Self-Launched Jordan: Amman, Jerash, Petra, Wadi Rum & the Dead Sea

Land at Queen Alia International Airport. Buy the Jordan Pass online before you fly (the 'Jordan Wanderer' pass, ~£85-90 / USD 100-110) — it waives your visa-on-arrival fee and covers Petra, Jerash, Wadi Rum and most other sites, and is by far the biggest single saving versus paying gate fees. Take the Sariyah Airport Express bus into the city (~£6.50) or a shared/private airport taxi (~£20-25 split, the official rate is fixed ~25 JOD). Check into a hostel or budget hotel in the Downtown/3rd Circle area. In the late afternoon walk the Rainbow Street stretch, then do the free-to-cheap classic: sunset from the Citadel (covered by Jordan Pass) and a look at the Roman Theatre below (also on the pass). Dinner at a cheap local spot — falafel, hummus and mansaf for under £6. Book your JETT bus to Petra for the following morning online tonight (jettt.com.jo) or at the JETT office.

🚌Sariyah Airport Express bus ~£6.50, or shared taxi ~£20-25 split; walking + cheap Careem/taxi rides in the city (~£2-3 each)

🛏Hostel dorm or private twin in a budget hotel, Downtown Amman (~£14-20/night)

• →Collect Jordan Pass / arrival formalities
• →Sariyah airport express bus into Amman
• →Rainbow Street & Downtown wander
• →Amman Citadel at sunset
• →Roman Theatre
• →Book JETT bus to Petra

Get an early start: take a Careem/taxi or a shared minibus from Amman's Tabarbour bus station to Jerash (~£1.50-3 one way, 45-60 min). Jerash (entry on the Jordan Pass) is the best-preserved Roman provincial city in the region — Hadrian's Arch, the Oval Plaza, the colonnaded Cardo Maximus and the Hippodrome. A signposted self-walk takes 2-3 hours; if you want a guide, licensed local guides at the gate charge ~£20-25 and are well worth splitting with another traveller. Head back to Amman mid-afternoon and catch the JETT daily bus to Petra/Wadi Musa (usually a 13:00 or 14:00 departure, ~3h15, ~£8-9); book it online in advance as it does fill. Alternatively the local minibus from Amman's South Bus Station leaves hourly and costs ~£6. Arrive Wadi Musa, check into a guesthouse near the Petra gate and eat cheap local shawarma/mezze (~£5-6).

🚌Shared minibus/taxi to Jerash ~£3 return; JETT coach Amman–Petra ~£8-9

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Wadi Musa, 5-10 min walk from Petra gate (~£14-20/night)

• →Jerash Roman ruins (self-guided or split a licensed local guide)
• →Hadrian's Arch, Oval Plaza, Cardo Maximus, Hippodrome
• →JETT bus Amman to Wadi Musa
• →Evening wander to the Petra visitor centre to orient yourself

Be at the Petra gate for opening (6:00-6:30 in summer, 6:30-7:00 in winter) — this is how you get the Siq and Treasury almost to yourself before the day coaches arrive. Walk the Siq, come out at Al-Khazneh (the Treasury), then continue the main trail past the Street of Facades, the Royal Tombs and the Colonnaded Street to the Monastery (850 steps — allow time and water). If you're a strong walker, the back-door route via Little Petra can be done with a local Bedouin guide arranged the night before (~£40-50, includes 4x4 drop-off). The horse ride included in the original tour is a short, tip-expected ride inside the site — skip it and use your feet. Book a licensed Petra guide at the visitor centre if you want the history (~£50 for 2-3 hours, splittable). Leave mid-afternoon: a shared minibus or pre-arranged Bedouin 4x4 (~£6-9 per person from Wadi Musa to the Wadi Rum visitor centre, ~1h45). Stay in a Bedouin camp near Rum village or a bubble/desert camp — book direct on Booking.com or by WhatsApp; standard tents with private bathroom run ~£22-30 per person including dinner and breakfast.

🚌Shared minibus / arranged 4x4 Wadi Musa–Wadi Rum ~£6-9; walking inside Petra

🛏Bedouin desert camp in Wadi Rum, private tent with en-suite bathroom, half board (~£22-30/person)

• →Petra at opening — Siq and Treasury before the crowds
• →Monastery hike
• →Royal Tombs & Colonnaded Street
• →Optional licensed Petra guide or back-door trail
• →Transfer to Wadi Rum
• →Bedouin camp dinner

Take a 3-4 hour shared jeep tour at sunrise or early morning with your camp or a Rum-based operator (~£25-30 per person, cheaper the more people you share with — ask at the camp the night before). You'll hit Lawrence's Spring, the Khazali and Anfashieh canyons and inscriptions, the red dunes, and the big-ticket viewpoint of Burdah Rock Bridge and Um Fruth — the exact sites the original tour promised but, per reviews, sometimes skipped. Afterwards, head north: the cheapest route is a local minibus or shared service from Rum village to Aqaba (~£3-4), then a JETT or Trust coach up the Desert Highway to Amman/Madaba (~£8-10, 4h). A faster option is a shared taxi/private driver arranged by the camp to Madaba or the Dead Sea (~£50-70 total, splittable). Stop at Madaba's St George's Church for the famous mosaic map and Mount Nebo for the view over the Jordan Valley — both are on the Jordan Pass. Finish with a float and mud at a public Dead Sea beach such as Amman Beach / Oh Beach (~£12-15 entry), or skip the resort fee and use a free-access point near Suweimeh. Overnight in Madaba (cheaper, nicer) or a budget Dead Sea hotel.

🚌Shared jeep ~£25-30; local minibus Rum–Aqaba ~£3-4; coach to Amman/Madaba ~£8-10; local taxis/Coaster buses between Madaba–Nebo–Dead Sea ~£5-8

🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse in Madaba (~£16-22/night), or budget Dead Sea hotel (~£35-45)

• →Wadi Rum shared jeep tour (Lawrence's Spring, canyons, dunes, rock bridges)
• →Madaba St George's Church mosaic map
• →Mount Nebo viewpoint
• →Dead Sea float and mud

Slow morning: coffee and knafeh in Madaba, a last look at the mosaics, and a cheap local bus or shared taxi back to Amman (~£1.50-3, 45 min). If your flight is late, drop your bag at your hostel and see anything you missed — the Jordan Museum (Jordan Pass), the Duke's Diwan, or a final wander through the Souk al-Saqala. Take the Sariyah Airport Express from the 7th Circle or Tabarbour terminal (~£6.50) or a fixed-rate taxi (~£20-25) to Queen Alia in good time for your flight. Costs below are for transport and food only.

🚌Local bus/shared taxi Madaba–Amman ~£2-3; Sariyah Airport Express ~£6.50 or taxi ~£20-25

🛏None — departure day

• →Madaba mosaics & breakfast
• →Local bus/taxi back to Amman
• →Optional Jordan Museum or souq wander
• →Airport transfer