Private 3-Day Petra, Wadi Rum and Dead Sea Tour from Amman

Madaba, the city of mosaics

Madaba lies about 30 kilometres south of Amman and is famous for the Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics found in its churches and houses. The highlight is the Madaba Map in the Greek Orthodox Church of St George, a 6th-century floor mosaic showing the Holy Land from Egypt to Lebanon, with the oldest surviving map of Jerusalem at its centre. Even in fragments, it is astonishingly detailed, with rivers, towns, boats and fish on the Dead Sea.

A stop in Madaba usually takes about 45 minutes, enough to see the map and stroll the streets around the church, where workshops still produce mosaics by hand. It is the first stop on the morning of day one, so you start the trip with one of the most precious early maps in the world before heading to Mount Nebo just a few minutes away.

Mount Nebo

Mount Nebo is a ridge on the edge of the Jordanian plateau, revered in Jewish, Christian and Muslim tradition as the place from which Moses looked out over the Promised Land. At the summit the Memorial Church of Moses shelters beautiful Byzantine mosaics of hunters, animals and vines, uncovered by archaeologists in the 20th century, and a bronze serpent cross stands on the terrace outside.

The real reward is the view: on clear days you look across the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea to Jericho, and sometimes the towers of Jerusalem on the horizon. Plan about 45 minutes here. Is Mount Nebo worth visiting? On this route it is an easy and moving stop, and spring mornings bring the clearest panorama, before the haze of the afternoon.

Petra: the Siq and the Treasury

Petra was carved more than two thousand years ago by the Nabataeans, who controlled the caravan routes between Arabia and the Mediterranean. The UNESCO-listed city is reached through the Siq, a winding canyon over a kilometre long with walls that tower overhead, where you can still see Nabataean water channels cut into the rock and the remains of carved niches.

At the end of the Siq the cliffs part to reveal Al-Khazneh, the Treasury, its rose-coloured facade glowing in the morning sun. This private Petra tour gives you a full day for the site, with the night before spent in a hotel close to the entrance, so you can start early when the light is soft and the paths are quiet. Petra opening hours begin around 6 am and close in the late afternoon.

Royal Tombs, the Theatre and the Monastery

Beyond the Treasury, Petra opens into a wide valley: the Street of Facades lined with tomb fronts, the Theatre carved into the mountainside, and the Royal Tombs, including the Urn Tomb and the multicoloured Silk Tomb. Along the Colonnaded Street you reach the Great Temple and Qasr al-Bint, the main temple of the Nabataean city.

With a full day you can also climb the rock-cut steps to the Monastery, Ad-Deir, Petra's largest facade, set high in the mountains with views toward Wadi Araba; the climb takes about an hour each way. Local guides are not included, but you can hire one at the Visitor Centre if you want deeper explanations. Our driver meets you again after your visit for the drive to Wadi Rum.

Wadi Rum jeep safari and desert camp

Wadi Rum is a protected desert of red sand and sandstone mountains in southern Jordan, listed by UNESCO in 2011. A local Bedouin driver takes you on a 2-hour jeep safari through the valleys, with stops at sand dunes, canyons with ancient inscriptions and natural rock bridges, ideally ending with the sunset over the mountains.

The night is spent at a Bedouin camp in a deluxe tent with private bathroom and air-conditioning, with dinner and breakfast included and a sky full of stars after dark. Each tent hosts up to 4 travellers. The best time to visit Wadi Rum is spring and autumn; winter nights are cold, so bring a warm layer.

Aqaba's Red Sea and the Dead Sea

On day three the road leads from the desert to Aqaba, Jordan's only coastal city, for a stop by the Red Sea, with its clear water, coral reefs offshore and mountain views across the sea. From there our driver heads north through the Wadi Araba valley toward the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea, about 430 metres below sea level, is the lowest point on land, and its water is so salty that you float without effort. Access to a Dead Sea resort beach and lunch is optional and not included, subject to weather, season and advance reservation; our team can arrange it on request. After the stop you return to your hotel in Amman, about an hour away.