Best of Jordan Self-Launched: Amman, Petra, Wadi Rum & the Dead Sea in 7 Days

Fly into Queen Alia International Airport. The Jordan Pass (bought online before arrival, ~£70-80 for the 2-day Petra version) covers your visa-on-arrival fee and entry to Petra, Jerash, Wadi Rum and most museums — buy it in advance and the visa is waived. Take the Sariyah airport shuttle bus to the Tabarbour/north bus station (~3.5 JOD, ~£4) or a shared taxi (~10-15 JOD per person, ~£11-17) into downtown Amman. Check into a hostel in the downtown/Jabal Amman area, then ease in with a walk down Rainbow Street for knafeh at Habiba and a cheap falafel dinner.

🚌Airport shuttle bus or shared taxi to downtown Amman

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in downtown Amman (dorm ~£8-12, private ~£18-25)

• →Buy Jordan Pass online in advance
• →Rainbow Street evening stroll
• →Knafeh at Habiba and falafel dinner downtown

Take a local bus or minibus from Amman's Tabarbour station to Jerash (~1 JOD, 1 hour) and spend the morning wandering the South Gate, Oval Plaza, the Roman theatre and the colonnaded Cardo. Entry is covered by the Jordan Pass. Return to Amman in the afternoon and do a self-guided loop: the Citadel (Umayyad palace, Temple of Hercules) then walk downhill to the Roman Theatre and the small Folklore Museum beside it, finishing in the buzzing souq and gold market downtown. Skip the King Abdullah Mosque interior unless you want the 30-minute visit; the exterior view from the Citadel is free.

🚌Local minibus Amman–Jerash (~1 JOD each way); walking and cheap taxis in Amman (~2-3 JOD)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in downtown Amman

• →Jerash archaeological site (Jordan Pass)
• →Amman Citadel
• →Roman Theatre and Folklore Museum
• →Downtown souq and Hashem restaurant for falafel

Take a minibus from Amman's South (Wahadat) station to Madaba (~1 JOD, 45 min). See the Greek Orthodox Church of St George and its 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land, plus the Madaba Archaeological Park. Grab a shared taxi or hitch a local minibus up to Mount Nebo (~3-5 JOD, 15 min) for the church, monastery and the view across the Jordan Valley. Continue south: take a bus or shared taxi to Wadi Musa via the Desert Highway (~5-8 JOD, 2.5-3 hours), or push on to Dana if you want a scenic detour. Check into a budget guesthouse in Wadi Musa and buy supplies for an early Petra start.

🚌Minibuses Amman–Madaba, shared taxi Madaba–Mount Nebo, bus/shared taxi to Wadi Musa

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Wadi Musa (~£12-20)

• →St George's Church mosaic map, Madaba
• →Madaba Archaeological Park
• →Mount Nebo church and viewpoint

Enter Petra at opening time (6am in summer) to walk the Siq before the crowds. Self-guide the Treasury, the Street of Facades, the Theatre, the Royal Tombs and the Monastery — signage is good and the Jordan Pass covers two days of entry. A licensed local guide at the gate costs ~50 JOD for a half day and is worth splitting between a few travellers; alternatively use a good offline audio guide. The horse ride included in the package is optional and often pushed for tips — walking is better. Climb to the High Place of Sacrifice in the late afternoon when the light turns gold, then collapse over a cheap mansaf or falafel in town.

🚌Walk from Wadi Musa to the Petra visitor centre (20-30 min) or 2 JOD local taxi; shuttle to Little Petra ~5 JOD if wanted

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Wadi Musa

• →Petra full day (Jordan Pass)
• →Optional licensed local guide at the gate
• →High Place of Sacrifice hike
• →Little Petra (Siq al-Barid) if time allows

Take a morning minibus or shared taxi from Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum Visitor Centre (~5-8 JOD, 1.5-2 hours). Your camp will usually collect you from the village or visitor centre free. Drop bags and head out on a 2-4 hour 4x4 tour with a Bedouin driver (~25-40 JOD per person shared, book directly with your camp or via GetYourGuide) covering Lawrence's Spring, the Khazali Canyon inscriptions, the red sand dunes and the Mushroom Rock, with sweet Bedouin tea in the shade. Return for sunset over the desert and a Zarb dinner cooked underground in the sand — most camps include dinner and breakfast in the rate.

🚌Minibus/shared taxi Wadi Musa–Wadi Rum, camp pickup, 4x4 safari

🛏Bedouin desert camp in Wadi Rum, shared tent (~£20-35 incl. dinner and breakfast)

• →Half-day Wadi Rum 4x4 safari with Bedouin driver
• →Khazali Canyon and Lawrence's Spring
• →Sunset in the desert
• →Zarb dinner at camp

Catch the morning bus or a shared taxi from Wadi Rum to the Dead Sea area (~10-15 JOD, 2.5-3 hours), often routing back via Amman or the Desert Highway — check with your camp the night before. Budget stays cluster around Sowayma. If you want the mud and floating without a resort day pass, use a public beach such as Amman Beach (entry ~20-25 JOD / ~£22-28) or the free-ish local beaches; otherwise a day pass to a 4-star resort with towel, mud and showers runs ~30-45 JOD and is the easiest option. Float, lather on the black mud, rinse off properly, and watch the sun set over the West Bank hills.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Wadi Rum–Dead Sea (~2.5-3 hours)

🛏Budget guesthouse or simple hotel near the Dead Sea (~£20-30)

• →Float in the Dead Sea
• →Dead Sea mud bath
• →Sunset over the water
• →Optional resort day pass for showers and towels

Squeeze in one last early-morning float before checkout, then take a minibus or shared taxi back to Amman (~3-5 JOD, 1-1.5 hours) with time for a final knafeh or a wander through the downtown souq. Allow at least 3 hours before your flight: the Sariyah airport bus (~3.5 JOD) or a shared taxi (~10-15 JOD) gets you to Queen Alia in 45-60 minutes. If your flight is late, the Jordan Museum in Amman is cheap and excellent for a final dose of context.

🚌Shared taxi/minibus to Amman, then airport shuttle bus or shared taxi to Queen Alia

🛏None (departure day)

• →Final Dead Sea swim
• →Downtown Amman souq shopping
• →Optional Jordan Museum visit