6 Days in Jordan: The Petra Gateway Loop
Six days is the shortest version of Jordan’s classic loop that actually includes Jerash: Amman, Jerash, the Dead Sea, two full Petra days, and a Wadi Rum night. Add Aqaba for a coastal finish and you have the 7-day version instead.
Book these before you go:
- Jordan Pass on jordanpass.jo , bought online before you land, worth it on a loop this size
- An Amman hotel on Booking.com for Day 1
- A Wadi Rum camp booked by name
- A Wadi Musa hotel for the two Petra nights
Day 1: Amman
Land at Queen Alia International and give the capital a real afternoon. The Citadel (Jabal al-Qal’a), about 3 JD, has genuinely good views over downtown and the Roman Theatre below, about 2 JD, still hosting performances and seating close to 6,000; both are covered by the Jordan Pass. Rainbow Street has the best concentration of cafes for the evening. Overnight in Amman.
Day 2: Jerash, then toward the Dead Sea
Jerash sits under an hour north of Amman, about 46km, one of the best-preserved Roman provincial cities anywhere: colonnaded streets, a hippodrome, temples still standing at scale. If your dates fall between 22 July and 1 August 2026, the 40th Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts fills the ruins with music and theatre; confirm current dates before building an evening around it. Give it a morning, then head toward the Dead Sea for the night rather than backtracking through Amman twice.
Day 3: The Dead Sea, then south to Wadi Musa
Budget a day pass, 20 to 25 JD at a standard resort, for a shower and a safe entry point rather than the unshaded informal access along the shore. Keep salt out of your eyes and mouth, skip shaving that morning, and do not float on open cuts. From here it is a long driving day south to Wadi Musa; leave by early afternoon to arrive with daylight to spare.
Day 4: The Treasury side of Petra
Be at the gate at opening. The Siq runs just over a kilometer, walls up to 200 meters, ending at the Treasury, Al-Khazneh, a Nabataean royal tomb facade, not a treasury with rooms behind it. Spend the day on the Street of Facades, the Royal Tombs, and lunch at the Basin Restaurant near Qasr al-Bint.
Day 5: The Monastery and Little Petra
Start early for the Monastery, more than 800 rock-cut steps, close to an hour up, and reach Ad-Deir before the afternoon crowd; it is larger than the Treasury and the better payoff for the climb. Afternoon goes to Little Petra, Siq al-Barid, free and quiet, twenty minutes north. Skip any animal ride offered along either route; camels cannot manage the Monastery stairs regardless of the pitch.
Day 6: Wadi Rum, then home
Transfer about 110km, 1.5 to 2 hours, for a jeep tour through red dunes and rock arches, then a Bedouin camp for the night if your flight allows it. Many travelers depart from Aqaba’s King Hussein airport instead of driving 4 to 5 hours back to Amman; weigh that against your actual flight options.
The route at a glance
| Day | Focus | Distance / Drive Time |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Amman: Citadel, Roman Theatre | Arrival day |
| Day 2 | Jerash, then transfer toward the Dead Sea | Amman-Jerash under 1 hour (46km) |
| Day 3 | Dead Sea, then transfer to Wadi Musa | Long driving day, several hours |
| Day 4 | Petra: Treasury, Street of Facades, Royal Tombs | Based in Wadi Musa |
| Day 5 | Petra: Monastery, Little Petra | Based in Wadi Musa |
| Day 6 | Wadi Rum, depart via Aqaba or Amman | About 110km, 1.5 to 2 hours from Petra |
Why route Jerash through Amman instead of straight from Petra?
Because driving Jerash direct from Petra burns 3 to 3.5 hours, roughly 278km, for a single site, almost the same drive as reaching Amman itself. Routing it as a morning add-on to Amman instead costs under an hour each way and avoids wasting a near-Amman-length half day on one stop.
Does this loop work in reverse, starting at Wadi Rum?
Yes, and flying into Aqaba to start makes the geography cleaner: Wadi Rum, then Petra, then north to the Dead Sea, Jerash and Amman for your flight home. The stops and distances stay identical; only the direction changes, so pick whichever matches your actual flight routing.
Packing and timing
Bring a swimsuit for the Dead Sea, real walking shoes for the Monastery steps, and more water than feels necessary on both Petra days. Watch the forecast before Day 4; the Siq is a natural flood channel and Petra has closed on short notice when storms hit upstream. Confirm current tiers on jordanpass.jo and entrance fees on the official Jordan tourism board site before you fly.