Jonathan and I spent 10 days visiting Jordan in November 2019. We hit most of the big attractions (excluding Aqaba) and because we rented a car, we also had the flexibility to visit some lower-profile points of interest throughout the country.
Jordan is a relatively small country, slightly smaller than the state of Ohio. All the driving for our route below (including side trips) totals almost 600 miles (~960 km), which is roughly the same distance as driving from Portland, Oregon, to Sacramento, California, or from Munich, Germany, to Rome, Italy. All this driving will take you around 16 hours, which isn’t so bad spread out over 10 days.
Below we’re sharing our itinerary for our 10-day road trip in Jordan, including ideas for adjustments if you are spending more or less time in this beautiful country. We visited Jordan during a year-long RTW trip, where we tended to travel slower and pack fewer activities into each day, so remember you can certainly fit more into your Jordan road trip itinerary if you’re an ambitious traveler who likes to be on the go. Drive safe!
Article Contents
Know Before You Go: When to visit, currency, local customs, etc.
Day 1: Arrive in Amman
Day 2: Explore Amman
Day 3: Explore Madaba and the Dead Sea
Day 4: Drive the King’s Highway to Wadi Rum
Day 5: Explore Wadi Rum
Day 6: Drive from Wadi Rum to Wadi Musa
Days 7-8: Explore Petra
Day 9: Ajloun Castle
Day 10: Explore Jerash & Depart from Amman
Know Before You Go
When to visit Jordan: We loved visiting in late October/early November; the weather was mild and the crowds weren’t too overwhelming, even at major spots like Petra (if you get started early). However, if you have your heart set on hiking the slot canyon at Wadi Mujib, note it is only open from April to October, weather permitting. Check the Jordan Tourism website before your trip for the most up-to-date information. (See more on Wadi Mujib in our Day 3 description below.) Also, be aware of the Ramadan dates, which change every year. Although non-Muslims are not forbidden from eating or drinking during Ramadan, you may find there are less opportunities for restaurants and socializing if you visit Jordan (or other predominantly Muslim locations) during the holiday.
Jordan Pass Jordan offers a Jordan Pass that includes your visa fee and admission fees to nearly 40 attractions across the country. We got the "Jordan Expert" (which includes 3 days in Petra) for 80 JOD each. If we had paid for our visas and all the places we visited independently, it would have cost 128 JOD each. To decide if the Jordan Pass is worth it for you, review this in-depth guide to the Jordan Pass. Also, please note visas cannot be obtained on arrival if you are arriving via the King Hussein Bridge, even if you hold a Jordan Pass.
Money: The Jordanian dinar (JOD) is pegged to the U.S. dollar. Many establishments are cash-only, so be sure to get adequate cash especially if you are heading into more remote areas where ATMs may be limited. If you are continuing your travels after Jordan, it might be difficult to find a good exchange rate outside other Arab countries, in which case you may want to use up the cash before you leave or wait until you get home and deposit it at a local bank. With our mid-range travel style, we spent about $92/day per person in Jordan, excluding flights into and out of the country. See our detailed travel budget for Jordan.
Dress: Because Jordan receives so many international tourists, the dress was not as conservative as I had expected (at least among foreign tourists). However, I felt more comfortable erring on the side of modesty (especially in Amman, where we were around a lot more locals), so I wore long, loose skirts; covered my shoulders; and kept a scarf on me at all times for additional coverage if needed. I dressed more casually in tourist-heavy destinations like Petra. As a male visitor, Jonathan wore long pants and also kept his shoulders covered.
Food: As with many cultures, food is a very important part of Jordanian life and hospitality. One of my most embarrassing moments will forever be when a waiter took my empty plate away at a restaurant in Amman and asked me if I liked the food, and I responded in typical dad-joke fashion with, “No, it was awful,” while gesturing to the licked-clean plate. He looked horrified and I immediately had to backtrack and effuse about how delicious the food was. (Also, note to self not to use sarcasm when traveling internationally.) We could write an entire post about Jordanian food, but two dishes you *must* try before leaving Jordan are mansaf and makloubeh/maqluba (plus many other spellings). Consider ordering the mezze plate to try a variety of small dishes, and be sure to drink a mint lemonade (often styled as “lemon mint” on menus) at least once a day! Yum.
