I had no clue what to expect of Jordan. I have to admit, our initial idea was to travel to Georgia, and Jordan was the backup plan. As I had already traveled to the Sahara, I was afraid Jordan would be more of the same. How wrong was I! Jordan is a hidden gem of the Middle East, with a rich history, breathtaking landscapes, and a welcoming culture. There is so much to see and do, that it could be quite overwhelming to decide on the best travel route. We had planned for a 12-day Jordan itinerary, but that included 2 days of travel time, which made it possible to spend the rest of the days exploring Jordan. Let me take you on a journey through Jordan’s most iconic destinations, from the ancient city of Petra to the serene waters of the Dead Sea to provide you with an unforgettable experience in this 10-day Jordan Itinerary.
When visiting Jordan, definitely buy a Jordan Pass upfront. This grants you a free visa and access to many sites in the country, including Petra. There are multiple options for the Jordan Pass, all covering different visiting times in Petra (ranging from 1 to 3 executive days).
The easiest way to get around in Jordan is by rental car. Rental cars in Jordan are pretty affordable and driving is doable. Try to avoid the bigger cities, as there it tends to be a bit crazier. When there are 2 driving lanes, be prepared for 3 to 4 cars driving next to each other. We decided to visit Amman without our rental car and took a taxi from the airport to visit Amman on our first day. On day 3, we took a taxi back to the airport to pick up our rental car. When driving in Jordan, it is important to pay great attention to the speed limit at all times! They are checking with sensors at multiple locations and will easily take you off the road a little bit later (yes, I received a fine).
Another way to get around in Jordan is by minibusses (services), driving between multiple larger cities and tourist locations. In case you can’t go all the way to your destination, it is also possible to order private taxis. Generally speaking, it is possible to travel to Jordan without a car, but you will make your life way easier when you rent one.
The best time to travel to Jordan is in shoulder season when temperatures are between 20 and 25 degrees. In the summer months, the temperature can easily go up to 45 degrees. Shoulder season is April-June and September-October. The winter months are less suitable, as it can get really cold in the desert and not all sites are open due to floods (e.g. Wadi Mujib only opens end of April and Wadi Ghuweir is generally also closed until the beginning of April).
Day 0 || Travel day to Amman
Day 1 || Explore Amman and all its sights
Day 2 || The Jordan History museum, Madaba, Mount Nebo and drive to Jerash
Day 3 || Explore Jerash and drive to Dana along the King’s Highway
Day 4 || Hike Wadi Ghuweir trail and drive to Petra
Day 5 || Explore Petra through the main entrance
Day 6 || Explore Petra through the back entrance
Day 7 || Drive to Wadi Rum and do a Jeep tour
Day 8 || Drive from Wadi Rum to the Dead Sea
Day 9 || Relax at the Dead Sea
Day 10 ||: Relax at the Dead Sea
Day 0 || Head back to Amman and fly back
We arrived in the middle of the night (5 o’clock), so we still booked a hotel in Amman. After customs and getting money from the ATM, we took a taxi that brought us to our hostel/hotel in Amman. We made sure to sleep in before starting to explore in the morning. First of all, we walked through Rainbow Street to the Books@Cafe. After we had a delicious breakfast, we went to the Roman Theater. After strolling around in Amman, at around 4 PM we walked up to the Citadel, where we were able to view Amman from above. After we walked back down, we had another drink at Sekrab, while we waited for dinner time. We had a lovely local dinner at Hashem and closed the day at the District rooftop bar.
If you want to have a full overview of how to best spend 24 hours in Amman, check out my full city guide to Amman here.
Stay in Amman: Battuta Hostel or Amman Rotana
As the Jordan Museum was closed on our first day in Amman, we headed there in the morning to understand a little bit more of Jordan’s history before starting the remainder of our Jordan tour. We headed to the airport to pick up our car and learned that it would still be quite early to travel to Jerash. Therefore, we drove to Madaba to view the Mosaic and Carpet City and headed to Mount Nebo to view the promised land. Afterward, we drove to Jerash to spend the night there so we could have an early start in the morning.
Stay in Jerash: Full Panorama To Archeological Site Jerash
We arrived at The Ancient Site Jerash at 8 AM right at the start of the opening hours to beat the crowds. We spend approximately 4 hours in Jerash including a coffee and a bit of lunch at the entrance of the ancient site. A full Jerash overview can be found in this photographic guide. At noon, we started our drive to Amm Ra-Raras. From there, we drove part of the King’s Highway and covered the main viewpoints. After the viewpoints, we left the King’s Highway to travel on the Desert Highway to Dana, where we stayed in an Eco Lodge, had our dinner served here, and planned our hike to Wadi Ghuweir for the next day. If you want to learn more about the King’s Highway, visit my guide here.
