Jordan on Screen: Petra and Wadi Rum in Six Days

Overview

A rose-red city and a desert of many planets

The first half of this trip belongs to Petra. We drive down the old King's Highway from Amman, stopping at the mosaic map in Madaba, Mount Nebo and the Crusader castle at Kerak, and reach Wadi Musa for two nights at the gate of Petra. The next morning you walk through the Siq to the Treasury, the Grail temple of The Last Crusade, and on through the city of tombs to the Monastery, about 800 steps up. That evening you walk the Siq again by candlelight for Petra by Night.

The second half belongs to Wadi Rum. After a morning at Little Petra we drive south into the desert, change to jeeps driven by Bedouin guides from Rum village, and spend the afternoon among the valleys used for Lawrence of Arabia, The Martian, Rogue One and Dune. You sleep in a desert camp run by a Bedouin family, watch the stars, and in the morning ride out to the red sand before the drive back to Amman. Omar Nawafleh leads the whole trip.

Itinerary

Petra and Wadi Rum tour: day by day

An air-conditioned van with a professional Jordanian driver on the highways, and open 4x4 jeeps with Bedouin drivers inside Wadi Rum. Ticketed times shift with the season; your final timetable comes two weeks before departure.

Day 1AmmanArrive in Amman

• Omar or a colleague meets you in the arrivals hall at Queen Alia International Airport after immigration, where you show your Jordan Pass for the visa.
• Transfer to the hotel in Amman, 40 to 50 minutes.
• At 7 p.m. a welcome dinner of mezze in a restaurant near the hotel.

Meals: dinner

Day 2The King's HighwayMadaba, Kerak and down to Petra

• Leave at 8 a.m. for Madaba and the 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land in the Church of St George.
• Mount Nebo, with the view over the Jordan Valley to the Dead Sea.
• Lunch near Kerak, then an hour inside Kerak Castle, the Crusader fortress on its ridge.
• Continue south on the King's Highway and arrive in Wadi Musa, the town at the gate of Petra, in the early evening.

Meals: breakfast, lunch

Day 3PetraThe Siq, the Treasury and the Monastery

• Enter Petra at 6:30 a.m. and walk the Siq to the Treasury before the crowds.
• The Street of Facades, the theater and the Royal Tombs with Omar.
• Lunch in the old city center, then climb about 800 steps to the Monastery, or rest and explore the lower city.
• Back at the hotel by late afternoon. At 8:30 p.m. Petra by Night: the Siq lined with candles and the Treasury lit up, about 2 hours.

Meals: breakfast, lunch

Day 4Little Petra and Wadi RumFrom the rock city to the desert

• Optional early return to Petra on your second-day ticket for the trail to the viewpoint above the Treasury.
• Little Petra, Siq al-Barid, a short drive north: carved houses and a painted ceiling in a smaller canyon.
• Drive south to Wadi Rum, about 1 hour 45, and change to jeeps with Bedouin guides in Rum village.
• Afternoon in the desert: the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, a spring linked to Lawrence, a canyon with ancient inscriptions, and sunset from a red dune.
• Dinner of zarb, cooked under the sand, and a night in the camp.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 5Wadi Rum to AmmanMartian valleys and the Desert Highway

• Sunrise over the desert, then breakfast in the camp.
• Morning jeep drive to the red sand valleys used for The Martian, Rogue One and The Rise of Skywalker, and a stop at a natural rock bridge.
• Lunch in Rum village, then drive back to Amman on the Desert Highway, about 4 hours.
• Farewell dinner in Amman.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 6AmmanDeparture

• Breakfast and a free morning; the Amman Citadel and the Roman Theatre are a short taxi ride from the hotel.
• Transfer to Queen Alia International Airport, timed to your flight.

Meals: breakfast

On screen

Films and series on the Petra and Wadi Rum tour

The productions behind the stops on this tour, where they filmed and what you see there today.

Filming spots change over time: storefronts get new owners, sets are rebuilt and some interiors were shot on stages elsewhere, so your tour leader tells you on the day what is still there.

Hotels

Hotels on the Petra and Wadi Rum tour

5 nights, rooms with private bathroom, breakfast every morning. We name the class and the area; the exact hotel, or a similar one, is confirmed with your booking.

What is included

What the Petra and Wadi Rum tour price includes

Meals: daily breakfast, 4 lunches, 3 dinners. The price is per person sharing a double or twin room. Flights to the start of the tour and home are not included.

• 12 things in the price
• 5 hotel nights
• Daily breakfast, 4 lunches, 3 dinners
• 8 productions on the film list

Dates and prices

Petra and Wadi Rum tour departures and prices

Price per person sharing a double room. Single room: +$420.

• $250 deposit

  Confirms your booking after the free 72-hour hold. The balance is due 60 days before departure. See the booking terms.

• Guaranteed means it runs

  A guaranteed departure goes ahead whatever the final numbers.

• No surcharges

  The price you book is the price you pay. No fuel surcharges after booking.

• Free date change

  Move to another date of this tour up to 30 days before departure, once, at no fee.

Before you book

Straight talk about the Petra and Wadi Rum tour

What the days are really like, so there are no surprises.

• Pace and walking

  Moderate, 3 of 5. One long walking day in Petra, 6 to 9 miles on sand, uneven stone and steps, with about 800 steps up to the Monastery for those who want them.

• What can change

  Filming, events and closures can move a stop or close an interior on the day. Your leader swaps in another location nearby and tells you why.

• Inside or outside

  Museums, studio tours and open businesses you enter as a visitor. Working businesses that ask for quiet, and every private home, are seen from the public street or not at all.

• Getting there

  Flights are not included. Plan to land in Amman by mid afternoon on day 1 and to fly home from Amman after lunch on the last day.

Practical information

Before you go on the Petra and Wadi Rum tour

Your travel pack, with ticket times and hotel addresses, arrives two weeks before departure. Weather, airports and the best months are on the Jordan page.

• Weather

  Spring and autumn days run 70 to 85 F, but the desert night can drop to the 40s F. Bring a warm layer and a hat for the sun.

• What to wear

  Light, loose clothes that cover shoulders and knees, and walking shoes with good grip for Petra's sand and polished stone steps.

• Money

  The Jordanian dinar is the currency. Cards work in hotels and larger restaurants; carry small notes for tea stalls, tips and the camp.

• Your passport

  Bring a passport valid for at least six months from arrival with two blank pages. We need your passport details early to buy your Jordan Pass.

• In the desert

  The camp has electricity in the evening and limited phone signal. Charge your phone and camera in Wadi Musa and bring a small flashlight.

Tour FAQ

Petra and Wadi Rum tour: questions and answers

More answers on the FAQ page and in how to book.