Day 1: Arrive in Amman
Amman Airport to city center ~ 23 mi/37 km ~ 35 minutes
The main airport for international tourists to arrive in Jordan is the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman. We spent two nights in Amman when we first arrived, and we didn’t pick up our rental car until we left Amman to begin our road trip. A taxi from the airport to our simple but comfortable hotel in Amman cost 25 JOD, and our taxi back a few days later to pick up our rental car cost 20 JOD. If you can avoid driving in Amman, I would recommend it (unless you are very confident!). If you rent a car right away, you may want to consider driving to Madaba first (which is closer to the airport than the Amman city center; see our suggested Madaba itinerary on Day 3 below) and exploring Amman at the end of your trip before flying out.
Learn everything you need to know about renting a car in Jordan in our previous post.
If you have more time:
If you arrive in Amman in the morning, feel free to start Day 1 with “Explore Amman” (tomorrow’s itinerary) and give yourself an extra day somewhere else in your trip. You might want to consider adding a day in Aqaba on the Red Sea, which we did not visit and is not included in this itinerary.
Day 2: Explore Amman
We spent one full day exploring the capital city of Amman. In our experience, many visitors to Jordan skip the city and head straight to more popular destinations like Wadi Rum or Petra (or mostly use Amman as a home base), but we enjoy exploring urban areas, and we especially enjoy eating all the food they offer.
Things to Do in Amman:
Take a free walking tour: One of our favorite things to do during our first day in a new place is take a free walking tour. They help us familiarize ourselves with the layout of the city, and we enjoy learning about the history and culture of the places we visit. We also like to see what we don’t need to spend time visiting later (“cool, saw that pretty building—check”) versus what we want to go back and explore more (“wow, that sounds so cool!”). Plus, local guides have the best restaurant recommendations. 😉 If you prefer a private city tour of Amman, you have options.
Explore a souq: Markets in the Middle East are called souqs (or souks). We visited one near the Grand Husseini Mosque on our free walking tour [pictured above], which was great because our guide could explain what we looking at, as well as the local shopping and cooking customs.
Visit the Amman Citadel: We were underwhelmed by the Roman Theatre (though the Museum of Popular Traditions located inside was pretty neat), but the views from the Citadel were fantastic. (Admission to the Citadel is 3 JOD or free with the Jordan Pass. The Roman Theatre is 2 JOD or free with the Jordan Pass.)
Sample Jordanian food: Don’t pass up any opportunity to eat while in Amman! The city has no shortage of restaurants, cafes and coffeeshops to explore. One popular area for dining is Rainbow Street, where you can get a delicious falafel sandwich at AlQuds for less than $1 USD. As mentioned earlier, mansaf and makloubeh are our two must-try dishes in Jordan.
If you are short on time:
Consider spending only one night in Amman instead of a full day. You can also visit Amman at the end of your trip if you’re flying out of Queen Alia International Airport. If you are doing a one-way road trip from Amman to Aqaba, you can visit Jerash on a day trip from Amman.
Day 3: Explore Madaba and the Dead Sea
Amman to Madaba ~ 19 mi/31 km ~ 35 minutes
Madaba to Mt. Nebo ~ 6 mi/9 km ~ 12 minutes
Mt. Nebo to Bethany Beyond the Jordan ~ 20 mi/31 km ~ 35 minutes
Bethany Beyond the Jordan to the Dead Sea ~ 11 mi/17 km ~ 20 minutes
The Dead Sea to Madaba ~ 22 mi/36 km ~ 50 minutes
No car? Book a private transfer or group tour to the Dead Sea.
