Planning a Holiday to Jordan: The Effort Behind the Adventure (Part III)

After finalising our rough itinerary, we began the practical arrangements by purchasing the Jordan Pass – which covers nearly all major sites and removes the need for a visa (for UK passport holders) – and booking our first two nights in Amman. Mid-range accommodation is limited in the capital, but we found an excellent hotel near the main sightly for under £50 per night – the location means we don’t need to waste time stuck in traffic on our first day.

Even at this stage, plans began to shift. We decided to spend our third night in Jerash rather than Umm Qais, to maximise time exploring the Roman ruins before the arrival of day-trippers from Amman. Hotel options in Jerash are limited, but we chose one with a panoramic view over the ancient city – if it’s anything like the photos, it will be worth it.

We also realised that visiting the Dead Sea and Bethany Beyond the Jordan would work best on the return journey from Aqaba to Amman.

Next, we contacted several local agents for taxi quotes for our first major routes: Amman to Umm Qais and then to Jerash, and Amman to Dana Biosphere Reserve via Madaba and the King’s Highway. We decided to use different companies for each trip to compare quality and value, and will negotiate the rest of the transport once in Jordan.

We booked two nights in Petra, giving us one full day to explore and either a long afternoon on arrival or a free morning before departure. Although we didn’t reserve further transport, we checked estimated driving times to build out the remainder of the itinerary.

Choosing a desert camp in Wadi Rum proved surprisingly difficult; the options blur together online, and most appear to offer a similar standard of comfort and experience. In the end, we simply selected a camp whose name appealed to us and which offered luxury tents with private bathrooms — sometimes simplicity is the best strategy.

We remain slightly unsure about visiting Aqaba, but given how close we are, it feels a shame not to. We enjoy seeing as many places as possible, and a stop by the Red Sea offers a welcome contrast to a couple of nights in the desert. The luxury resort hotels are also excellent value, which makes the decision even more tempting.

In the space of about seven hours, we secured twelve nights’ accommodation in seven different hotels, arranged airport transfers, and booked our first two long journeys. All the details were entered into our itinerary app, complete with day-by-day notes, journey timings, a full Amman itinerary, and key information for each destination.

We’re ready to go.