8-Day Authentic Jordan: Self-Launched Amman to Petra, Wadi Rum & the Dead Sea

Land at Queen Alia International Airport. Buy the Jordan Pass online before you fly (£62-70 depending on Petra days) — it covers your visa fee AND entry to Petra, Jerash, Wadi Rum, Ajloun, Mount Nebo and Bethany, which the tour sells separately (+$131). Take the Airport Express bus to the Tabarbour/north bus station or downtown for about £6, or split a taxi (around £20 total). Check into a downtown hostel near Rainbow Street or Hashemite Plaza. Evening: cheap falafel and hummus at Hashem Restaurant (about £4) and kunafa at Habiba Sweets (about £2) — the same tasting stops the tour includes.

🚌Airport Express bus ~£6 (or shared taxi ~£20)

🛏Downtown Amman hostel dorm or budget private room (~£14-20)

• →Buy Jordan Pass in advance
• →Hashem Restaurant falafel & hummus
• →Habiba Sweets kunafa
• →Rainbow Street evening wander

Take a JETT bus or a service taxi/minibus from Amman's north bus station to Jerash (about £2-4, 1 hour). The city's Roman colonnaded street,Hadrian's Arch and hippodrome take 2-3 hours to explore; a licensed local guide at the gate costs about £25 and is worth splitting if you're solo. Then a local minibus or shared taxi to Ajloun (about £3) to see Ajloun Castle and its panoramic views (included on the Jordan Pass). Return to Amman by late afternoon and walk up to the Citadel — Umayyad Palace, Temple of Hercules, Byzantine Church and the Archaeological Museum — plus the Roman Theatre below (both on the Jordan Pass).

🚌JETT/service bus to Jerash ~£3 each way; local minibus to Ajloun ~£3

🛏Downtown Amman hostel (~£15-20)

• →Jerash Roman city (Jordan Pass)
• →Ajloun Castle (Jordan Pass)
• →Amman Citadel & Roman Theatre (Jordan Pass)

Head to the JETT/Trust bus station and take a minibus to Madaba (about £2, 45 mins). See the 6th-century mosaic map in St George's Church, then a local taxi or service taxi up to Mount Nebo for the views over the Jordan Valley (about £6 return). Bypass the pricey group-coach route by taking the public bus down the King's Highway — the JETT bus from Amman to Wadi Musa runs daily in the afternoon for around £10-12 (roughly 4 hours, with a stop at Karak) and gives you the same historic road. Arrive in Wadi Musa, check into a guesthouse, and take a cheap taxi to Little Petra for sunset (about £6 return, on the Jordan Pass).

🚌Minibus Amman–Madaba ~£2; taxi to Mt Nebo ~£6; JETT bus to Wadi Musa ~£11

🛏Wadi Musa guesthouse/budget hotel (~£15-22)

• →St George's Church mosaic map (Jordan Pass)
• →Mount Nebo (Jordan Pass)
• →King's Highway drive
• →Little Petra at sunset (Jordan Pass)

Start early (gate opens 6am in summer) and walk down to the Siq, the Treasury, the Street of Facades, the Theatre, the Royal Tombs and the climb of 800 steps up to the Monastery. A two-day Petra ticket is included in a two-day Jordan Pass — budget the full day here. Optional evening: Petra by Night on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (about £14, book at the visitor centre). Overnight in Wadi Musa.

🚌Walk / free hotel shuttle to the Petra gate

🛏Wadi Musa guesthouse (~£15-22)

• →Petra full-day visit (Jordan Pass)
• →Monastery hike
• →Optional Petra by Night ~£14

Take a minibus or shared taxi from Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum village (about £8-10, 2 hours; the JETT bus runs too). Most desert camps include the pickup from the visitor centre and a 2-4 hour 4x4 jeep tour in their package (about £25-35 including dinner and breakfast) — or book a jeep tour separately via Klook/GetYourGuide from around £25. Visit Lawrence's Spring, the Khazali Canyon, the sand dunes and the mushroom rock, then settle into a Bedouin tent camp. Dinner is a traditional zarb cooked underground, then tea and stargazing.

🚌Minibus/shared taxi Wadi Musa–Wadi Rum ~£9

🛏Bedouin desert camp, shared tent (~£30-40 incl. dinner & breakfast)

• →4x4 jeep safari (half or full day)
• →Khazali Canyon & Lawrence's Spring
• →Bedouin zarb dinner
• →Star-gazing / optional camel ride ~£12

After breakfast take a shared taxi/minibus to Aqaba or directly north — the cheapest independent option is a service taxi to Aqaba (£6) then the JETT/Trust bus up the Dead Sea Highway (about £12). Cheaper still: ask your camp to arrange a shared minibus seat to the Dead Sea (about £15-20). Check into a budget hotel near Amman Beach or a Dead Sea guesthouse for the day and float in the mineral-rich water at a public beach (Amman Beach public section ~£12-15). On the way back, stop at Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Jordan Pass) to see the baptismal pools and hermit caves. Return to Amman in the evening and grab shawarma at Al-Reem (about £3).

🚌Shared minibus ~£15-20; JETT bus back to Amman ~£8

🛏Amman hostel or Dead Sea budget hotel (~£15-25)

• →Dead Sea float (public beach ~£13)
• →Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Jordan Pass)
• →Al-Reem shawarma

Hop on a local minibus or share a taxi from Amman's Muhajireen station to As-Salt (about £2, 45 mins). Walk the Harmony Trail through the old quarters — Ottoman houses, mosques and churches side by side, and the lively market. Lunch options: dozens of local eateries serve mansaf and maqluba for £4-6; if you want the home-hosted family lunch experience, book an As-Salt homestay lunch through a local community tourism initiative in advance (around £15-20). Return to Amman for dinner and pack.

🚌Minibus Amman–As-Salt ~£2 each way

🛏Downtown Amman hostel (~£15-20)

• →As-Salt Harmony Trail (free walking route)
• →Ottoman architecture & market
• →Optional home-hosted Jordanian lunch ~£18

Morning at the Jordan Museum (about £5) or a final coffee in Jabal al-Weibdeh, then take the Airport Express bus to Queen Alia International (about £6) for your flight out.

🚌Airport Express bus ~£6

🛏—

• →Jordan Museum (optional ~£5)
• →Jabal al-Weibdeh coffee walk