Jordan is a must-see destination for travelers interested in religious tourism. Madaba is a great home base for exploring two of the most famous spots for religious tourism in Jordan: Mt. Nebo and Bethany Beyond the Jordan (more on both below). We visited both of these spots in the morning, spent the afternoon at the Dead Sea and finished our day by checking out some historic sites in Madaba before dinner. Looking back, this was a lot for us to do in one day during our slower-paced RTW trip, but it’s definitely manageable.
Things to Do in (and Near) Madaba:
See the view from Mt. Nebo: This is known as the site where Moses first viewed the “promised land.” There is also a memorial church on the site with some beautiful mosaics, including a “camel-shaped giraffe” (my personal favorite). Pro tip: Arrive early! We left Mt. Nebo around 8:30 a.m. and the huge tour buses were already starting to pull up. (Admission is 2 JOD and is not included in the Jordan Pass.)
Visit the baptismal site of Jesus Christ: Bethany Beyond the Jordan is the location of John the Baptist’s settlement and claims to include the location where Jesus was baptized on the east bank of the Jordan River. We heard if you visit Israel, they will show you Jesus’ baptismal site on the other side of the border. It is required to join a tour to visit Bethany Beyond the Jordan; guided tours depart from the visitor center every 30 minutes, and the shuttle and guide are included in the admission price. (Admission is 12 JOD and is not included in the Jordan Pass. If you know you want to visit Bethany Beyond the Jordan during your trip, you can add discounted tickets for only 8 JOD each when you initially buy your Jordan Pass.)
Float in the Dead Sea: There are many options to float in the Dead Sea on the Jordan side. While we were in Amman, our free walking tour guide at the Amman Pasha Hotel helped us arrange day passes to the Ramada Dead Sea Resort for 30 JOD each. This price included private beach access to the Dead Sea (including DIY mud baths on the shore), lunch at the resort, and use of the hotel pool.
Admire the mosaics: The city of Madaba is home to a few historical sites, several of which are included in the Jordan Pass. The highlight for us was visiting St. George’s Church (1 JOD, not included in the Jordan Pass) to view the famous Madaba Map, a floor mosaic believed to be the oldest map of Palestine in existence.
Eat at one of our favorite restaurants in Jordan: We ate at Haret Jdoudna both nights we stayed in Madaba, so you know it was good! They also had a small shop selling local handicrafts that would make great gifts or souvenirs (international shipping available).
If you have more time:
The Wadi Mujib Canyon is located about 1.5 hours from Amman, one hour from Madaba and about 30 minutes from the Dead Sea. The canyon is only open for hiking between April and October, so we weren’t able to do it during our trip, but Two Wandering Soles has an in-depth guide to hiking Wadi Mujib if you are interested. It looks gorgeous and reminiscent of one of our favorite all-time hikes: The Narrows in Zion National Park, Utah.
Day 4: Drive the King’s Highway
Madaba to Karak Castle ~ 55 mi/89 km ~ 2 hours
Karak Castle to Wadi Rum ~ 153 mi/ 246 km ~ 3 hours and 15 minutes
Today’s route is important: If you use GPS to take you from Madaba to Al-Karak (today’s stop on the way to Wadi Rum), it will take you down Highway 15 (the Desert Highway), which is about 30 minutes faster despite being longer. However, for a Jordan road trip, we recommend you take Highway 35, the King’s Highway. This road is slower with more climbs and turns, but it takes you through a beautiful canyon and offers much more to see than the flat (and less attractive) Desert Highway. It also has historical value: The King’s Highway is a route that dates back to the Iron Age (1200-537 B.C.) and possibly earlier. The Desert Highway wasn’t constructed until the 16th century (which is still pretty historical!).
Karak Castle (also spelled Kerak Castle) is one of the largest crusader castles in the Levant, with rooms spread over seven stories. It is located right along the King’s Highway, which makes it a nice stop to break up the long drive from Madaba to Wadi Rum. (Admission to the castle and included museum is 2 JOD or included with the Jordan Pass.) After visiting the castle, grab lunch in the town of Al-Karak and then feel free to cut over to Highway 15 for a faster (but more boring) drive down to Wadi Rum.
