Jordan in 5 Days: Petra, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea and Amman
Jeep tour at Wadi Rum
Jordan had been on my list for a long time, and it more than lived up to the hype. In just a few days, we managed to experience ancient history, surreal desert landscapes, excellent food, and one of the most unique swimming experiences in the world.
What surprised me most was how easy Jordan felt as a trip. Distances between the main highlights are manageable, the roads are straightforward, and even during Ramadan we had no real issues travelling around. It felt warm, welcoming, and far more relaxed than some people might expect.
This was our route: Amman → Dead Sea → Petra → Wadi Rum.
If you are planning a short Jordan itinerary and want a trip that balances scenery, culture and a bit of luxury, this is a brilliant one.
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Before you go..
Book your Jordan Pass as this allows you entry to all key sites across the country (Wadi Rum, Petra, Amman Citadel included, and many others) and acts as your visa upon arrival at the country. It costs circa 70JOD
Check the weather. We went in February and, contrary to our expectation, it was colder than the U.K. I was so glad that I took my puffer jacket and gloves
Book your transfers. There are plenty of Jordan tour options available, but in my opinion they are all quite rushed and expensive. We did it our own way and booked taxis between each stop as taxis were very cheap in comparison with the U.K. We had absolutely no issues here and it felt quite luxurious
Take cash for Petra and Wadi Rum - although not needed so much for Amman
Consider going in low season (December-February) like we did, for two reasons: 1) Return flights with Ryanair from London were £113 each!, and; 2) You will see from my photos that there were very few other tourists
Some key moments from the trip
Our Jordan itinerary
Stop 1: Amman (1 night)
We stayed at the Toledo Hotel in Amman, which worked well as a practical base for the first night.
Amman is not necessarily the kind of city that instantly sells itself in photos, but that is part of its charm. It feels layered, lived-in and full of character. It is a great place to ease yourself into Jordan before heading out to the country’s bigger headline sights. We really enjoyed walking around the Citadel where there are so many interesting archaeological ruins and excellent views across the city. You can access these sites with your Jordan Pass.
Some shots from the Amman Citadel
One dinner that is absolutely worth building into your trip is Shams El Balad. A friend of mine local to Amman recommended this place as one of her personal, local favourites. This was the best meal of the whole trip — beautifully done, fresh, thoughtful food in a space that feels local and stylish without trying too hard. It is the kind of place that makes you feel like you are already having a very good trip. It is situated in the Rainbow Street district of the city, with plenty of cool bars and restaurants.
Tip: We didn’t know exactly what to order to have a ‘rounded’ experience of the food, so we took a photo of the menu and asked ChatGPT to select for us!
Thanks ChatGPT for the recommendations!
We had: Hummus B Lahmeh, Foul Mdamas, Beetroot Falafel, Tomato Qalayeh, Za’atar & Olive Oil manaqeesh, Chicken Fatteh, and Fattoush salad
Stop 2: The Dead Sea (3 hours)
From Amman, we did a day pass at the Mövenpick Dead Sea rather than staying overnight, and I think this is a really good option if you are short on time. The transfer took approximately 1 hour and costed 30JOD between two people.
The Dead Sea experience is exactly the kind of weird, one-off travel moment you hope it will be. Floating is bizarre enough, but covering yourself in mud with that backdrop makes it feel even more memorable.
A few useful pointers:
Take dark shorts — the mud can get messy and lighter swimwear is not your friend here.
Bring flip flops — the salt in the Dead Sea is very sharp.
You can pay on site, so there is no real need to book far in advance.
Expect it to cost roughly £50 per person, depending on the day.
The pass gives you full-day access, plus some discount on food.
The Dead Sea is below sea level and is thus a lot hotter than Amman. For context, it’s 1 hour away but we went from wearing puffer jackets to just shorts.
There are several other hotels in the vicinity with a similar day-pass offering (The Holiday Inn = cheaper, The Kempinski = more expensive). The Mövenpick represented the mid-range offering and included everything we hoped for.
Towels are provided so no need to bring your own.
Take moisturiser on your trip as my skin got very dry after this experience.
This excursion is an easy luxury add-on to the trip and a very good way to break up the journey south. We spent 3 hours here and that is enough in my opinion.
Looking across the Dead Sea towards Jerusalem
Stop 3: Petra (2 nights)
Petra is every bit as impressive as you hope it will be. Yes, it is famous, yes, you have seen the Treasury before in photos — and yet arriving there in person still has real impact.
We stayed at La Maison Hotel Petra, which was a convenient base for exploring the site (literally 2 minutes walk to the main entrance of Petra).
The transfer (approx 70JOD) from the Dead Sea down to Petra (approx. 3 hours) was one of the most unexpectedly beautiful parts of the trip for several reasons. Firstly, Pink Lake and Salt Beach! These two attractions are next to each other. Ask your driver to stop here for 1 hour. There is also the beautiful Wadi Mujib close by but we didn’t have time to stop here. If you have time it may be worth considering! You do get a glimpse of it as you drive by.
Pink Lake and Salt Beach
Secondly, the route through Wadi Araba is stunning, and we happened to do it around sunset, which made it even better. The landscape starts to feel more dramatic and cinematic the further south you go. To see views like this, you should aim to leave the Dead Sea at approximately 3pm.
The landscapes on the approach to Petra (Wadi Musa) were unbelievable
When it comes to entry to Petra, your Jordan Pass has you covered. There are ticket options for one day, two days or three days at Petra. In my opinion, you can absolutely do the main highlights, including the Monastery, in one full day if you are prepared for a lot of walking. You will need to be strict with timekeeping (especially if you visit during winter where the park closes at 4pm). Here was our route that worked well:
6:30–7:00am — Enter Visitor Centre and walk through The Siq
7:00–7:45am — The Treasury (best light, minimal crowds)
7:45–8:30am — Both Treasury viewpoint trails (up + down). This is an additional 10JOD per person (which felt cheeky, but was worth it)
8:30–9:00am — Street of Facades
9:00 - 9:20am - Quick break at the cafe when you see it. We had the Bedouin tea.
