Jordan Itinerary: 10 Days in Jordan

Planning a Jordan itinerary? Read on for an incredible Jordan 10 day itinerary that covers the country’s highlights, from Petra to Wadi Rum, from hiking to beaching.

Jordan’s a great country for a good ole’ fashioned road trip, with decent roads and short driving distances. (Disclaimer: And some slightly cray cray drivers.) We loved our self drive Jordan adventure, but if you don’t want to drive yourself, it’s also easy to hire a driver or take taxis from A to B. See my Jordan Travel Tips for more info on transport, the best time to visit Jordan and other information.

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How Long to Spend in Jordan

As with most countries, the longer the better! However, Jordan is a relatively compact country, and the Jordan itineraries below can all be conquered over one week in Jordan to two weeks in Jordan.

We spent ten days in Jordan, and managed to comfortably hit up most of the Jordan Best Places to Visit during our 10 day Jordan itinerary. That said, I would definitely have preferred a few more days to chill and hike some more.

We did meet people cramming similar Jordan itineraries into 4-5 days. However, I recommend longer (one week minimum) to make the most of the country and avoid rushing around from site to site. 

If you have longer than two weeks for your Jordan itinerary (woohoo for you!), you should also check out Aqaba, Wadi Mujib, Umm Quais and Ajloun Forest. 

Option 1: Jordan Itinerary 10 Days Amman to Amman Circuit 

Our Jordan itinerary started and ended in Amman. While you’ll cover some of the same ground, this Jordan route is convenient if your flights are to and from Amman. We also liked breaking up our main hiking days in Dana and Petra with Wadi Rum, and leaving our Dead Sea chill time until the end when our tired legs couldn’t walk any further. 

Check out our Jordan self drive itinerary route on Google Maps. 

Day 1 – Amman

Driving: Taxi from Queen Alia Airport to Amman Old Town, approx 40 minutes, JD21.5 using the airport taxi service

Accommodation: Gallery Guest House (Night 1, $, TripAdvisor review). Gallery Guest House is comfortable, has an excellent location in the heart of Downtown, is reasonably priced and has a rooftop terrace for breakfast. What more could you want?!

Most international flights arrive in Amman. The airport is south of Amman, so you could pick up your rental car or driver here and head straight to Madaba or the Dead Sea.

Amman was a little unexpected for us, and in a very good way. Highlights include the Roman Theatre, Citadel, Downtown and Rainbow Street.

We only spent a day in Amman at each end of our trip, but I could easily have meandered around the old Downtown area for a few days. There’s excellent food, great rooftop bars, and intriguing alleyways filled with shops and other delights.

Read More: See my guide on How to Spend One Day in Amman for the low down on how to maximise a short time in Amman. 

Day 2 – Kings Highway, Madaba and Kerak Castle

Driving: Take the scenic route to get your Jordan itinerary on the road! On the Kings Highway (Route 35), approx. 40-50 minutes from Amman to Madaba, 2h from Madaba to Kerak, 2h from Kerak to Dana

Accommodation: Dana Wadi Eco-Camp (Nights 2 and 3, $$, TripAdvisor review), around 1km from Dana Village with epic views over the valley below

Road trip time! After picking up your rental car, take the slightly longer but infinitely more scenic Kings Highway (Route 35) from Amman to Dana. This drive is an experience in itself. Exhibit A above: crazy hairpin turns and crazy beautiful colors!

There are two highly recommended stops along the Kings Highway. First, stop at Madaba to visit modern Greek Orthodox Churches with ancient Byzantine mosaics. The highlight is St George’s Church with the Madaba map mosaic, a fairly well preserved mosaic map of the Holyland that was discovered under the church’s floor. You may also enjoy the Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist, not only for the morbid name but also for the museum housed under the church and the bell tower that you can climb for views over Madaba,

Secondly, stop at Kerak to explore Kerak Castle. Kerak Castle is one of the largest Crusader castles, and is filled with interesting rooms and caverns to explore. You can pick up a guide at the entrance to make the castle come alive. (Otherwise, the rooms all pretty much look the same!). There’s some good restaurants in Kerak, which makes it a great midday stop for lunch.

