The 2-day Petra and Wadi Rum combination is the most popular short itinerary sold in Jordan, and for understandable reasons: these are the two most iconic landscapes in the country, they are geographically close (1h45 apart by road), and two days is the minimum budget of time that most visitors can spare. This guide gives you an honest account of what two days actually delivers, what it costs in different formats, and how to make the most of a tight schedule.
The honest assessment
Two days at Petra and Wadi Rum gives you:
- The Treasury (Al-Khazneh) — the iconic Indiana Jones facade
- The Siq — the slot canyon approach
- The Street of Facades and the Royal Tombs
- Probably not the Monastery (Ad-Deir) — it requires 850 steps and 2–3 additional hours
- A jeep tour through Wadi Rum’s key landscapes (Burdah Rock Bridge area, Lawrence’s Spring, the red dunes)
- One night sleeping in the desert
Two days does not give you:
- The Monastery at Ad-Deir (the most dramatic monument in Petra, arguably superior to the Treasury)
- Little Petra (Siq al-Barid) — a smaller but beautiful separate site
- The High Place of Sacrifice
- A serious hiking route in Petra
- The quieter parts of Wadi Rum beyond the standard jeep circuit
- Any rest time
The calculation is real. If you have two days and cannot add more, go. The Treasury and the Siq alone are worth the trip. But if you are agonising between two and three days, choose three.
Standard 2-day itinerary
This is the route most organised tours follow when departing from Amman.
Day 1: Amman to Petra
6:00–7:00am — Departure from Amman. The drive south to Petra via the Desert Highway takes approximately 3 hours. Some tours route via the King’s Highway, adding scenic stops at Madaba and Mount Nebo, which adds 1–2 hours but is worthwhile on a longer trip. On a strict 2-day schedule, take the Desert Highway.
10:00am — Arrive at the Petra Visitor Centre in Wadi Musa. Purchase tickets (50 JOD for 1 day if you do not have a Jordan Pass; the Jordan Pass includes Petra entry and is recommended for anyone spending 3+ nights in Jordan — it pays for itself).
10:00am–5:00pm — Petra exploration. A first-time visitor’s priority list:
- Walk the Siq from the entrance — 1.2 km, allow 30 minutes at a leisurely pace
- The Treasury — your first view at the end of the Siq. Allow time to take it in.
- Continue along the Colonnaded Street to the Royal Tombs
- The amphitheatre (Roman Theatre)
- If time and energy permit: the Byzantine Church and its mosaics
5:30pm — Return to Wadi Musa. Check in to your hotel (accommodation in Wadi Musa runs from 25 JOD at budget guesthouses to 200+ JOD at the Mövenpick Petra).
8:30pm (optional) — If your tour falls on a Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday: Petra by Night. The candlelit walk through the Siq to the Treasury with Bedouin music is a genuinely different experience from the daytime visit and adds depth to a Petra stay. See the Petra by Night guide.
Day 2: Wadi Rum and return
6:00–7:00am — Breakfast and departure. The drive from Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum Village is approximately 1h45.
9:00–10:00am — Arrive at Wadi Rum Village. Meet your jeep driver. The Wadi Rum protected area requires a guide — you cannot drive independently inside the reserve.
10:00am–5:00pm — Jeep tour of Wadi Rum. A standard 7–9 hour jeep tour covers:
- Lawrence’s Spring (where T.E. Lawrence’s Arab forces reportedly camped)
- Khazali Canyon (the narrow slot canyon with ancient Nabataean inscriptions)
- Red sand dunes (for sandboarding or simply the view)
- Burdah Rock Bridge (the natural arch — requires a short hike for the best view)
- Lunch in the desert (typically zarb — the slow-cooked underground meat — or a simpler spread)
5:00–6:00pm — Arrive at your Bedouin camp for the overnight. Camp quality ranges from basic goat-hair tents with communal facilities to “luxury glamping” with private tents, ensuite facilities, and air conditioning (for summer). For the authentic experience, the simpler camps with genuine Bedouin family hosts are better.
Evening at camp: Dinner (usually zarb), Bedouin tea and coffee around the fire, music (sometimes), stargazing. The night sky above Wadi Rum is exceptional — no light pollution, very low humidity, and the Milky Way is clearly visible in most seasons.