9:30–10:45am — Hike the Royal Tombs(I think this was my favourite bit as it surprised me so much!!)
10:45 - 11:15am - Byzantine Church
12:00 - 1:00pm — Lunch at Basin Restaurant(25JOD for all you can eat)
1:00 - 1:45pm — Climb to the Monastery (Ad Deir), stop at the cafe at the top to admire the view
2:00–2:45pm — Descend
2:45–3:15pm — Great Temple(wow!)
3:15–4:00pm — Exit Visitor Centre back through the Siq (a second chance to appreciate it)
If you are planning to hike up to the Monastery, I recommend the all-you-can-eat buffet spot (The Basin) just before the climb. The food here was so good and was approx 30JOD per person. The space is quite small though so you may want to book/arrive early in high season.
Tip: If you are running behind schedule, you will see many local Bedouins offering donkey transfers to and from the Monastery. I’m not sure how much this costs but they will only accept cash.
Key moments from Petra
After a long day exploring, The Cave Bar is a fun place to stop to stop for drinks. You will see it next to the Petra Visitor Centre. Apparently, it is the oldest bar in the world and you can see ancient inscriptions in the walls. We ate a Shawarma here on the first night and it was very good.
We ate dinner at My Mom’s Recipe on the second night, which is also very close by. The food was pretty good, but be aware that many places in Jordan don’t offer alcohol and this is one of them. There are lots of restaurants and bars on this street. I also heard good things about the Red Cave restaurant next door.
Stop 4: Wadi Rum (1 night)
From Petra, we continued on to Wadi Rum, which felt like stepping onto another planet.
Approximate journey time:
Petra to Wadi Rum: around 1.5 to 2 hours (60JOD)
We stayed at Bubble Luxotel, and this was one of the most memorable parts of the trip. Waking up in the desert, surrounded by those huge rust-red landscapes, felt incredibly special.
This hotel was unbelievable. It was expensive, but worth it
If there is one thing you do in Wadi Rum, make it this jeep tour through the desert. This is the 4 hour private tour we did which included the key sites below, and included lunch which was a local Bedouin dish:
Desert viewpoints
Filming locations (The Martian, Dune, Lawrence of Arabia, Starwars)
Some key moments from the Wadi Rum jeep tour
Another thing I would recommend is doing the stargazing tour from the hotel (25JOD per person). Wadi Rum already feels otherworldly in daylight, but at night it becomes even more magical. The sense of silence and scale out there is hard to describe properly. You can also do stargazing through Get Your Guide.
Stargazing in Wadi Rum (at the Bubble Luxotel)
If you are debating whether Wadi Rum is worth adding to the itinerary, it absolutely is.
Journey times and approx costs
I recommend to book your transfers upfront through Get Transfer. There is a strong ‘bartering’ culture in Jordan and through this app you will receive various offers with drivers competing with each other on costs. This means that you can have greater confidence that the costs proposed are reasonable. From our experience, here are the approx durations and costs, split between two people:
Amman to Dead Sea: 1 hour (30JOD)
Dead Sea to Petra: 3 to 3.5 hours (70JOD)
Petra to Wadi Rum: 1.5 to 2 hours (60JOD)
Wadi Rum to Amman Queen Alia Airport: around 4 hours (90JOD)
Total: 250JOD between two people. This is a lot cheaper than the equivalent you will pay for an organised tour.
As a side note, Jordanian drivers appear to like to drive FAST so be prepared.
Visiting Jordan during Ramadan
We travelled during Ramadan, and it was honestly not an issue at all.
That may depend a little on your travel style and expectations, but for us it did not negatively affect the trip. We still ate well during daytime, got around easily, and visited the places we wanted to see. In some ways, it actually made the atmosphere feel calmer.
It is still worth planning sensibly and being respectful, but I would not let Ramadan put you off visiting Jordan. Prices may have even been a bit cheaper than usual.
Jordan as gay travellers
As gay travellers, we had no issues at all in Jordan.
Nothing felt uncomfortable, and we did not get the awkward “double bed?” type questions that you sometimes get elsewhere. It is obviously still a place where I would suggest travelling with a degree of awareness and cultural sensitivity, but from our experience the trip felt smooth, easy and completely fine.
That was something I had quietly wondered about before going, so it felt worth mentioning.
What I would change next time
As much as I loved this itinerary, there are two things I would do differently if I went back.
First, I would add an extra day in Wadi Rum. It is not just somewhere to tick off for one night. There is so much space, so much to explore, and it has a quality that makes you want to slow down. I would also seriously consider doing a hot air balloon ride next time.
Second, I would add a stop in Aqaba for a day to experience the Red Sea, ideally with some diving. That would make the trip feel even more rounded.
Finally, I would build in some time (a few hours) to explore the Wadi Mujib near the Dead Sea. It looked very beautiful as we drove by.
Final thoughts
Jordan is one of those destinations that manages to feel both iconic and surprisingly easy. Petra and Wadi Rum are the obvious stars, but the road trip between them, the Dead Sea, Amman, and the food all make the trip feel richer than just a checklist of famous sights.
It is a country of huge landscapes, warm hospitality and genuinely memorable travel moments. Even with a relatively short itinerary, it feels like you can experience a lot.
And if I am honest, it is the kind of trip that leaves you thinking less about what you saw and more about how it all felt — cinematic, calm, and a little bit surreal.
I hope that you have found this blog post interesting and useful. I would love to hear your comments below.