Self-Launched 11-Day Panorama Jordan: Amman to Petra, Wadi Rum & the Dead Sea

Land at Queen Alia International Airport and take the Airport Express bus or a shared shuttle into downtown Amman (~£5–8; taxis cost £20+). Buy your Jordan Pass online before arrival — the 3-night/2-day Petra tier (~£60) covers your visa fee AND Petra entry, so it's the single best-value purchase of the trip. Settle into a hostel in the downtown/Jabal Amman area, then wander Rainbow Street and grab cheap falafel and knafeh at Hashem Restaurant (under £4).

🚌Airport Express bus to downtown Amman, ~£6

🛏Budget hostel or 3* guesthouse, downtown Amman (dorm ~£10–14, private ~£22)

• →Airport transfer into Amman
• →Evening stroll on Rainbow Street
• →Falafel and knafeh at Hashem Restaurant

Hire a shared taxi or join a small-group day transfer down the King's Highway (splitting a car 3–4 ways keeps it around £25–35 each). Stop at Madaba's Greek Orthodox Church of St. George for the 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land (entry ~£1), then Mount Nebo for the panoramic view over the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea. Continue via the Wadi Mujib viewpoint and the Crusader-era Karak Castle (entry ~£1.50, included in the Jordan Pass if you have it). Overnight in the cliffside village of Dana — stay at Dana Tower Hotel or a simple eco-guesthouse and watch sunset over the gorge.

🚌Shared private car or taxi down the King's Highway, ~£30 per person when split

🛏Dana eco-guesthouse / budget hotel, ~£22

• →St. George's Church mosaic map, Madaba
• →Mount Nebo viewpoint
• →Wadi Mujib viewpoint
• →Karak Castle
• →Sunset over Dana Biosphere Reserve

Wake early for a self-guided walk through Dana village and a short trail along the reserve rim (free; longer marked trails are ~£5–10 with a local guide). Catch the once-daily minibus toward Tafilah or share a taxi onward to Shobak Castle (~£20–25 split), the 12th-century Crusader fortress. Then hop the local bus or shared taxi to Wadi Musa (Petra's town). In the late afternoon, take a cheap taxi to Little Petra (Siq al-Barid) — free entry with the Jordan Pass and far less crowded than the main site. Check into a budget hotel in Wadi Musa.

🚌Shared taxi / minibus Dana–Shobak–Wadi Musa, ~£25 total

🛏Budget hotel in Wadi Musa, ~£18–22

• →Self-guided Dana village walk
• →Shobak Castle
• →Little Petra (Siq al-Barid)

Enter Petra at opening time (6am) to beat the crowds and the heat. Walk the Siq to the Treasury, then the Street of Facades, Roman Theatre, Colonnaded Street and Qasr Bint al-Fir'aun. If you want context, book a local licensed Petra guide through GetYourGuide or on arrival (~£25–35 for 3 hours, split between a couple of people). In the afternoon climb the 800+ steps to the Monastery (Ad-Deir) — arguably better than the Treasury — and, if you have legs left, the High Place of Sacrifice. Entry is covered by your Jordan Pass. Sleep in Wadi Musa again.

🚌Walk from town to the Petra visitor centre (10–15 min) or local taxi ~£2

🛏Budget hotel in Wadi Musa, ~£20

• →Petra main site (Siq, Treasury, Roman Theatre, Colonnaded Street)
• →Optional half-day licensed guide, ~£30 split
• →Monastery climb
• →High Place of Sacrifice (optional)

Use your second Petra day (included in the Jordan Pass) to explore differently: hike the back route from Little Petra over the mountains to the Monastery (a stunning 3–4 hour trail, ideally with a local guide, ~£30), or take the quieter trails to the Byzantine Church mosaics and the Temple of the Winged Lions. Golf carts (~£12) and camel rides (~£15–20) are available if you'd rather save your legs. Restock on supplies in town in the evening — supermarket picnics cost a fraction of restaurant meals.

🚌Local taxi to Little Petra trailhead, ~£8 split

🛏Budget hotel in Wadi Musa, ~£20

• →Back-trail hike Little Petra to the Monastery
• →Byzantine Church mosaics
• →Temple of the Winged Lions
• →Optional golf cart or camel ride

Take the morning minibus or shared taxi from Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum Visitor Centre (~£8–12, roughly 2 hours). At the village you'll be picked up by your camp's 4x4 — most budget camps bundle a 4x4 tour with dinner, breakfast and a night in a Bedouin tent for £40–55. Spend the afternoon bouncing between Lawrence Spring, Khazali Canyon, the Nabatean Temple and the Burdah Rock Bridge, then drink sweet tea with a Bedouin family and eat zarb (earth-oven lamb) under the stars. Book camps directly or via GetYourGuide/Booking.com; the plain tented camps are half the price of the 'luxury bubble' options.

