Kingdoms of Jordan — Self-Launched

Land at Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) and get to your base in downtown Amman. Skip the arrivals taxi rank and take the official airport shuttle bus to the North Bus Terminal (~JOD 3.5 / £4) or a shared white taxi to the city centre (~JOD 20-25 split between passengers). Downtown hostels and budget hotels sit within walking distance of the Roman Theatre and the Citadel, and the Hashemite Plaza area is a good spot for a cheap first dinner — falafel, hummus and bread for around £4-5. Buy a Jordan Pass online before you arrive (see Day 2 note) — it covers your visa fee and entry to Petra and Jerash.

🚌Airport shuttle JETT/Sariyah bus to North Bus Terminal (~£4) or shared taxi (~£25 per car)

🛏Downtown Amman hostel or budget guesthouse (dorm £10-14 / private twin £22-30)

• →Arrive Amman, check in downtown
• →Evening walk around Hashemite Plaza and the Roman Theatre exterior
• →Cheap street-food dinner (falafel, hummus, knafeh)

Catch an early CTB or JETT minibus from Amman's Tabarbour bus station to Jerash (~JOD 1.5 / £2, 1 hour) — they leave when full, so arrive by 8am. Jerash is the best-preserved Decapolis city in the region: Hadrian's Arch, the Oval Forum, the colonnaded Cardo Maximus with its original drains, two theatres and the Temple of Zeus. Allow 3-4 hours; a local guide at the gate costs around JOD 20 (£22) and can be shared with other travellers you meet there. Return to Amman by early afternoon and walk the Citadel (Temple of Hercules, Umayyad Palace, views over the city), then down to the Roman Theatre below. Your Jordan Pass covers Jerash, the Citadel and the Roman Theatre — buy the 2-day+ Petra pass (from JOD 70 / £78) before arrival, which also waives the JOD 40 visa-on-arrival fee.

🚌CTB/JETT minibus Amman (Tabarbour) to Jerash, ~£2 each way; city walks or £2-3 taxi rides

🛏Downtown Amman hostel or budget guesthouse

• →Jerash Roman ruins self-guided or shared local guide
• →Amman Citadel and Roman Theatre
• →Evening in Rainbow Street cafes

A long but rewarding travel day down the historic King's Highway. Simple option: a direct JETT bus Amman to Petra (~JOD 8-10 / £9-11, departing 7am) — fast, comfortable and covers the whole route. Better option if you want the stops: take a minibus to Madaba (~£2) to see St George's Church and its 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land, then a taxi or shared minibus onward to Mount Nebo (views over the Jordan Valley and the Promised Land) and the Crusader castle at Kerak, built on a rocky outcrop with a huge vaulted undercroft. Negotiate a shared car for the Madaba-Kerak stretch (roughly JOD 40-60 / £45-67 per car, split between 2-4 people) or ask your guesthouse to arrange it. Arrive in Wadi Musa in the evening, the gateway town to Petra — most guesthouses are a 10-15 minute walk from the visitor centre.

🚌JETT direct bus Amman-Petra ~£10, or minibus + shared taxi via Madaba/Mount Nebo/Kerak ~£20-25

🛏Wadi Musa guesthouse or budget hotel (£12-18 dorm/private)

• →Madaba mosaic map at St George's Church
• →Mount Nebo viewpoint
• →Kerak Crusader castle
• →Evening arrival in Wadi Musa

Enter Petra early — gates open around 6am and the Siq is magical before the tour groups arrive. Your Jordan Pass covers the entrance. Walk the 1.2km Siq between towering sandstone walls to the moment where Al Khazneh (the Treasury) appears framed at the end. Continue into the city centre past the Street of Facades, the Royal Tombs and the Great Temple, and climb to the Urn Tomb for views back over the valley. Most independent travellers skip the guide here and use a good offline map or audio guide, though a licensed local guide can be booked the evening before at the visitor centre for around JOD 50 (£55) split between a few people. Bring more water than you think you need — Petra is hot, exposed and the walking is real. Optional guided walk with a local Bedouin guide can be arranged on-site.

🚌Walk from Wadi Musa (15 min) or local taxi ~£3

🛏Wadi Musa guesthouse or budget hotel

• →Petra entrance via the Siq (Jordan Pass)
• →Al Khazneh / the Treasury
• →Street of Facades and Royal Tombs
• →Sunset from the Urn Tomb or the Petra by Night walk (Mon/Wed/Thu, ~£15)

Second day, second ticket-equivalent — note the Jordan Pass includes Petra for the number of days you buy, so a 2-day Petra pass is the sensible pick. Start early and head up the 850 rocky steps to El Deir (the Monastery), Petra's largest facade and far quieter than the Treasury. Come back down via the Colonnaded Street, then take the other main trail up to the High Place of Sacrifice, a clifftop altar with enormous views over the whole site — steep, hot and worth every step. If you'd rather have company, self-book a Bedouin-guided hike through your Wadi Musa guesthouse or a Klook/GetYourGuide listing (roughly £25-40). Afternoon: Little Petra (Al Beidha), 20 minutes north by taxi (~£10 each way), a small carved settlement often called Petra's little sister and usually near-empty.

