5 Days in Jordan
Signature Brand
All Egypt Tours
Overview
Jordan is small enough that five days genuinely covers it. This trip runs north to south — Amman, then Jerash, then down the Rift Valley to the Dead Sea, on to Petra, and finally into the desert at Wadi Rum — so nothing is doubled back on and each night is somewhere new.
Jerash is the first stop and the one people underestimate. It is a Roman provincial city that was never built over, so the oval forum, the colonnaded main street with chariot ruts worn into the paving, the Nymphaeum and the Temple of Artemis all stand where they were left. A local guide walks you through it. From there the road drops steadily to the Dead Sea, four hundred metres below sea level, where the water is salt-saturated to the point that staying upright takes more effort than floating, and the mineral mud along the shoreline is the reason the spa resorts are there at all.
Petra takes a full day, and it needs one. You ride a horse the first stretch from the visitor centre, then walk into the Siq — a sandstone fissure over a kilometre long, narrow enough in places that the sky is a line overhead — until the Treasury opens up at the far end. Beyond it the Nabataean city keeps going: the Street of Facades, the theatre cut straight into the rock, the Royal Tombs ranged along the eastern cliff, and the Monastery for anyone willing to take on eight hundred rock-cut steps. Your guide covers two to three hours; the rest of the day is yours to keep walking.
Wadi Rum closes the trip. You drive south into a valley of wind-carved sandstone and granite standing out of pink sand, stop for cardamom coffee at the Beau Geste outpost, and take two hours through the desert in an open Bedouin 4x4 — the landscape Lean shot Lawrence of Arabia in, and which has stood in for Mars in a good deal of film since. You sleep in a camp rather than a hotel, which is the point: the sky out there is worth the trade in comfort.
Everything runs privately, with an English-speaking assistant travelling with you throughout and local specialist guides at Petra and Jerash.
Send us your travel dates and group size and we'll come back with availability and a per-person price.
Daily Itinerary
Your tour manager meets you at Queen Alia International Airport, helps with the entry formalities and drives you into the city, about forty minutes by private air-conditioned vehicle. They see you through check-in, walk you through the days ahead and agree the morning pickup with you. A welcome drink is waiting at the hotel. The rest of the evening is free.
Overnight: Amman
Included visits: None
Meals: Welcome drink
Optional experiences: An evening walk through downtown Amman, the Citadel hill and the Roman theatre
Important notes: Airport pickup is included whatever time you arrive. Confirm your visa arrangements with us before travel — the Jordan Pass, bought online in advance, waives the visa fee for most visitors and covers Petra and Jerash entry.
After breakfast you drive north to Jerash, about an hour, where a local guide takes you through the site for an hour or so: the oval forum ringed by columns, the cardo with its worn chariot ruts, the Nymphaeum fountain and the Temple of Artemis on the terrace above. The afternoon is spent driving south and west, dropping steadily below sea level to the Dead Sea. You check in with time to get into the water before the light goes, and the evening is at leisure at the resort.
Overnight: Dead Sea
Included visits: Jerash
Meals: Breakfast
Optional experiences: Spa and mud treatments at the resort; Madaba and Mount Nebo added en route, subject to timing
Important notes: Bring a swimsuit and flip-flops — the shoreline is sharp underfoot. Do not shave that morning, keep the water away from your eyes, and twenty minutes in is plenty.
An early start for the drive south to Petra, roughly three hours on the Desert Highway. A short horse ride covers the first stretch from the visitor centre, and you continue on foot into the Siq. The Treasury sits at the far end. Your local guide covers the main sites over two to three hours — the Street of Facades, the theatre, the Royal Tombs — after which the site stays open to you. You check into your Petra hotel in the evening.
Overnight: Petra
Included visits: Petra
Meals: Breakfast
Optional experiences: The climb to the Monastery, around 800 steps; Petra by Night, which runs on selected evenings and is ticketed separately; golf-cart assistance along the approach
Important notes: A full day on your feet with little shade, and the walk back out is uphill. Proper shoes, a hat and more water than you expect to need. Lunch is not included — there are restaurants inside the site. Horse numbers are limited, and the ride covers only the approach, not the Siq or the city.
After breakfast you drive south into Wadi Rum, where wind has cut the sandstone and granite into isolated massifs standing out of pink sand. You stop at the Beau Geste outpost for cardamom-spiced coffee, then take a two-hour excursion through the valley in an open Bedouin 4x4 — sand dunes, rock bridges, canyons and the Nabataean inscriptions cut into the rock faces. Your camp is in the desert itself. Dinner is cooked there, and after dark there is no light for a hundred kilometres in any direction.
Overnight: Bedouin camp, Wadi Rum
Included visits: Wadi Rum by 4x4
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Optional experiences: A camel ride at sunset; a longer 4x4 route; a guided scramble to one of the rock bridges
Important notes: The camp is comfortable but simple — bedding and shared facilities, limited power. Desert nights are genuinely cold from November through February, so bring a fleece whatever the daytime forecast says. The open 4x4 is dusty and unshaded; a scarf and sunglasses help.
Breakfast at the camp, then free time in the desert before the drive north to Queen Alia International Airport. It is a long transfer — around four hours from Wadi Rum — so departure timing is set around your flight with margin built in.
Included visits: None
Meals: Breakfast
Important notes: Allow four hours for the drive plus three at the airport before an international departure. If your flight is early morning, ask us about an Amman or Dead Sea hotel for the final night instead.
What's Included
- Meet-and-assist by our representative at Amman airport on arrival and departure
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking assistant throughout
- One night in Amman with breakfast
- One night at a Dead Sea hotel with breakfast
- One night in Petra with breakfast
- One night in a Wadi Rum desert camp with dinner and breakfast
- Local English-speaking guide at Petra, two to three hours
- Local English-speaking guide at Jerash, about one hour
- Two-hour Wadi Rum excursion in an open Bedouin 4x4
- Short horse ride on the approach to the Siq, covered by your Petra ticket
- Entrance tickets to every site named in the itinerary
- Meals as set out day by day below
- All service charges and applicable taxes
Not Included
- International airfare
- Entry visa to Jordan
- Personal spendings
- Tipping
Our Travelers Testimonials
Authentic perspective from those who have experienced the unparalleled elegance of our curated journeys.
Exclusive Pyramids Photography
Immortalize your profound journey looking over the ancient horizon with an internationally acclaimed professional photographer.
Reserve SessionSignature Brands
