11 day Jordan itinerary

Hi all Jordan veterans,

my husband and I are visiting Jordan for the first time at the end of August/beginning of September. We have already booked our flights but nothing else. We are leaning towards a hire car because it looks like it works out cheaper than taxis... but still undecided.

Anyways, I have come up with an itinerary. I have never done this before as we normally stay in a country for at least a month or so, and just figure things out as we go. However this time round we only have 11 days and I would appreciate if you guys could have a look over it and give me tips or hints or advice.

We are in our late 20s, very outdoorsy and well travelled. Don't mind roughing it and like to keep the budget reasonably low without missing out on cool experiences.

Day 1 (Wed 29 Aug)
5.15am arrive from New Zealand, catch up on some sleep g, look around Amman
sleep Amman

Day 2
Jerash plus Chariots show
sleep Amman

Day 3
pick up rental car (probably at the airport so we don't have to drive through Amman) and drive to Wadi Mujib,
do the Siq Trail, float in the Dead Sea
sleep Mujib Chalets

Day 4
Drive from Wadi Mujib to Kerak, visit Kerak Castle, then drive to Dana. Maybe do a hike, depending on arrival time.
sleep Dana (looking at El Nawatef Camp)

Day 5
hike in Dana Reserve, in late afternoon drive to Petra
sleep Wadi Mousa

Day 6
Full day Petra
sleep Wadi Mousa

Day 7
Full day Petra
sleep Wadi Mousa

Day 8
Morning drive from Wadi Mousa to Wadi Rum
full day in desert
sleep desert

Day 9
full day desert
sleep desert

Day 10
camel ride back into the village, then drive to Madaba
depending on arrival time, look around Madaba
return rental car
sleep Madaba

Day 11 (Sat 8 Sept)
fly out

What do you guys think, is this doable? Are our driving distances per day ok?

I'm looking foward to your input, cheers!

Edited by: Kornspitz

Yes, it's very doable.

The only suggestion I'd make is on Day 2. Jerash is fine, but it won't take all day. I'd combine Jerash with a visit to Umm Qais.

Good luck.

The itinerary looks good and the drive times all make sense. You won't be too rushed on any of these.

Agree with laketraveller about Jerash. You won't need all day. Combining it with Umm Qais is an excellent suggestion.

Also, you may want to consider visiting the Desert Castles. Easily a day trip from Amman. An interesting alternative to consider if you don't want to spend two days in Wadi Rum.

Either Umm Qais or Ajloun Castle combined with Jerash. An alternative would be a refreshing float and covering with therapeutic mud in the Dead Sea after a hot morning in the sun going through Jerash--really shouldn't be missed if you're coming all this way. From the Dead Sea, you can take the Dead Sea highway south and cut over to Karak, visit the castle, then follow the Kings Highway to Petra from there, maybe even stopping at Shobak Castle.

Rent your car on day 2 and drive to Jerash yourself on that day. Continue north to Ajlun and/or Umm Qais and follow the Jordan Valley all the way south to Mujib. Alternatively spend the night in the north and drive down to Mujib on day 3.

Depending on your preference you might want to skip Ajlun and visit Abila (http://henkbos.com/p130139216/h9661720#h9661720) on your way to Umm Qais. Almost deserted from tourists and very interesting.

Your itinerary looks really good. Unless you are really into rock climbing or scrambling or horse riding in the desert you won't need 2 days in Wadi Rum- read the itineraries of trips offered by various guides and you will realise that only special interests require longer stay. Most people do 1 day +1 night, some even half day and one night.

I would allow 4 hours for Jerash (excluding the driving) and then add some of the sights suggested above. I absolutely loved Umm Qais, you could also do Pella, a small site (with an excellent cafe) and great views.

If you are into hiking you could stay in Ajloun and do a hike there- a very different experience to the rocky Dana or the desert.

I envy henkbos for seeing Abila- we didn't make it there, not enough time.

Thanks everyone for your input! Doing up an itinerary is a whole new experience for us :)

#1 and 2
Thanks for the suggeston of Umm Qais, I'll have a look into it. Although I have to say that my husband and I are much more intestered in the outdoors, hiking, nature and landscapes than ruins.

#3 and 4
I'll look into Aljoun Castle, thanks. We will be down at the Dead Sea the next day anyway, to do the Siq trail and float in the Dead Sea.

#5
I didn't realise there is hiking in Aljoun, I'll certainly look into that, thanks! However there is no way we will cut down our time in Wadi Rum because, to be honest, that's the reason why we chose to go to Jordan in the first place. Hiking, scrambling, sleeping under the stars, camel trekking - that's right up our alley.

Just FYI regarding Umm Qais. Jerash looks like what you might expect the prototypical ruins to look like. Umm Qais on the other hand has a smaller, more rustic footprint and would appeal to someone who is more interested in hiking the area, seeing nature, great views and generally the things you state you're interested in.

If you have the time to hike around the area I think you'd find it much more to your liking than Jerash which, while interesting, is a highly developed tourist site.

Have fun.

#7
that's a very good point, Laketraveller, thank you! We are just a bit worried we'll be 'ruined out' after Jerash and that if UQ is smaller that it might not be that impressive. But you made some good points about nature and hikes.. so we might check it out anyways!