🚌Minibus/shared taxi Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum, ~£10

🛏Bedouin tent camp, Wadi Rum (incl. dinner & breakfast), ~£45

• →4x4 jeep tour of Wadi Rum
• →Lawrence Spring, Khazali Canyon, Burdah Rock Bridge
• →Nabatean Temple
• →Bedouin hospitality, tea and zarb dinner

Take a shared minibus or taxi to Aqaba or back toward Amman and connect onward to the Dead Sea (~£15–20 in total, 3–4 hours). Check into a budget guesthouse or the public-beach side of Sowayma — a night at a Dead Sea hotel is expensive, but Amman Beach public access (~£12, or free at some guesthouse beaches) gets you the float. Spend the late afternoon bobbing in the hypersaline water, slathering on the mud and watching the sun set over the West Bank hills. Bring old flip-flops and expect stinging eyes.

🚌Shared minibus/taxi Wadi Rum to Dead Sea, ~£18

🛏Budget guesthouse near the Dead Sea, ~£25

• →Float in the Dead Sea
• →Dead Sea mud
• →Sunset over the Dead Sea

Morning swim and mud session, then head north. Stop in As-Salt, Jordan's honey-coloured Ottoman town — walk Hammam Street and Al Ein Plaza, and grab a coffee at one of the heritage houses. From Salt take a minibus to Amman (~£1.50) and then a local bus or shared taxi to Jerash (~£3–5). Explore the Roman city — Hadrian's Arch, the Hippodrome, the vast Oval Forum, Temple of Artemis, Colonnaded Street and Nymphaeum — with the Jordan Pass. Either overnight in Jerash or backtrack to Amman for cheaper hostels.

🚌Minibuses Salt–Amman–Jerash, ~£6 total

🛏Budget hotel in Jerash or Amman, ~£20

• →Float/swim in the Dead Sea
• →As-Salt old town, Hammam Street and Al Ein Plaza
• →Jerash Roman ruins self-guided with Jordan Pass

This one is genuinely tricky without a car — co-ordinate a shared taxi/private driver for the day from Amman (~£45–60 split 3 ways, or £35 solo in a shared taxi if you can find one going that way). Loop through Qasr Kharana, the UNESCO-listed frescoed bathhouse of Qusayr Amra and the black-basalt Qasr al-Azraq (entry covered by the Jordan Pass). Detour to the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve for a short safari to spot reintroduced Arabian oryx and onagers (~£10, book ahead). Return to Amman in the evening.

🚌Shared taxi/private driver for the day, ~£20 per person split 3 ways

🛏Budget hotel in Amman, ~£18

• →Qasr Kharana
• →Qusayr Amra
• →Qasr al-Azraq
• →Shaumari Wildlife Reserve safari

Do Amman on foot. Start at the Citadel hill — Hercules Temple columns, the Umayyad Palace and the Archaeological Museum (Jordan Pass covers entry). Walk downhill to the Roman Theatre, then into the downtown markets for cheap lunch and souvenir haggling. Visit King Abdullah I Mosque (~£1.50), then spend the late afternoon between Darat al-Funun art house, Rainbow Street cafés and the galleries of Jabal al-Weibdeh. If you want a licensed guide for the day, book one through GetYourGuide (~£35 split).

🚌Walking plus a couple of short taxis, ~£5

🛏Budget hotel or hostel in Amman, ~£18

• →Amman Citadel, Hercules Temple and Umayyad Palace
• →Archaeological Museum
• →Roman Theatre
• →Downtown souk walk
• →King Abdullah I Mosque
• →Rainbow Street and Jabal al-Weibdeh

Last morning for a proper Jordanian breakfast and any souvenir shopping downtown (dead sea products and spices are much cheaper in the souk than at the airport). Take the Airport Express bus (~£6) back to Queen Alia International for your flight. If you have a late departure, ask your hostel about left luggage and squeeze in one more knafeh.

🚌Airport Express bus to Queen Alia Airport, ~£6

🛏None (departure day)

• →Souvenir shopping downtown
• →Airport transfer