Jordan Explorer: Amman, Petra, Wadi Rum & the Red Sea (Self-Launched)

Land at Queen Alia International Airport and skip the tour transfer — the Airport Express shuttle bus runs to Amman's Tabarbour bus station for around JOD 3.30 (~£3.70), or take a shared white taxi for roughly JOD 8-10 per person (~£9-11) if you're arriving late. Check into a hostel or budget hotel in Downtown Amman (Jabal Amman or Al-Weibdeh are also good, quieter bases). Buy a Jordan Pass online before you fly — it bundles your visa with entry to Petra, Jerash and Wadi Rum for around JOD 70-80 (~£78-90) and pays for itself on day two. Evening: wander the Rainbow Street area and eat your first falafel and fresh juice for under £4. If you're arriving early enough, take a cheap Careem/ Uber (~£3-4) up to the Citadel for sunset views over the city.

🚌Airport Express bus ~£3.70, or shared taxi ~£9-11 per person

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Downtown Amman (~£14-18/night, dorm or simple twin)

• →Airport Express to Amman
• →Rainbow Street evening wander
• →Buy Jordan Pass online in advance

Day trip to Jerash, the best-preserved Roman provincial city in the region — colonnaded streets, Hadrian's Arch, the Oval Plaza and two theatres. Get there cheaply: minibuses leave from Amman's Tabarbour station roughly hourly for about JOD 1.5 (~£1.70), 1.5 hours each way, or book a GetYourGuide half-day Jerash trip from around £30-40 if you'd rather not juggle minibuses. Entry is included in your Jordan Pass, otherwise ~JOD 12. Back in Amman in the afternoon, walk the Citadel (panoramic city views, Temple of Hercules, Umayyad Palace) and the Roman Theatre below it, then get lost in the Downtown souk. For dinner, do it DIY: falafel and hummus at Hashem Restaurant (a legendary hole-in-the-wall, roughly £3-4) and finish with knafeh from Habiba Sweets for about £1.50. Cheap coffee stops all afternoon.

🚌Minibus Tabarbour–Jerash ~£1.70 each way; local taxis in Amman ~£1-2 per hop

🛏Same hostel/guesthouse in Amman

• →Jerash archaeological site (Jordan Pass)
• →Amman Citadel & Roman Theatre
• →Downtown souk and markets
• →Falafel dinner at Hashem Restaurant
• →Knafeh at Habiba Sweets

Do this as a DIY loop or a shared day tour. Cheapest route: take a minibus from Amman's Wehdat station to Madaba (~JOD 1, 45 min). See the Byzantine mosaic map of the Holy Land in St George's Church (small entry fee ~£1-2) and the Madaba Archaeological Park. From Madaba, a taxi to Mount Nebo is ~JOD 8-10 return (share it) — the views over the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea are free with your pass. Then continue downhill to a Dead Sea beach (Amman Beach or a cheaper private beach around JOD 15-20; note JOD 25-30 for the resorts). Float, lather on the mud, and don't swallow the water. Alternatively book a GetYourGuide Madaba–Nebo–Dead Sea day trip from around £45-60 including hotel pickup, lunch and beach access. In the afternoon/evening take the JETT bus or a shared taxi south to Petra (Wadi Musa) — JETT from Amman ~JOD 10-12 (~£11-13, about 3 hours), or arrange a shared car. Sleep in Wadi Musa so you're at Petra's gate for opening.

🚌Minibus to Madaba ~£1; shared taxi to Nebo/Dead Sea ~£4-6 pp; JETT/shared car to Petra ~£11-13

🛏Budget guesthouse in Wadi Musa / Petra (~£14-20/night)

• →St George's Church mosaic map, Madaba
• →Mount Nebo viewpoint
• →Dead Sea float and mud bath
• →Optional: Petra by Night (Mon/Wed/Thu, ~£14-17)

Be at the Visitor Centre for opening (6am in summer, 6:30am off-season) to beat the crowds and the heat. Walk the Siq at dawn, watch the Treasury reveal itself, then push on down the main trail past the Street of Facades, the Royal Tombs and Qasr Al-Bint. The optional climb to the Monastery (Ad Deir) is ~800 stone steps — tough in the heat but worth it, and totally doable at your own pace with rests. Entry is covered by your Jordan Pass; otherwise ~JOD 50 for one day, JOD 55 for two. Bring your own water and snacks (shop-bought = a fraction of the site cafés), or treat yourself to a Bedouin tea (~£1) with the local vendors. In the late afternoon, take a cheap local taxi or minibus to Little Petra (Siq al-Barid) ~15 min away (Jordan Pass covers entry, otherwise free) for rock-cut dwellings and quiet canyons. Optional: Petra by Night candlelit show on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings (~JOD 17).

