Plane tickets – use your favourite flight search engine. If you don't have a favourite one, trykiwi.com. Ryanair often offers flights to Amman. Time is very tight for this trip, so choose tickets with arrival to Amman as early in the morning as possible. And also, for the flight back home choose tickets with departure from Amman as late in the afternoon as possible, or ideally in the evening!
Visa – a visa for Jordan is compulsory and the Jordan Pass option is ideal if travelling for 3 nights or more. Buy the Jordan Pass online in advance and print it out. The Jordan Pass includes entry to virtually all the places you visit. For this type of trip, you only need a Jordan Pass with one entry to Petra.
Accommodation – for accommodation in Petra choose the SunSet Hotel; for the camping accommodation in Wadi Rum you can look at the Wadi Rum Nature Tours website; a good hotel in Aqaba is Lacosta Hotel. In Madaba opt either for the simple Black Iris Hotel or the nicer Mosaic City Hotel.
Car Rental – AVIS – consider paying for full insurance, not only is the traffic a bit chaotic at times but you will be leaving your car in many different places and other drivers don't worry too much about any scratches etc. You'll drive a great distance, choose a more comfortable car.
Wadi Rum Jeep Tour – make arrangements ahead of time with the campsite where you'll be staying. If you use the campsite we suggest, then arrange your jeep tour right away with your accommodation. Don't forget to agree on the form of payment, usually it's cash in JOD on the spot.
Petra by Night – evening tour of Petra. Entry is not covered by the Jordan Pass. You can either get tickets on the spot or better yet, ask your hotel in Wadi Musa to arrange tickets for you.
Prices at the destination – prices in Jordan are reasonable. Of course, you can encounter big differences – prices are usually significantly higher on the tourist routes than a few streets away from the centre.
Calls and data – check with your provider for current prices. WiFi is common in hotels and restaurants and is free. Don't forget that when you are in Wadi Rum Village it will be your last chance to make a call or send a text – there is no signal at the campsite, and signal is also not great on the Jeep Tour.
When to come here – pretty much anytime. Over the summer it will probably be very hot here, and there will also be a lot of other tourists. So, early spring or late fall is ideal. However, you can go here in winter if you’d like, but there may be snow, even in Wadi Rum – so I’d suggest skipping December and January. My experience in late February was almost 20°C during the day and 3-5°C at night, so ideal for hiking.
TIP – there is even more to experience in Wadi Rum! Through Wadi Rum Nature Tours, you can arrange to sleep in the desert in the open air – after dinner they will drive you into the desert and bring you back in the morning for breakfast. Don't worry the guide will be with you the whole time! Alternatively, you can arrange to travel to or from the campsite on camels – but be prepared that it's not a short journey. Due to tight schedules, a camel ride to the campsite would only be possible on your arrival at Wadi Rum Village. Your suitcases will be taken away by jeep and you will ride on majestic camels.
Niky Malečková