Glamping in Wadi Rum
Our favorite part of our Jordan road trip was glamping in Wadi Rum. We booked two nights with Bedouin Lifestyle Camp and loved it, but there are lots of similar experiences available. Be sure to check with your accommodations to see what time you need to arrive in Wadi Rum Village, as a 4×4 vehicle will need to take you out to the campsite. For example, our company’s last “shuttle” was at 6 p.m. Dinner and “Bedouin whiskey” (very sweet hot tea) was included in our reservation, and then we settled into our private tent for the evening. (The entrance fee to Wadi Rum is 5 JOD or free with the Jordan Pass.)
If you are short on time:
If you only have the time (or inclination) to visit one old castle while traveling across Jordan, we recommend skipping Karak and visiting Ajloun instead (which we describe below on Day 9).
Day 5: Explore Wadi Rum
We spent two nights in Wadi Rum, but the norm seems to be one night. In fact, many of the staff at our camp initially seemed confused that we were hanging out the next day instead of heading back to the village. However, with so many desert adventures available (including Jeep tours, sandboarding, hiking or trekking, and even hot air balloon rides!), you can definitely find enough activities to justify two nights. Jonathan and I opted for a 3-hour Jeep tour around the desert and sandboarding, and we enjoyed having downtime to spend at our camp reading, playing cards, and petting the feisty kitties all around the campsite.
If you are short on time:
Camping in Wadi Rum was our favorite experience in Jordan, so I’m glad we spent two nights, but you will also have a great experience if you arrive in the afternoon, enjoy the traditional Bedouin dinner and tea, spend one night, and take the desert adventure of your choosing the next morning before continuing to Wadi Musa and completing our Day 6 itinerary (next).
Day 6: Drive from Wadi Rum to Wadi Musa
Wadi Rum to Wadi Musa ~ 72 mi/116 km ~ 2 hours
After breakfast and more Bedouin tea at our camp in the morning, we were shuttled back to the village to pick up our car and head to our next stop: Wadi Musa. We decided to stop by Siq al-Barid (a.k.a. “Little Petra”) first because we figured it wouldn’t be as impressive after visiting “big” Petra. We spent a little under an hour there before heading over to the Petra Visitor Center to experience Petra by Night. (Little Petra is free to visit.)
Note: Petra is an archeological site that is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. Wadi Musa is the nearest town to Petra and where the visitor center, hotels and restaurants are located. Many travel blogs do not mention Wadi Musa at all and refer to the entire town and historic site as Petra.
Everything You Need to Know About Petra by Night:
If you arrive in Wadi Musa in the afternoon or evening, you might decide to start your Petra visit with the musical and light-show experience known as Petra by Night. This is an extra ticket (17 JOD) that is not included with the Jordan Pass. All the official information says you also need a daylight ticket to experience Petra by Night, but in our experience, the ticket doesn’t necessarily have to be for the same day. (Our Jordan Explorer pass included 3 days’ admission to Petra, so we treated Petra by Night as our first “day” and spent two more full days in Wadi Musa.) Another important thing to note is that Petra by Night only happens on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights starting at 8:30 p.m., so if you really want to do this experience, plan your days in Wadi Musa accordingly.
Is Petra by Night worth it? As with most travel decisions, we say … it depends! It was beautiful, and it was neat to walk through the Siq (the long, narrow entrance to Petra that leads to the famous Treasury) in the evening. However, tickets for Petra by Night are not limited, so it can be a bit of a mad rush. Visitors are not supposed to walk ahead of the guide in the Siq, but as we got closer to the Treasury, people were literally running past the guide to get to the front of the seating area and set up their camera equipment. We didn’t give up anything else to do Petra by Night, and it was neat, but if you have limited time in Jordan or are on a strict budget, we think visiting Petra during the daytime is awe-inspiring enough.
