A Week Visiting Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea
The prices that appear per day are referential and correspond to the sum of activities that were made that day
I purchased a JordanPass to be able to access all tourist areas with one single payment (this is a great idea). I walked around the city, I visited the citadel of Amman, the Roman Theatre and the Archaeological Museum. Amman is a quiet city with good places to have dinner.
I took a four-hour tour to the magnificent city of Jerash, which is an hour away north from Amman. I had lunch when I got back because the next thing in my itinerary was to take a three-hour trip to Petra. I checked-in in a hotel in the district of Petra. I learned that there is a ‘Petra by Night’ tour on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. You can take them in case you want to see the Treasure of Petra illuminated.
Visiting Petra is a full-day experience in which you walk a lot. You get in through a long natural corridor that was excavated by the erosion of water over thousands of years (yes, wow!). Inside, you meet the impressive image of the Treasury, you walk and climb towards the tombs of the Nabataean kings, and, if you are brave enough, you walk fifteen kilometres to the Monastery. The JordanPass gives you access to Petra.
I left my hotel in Petra only with a backpack. My destination was south, to Wadi Rum desert. There, I got in a 4×4 and drove through incredible views of this red desert. It felt as if I were in Mars, unbelievable. I spent the night in a Bedouin camp, sharing their typical meals and some of their traditions. It was a great experience.
I went back to my hotel in Petra and next I left west to a luxury spa in the Dead Sea (three hours by car). Once settled, I went to the salty waters of the sea, and I took a bath there. It has sticky waters, like oil, so you will feel a curious sensation the first time. I put some mud on my body because of its medicinal properties. In the evening, I had dinner at the hotel while I watched a folkloric show and tried smoking ‘shisha’ for the first time.
The lodging that is shown in the list of each night is recommended by the traveler, you can find more similar options. The cost is per person in a double bed room.
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The prices that appear by transport are referential and correspond to what the traveler paid at that moment
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Take a swimsuit with you so you can take a bath in the Dead Sea. Remember that you cannot plunge or swim in it. Your eyes may burn, and so any injury in your skin. What you can do easily there is float (because of the density of its waters). Live that experience.
I recommend going to Jordan between March and June or between September and November to avoid the hot weather of July and August and the cold and rains between December and February.
Take comfortable clothes and shoes for long trekking. Jordan is a huge desert, so get ready to walk in sand.
To eat in Amman, I recommend the Levant restaurant.
To enter Jordan, it is enough to buy the Jordan Pass and present it at the airport. You do not need visa. You also can buy it at the airport. Buying the Jordan Pass is the safest way to get access to Petra, Jerash, Wadi Rum and the Amman Citadel. You do need one. I recommend the Jordan Wanderer that allows you to make the trip that I made with one entrance to Petra.
Remember that the cost of taxis is shared between the riders. If you contact a provider, maybe you can arrange a fixed price for all your trips.
Ask if your hotel offers (or, better, includes) an airport pick-up service. That could save you the cost of the taxi.
At the hotel in Petra, you can ask them to call the transport that will take you to Wadi Rum Visitor Center. Also keep in mind that, though lunch is included in the camp, extra snacks will also be helpful. You can also ask your hotel in Petra to prepare you a special lunch box for that day.