The drive from Amman to Dana will take most of the day if you take the scenic Kings Highway and stop at both Madaba and Kerak. Enjoy the journey and expect to arrive in Dana in the evening in time for dinner.

Days 3 and 4 (Half Day) – Dana Hiking

Driving: We stayed in Dana for two nights. Note that some of the transfers for the hikes take 2h+ – longer than we expected!

Accommodation: Dana Wadi Eco-Camp (Nights 2 and 3, $$, TripAdvisor review)

The main reason to visit Dana is hiking. If you’re not a hiker, then you may want to skip Dana or just pass through for lunch and the views. Dana Biosphere is incredibly beautiful, and you can spend anything from hours to days hiking in the valley.

On Day 3, we did the full day Wadi Ghuweir hike, which is one of the best day hikes I’ve every done. On Day 4, we did a half day hike along the Wadi Dana Trail (and back uphill again, ekkk!) before hitting the road again for Wadi Rum. 

In fact, we loved Dana so much that the only thing I’d change about our Jordan itinerary is to stay 3 nights in Dana (instead of 2) and 1 night in Wadi Rum (instead of 2). I’d complete the full day Wadi Dana Trail on Day 4, and leave for Wadi Rum early on Day 5.

Read More: Read my Ultimate Guide to Hiking in the Dana Biosphere Reserve Jordan for all the deets of our Dana hikes and a guide to Dana Village.

Days 4 (Half Day) and 5 – Wadi Rum

Driving: 2 hours driving from Dana to Wadi Rum Visitor Centre on Route 15. Allow another hour to reach your camp, as you’ll need to get your Jordan Pass stamped at the Visitor Centre, drive to Wadi Rum Village (where you can park your car) and get taken by jeep to your camp. 

Accommodation: Beyond Wadi Rum Camp (Nights 4 and 5, $$, TripAdvisor review). This is a small, reasonably priced, well run and well reviewed camp in a good location with good jeep tours.

We spent two nights of our Jordan itinerary in Wadi Rum to have freedom in our arrival and departure times and allow a full day to explore the desert by jeep and camel.

However, unless you want to immerse yourself in the desert and Bedouin culture, one night should suffice. If you stay for one night, leave either the afternoon or the following morning for a 4-6 hour desert tour.

If you’re really tight for time, you can also visit Wadi Rum on a day trip from Petra.

Read More: Read my Wadi Rum Camp Guide to learn about life in a Bedouin camp and the incredible desert landscapes you’ll visit on your jeep tour. 

Days 6 and 7 – Petra

Driving: 1hr 40m drive from Wadi Rum Village to Petra, taking the slightly longer scenic Kings Highway Route 35

Accommodation: Old Village Hotel & Resort (Nights 6 and 7, $$$, TripAdvisor review). One of my favourite hotels of the trip, as we felt like we were sleeping in a luxe cave, perfect after a long day at Petra!

For most people, visiting Petra’s ancient rock-hewn city is the highlight of their Jordan itinerary. I’d hyped up Petra in my mind and am pleased to report that it was even better than I imagined. Petra is WAY bigger than I expected, and contains many trails and ruins beyond the main route and the famous Treasury and Monastery.

Aim to spend two full days in Petra. (Unless you hate hiking or incredible ancient ruins. Your choice). 

Stay in Petra on a Monday, Wednesday or Thursday night to experience Petra By Night.

Read More: Read my Ultimate Petra Tour Guide for the low down on the best Petra temples and hiking trails and top travel tips, including how to avoid the dreaded crowds.

If you want to visit Aqaba, slot it in after either Wadi Rum or Petra. 

Day 8 – Little Petra and Dead Sea 

Driving: 3 hours from Petra to the Dead Sea 

Accommodation: Kempinski Ishtar Dead Sea (Night 8, $$$+, TripAdvisor review). If you can afford to splash out, Kempinski is incredible and indulgent for a night or two of luxury relaxation after several days hiking.

Little Petra is 10 minutes drive north of Petra, and is a small but worthwhile stop if you have time. You’ll only need 30 minutes to an hour to walk through the mini siq and check out the small temples. Don’t miss the ceiling paintings with intricate floral motifs. 