If you have more time:
Head over to Aqaba after Wadi Rum before driving back north to Petra. This resort town on the Red Sea is a popular spot for diving and water sports. We did not visit Aqaba on our trip, but you can find plenty of ideas for things to do.
Days 7-8: Explore Petra
We spent two whole days in Wadi Musa, so we chose to visit Petra early to avoid (most of) the crowds and spend our afternoons relaxing (and eating). There are a ton of online guides to how to spend your time in Petra whether you have one day or three. Here’s a quick rundown of what we personally did, but it is not a definitive guide.
We recommend downloading an offline map of Petra (we use Google Maps) and saving the specific places you want to visit so you can navigate within the site even without a data plan or phone service. (All locations we mention below are linked directly to Google Maps to help you plan your route.) We also borrowed a digital copy of Lonely Planet Middle East from a public library in the U.S. through the Libby app, which allowed us to do a self-guided tour around Petra and learn about the history of the different monuments on our own.
First Full Day in Petra
On our first morning in Petra, we walked through the Siq around 6:45 a.m. and had portions of it completely to ourselves [pictured above left]. We were not the first people at the Treasury (Al-Khazneh), but it wasn’t crowded either. We checked out a few ruins including the Tomb of the Soldier [pictured above right] and the Renaissance Tomb on way to hike up to the High Place of Sacrifice (one of our favorite viewpoints in Petra, but be warned it gets windy up there!). After the Siq and the Treasury, the third most iconic location in Petra is likely the Monastery (Ad Deir), which sits at the top of 800+ steps from the main “floor” of Petra. We were at the Monastery before 10 a.m. and didn’t find it to be too crowded. There is a cafe nearby if you want to refresh yourself after your trek. We spent about 30 minutes at the Monastery before heading back down to depart through the Siq, and Petra had gotten much busier by this time! People and animals were everywhere. At this point, we had walked 12 miles before noon, so we were ready to get a lemon mint in Wadi Musa and relax for the afternoon. This afternoon would also be a great time to indulge in a hammam.
Second Full Day in Petra
We started our second day a bit later and entered Petra around 8 a.m. We admired the Street of Facades and the Nabataean (not Roman) amphitheater on our way to the Royal Tombs, which feature absolutely gorgeous coloring and patterns inside their sandstone walls [pictured above left]. Beyond the Royal Tombs, you can take the Al-Khubtha Trail up to a higher viewpoint of the Treasury [pictured above right]. If you go all the way to the end of the trail, there is a small cafe where you can buy a drink and take photos on a Bedouin rug. (Note: There is also another Treasury viewpoint you have probably seen on Instagram that is a bit closer.) The Al-Khubtha hike is moderately strenuous, and the views on the way were nice (especially overlooking the amphitheater), but if you have limited time in Petra, we think both the High Place of Sacrifice and the trek to the Monastery are more worthwhile uses of your time (though Al-Khubtha arguably offers the best photo op). Next, we visited the Great Temple and then hit up the triad of the Winged Lion Temple, Byzantine Church (great mosaics) and Blue Chapel. We left Petra around noon again, so you can squeeze all of the above into one day if you don’t mind a lot of walking.
If you are short on time:
With more than 2,500 acres in Petra, you can certainly spend three full days here, especially if you want to focus your exploration in the morning hours and leave in the afternoons when things get very crowded (as we did). However, if you only have one day in Petra, you will still be awed by its features. For one day, we recommend hitting the spots on our Day 7 itinerary in the morning (as they are the most popular) and continuing with our Day 8 itinerary in the afternoon (but know these spots will be busy, too). If you have an earlier departure time on Day 10, you may want to drive to Jerash today (~4 hours) so you have more time to explore tomorrow.
