With so many beautiful places in Jordan, 3 days might seem like a measly amount of time to explore this mesmerizing and archaeologically-significant Middle Eastern country. And true, you could definitely take much more time to explore every nook and cranny and engage in all the Jordan activities your heart could possibly desire. Still, 3 days is certainly enough time to explore a few of the best things to do in Jordan, from Wadi Rum to Petra and beyond. Our Jordan itinerary will break down the best way to fill up 3 days in Jordan to ensure you make the most of your short but incredible trip!
Contents
3 Days in Jordan Itinerary
This blog post will break down what to see in Jordan in 3 days to guarantee you still get to experience the best things to do in Jordan in a short amount of time.
Of course during your 3 days in Jordan you must visit Petra, the famous and eye-catching ancient archaeological desert city boasting tombs, temples and monuments painstakingly carved into pink and amber sandstone cliffs. We’ll tell you the important information you need to know for your visit to Petra, including the Petra entrance fee, Petra opening hours from the Petra visitor center, and fun facts about Petra.
Our 3 Days in Jordan itinerary will then take you from Petra to Wadi Rum, a desert valley embraced by sandstone and granite in southern Jordan. We will, of course, highlight what to do in Wadi Rum to make the most of your desert adventure.
And beyond Wadi Rum to Petra, we’ll highlight other Jordan activities and stops to include in your Jordan itinerary, including what to do in Madaba and Mount Nebo.
We visited this gorgeous Middle Eastern country on a 3 day tour of Jordan with Abraham Tours, and would highly recommend it for anyone looking to explore this country on a short amount of time while learning so much about every destination you visit.
While this itinerary is significantly easier to do with a tour, a rental car, or driver, it is still possible to do it independently with local buses. There may be as few as only 2 direct public transportation options available between Petra and Wadi Rum daily, so make sure you don’t miss these if you are planning on traveling this way. Of course, we highly recommend you consider a tour or rental car for your 3 days in Jordan, as any bus delays could potentially derail a short trip.
Abraham Tours to Petra and Wadi Rum
On our 3 day tour of Jordan with Abraham Tours, we were entranced by the beautiful places in Jordan, and the rich historical understanding we gained from our guide extraordinare, Mahdi (HUGE shoutout to Mahdi–he was an AMAZING guide).
Educational and Comfortable
Our tour started in Israel, taking us seamlessly across the border where we met with our tour bus and local Jordanian guide, Mahdi, who escorted us and taught us all about us home. Our trip was enhanced so much by the education we gleamed from Mahdi’s insightful cultural, historical, and geographical guidance as we traversed Jordan in comfort. We learned so many fun facts about Petra, Wadi Rum, Madaba, Mount Nebo, and beyond, gifting us a more in-depth layer of understanding as we visited each site.
We didn’t miss a beat during our 3 days in Jordan with Abraham Tours! Everything was taken care of for us–the food, transportation, Petra entrance fee, the luxury glamping accommodation, Wadi Rum jeep tour, and so on, allowing us to experience the most we possibly could in a short amount of time.
One of the restaurants we ate at with Abraham Tours
Delicious Food
The food was incredible during our 3 days in Jordan with Abraham Tours to Petra and Wadi Rum.
The delicious meals were all buffet-style, including Jordanian favorites and western food for those picky-eaters. There was sooo much to choose from, all kinds of hot entrees, salads, dips, soup, and desserts, with plenty of options for vegetarians and vegans.
A Jam-Packed 3 Days in Jordan
While you can carry out this Jordan itinerary on your own, we highly recommend considering a tour with Abraham Tours to make the most of your trip if you’re traveling with limited time. It’s certainly the most convenient way to fit in so many of the best things to do in Jordan into a compact period of time. Everything is included in the tour, including Petra entry fee and Wadi Rum jeep tour, aside from any additional beverages you’d like or animal rides.
But even if you choose not to explore Jordan on a tour, we will do our best to help you make the most of your trip and help you pack your itinerary with what to see in Jordan in 3 days! Without further ado, let’s get on with our 3-day itinerary of Jordan.
Day 1: Mount Nebo, Madaba
On this first day, you can visit the biblical site of Mount Nebo and the archaeologically significant city of Madaba.
Mount Nebo
The holy site of Mount Nebo is said to be where Moses first viewed the Promised Land of Canaan from a distance after leading them through the wilderness for 40 years. Moses knew that he was not destined to enter the Promised Land himself, and died on Mount Nebo. It is believed that he is buried nearby, but the site of his burial is unknown.