🚌Walk to Petra; taxi to Little Petra ~£10 each way

🛏Wadi Musa guesthouse or budget hotel

• →El Deir (the Monastery) hike
• →High Place of Sacrifice trail
• →Colonnaded Street and Qasr al-Bint
• →Optional Little Petra visit

Take a morning bus or shared taxi from Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum Visitor Centre (~1.5 hours, £8-12) — most camps include pickup from the village or visitor centre in the price. Check into a Bedouin desert camp (basic private tent with shared bathroom £20-30; upgrade to a deluxe tent with private bathroom for £35-50 if you want the Exodus-style comfort at a fraction of the cost). Camps run 4WD sunset tours as standard add-ons: a 2-hour run to the main sights (Lawrence's Spring, Khazali Canyon, the Um Fruth rock bridge, the red dunes) is around JOD 25-35 (£27-38) and a 4-hour version about JOD 40-50 (£44-55), usually shared with other camp guests. Finish with a traditional zarb dinner cooked underground, then tea around the campfire under one of the darkest skies in the region. Nights get genuinely cold outside summer — pack a fleece.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum ~£10; camp 4WD transfers included

🛏Bedouin desert camp, Wadi Rum (private tent with shared bathroom £20-30)

• →4WD jeep tour of Wadi Rum highlights
• →Khazali Canyon inscriptions
• →Um Fruth rock bridge scramble
• →Zarb dinner and campfire stargazing

Morning transfer out of the desert to Aqaba (~1-1.5 hours by shared taxi, £10-15) and check into a budget hotel or hostel in the old town, a few minutes from the beach. Aqaba's big draw is the reef: snorkel straight off the public South Beach or book a half-day boat trip with snorkel gear included (roughly £30-45 via Klook, GetYourGuide or any of the dive shops on the corniche) — the Japanese Garden and the sunken military museum wreck are the highlights. If you dive, Aqaba has some of the cheapest certified diving in the Middle East. Otherwise this is your rest day: swim, eat fresh grilled fish by the port for £6-9, and watch the sun go down over the Red Sea with Saudi Arabia and Egypt visible across the Gulf.

🚌Shared taxi from Wadi Rum ~£12; local taxis and walking in Aqaba

🛏Aqaba budget hotel or hostel (£15-25)

• →Red Sea swim and snorkelling
• →Half-day snorkel boat trip
• →Optional intro dive
• →Seafood dinner by the corniche

The long drive north: a JETT bus runs Aqaba to Amman via the Dead Sea in season (~JOD 10-12 / £11-13, 4-5 hours), or share a private car for the whole stretch (£70-90 per car split between 2-4 people) which lets you stop where you want. There are two ways to do the Dead Sea on a budget: the free public beaches at Amman Beach or the Dead Sea Beach, with changing rooms, showers and mud available cheaply, or a day pass at one of the resorts (£40-60) if you want the infinity-pool version Exodus includes. Float — you genuinely cannot sink — smear on the mineral mud, rinse off in the freshwater showers, and don't shave or get the water in your eyes. Note there's no cheap accommodation actually at the Dead Sea, so many travellers day-trip from Amman instead; staying one night in the Sweimeh area is the simplest way to keep the same rhythm as the original trip.

🚌JETT bus Aqaba to Dead Sea/Amman ~£12, or shared private car ~£20-25 per person

🛏Dead Sea budget hotel or guesthouse, Sweimeh area (£30-40)

• →Float in the Dead Sea
• →Dead Sea mud treatment
• →Optional resort day pass with pools
• →Sunset over the water

Last breakfast, last float if you have a late flight. Getting out: the JETT or a shared taxi back to Amman (1-1.5 hours, £8-15), then the airport shuttle bus from the North Bus Terminal (~£4) or a taxi direct to Queen Alia International Airport (~£25-30). If your flight is later in the day, Amman is worth an extra few hours — the Jordan Museum, the Duke's Diwan and the bookshops and cafes of Jabal Amman are all free or nearly free. If you want to extend, Aqaba makes a good base for a few more Red Sea days or a side trip toward Wadi Araba.

🚌Shared taxi/JETT to Amman ~£10, then airport shuttle ~£4 or taxi ~£28

🛏None (departure day)

• →Final Dead Sea float
• →Optional Amman museums before flight
• →Airport transfer