawrence's House and Burdah Rock Bridge — box lunch included on most tours. Arrive back for Bedouin tea with a local family, sunset over the cliffs, and a zarb-cooked dinner and campfire under the stars.

🚌Shared minibus Wadi Musa–Wadi Rum (~£14); camp 4x4 transfer included

🛏Wadi Rum Bedouin desert camp, shared tent (~£25/night incl. dinner & breakfast)

• →Wadi Rum 4x4 tour with Bedouin guide
• →Khazali Canyon, Lawrence's Spring, Um Frouth & Burdah rock bridges
• →Sunset and Bedouin tea with a local family
• →Zarb dinner and stargazing at camp

Sunrise from your tent, breakfast, then out of the desert. Take a camp transfer to Aqaba or Rum village and a JETT/local bus north (Aqaba–Amman JETT ~JOD 12 / £13, then a local taxi down to the Dead Sea ~JOD 20 / £22), or split a taxi with campmates. Budget 4–5 hours of travel. Book a Dead Sea beach/hotel day pass in advance through Klook or directly with a hotel (~£25–45; a public Amman Beach club option is cheaper at ~£12–15 with showers and mud access). Float, mud up, rinse off and watch the sunset. Cheap local dinner; overnight in Amman or the Dead Sea area.

🚌Camp transfer + JETT bus + taxi (~£35 total)

🛏Amman hostel (or budget Dead Sea guesthouse) (~£15/night)

• →Sunrise in Wadi Rum
• →Dead Sea float, mud and beach day pass
• →Dead Sea sunset

Breakfast, final pick through the downtown souqs for spices, olive oil and Dead Sea products, then the Airport Express bus to Queen Alia International (~JOD 3.30 / £3.70) — leave 3 hours before your flight. Done: same loop as the package, minus the middleman.

🚌Airport Express bus (~£4)

🛏—

• →Souq souvenir shopping
• →Airport transfer