Ancient Byzantine mosaic dating back to 530 AD at Mount Nebo
Today, Mount Nebo is the site of the remains of Byzantine-era churches that have beautiful mosaics dated to the 6th century. On a clear day, the view at Mount Nebo is spectacular, and you can see the West Bank, the Dead Sea, Jericho, and even Jerusalem at almost 50km away.
Madaba
The interesting historical city of Madaba is close to Mount Nebo. If you’re wondering what to do in Madaba, the top sites to visit are the Madaba Map, the King Hussain Mosque, and the Madaba Archaeological Park.
Jordan has one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, which dates back to the first century at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. Therefore, Madaba has some interesting Christian sites. The Madaba Map is considered to be the oldest existing map of the Holy Land, and is a 6th century mosaic on the floor of the Greek Orthodox Basilica of Saint George.
The Madaba Map was originally 21 by 7 meters in size and composed of over 2 million individual tiles, of which about two-thirds survives today. The detail of the map is incredible, and shows the layout of the Holy Land from Lebanon in the north to the Nile Delta in the south as it was in the 6th century.
You can’t miss the beautiful King Hussain Mosque looming over Madaba’s streets. It is also known as the Mosque of Jesus Christ, as a testament to religious tolerance in modern Jordan.
The Madaba Archaeological Park preserves a Roman-era road, Byzantine mosaics, and some Ottoman-era buildings not too far from the Basilica of Saint George.
We stayed at this Bedouin-owned camp near Petra
Travel to Petra Area
The next part of this Jordan itinerary will take you over 200 km from Madaba to Wadi Musa, the nearest town to Petra. You can take a minibus from Madaba’s bus station to Wadi Musa. The bus takes around 4 hours, and if you drive yourself, it will be a bit less.
There are many hotels and guesthouses in Wadi Musa, and we stayed at the BEAUTIFUL Seven Wonders Bedouin Camp (which was arranged by Abraham Tours) about 15 minutes outside of Petra.
Day 2: Visit Petra
Okay, here’s the big one: PETRA.
A window into the 2000-year-old Nabatean kingdom, the historical marvel of Petra is one of the new 7 wonders of the world, and it’s easy to see why.
Surely you’ve seen the iconic imagery of colorfully-clad camels perched in front of unbelievably beautiful tombs, temples, and monuments carved directly into imposing sandstone cliffs. One of the oldest cities in the world, Petra is truly a sight to behold–and, in person, it feels like taking a step into the wonders of the ancient past.
While once a thriving royal capital, Petra became unknown to the outside world for over 1000 years until 1812. Today, it is accessible through the 10-feet-wide canyon known as the Siq.
Petra is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and is Jordan’s most visited tourist attraction.
Petra is massive and you could undeniably explore it for days, weeks, even. But, alas, most people do not have that privilege, and it is possible to still see a TON of Petra’s beauty during a day trip.
On our tour with Mahdi from Abraham Tours, we had a jam-packed day at Petra, including a guided portion for half of the day, lunch in the park, and 4 hours of free time to explore at our leisure.
The Treasury at Petra
Fun Facts about Petra
During our time with Mahdi we learned so many fun facts about Petra. Here are a few of our favorites!
Is Petra even its real name? If you ask the ancient Nabateans who built it, the answer would be no! According to the ancient historian Josephus, the original name of the site was the Aramaic name of its royal founder, Raqemo.
The name “Petra” means rocks. It’s actually derived from the Greek word, “Petros.”
Petra was “discovered” to the outside world through somewhat duplicitous means. Chasing rumors he had heard of ancient ruins in a narrow valley, Swiss traveler and researcher Johann Ludwig Burckhardt disguised himself as a Bedouin pilgrim in order to convince locals to guide him through Petra.
Only 15% of Petra has been studied by archaeologists. Most of the ancient city exists underground, still untouched!
To this day, Petra is still home to some of the descendants of the ancient Nabateans–the B’doul tribe.
If you’ve ever seen an image of Petra, it’s likely it’s of the Treasury. Turns out, the Treasury is actually a tomb!
Petra houses over 600 tombs, more than the Valley of Kings in Luxor, which has 63 tombs and mausoleums.
Petra is referred to several times in the Old Testament. Cradled inside the valley of the Wadi Musa, Petra is said to have been passed through by Moses. According to the Hebrew Bible, Moses passed through this valley, and found water for his followers at the site now known as Ain Musa, or “Moses Spring.”