Day 2, morning: Sunrise (worth waking for), breakfast, departure from Wadi Rum.
Return options:
- Return to Amman (3h drive north, arriving early afternoon)
- Continue south to Aqaba (1h drive from Wadi Rum, good for Red Sea swimming or an onward flight)
Tour format and cost
Group tour (from Amman)
The most affordable option. You join a pre-arranged group departing Amman on a fixed schedule, with accommodation and main activities included. Guides and transport are shared.
Cost: Approximately USD 250–350 per person for a 2-day group tour including accommodation, transport, guide, and most activities.
Pros: Affordable, no planning required, social opportunity.
Cons: Fixed schedule, shared experience, less flexibility. Group tours sometimes cut corners on accommodation quality or rushing through sites to keep to schedule.
What to look for: Group size (ideally under 12; tours of 20+ people feel impersonal), accommodation tier included, what is and is not in the price (entry fees, Wadi Rum camp costs, meals).
Amman: Petra, Wadi Rum, and Dead Sea 2-day tour Amman tour: Petra, Wadi Rum and Dead Sea 2-day bubblePrivate tour (from Amman)
A private vehicle, private guide, and accommodation chosen to your specification. You control the schedule.
Cost: Approximately USD 600–1,000 per person (for 2 people sharing; less per person for groups of 4+).
Pros: Complete flexibility, personal guide attention, better for photography (stop when you want), better for families with children or specific needs.
Cons: Significantly more expensive.
Self-drive with booked accommodations
Drive yourself from Amman to Wadi Musa, explore Petra with an entry ticket but no guide, drive to Wadi Rum, join a jeep tour locally.
Cost: Approximately USD 150–250 per person (two people sharing a rental car), plus entry fees.
Pros: Complete independence, cheapest option. An international driving licence is technically required; car hire from Amman includes most needs.
Cons: Requires advance accommodation booking, navigating unfamiliar roads, and managing the Wadi Rum situation (you cannot drive inside the protected area and must hire a local guide regardless). No guide interpretation at Petra.
Practical note: The drive from Amman to Wadi Musa is 3 hours on good highway. From Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum Village is 1h45 on a straightforward road (partly unpaved but manageable in a standard car for the Wadi Rum Village access section).
Variations on the 2-day route
Aqaba ending
Instead of returning to Amman at the end of day 2, continue south to Aqaba (1h from Wadi Rum). This is practical if you are flying home from Aqaba Airport (Royal Jordanian operates Amman–Aqaba routes; the flight is 1h and sometimes comparable in cost to the 4h drive). It also adds the option of a morning snorkel in the Red Sea before departure.
Dead Sea addition
Some 2-day packages include a brief Dead Sea stop — either on the way down (stopping at the Dead Sea for 2 hours before continuing to Petra) or on the return. This works logistically but adds pressure to an already tight schedule. The Dead Sea deserves its own half-day minimum; 2 hours there is a float in the salt water and nothing more.
Petra by Night on night 1
If your tour falls on a Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday, adding Petra by Night on the first evening is logistically simple and worthwhile. The candlelit walk through the Siq at night adds a different dimension to your Petra experience that daytime cannot provide. See Petra by Night guide.
What to pack for 2 days
For Petra:
- Comfortable walking shoes (10–15 km of mixed terrain)
- Sun protection (hat, sunscreen, light long-sleeved shirt)
- Water (minimum 2 litres per person per day; purchase at Wadi Musa and carry it)
- Light layers for the evening (Wadi Musa is at 900m altitude and can be cool at night)
- Camera or phone with good camera
For Wadi Rum:
- Same walking shoes
- Warm layer for the evening (temperatures drop 15–25°C after sunset)
- Sleeping bag or request extra blankets at the camp
- Red dust is inevitable on clothes you do not want stained
The drive: what you see between Amman and Petra
The 3-hour Desert Highway drive from Amman to Wadi Musa is not scenic — it passes through the flat central plateau of Jordan, through the light industry and agricultural areas south of Amman, through Ma’an (the largest city in the south), and then climbs into the sandstone highlands approaching Wadi Musa. The landscape is not unpleasant but it is not why you are going to Jordan.