Aim to arrive at the Dead Sea around midday so that you have enough time to float in the Dead Sea and enjoy the resort and spa, especially if you’re forking out for an exxy hotel! Get into chill mode with a lazy lunch around one of the many luxe pools.

The resorts all have private beaches where you can partake in the classic Dead Sea experience. The ritual pretty much goes something like this: float your worries away in the salty water (just don’t put your head under, ouchy!), cake yourself in mud and dry off in the sun for 10-20 minutes, float some more and wash the mud off, scrub your body with Dead Sea salt for a few minutes, and then rinse off in the beach shower. Super soft skin here you come! 

If you’re not done with the pampering, visit the spa for a bathing experience (I’ve never seen so many different pools in my life!) or spa treatment.

While our trip to the Dead Sea was pretty pricey, I’m a sucker for a bit of luxe and would have loved another night here to chill after days of hiking.

Day 9 – Ajloun Castle and Jerash

Driving: 1h 40m driving from Dead Sea to Ajloun Castle, 35 minutes from Aljoun Castle to Jerash, 50 minutes from Jerash to Amman (allow more for Amman city traffic or airport transfers) 

Accommodation: Gallery Guest House (Night 9, $, TripAdvisor review)

Maxed and relaxed from the Dead Sea and time to get your kul-cha back on! Take the long way back to Amman with two pretty awesome stops along the way: Ajloun Castle and Jerash. You can also visit Ajloun Castle and Jerash as a day trip from Amman if you have spare nights there at the start or end of your trip. 

Firstly, wander around Ajloun Castle. Like many local castles, Ajloun Castle has lived several lives through different historical and religious periods. If you have more nights and are a nature lover, spend a night or two in the Ajloun Forest Reserve.

Secondly, stop at Jerash. Jerash is home to some pretty impressive Roman ruins – not exactly what you may be expecting to find in Jordan! Most people recommend 2+ hours in Jerash, but one hour was enough for us to soak it up. (We tend to see historical sites more quickly than others!) 

Besides, I had a hankering for Hashem, my favorite local restaurant in Amman. We returned our rental car and hightailed it to Hashem for falafel, dips, salad and breads. Delish! End the day with a drink (or three) at one of Rainbow Street’s rooftop bars. 

Day 10 – Amman 

At the end of your Jordan itinerary, spend another day in Amman (it’s well worth it!) or head to the airport for your international flight home. 

Option 2: Jordan 10 Day Itinerary Amman to Wadi Rum One Way

Many people fly into Amman and exit from the south (flight from Aqaba or overland transfer to Israel), or vice versa. If so, then it makes more sense to do a one way north to south itinerary.

The Jordan one way itinerary covers the same sites as the circuit Jordan itinerary above, but in a different order for more efficient driving times: Amman (2 nights with Jerash day trip) – Dead Sea – Dana – Petra – Wadi Rum. You can also visit Aqaba at the end. 

Option 3: Jordan Itinerary Using Two Bases with Day Trips

Don’t feel like moving accommodation every couple of days? Not to worry, Jordan is compact, and you can visit all the places in the Jordan circuit and one way itineraries above using only two locations as your base.

It is possible to visit all of Jordan from one base. However, I don’t recommend this as it makes for some very long days, and you won’t be able to do justice to Petra. 

Base One: Amman or Madaba

Park yourself in Amman or Madaba for 4-5 nights to see Jordan’s north. From here, do day trips to Amman, Madaba, Jerash and the Dead Sea. You can also hike Wadi Mujib while you visit the Dead Sea if you leave early.  

An alternative base is the Dead Sea. However, the resorts here are expensive, so it’s not the most budget friendly base. If you don’t stay at a Dead Sea resort, you can pay to visit one of the resorts to access the Dead Sea and use their facilities.

Base Two: Petra, Shoubak or a nearby desert location 

Next, spend 4-5 nights in Wadi Musa or another town close to Petra, so that you can arrive at Petra early for a long day of exploring. Spend two days in Petra and do day trips to Wadi Rum and Dana Biosphere Reserve. You can also add Aqaba for some beach time. 

Jordan’s an incredible country for self driving and hiking. I hope you love this Jordan itinerary as much as we did!

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