Like so many ancient sites, Petra interacts with the skies above. Interestingly, the Nabateans built their capital city at Petra to align with the sun, ensuring their most sacred places would be enveloped in direct sunlight.
Lion Temple at Petra
Recommended Itinerary for Petra
When you visit Petra, there is such a massive amount to see that it can be easily overwhelming. You could truly spend 4 or 5 days just in Petra alone and still not see everything, so we will highlight a recommended itinerary to get you through the most important sites in Petra for a day trip.
As a world-famous site, areas of Petra like the Treasury and the Siq understandably get crowded at times. If you want to avoid the crowds, you can visit at sunrise or even the late afternoon.
Our tour to Petra arrived at the site around 9 am, but the amount of people at the site did not detract from the experience in any way.
Petra is a massive site that’s spread over 2600 acres. Any trip to Petra will undoubtedly involve lots of walking. We walked about 11 miles when we visited Petra, so make sure you have some good walking shoes with you.
We were in Petra from 9 am to 4pm, and spent most of the day walking. The guide below is a good idea of how much of Petra you can expect to see in one day, like we did.
Entering the site from the Petra Visitor Center, you soon pass by the Djinn Blocks, the as-Siq Triclinium, and the Egyptian-influenced Obelisk Tombs.
You can choose to take a horse ride from this area to the entrance of the Siq to save your time and feet. The “price” of the horse ride is “included” in your Petra entrance ticket, but tipping the horse handler is obligatory. Our guide informed us that $5 is a fair price for tip, but MAKE SURE to negotiate this BEFORE the ride to avoid any unpleasant situations.
It is about a 20 minute walk from the entrance to the beginning of the Siq, the narrow slot canyon that brings you to the treasury. It will also take about 20 minutes to walk through the Siq, or more if you stop often to marvel at the view, as we always love to do!
Once you reach the end of the Siq, you’ll behold the awe-inspiring view of the Treasury peeking out from the canyon mouth. Depending on the time of day, there will probably be many people here.
There are lots of locals here who will inevitably try to sell you a camel ride in front of the Treasury or to escort you up to one of the famous viewing spots on top of the cliffs. We didn’t find the hassling to be too bad at Petra, though, especially when compared to other countries we have visited.
Spend as much time as you’d like marveling at the Treasury, and from here decide if you want to hike up to the High Place of Sacrifice or continue through the canyon to the rest of Petra.
There are many, many Royal Tombs lining either side of the canyon walls, as well as many places you can buy souvenirs or cold drinks.
Next, you could visit the ruins of a Byzantine church at Petra, or continue to Qasr al-Bint. Qasr al-Bint is a Nabatean temple that is one of the best-preserved structures in Petra, but one you can only marvel at from outside a fence.
At the nearby the Basin, you can eat lunch in the middle of the ruins (we ate here on our tour) and take a rest before embarking on what is possibly the toughest Petra hike to the Monastery.
The Monastery at Petra
The Monastery is probably the most well-known monument at Petra after the Treasury. It’s absolutely worth the hike up to the Monastery to view it, as there are certainly less visitors here than at the Treasury.
The trail up to the Monastery leaves from the Basin and climbs up steep stairs and pathways through canyons and up mountainsides. It can take anywhere around 45 minutes to over an hour to reach the Monastery, and there are also many places here to buy souvenirs or refreshments.
It is definitely not recommended to hike up to the Monastery in the heat of the day on hot days.
Once you reach the Monastery, you can rest at a small cafe, or check out one of the nearby viewpoints over the Monastery and the Arabah Valley.
It’s a pretty long walk (over 6km) back to the Petra visitor center, so make sure you save your strength for the trip back. You can take camel or donkey rides for part of the way back, as well.
There is also a golf cart ride available from the entrance all the way through the Siq to the treasury, which could save a lot of time and energy if you want to pay for the ride.
These main sights in Petra are enough to fill one very busy day.
Petra Entrance Fee
The entrance fee to Petra is not cheap at 50 JOD (about US 70) for a one-day ticket, 55 JOD for two-day admission, and 60 JOD for three-day admission. While it certainly is a bit expensive, it is ABSOLUTELY worth the entrance fee to Petra.
Children under 12 are free.
If you visit Petra on a tour like we did, the price of your tour may include the price of admission to Petra, but you should make sure of this before you arrive. With Abraham Tours, the Petra entry fee is included in the tour price already.