If you are with a driver who knows the area, two worthwhile detours exist on the Desert Highway approach:
The Nabataean site of Humayma: An ancient Nabataean caravan stop on the Desert Highway, often bypassed. A small archaeological site with free access. Worth 30 minutes for anyone interested in the Nabataean road system that Petra anchored.
The road from the main highway to Wadi Musa: The final section of the approach to Petra climbs through spectacular sandstone terrain — red cliffs, juniper trees, and the first sense of the landscape that awaits inside the site. Even in a fast car, this section rewards slowing down and looking.
If your tour routes via the King’s Highway rather than the Desert Highway, you gain: Madaba, Mount Nebo, and Karak Castle as stops. This adds 2–4 hours but is a significantly more rewarding journey.
Jordan Pass: buy it before arriving
The Jordan Pass is the most important purchase for any 2-day Petra and Wadi Rum trip. It costs 70–80 JOD depending on version and includes: the entry visa fee (normally charged on arrival) + Petra entry (1, 2, or 3 days depending on version) + 40+ other sites.
The 2-day Petra entry version (Jordan Pass 2) costs approximately 75 JOD. The visa-on-arrival costs 40 JOD without the pass. The 1-day Petra entry costs 50 JOD. The Jordan Pass is therefore cheaper than buying these separately, and it also includes Wadi Rum access and many other sites.
Condition: you must spend at least 3 nights in Jordan for the visa inclusion to activate. If you are only in Jordan for 2 days with 1 night, the Jordan Pass still provides value through the site entries but you pay the visa separately.
Purchase the Jordan Pass at jordanpass.jo before arriving.
FAQ
Can I see the Monastery in 2 days?
It is possible but requires prioritising ruthlessly. The Monastery (Ad-Deir) is reached via 850 steps from the main Petra basin — allow 1.5–2 hours each way. If you start at the Petra entrance at 7am (buy your ticket the evening before), you can reach the Monastery and return before the heat of noon. Most group tours do not include the Monastery on a 1-day Petra schedule.
Which Wadi Rum camp should I book?
For genuine Bedouin experience: smaller camps operated by Wadi Rum families rather than large commercial operations. Ask your tour operator specifically whether the camp is family-run and community-based. In the absence of specific information, the camps listed on the Wadi Rum Protected Area Authority website are community-registered.
Is 2 days in Jordan viable coming from Eilat?
Yes. The Wadi Araba crossing between Eilat and Aqaba is the fastest Israel-Jordan border (a 20-minute crossing when not crowded) and puts you 1 hour from Wadi Rum and 2 hours from Petra. A specific Eilat-Petra-Wadi Rum 2-day itinerary works well.
What if I only have 1 day?
One day is possible but significantly compromised. From Amman, Petra fills a full day. From Aqaba, Wadi Rum fills a full day. Combining both in one day — driving from Amman to Petra to Wadi Rum — means 6+ hours of driving plus rushed site visits. We would recommend against it.
What should I photograph at Petra and Wadi Rum?
At Petra: the Treasury at first light, before 8am when tour groups arrive. The narrow slot canyon sections of the Siq in any light. The High Place of Sacrifice plateau view over the entire Petra basin at mid-morning. The Monastery at any time — it faces west, so afternoon light is particularly good.
At Wadi Rum: sunrise from the camp (the mountains turn from black to deep red to golden in about 20 minutes). The Burdah Rock Bridge against the sky. The dune fields at late afternoon with long shadows emphasising the texture of the sand. The star field after dark from a camp with no artificial lighting — no processing needed, the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye and spectacular through a phone on long exposure.
Should I hire a guide at Petra or go independently?
Inside Petra, you do not need a guide to navigate the site — the signage is adequate and the main route from the Siq to the Treasury to the Monastery is straightforward. However, a licensed guide significantly increases what you learn about the Nabataean civilisation, the construction methods, the history of specific tombs and facades, and the stories embedded in the landscape. Half-day guided tours are available at the Visitor Centre from around 15 JOD per person. For a first visit, a 2–3 hour guided section followed by independent exploration is the best combination.
Is Wadi Rum accessible without a jeep tour?
No — within the protected area, visitors must be accompanied by a licensed Bedouin guide with a vehicle. There is no independent access for tourists. Jeep hire is arranged at Wadi Rum Village and is straightforward.