Stay in Dana: Dana Eco Lodge or Hobbit Village
In the early morning, our guide and driver picked us up to go to the start of the Wadi Ghuweir trail. The previous day, we were still doubting whether to hike the Dana Trail or to opt for the Wadi Ghuweir trail, which is more expensive due to the transportation costs and the guide that is needed. Nevertheless, we don’t regret our choice to go for the Wadi Ghuweir trail any minute, as it was such a stunning hike (and way more suitable with 35 degrees). Read everything you need to know about the Wadi Ghuweir hike, including all practicalities, here. We arranged with our driver, that we could take our car with us to the point where the road to Wadi Ghuweir crossed with the road to Petra. On the way back, he dropped us off at our car, which saved us some time. This made it possible for us to drive to Petra after the Wadi Ghuweir trail. When we arrived in Petra, we had a great dinner at My Mom’s Recipe.
Stay in Petra: The Petra Moon Hotel, The Nomads Hotel or Petra Boutique Hotel
On our list, was to arrive at Petra at 6 AM to beat the crowds as much as possible. We expected this to be one of the main highlights of this 10-day Jordan itinerary. We woke up slightly after 5 AM and drove to the main entrance, where we showed our Jordan Pass to receive our Petra ticket. We walked through the Siq to arrive at the Treasury early. Don’t expect to have the place fully to yourself, but there are some moments when not many people are around. After seeing the Treasury, we continued up to the High Place of Sacrifice and views the Royal Tombs, and hiked up to a Treasury viewpoint. In the evening, we went for a drink at the Cave Bar and again had dinner at My Mom’s Recipe. For more details, you can read my 2-day Itinerary to Petra.
Stay in Petra: The Petra Moon Hotel, The Nomads Hotel or Petra Boutique Hotel
On the second day in Petra, we decided to sleep in, had a nice breakfast, and relax on the rooftop of our hotel. Around 2 PM we took a cab to the back entrance of Petra, to start our 1.5-hour hike to the Monastery. When we arrived at the Monastery, we sat down with some soda and a game to admire the views, before walking back to the main entrance a bit closer to sunset. A perfect way to explore Petra at a different time and from a new angle. More information about hiking to Petra from the back entrance? Click here,
Stay in Petra: The Petra Moon Hotel, The Nomads Hotel or Petra Boutique Hotel
Around noon we arrived in Wadi Rum, one of the other highlights of this 10-day Jordan itinerary. Our camp instructed us to park our car at a nearby gas station and we agreed on a time they would pick us up. After settling in our Bedouin tent and playing a game of Yahtzee with the owners of the camp, we departed around 2:30 PM for our 4-hour jeep tour to explore Wadi Rum. We were back a bit before sunset. As our camp was close to one of the best sunset spots of Wadi Rum, we went for a walk to watch one of the most amazing sunsets I’ve ever seen. In my full adventure guide to Wadi Rum, you can find more information.
Stay in Wadi Rum: Wadi Rum Legend Camp, Wadi Rum Bedouin Camp or Memories Aicha Luxury camp
After we visited Wadi Rum, we continued to our final destination of this 10-day Jordan itinerary: The Dead See. We decided to relax a bit at the end of this trip but still wanted to see this natural phenomenon. We stayed at the Ramada Resort, from where we visited the local beach to float in the Dead Sea, and on our way there we stopped at some of the beautiful salt flats. If you can, also had to Wadi Mujib on our way, however, unfortunately, Wadi Mujib was still closed when we visited. Another nice day trip from the Dead Sea is the Ma’in Hotsprings, or you can even stay in the Ma’in resort.
Stay around the Dead Sea: Ramada Resort Dead Sea, Dead Sea Marriott Resort & Spa or Ma’in Hot Springs resort
Option 1: Add Aqaba to your itinerary and explore the Red Sea and go diving if you like! Personally, I thought the 3-nights around the Dead Sea where quite long, as there is not much happening. A good replacement could have been to spend some nights in Aqaba and only head to the Dead Sea to explore the Salt Flats and the floating. If you have more days available, you could also visit Aqaba and turn this 10-day Jordan Itinerary into a 12-day Jordan Itinerary.
Add Wadi Mujib: As described in this Itinerary, unfortunately, Wadi Mujib was still closed. However, if you have the chance, definitely spend half a day there to explore this great canyon and head for some adventure!