Petra Opening Hours
The site and the Petra Visitor center are open from 6AM to 6PM in summer and 6AM to 4PM in winter.
Wadi Rum
Day 3: Petra to Wadi Rum
Wadi Rum is about 2 hours’ driving distance (115km) from Petra. If you’re traveling independently by car, you drive on the King’s Highway and the Desert Highway towards Aqaba. There seems to be only one local bus from Petra to Wadi Rum in the morning at 6:30 AM, so make sure you don’t miss it.
Taxis are also available for around 40 JOD.
On our way to Wadi Rum, we stopped at the historical Hejaz Railway Station, which preserves an Ottoman-era train. The Hejaz Railway and Wadi Rum were made famous to the world by T.E Lawrence, also known as Lawrence of Arabia. Lawrence of Arabia was a British Army lieutenant who assisted the local Arab people in the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire in 1915-1918.
Wadi Rum is a desert of spectacular Martian landscapes — in fact, the movie The Martian with Matt Damon was filmed here, along with many other Hollywood movies.
We love the desert, and feel that the best thing for what to do in Wadi Rum is just soak up the incredible views that are surrounding you during your 3 days in Jordan. Everywhere you look is a feast for the eyes, whether it’s the vibrant orange-hued sand, the towering cliffs of sandstone and weathered granite, the camels, or the local Bedouins!
There are many Wadi Rum luxury camps scattered throughout it that you can stay overnight in and use as bases for desert excursions during your 3 days in Jordan. But, one day in Wadi Rum is enough to experience what this incredible desert has to offer.
Wadi Rum jeep tour
Wadi Rum Jeep Desert Tour
Since Wadi Rum is an ecological reserve that is over 700 square kilometers in size, it’s far too big to explore solely on foot. A Wadi Rum Jeep tour is the best way to experience the area in a short period, and it’ll probably be one of your favorite Jordan activities during your 3 days in Jordan!
We went on a 2-hour Jeep tour in Wadi Rum, and got to see some of the most beautiful places in Jordan. We first stopped at the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, a mountain with 7 distinct columns which was named after Lawrence of Arabia’s book. Next, we stopped at a sand dune that hosted amazing views from the top, and raced back down the dune (tip: the best way down is to run).
After the sand dune, we stopped at a spot that used to be a small oasis in the past, and there are still traces of greenery to be seen. There are some petroglyphs of camels that you can see here, as well. At this point on our tour with Abraham Tours you have a chance to ride a camel (the fee is extra) in Wadi Rum. If you haven’t ridden a camel before, I would recommend riding one here instead of at Petra.
We met up with the camel riders at a Bedouin camp sheltered by towering cliffs that featured a carving of Lawrence of Arabia’s face. We got to enjoy some Bedouin-style tea (delicious) and take a rest for a few moments in the shade of the tent.
We headed back over the sand to the Sun City Camp, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch buffet inside a dome that was the best food of our entire 3 days in Jordan. We spent a few last moments soaking up the incredible views to be had before heading back on the tour bus to Jerusalem.
Enjoying Bedouin tea in Wadi Rum
Jordan Itinerary: Final Thoughts
Every trip comes with so much planning—researching what to wear in Jordan, what to do, where to stay, where to eat, and so on. We hope that our 3-day itinerary of Jordan can help you plan your own beautiful adventure from Wadi Rum to Petra and beyond, whether you choose to explore the beautiful places in Jordan independently, or on a tour. The beautiful thing about a tour is that so much of the planning is taken care for you. We don’t normally do tours ourselves, but given the short period of time we had to experience Jordan, we definitely recommend the one we joined.
We loved our 3 days in Jordan with Abraham Tours from Petra to Wadi Rum, and would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for the ease and education of a tour. It was so convenient having mostly everything included in the tour price, including the Petra entry fee, and not having to wait in line at each site to purchase our own ticket. It was also extremely helpful having the guidance of a local guide to ensure we never got ripped off during our own personal exploration. Our guide empowered us with all the information we needed to get the most out of our Petra day trip during our free time, including how to best time our Petra hike to the Monastery, as well as arranging what to do in Wadi Rum in a way that was most seamless and convenient for us.
But no matter what you choose to do, Jordan is a miraculous country filled with beauty, divine cuisine, rich culture, and some of the most stunning natural sights we’ve ever seen in our lives, and we know you will have an incredible trip!
Disclosure: This post is a collaboration with Abraham Tours, but as always, all opinions are very much our own!
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