Solo Israel in December

Welcome. First, you do realize that Petra is not in Israel, right? Given your time you'll be able to visit Petra, but it's in Jordan and will require a several day time commitment.

Good luck.

Haha yes I realize that, I suppose I should have been clearer in my first post - but thanks!

I've put together a rough schedule, any feedback? I'm unsure as to travelling time between Ein-Gedi to Wadi Musa and Wadi-Musa to Tel Aviv so am looking for suggestions, thanks!

Dec 6-9 Tel Aviv
Dec 9-12 Haifa (with day trips to Nazareth etc.)
Dec 12-17 Jerusalem (with day trips to Bethlehem etc.)
Dec 17-19 Ein Gedi
Dec 19 Ein Gedi-Wadi Musa
Dec 21 Wadi Musa-Tel Aviv
Dec 21-Dec 23 Tel Aviv (fly home early morning)

IMHO you haven't allocated enough time to Petra and possibly too much to TA and / or Ein Gedi (depending upon your interests). While TA has some historical value, it's claim to fame are it's beaches and party scene.

Wadi Musa is a full day of travel from TA and only a bit less from EG. That's two full days of travel to spend one seeing a site that takes at least two.

I'd adjust accordingly.

I don't know what Hanukka celebrations you want to "take in". Hanukka is not a major holiday in Israel. It's big in America (I have no idea what it's like in "not specified") as a counterweight to Christmas, but it's really only a minor holiday. There will be activities for children - in Hebrew of course - and public candle lighting in major cities, but that's about it.

I do not think you have sufficiently researched what there is to do at each site. Haifa is NOT a good place to base a stay in the North. I would really consider a mini-tour for the North since without a car it is very difficult to get around by public transport.

You are spending too much time in Ein Gedi. You can visit Masada/Dead Sea/Ein Gedi on a day trip from Jerusalem. Add days to Jerusalem.

And looking again at your itinerary: How are you proposing to get from Ein Gedi to Wadi Musa and back? You need to go all the way to Eilat/Aqaba to cross the border. You haven't considered the time necessary for that, and the fact that the buses don't just come whenever you want them to come. They are not very frequent. December 21 is a Friday. There are no buses on Friday afternoon/evening from Eilat to Tel Aviv and no other way to get from Eilat to Tel Aviv unless you have a car, except possibly flying (I don't know whether there are flights on Friday afternoon/evening).

Thanks for all the feedback!

As for getting from Ein Gedi to Wadi Musa, I'm planning to take the bus to Eilat (egged bus runs through Ein Gedi around midnight) and take taxi/public transit to Wadi Musa from the border. I'll allow myself a full day of travel there/back.

According to the egged trip planner, buses run from Eilat to Tel Aviv Friday up until early afternoon, so as long as I depart Wadi Musa fairly early I believe I should be able to catch a bus back.

In December buses will stop running earlier on Fridays than they do now. Israel is still on summer time (daylight saving). The clocks go back on September 23 and it's almost certain that after that date the last bus on Friday will be at 14:00 rather than 15:00. In December it might be considerably earlier than that.

Since times on the Egged website are shown for only the next seven days (updated daily), precise times for December are obviously not available yet.

Look at the website again on or after this coming Saturday. By then, the times for Friday September 28 will be up on the site, so you can see what time the last bus goes during winter time (non-daylight saving).