Private 2-Day Petra, Wadi Rum and Dead Sea Tour from Amman

Petra: the Siq and the Treasury

Petra was the capital of the Nabataeans, Arab traders who grew rich on the incense and spice caravans and carved their city straight into rose-coloured sandstone more than two thousand years ago. Listed by UNESCO in 1985, it is Jordan's most famous site and the main reason many travellers book a Petra day trip from Amman. The visit begins with the Siq, a narrow canyon over a kilometre long whose walls rise high above you and still show traces of Nabataean water channels.

At the end of the Siq the passage opens suddenly onto Al-Khazneh, the Treasury, a tomb facade about 40 metres high with columns, statues and a great urn carved from the cliff. It is the moment every visitor remembers. Petra opening hours run from early morning, around 6 am, until late afternoon, closing earlier in winter, which is why we leave Amman early to give you the best of the daylight.

Petra beyond the Treasury: Street of Facades and Royal Tombs

Past the Treasury the valley widens into the Street of Facades, a row of tombs cut into the cliffs, and then the Theatre, carved into the hillside to seat thousands of spectators. Across the valley stand the Royal Tombs, among them the Urn Tomb and the Silk Tomb, whose rock face is streaked with swirls of red, yellow and white. Further on, the Colonnaded Street and the Great Temple show Petra's later Roman-era centre.

Most travellers spend four to five hours inside Petra on this tour. Energetic visitors can continue up the rock-cut steps to the Monastery, Ad-Deir, a huge facade high in the mountains, while others prefer to take their time around the main valley. Is Petra worth visiting on such a short trip? Absolutely: even half a day gives you its greatest monuments, and our driver waits for you at the Visitor Centre.

Wadi Rum jeep safari

From Petra our driver takes you south to Wadi Rum, a protected desert of red sand and sandstone mountains listed by UNESCO in 2011. A local Bedouin driver then takes you on a 2-hour 4x4 jeep safari through the valleys, with stops at sand dunes, narrow canyons with ancient rock inscriptions, natural rock bridges and wide views over the desert.

Depending on the time you finish in Petra, the jeep safari runs on the afternoon of the first day, often catching the sunset, or on the morning of the second day before you drive north. Either way, the private format means our driver adapts the timing to you. The best time to visit Wadi Rum is spring and autumn, when the desert is warm by day and pleasantly cool in the evening.

A night in a deluxe Wadi Rum tent

Your night is spent at a Bedouin camp in a deluxe tent with its own private bathroom and air-conditioning, so you enjoy the desert atmosphere without giving up comfort. Dinner is served at the camp, often a traditional meal cooked by Bedouin hosts, and the evening is yours to sit by the fire with tea or look up at a sky full of stars.

With almost no light pollution, Wadi Rum is one of the best places in Jordan for stargazing, and the silence after dark is unforgettable. Breakfast is served at the camp the next morning before the drive north. Desert nights are cold between November and March, so pack a warm layer even if the day felt hot.

The Dead Sea: floating at the lowest point on land

On the second day the road descends to the Dead Sea, about 430 metres below sea level and the lowest point on land. Its water is so salty that you float effortlessly on your back, and the mineral-rich mud along the shore is a favourite with visitors. In the default option you have access to a Dead Sea resort for swimming, with its freshwater showers and facilities, and lunch is included.

Stay in the sea for 15 to 20 minutes at a time and keep the water away from your eyes. After your swim and lunch, our driver takes you back to Amman, about an hour away, and drops you at your hotel or at the airport. If you are looking for a private Dead Sea tour combined with Petra and Wadi Rum, this is the fastest way to see all three.