🚌Walk to Petra gate; taxi to Little Petra ~£5-7 return shared

🛏Same guesthouse in Wadi Musa

• →Petra main trail, the Siq and the Treasury
• →Royal Tombs and Qasr Al-Bint
• →Monastery (Ad Deir) hike
• →Little Petra (Siq al-Barid)
• →Optional Petra by Night

Take a morning minibus or shared taxi from Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum Village (~JOD 7-10, about 2 hours; ask your guesthouse to arrange it — the JETT connection is limited so shared transport is the norm). Book a Bedouin camp directly (Hasan Zawaideh-style deluxe tent camps run roughly £28-40 per person including dinner and breakfast, cheaper basic camps from ~£18). Most camps include a 2-4 hour jeep tour in their package or offer one for ~JOD 25-35 (~£28-39) — you'll see Lawrence's Spring, the Khazali Canyon inscriptions, red sand dunes and Mushroom Rock. Settle into the camp for sunset over the cliffs, then the traditional zarb — meat and vegetables cooked underground in a sand oven. After dinner, the lights go out and the stars are absurd. Optional extras booked direct: 1-hour camel ride (~JOD 20/£22), stargazing session, or a sunrise hot air balloon (~£100+).

🚌Shared minibus/taxi Wadi Musa–Wadi Rum ~£8-11; jeep tour included in camp package

🛏Bedouin desert camp, deluxe tent (~£28-40 pp incl. dinner and breakfast)

• →Wadi Rum jeep tour
• →Khazali Canyon and red dunes
• →Traditional zarb dinner
• →Desert stargazing
• →Optional camel ride or hot air balloon

Wake for sunrise over the desert, eat breakfast at camp, then take a shared taxi or minibus from the Wadi Rum Visitor Centre to Aqaba (~JOD 5-8, about 1 hour). Drop your bag at a budget hotel or hostel near the beach and head straight for the Red Sea. Book a half-day snorkelling boat trip through GetYourGuide or Klook from around £25-35 — typically two or three reef stops, gear included and lunch on board, with the Japanese Garden and South Beach reefs the highlights. If you're watching the pennies, snorkel straight off the public beach at the Aqaba Marine Park for gear rental only (~£8-10). Afternoon: swim, drink cheap fresh juice on the corniche, and explore the old town and Aqaba Fort (free/cheap). Dinner of grilled fish or falafel for £6-8.

🚌Shared taxi/minibus Wadi Rum–Aqaba ~£6-9

🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Aqaba (~£16-24/night)

• →Red Sea snorkelling boat trip (GetYourGuide/Klook)
• →Aqaba Marine Park beaches
• →Aqaba Fort and old town
• →Corniche sunset

Sleep in, swim one more time, and browse the Aqaba markets before the afternoon bus. JETT runs a comfortable Aqaba–Amman coach (roughly JOD 10-12, ~4 hours, book online or at the JETT office a day ahead) — the cheapest reliable way north. Arrive Amman in the evening and check back into your Downtown base. Farewell dinner DIY at a local Jordanian restaurant — mansaf or maqluba for around £7-9, plus a final knafeh. If you've got energy, a rooftop tea or shisha spot in Al-Weibdeh caps the trip.

🚌JETT coach Aqaba–Amman ~£11-13

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Downtown Amman (~£14-18/night)

• →Aqaba beach morning
• →JETT coach to Amman
• →Farewell Jordanian dinner downtown
• →Al-Weibdeh rooftop evening

Breakfast at the hostel or a cheap bakery, then take the Airport Express bus (~£3.70) or a shared taxi (~£9-11) back to Queen Alia International Airport. If your flight is late, squeeze in the Jordan Museum (open mornings, ~JOD 5) or one last coffee crawl through Downtown. Allow 2.5-3 hours before your flight — Queen Alia is 40-50 minutes from the city and security can be slow.

🚌Airport Express bus ~£3.70 or shared taxi ~£9-11

🛏None (departure day)

• →Optional Jordan Museum visit
• →Last coffee in Downtown Amman