The Levant
Jordan tour packagesWhere the desert keeps its cities
A country the size of a long weekend, holding a Nabataean capital cut into rose sandstone, a Roman city that never fell down, and a sea you cannot sink in.
About Jordan
A small country with a long memory
Jordan is three hours from Dubai and about the size of Portugal, which is the part that catches people out. You can be at the Treasury by mid-morning on the second day and floating in the Dead Sea on the fourth, and still not feel rushed.
Petra is the reason most people come, and it earns it. What nobody explains beforehand is the scale. The Siq alone runs a kilometre between walls eighty metres high, and it opens onto the Treasury with no warning at all. Beyond that first facade the site keeps going for miles — hundreds of rock-cut tombs, a colonnaded street, a Roman-style theatre, and an eight-hundred-step climb to the Monastery that most day visitors never make.
The rest of the country is quieter and just as old. Jerash, forty-five kilometres north of Amman, is a Roman provincial city that was never built over: you walk an oval plaza, a colonnaded street with the cart ruts still in the paving, and two theatres that are still used. Along the King's Highway lie Madaba's sixth-century mosaic map of the Holy Land, Mount Nebo looking west over the Jordan Valley, and Kerak, a Crusader castle on a triangular plateau.
Then the land drops. Wadi Rum is a desert of sandstone islands rising off a red floor, crossed by Bedouin jeep and slept in under canvas. T. E. Lawrence, who fought through it, called it vast and echoing; locals call it the Valley of the Moon. Further down still is the Dead Sea, 430 metres below sea level and roughly ten times as salty as the ocean, which is why nobody in the water is swimming.
Amman itself is worth the two hours it usually gets. The Citadel sits on one of the city's hills with a Roman theatre cut into the slope below it, and the Archaeological and Folklore museums are on the same walk. They close on Tuesdays, which is the single most useful thing to know when planning the week.
It is a short flight and a long history, and it does not need two weeks to make sense.
What to see
What Jordan is actually made of
A gorge that opens onto a carved facade. A Roman street with cart ruts still in it. A desert floor the colour of brick, and a sea so dense it holds you up. Between them: mosaics, Crusader castles and a capital built across seven hills.
LandmarkPetra and the SiqThe Nabataean capital, cut into rose sandstone and named one of the New7Wonders of the World in 2007. You reach it through a kilometre-long gorge that gives nothing away until the last few metres.
AdventureThe Monastery, Ad-DeirLarger than the Treasury and far emptier, at the top of roughly eight hundred rock-cut steps. The climb takes about an hour and thins the crowd to almost nothing.
CultureThe Street of FacadesThe row of Nabataean tombs immediately past the Treasury, stacked along the rock face. Most visitors photograph the Treasury and walk straight by them.
NatureWadi RumSandstone and granite mountains standing off a red desert floor, crossed by Bedouin jeep. Lawrence called it vast and echoing; the local name is the Valley of the Moon.
BeachThe Dead Sea430 metres below sea level and about ten times as salty as the ocean. You float whether you intend to or not, and you keep it well away from your eyes.
CultureA night in a Bedouin campDinner and a bed under canvas on the Wadi Rum sand, included on three of the five packages. The silence after dark is the part people remember.Cinematic Jordan holidays
Jordan CinemaTrip experiences
Ready-made trips
Trips we already run in Jordan
Each one is operated with a private vehicle and an English-speaking guide, and each is a starting point — we rebuild the days around your dates and who is travelling.
Classic cityExpress JordanThree nights in one Amman hotel, with Petra, Jerash and a Dead Sea float taken as day trips. The short version of Jordan.FromAED 2,781pp3 nights / 4 daysDay by dayMulti-cityGems of JordanAmman, the King's Highway, Petra, a night under canvas in Wadi Rum and a finish at the Dead Sea. Five nights, four beds.FromAED 4,103pp5 nights / 6 days · Amman → Petra → Wadi Rum → Dead SeaDay by dayMulti-cityGlamorous JordanFour nights in Amman working outwards — desert castles, Ajloun, Pella and Umm Qais — before Petra and the Dead Sea.FromAED 4,562pp7 nights / 8 days · Amman → Petra → Dead SeaDay by dayMulti-cityQuintessential JordanThe same route as Gems of Jordan with the pressure taken off: two nights at Petra, Little Petra added, and two at the Dead Sea.FromAED 4,793pp7 nights / 8 days · Amman → Petra → Wadi Rum → Dead SeaDay by dayMulti-cityGrand Tour of JordanThe full length of the country in nine nights, with two on the Red Sea at Aqaba and two at the Dead Sea, and a free day at each.FromAED 5,957pp9 nights / 10 days · Amman → Petra → Wadi Rum → Aqaba → Dead SeaDay by dayPrices shown are the lowest hotel line of each trip. Per person, twin share. Land only — international flights are not included.
