★★★★★
Three hours at Petra felt like enough, and two hours of jeep tour at Wadi Rum did too. Faysal was good company.
Manuella · France · October 2025
Petra and Wadi Rum Day Tour From Amman: Both in Fourteen Hours
3 h at Petra, 2 in Wadi RumAmman hotel or airport pickupWi-Fi and waterTicket sold as an add-on
Petra and Wadi Rum in one day is a fourteen-hour proposition, and it is worth being clear about the trade before you book it. You get three hours among the carved fronts instead of four or five, and in exchange you get two hours in the desert that no Petra-only day can give you. For a traveller with one free day and both places on the list, that is usually the right trade.
What the day puts in front of you
The Siq, walked rather than glimpsed
Three hours is tight but it is not a run: the canyon and the Treasury are comfortably inside it.
Al-Khazneh at midday
You reach it when the sun is high enough to light the whole front rather than half of it.
A hundred and five minutes of road you would not otherwise see
The run south from Wadi Musa drops out of the hills into open desert, and the change is abrupt.
Two hours off-road in Wadi Rum
Sand, wind-cut rock and the flat-topped peaks the protected area is known for, away from any surfaced road.
Bedouin tea, if the timing allows
Most desert runs stop for it; it is not a line in the fare, so treat it as a bonus rather than a promise.
Why fourteen hours, and where they go
Three hours south on the Desert Highway, three at Petra, an hour and three-quarters on to Wadi Rum, two in the desert, and three and a half back to Amman. That is the day, and none of those numbers has much give in it. What people underestimate is the last leg: you come off the sand in the late afternoon and there is still most of a working day's drive between you and your hotel.
The reason to do it anyway is that the two places are nothing alike. Petra is a carved city in a gorge, with Al-Khazneh standing at the end of the Siq; Wadi Rum is open ground with granite and sandstone standing out of it. Seeing one after the other in a single day is the whole argument for this fare, and it is a good one.
Both gates are yours. Petra charges 50 JD with a night in Jordan and 90 JD without, and the Wadi Rum Protected Area charges 5 JD. A Jordan Pass covers both.
Hour by hour, and where the time goes
- Hotel pickup in Amman
- Three hours south by road to Petra
- Three hours inside Petra
- Under two hours on to Wadi Rum
- Two hours in the desert, off road
- Three and a half hours back to Amman
The listing sells the jeep run and the entry tickets as grades you tick rather than as inclusions, so read what you have selected before you pay. Without the jeep grade, the Wadi Rum leg is a drive to the village and back.
Who this suits, and who should book something else
Book this if
- You have one free day and both places on your list
- You would rather see two landscapes briefly than one thoroughly
- You are comfortable with eight hours of driving in a day
- You want the desert without committing to a night in a camp
Book something else if
- Three hours at Petra is not enough for you — a Petra day tour from Amman gives you four to seven
- You want to sleep in Wadi Rum rather than pass through it. A 2-day Petra tour puts you in a camp, and the night moves your Petra ticket from 90 JD to 50 JD
- Fourteen hours is too long a day — with small children, or after a long flight, take the shorter Petra-only run
- You want Mount Nebo, Madaba, Dana or Shobak, which only the 3-day Petra tours pass
If three hours at Petra is the part that worries you, that worry is correct and worth acting on: it is the honest cost of putting both places in one day. Every one of the petra tours from amman is listed with the hours it gives you at the site.
What the fare covers, and what you still pay
In the fare
- Hotel or airport pickup and drop-off in Amman
- An English-speaking driver for the whole day
- Wi-Fi
- Water
Not in the fare
- Entry tickets to Petra and to Wadi Rum — both are bookable grades rather than inclusions
- The two-hour 4x4 jeep run in Wadi Rum, which is also a grade you select
- A local guide at either site
- Meals and personal expenses
No fare on this road has more riding on the grade you choose. Picked bare, it is a long drive to two gates you pay at yourself and a desert you look at from the road. Picked with the tickets and the jeep, it is the day the reviews describe.
Where the day begins, and where it ends
Pickup is from your Amman hotel or from the airport, at a time you agree when you book. On a fourteen-hour day that time is usually somewhere between five and six in the morning, and it is worth asking for the earliest the operator will run — every minute at the front of this day is a minute of daylight at the back of it.
You are returned to the same address. Expect to be back in Amman well after dark, and plan your evening accordingly rather than booking a table.
Know before you go
- Ask for the earliest pickup on offer. The day is long and the light runs out before the driving does.
- Budget for two gates. Petra at 50 JD or 90 JD, and Wadi Rum at 5 JD — or one Jordan Pass covering both.
- Read your grade twice. The tickets and the jeep run are selections, not inclusions.
- Dress for two climates. The gorge holds shade and the desert does not, and the desert is cold once the sun drops.
- Eat when you can. No meal is in this fare and the stops are driven by the schedule rather than by hunger.
- Sit in the front on the way back if you are prone to travel sickness — the last leg is three and a half hours in the dark.
What travellers said about doing both in a day
★★★★★
I was travelling on my own and Faisal was attentive the whole day. Patient, honest and always on time.
Zakaria · United Kingdom · September 2025
★★★★★
We were a little worried about fitting both into one day. Emad drove carefully and guided as he went, and he made the day.
Ivan · United Kingdom · September 2025
★★★★★
Ten out of ten for anyone who wants Petra and Wadi Rum quickly. Saad was a real help.
Yaz · United Kingdom · October 2025
★★★★☆
The day was good and the operator was good. I would only ask that the waiting times between participants are kept to the schedule.
Ana Maria · Colombia · September 2025
★★★★★
Zeyad is a very professional driver and the day ran exactly as described. I would book with them again.
Carlos · Spain · October 2025
★★★★★
Ziad made the road trip smooth and stress free. He was friendly and helpful the whole way, and we had a good time.
Feyza · Canada · September 2025
Frequently asked questions
Is three hours enough for Petra?
It reaches the Siq, the Treasury and the first of the tomb fronts comfortably. It does not reach the Monastery, and it leaves little time to sit down. Travellers who took this day say three hours felt right for what it is.
Is the jeep tour included?
It is a grade you select, not part of the base fare. Without it, the Wadi Rum leg is a drive rather than a desert run, so check what you have picked before you pay.
What do the two gates cost?
Petra is 50 JD if you are spending a night in Jordan and 90 JD if you are not. The Wadi Rum Protected Area is 5 JD. A Jordan Pass covers both, plus your visa.
How long is the driving, really?
About eight hours in total: three down, an hour and three-quarters between the two sites, and three and a half back. It is the honest cost of the day.
Is this a private tour or a shared one?
The listing sells both. The private grade gives you the vehicle and the timing; the group grade is cheaper and runs to a fixed schedule.
Would two days be better?
For most people with the time, yes. A two-day Petra, Wadi Rum and Dead Sea tour gives you five hours at Petra, a night in the desert and a cheaper ticket at the gate.
Other ways to see Petra from Amman
Book Petra and Wadi Rum in one day
Three hours among the carved fronts, two hours off-road in the desert, and free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup.
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