Day 9: Ajloun Castle
Wadi Musa to Ajloun Castle ~ 182 mi/293 km ~ 4 hours and 15 minutes
Ajloun Castle to Jerash ~ 13 mi/21 km ~ 30 minutes
Today is a long driving day as you head back north to spend your final Jordan night in Jerash, a town less than an hour north of Amman. Jerash is most known for being home to one of the largest and best-preserved site of Roman ruins outside of Italy. Before settling into our accommodations in Jerash, we made a detour to Ajloun Castle. Whereas most of the “crusader castles” in Jordan (including Karak) were built by the crusaders, Ajloun Castle was built by the sultan to defend against the crusaders. It is also incredibly well-preserved and fun to explore. (Admission is 3 JOD or free with the Jordan Pass.)
I also want to give a special shoutout to Atoom Hotel, which was our favorite accommodation in Jordan. We were one of the very first guests to stay here, and though it’s called a “hotel,” it was set up more like a private apartment. It was very spacious and comfortable, and the host gave us local restaurant recommendations (our favorite—we got dinner for two at a shawarma place to the left of Alhana Market for only 2.5 JOD) and tips on where to park to visit the Roman ruins. If you have a car, we definitely recommend staying at Atoom Hotel in Jerash.
If you have more time:
Consider adding a stop at the Dana Biosphere Reserve to your itinerary after leaving Petra. It is still about 4.5 hours driving from the reserve to Ajloun/Jerash, so you may want to consider spending the night in the reserve.
Day 10: Explore Jerash & Depart from Amman
Jerash to Queen Alia International Airport ~ 47 mi/75 km ~ at least 1 hour
We had an evening flight out of Amman, so we had all morning and most of the afternoon to explore Jerash. In addition to the lovely accommodations and beautiful ruins, we also found Jerash had the warmest and most welcoming residents we met in Jordan. Sadly, there was a non-fatal knife attack at the ruins the day before we visited, so I don’t know how much that contributed to the warm welcome, but I choose to believe the Jordanians in Jerash are always so pleased to see you. For example, we started our day at this sweets shop (recommended by our host), and the staff was thrilled to see us and wanted to take photos with Jonathan. They pointed out all their favorite sweets to us, and when we asked how much we owed at the end, they seemed a little surprised (I think they were planning to give us the food for free) and told us with a big smile, “1 dinar.” (Readers, it was definitely more than 1 JOD worth of sweets.)
After getting our fill of sugar and pastry, we headed to explore the ruins, which were indeed some of the best we’ve ever seen. If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m a little bit obsessed with the mosaics in Jordan, and Jerash’s were incredible. During the 8th century, Emperor Leo banned the depiction of living creatures for religious reasons and ushered in a period of iconoclasm (the destruction of icons or other images), which resulted in many mosaics across Jordan being defaced. However, the beautiful animal-themed mosaics at The Church of Saint Cosmas and Damianus are believed to have been spared because the church was abandoned in the 7th century. We spent about two hours at the ruins before heading to the airport, but you could easily spend more (or less) time. (Admission to the archaeological site is 10 JOD or free with the Jordan Pass.)
If you have more time:
Consider adding Umm Qais to your itinerary before returning to Amman. These ruins are located a little over an hour northwest of Jerash and are quite close to the border, so from some viewpoints you are able to see into Syria, Palestine and Israel, including the Sea of Galilee.
Another Option: A One-Way Road Trip
If you would prefer to do a one-way car rental and end your Jordan vacation in Aqaba instead of returning to Amman, you can easily modify the above itinerary to the following:
Day 1: Arrive in Amman
Day 2: Explore Amman
Day 3: Drive to Jerash
Day 4: Drive to Madaba
Day 5: Drive to Wadi Rum
Day 6: Explore Wadi Rum
Day 7: Drive to Petra
Day 8: Explore Petra
Day 9: Drive to Aqaba
Day 10: Depart from Aqaba
Have you visited Jordan, or are you planning a trip? Let us know if you’d like to see a dedicated guide or more information on any of the places we visited!
Featured image: Sunset in Wadi Rum, Jordan (November 2019)
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