Why go
Why it works from the UAE
Jordan is the rare long-haul-feeling destination that is a short-haul flight. Three hours out of Dubai puts you in front of one of the ancient world's great sites, and a week is genuinely enough to see the country rather than a corner of it.
- 01
Petra and the Siq
The Nabataean capital, cut into rose sandstone and named one of the New7Wonders of the World in 2007. You reach it through a kilometre-long gorge that gives nothing away until the last few metres.
- 02
The Monastery, Ad-Deir
Larger than the Treasury and far emptier, at the top of roughly eight hundred rock-cut steps. The climb takes about an hour and thins the crowd to almost nothing.
- 03
The Street of Facades
The row of Nabataean tombs immediately past the Treasury, stacked along the rock face. Most visitors photograph the Treasury and walk straight by them.
- 04
Wadi Rum
Sandstone and granite mountains standing off a red desert floor, crossed by Bedouin jeep. Lawrence called it vast and echoing; the local name is the Valley of the Moon.
Practical
Planning your visit
- Best time to visit
- March to May and September to November — comfortable at Petra and in Wadi Rum, and warm enough at the Dead Sea. June to August is very hot in the south and in the Jordan Valley. December to February is cold and wet in Amman, with occasional snow, though the Dead Sea and Aqaba stay mild.
- Getting there
- 3h 15m non-stop to Amman (AMM)
- Currency
- Jordanian Dinar (JOD)
- Languages
- Arabic; English widely spoken in hotels and at the main sites
- Time zone
- UTC+3 — 1 hour behind the UAE
- Entry requirements
- Requirements vary by passport and UAE residence visa status. Our ground team arranges the collective visa on arrival at Queen Alia for non-restricted nationalities, which needs full passport details at least seven days before you fly. We confirm the current rules for your passport before you book.
Entry rules, tourism taxes and health requirements change without notice and depend on your passport. Everything above is confirmed by our operations desk before your booking is finalised.
Gallery
Jordan in frames
Questions
Before you book
Do you offer Jordan tour packages from Dubai?
Yes. Five packages are listed on this page, from three nights based entirely in Amman to nine nights running the length of the country. Amman is 3h 15m non-stop from Dubai, so a short break is realistic in a way it is not for most of what Jordan offers.
How many days do you need to see Petra and Wadi Rum properly?
Five nights is the honest minimum for both. The three-night package takes Petra as a day trip from Amman and does not reach Wadi Rum at all. Gems of Jordan, Quintessential Jordan and the Grand Tour each give you a Petra night in Wadi Musa and a night under canvas in Wadi Rum, which is when the desert stops being a photo stop. Glamorous Jordan is the exception: it sleeps two nights at Petra but takes Wadi Rum as a jeep run on the way south rather than a night in camp.
Do UAE residents need a visa for Jordan?
It depends on your passport rather than your residence visa. For non-restricted nationalities our ground team arranges a collective visa that is issued on arrival at Queen Alia, which is why we ask for full passport details at least seven days before departure. We confirm your specific position before you book.
When is the best time to travel to Jordan?
March to May and September to November. Petra and Wadi Rum are exposed and there is very little shade, so June to August is genuinely hard going in the middle of the day. Winter is mild at the Dead Sea and in Aqaba but cold and wet in Amman.
Is Jordan a good family trip?
Yes, with one caveat. Petra involves several kilometres of walking on uneven ground, and the Monastery climb is roughly eight hundred steps, so plan the day around what the youngest can manage. Wadi Rum jeep tours, the Dead Sea float and the glass-bottom boat at Aqaba all work well for children.
What are the packages actually priced on?
Land only. The rates are quoted per person sharing a double, twin or triple room, based on two adults travelling, and they do not include flights from Dubai. Every itinerary on this page is being reconfirmed with our ground operator in Jordan before it goes live, so treat the figures as indicative until our team confirms them.
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