Things To Do in Jordan

Jordan in Three Places

Jordan's three big sights sit in a line south of Amman: the Dead Sea an hour from the capital, Petra three hours, and Wadi Rum another hour beyond that. The most booked tours follow that line, either as long day trips from Amman or as two and three-day circuits that sleep in a Wadi Rum camp. The capital itself has the Roman ruins of Jerash and the citadel.

Petra

Petra is a full day however you reach it. From Amman, the private or small-group day tour leaves early, drives three hours south and gives around five hours inside: the Siq, the Treasury, the Royal Tombs and the colonnaded street, with the Monastery for anyone willing to climb the 800 steps. If you are staying in Wadi Musa, the three-hour private guided tour with hotel pickup gets you through the Siq before the crowds and explains the Nabatean carvings as you go. The combined Petra and Wadi Rum day trip from Amman is fourteen hours and adds a jeep ride in the desert after the ruins.

Wadi Rum

The red desert of Wadi Rum is seen from the back of a 4x4. The four-hour morning or sunset jeep tour covers the rock bridges, the Lawrence Spring, the sand dunes and Khazali Canyon's inscriptions, with Bedouin tea over a fire. The overnight version adds dinner, a night in a desert camp and breakfast before you leave, and the stars are the reason most people pick it.

The Dead Sea and the Baptism Site

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth, more than 400 meters below sea level, and floating in it is the point of the trip. The private day tour from Amman combines a resort beach day with Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the baptism site on the river. Mount Nebo and the mosaic map of Madaba are the usual stops on the way back.

Multi-Day Circuits

The two-day Petra, Wadi Rum and Dead Sea tour from Amman is the highest-rated tour in the country: Petra on day one, a night in a Wadi Rum camp, then the Dead Sea on the way home. The three-day version slows the pace, with a full day in each place.

When to Go

March to May and September to November are the best months, warm by day and cool at night. Summer heat in Wadi Rum and Petra is intense, so start early. Winter nights in the desert drop near freezing; camps provide blankets, but bring layers.