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Jordan in 12 days: the Dead Sea, Madaba and the canyons, day by day

Twelve days from the lowest point on Earth to the gorges of the King's Highway: the Baptism Site, floating in the Dead Sea, the mosaic map of Madaba, Mount Nebo, Um er-Rasas, the hot springs of Ma'in, the Siq of Wadi Mujib and the crusader castle of Karak.

Compiled by Kylian Surget, updated on 02/10/2026

The shore of the Dead Sea and its salt formations in the light of sunset
  • 12 days
  • 21 places
  • 12 nights
  • sustained pace
Start
Amman
End
Wadi al-Hasa, Tafileh governorate
Main transport
Rental car throughout, one day by 4x4 with a driver on day 18, a guided shuttle at Al-Maghtas, guide and shuttle for the Malaqi Trail and Wadi al-Hasa
Recommended season
April, May and October: the Wadi Mujib water trails on days 20 and 21 only open from about 1 April to 31 October, and the Dead Sea, pleasant from November to April, often passes 40 °C in summer

What you get

  • The complete itinerary: 12 days sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening / Hotel
  • The card of every hotel, with the address and a direct booking link
  • Quota tickets, fixed-date tickets and surcharges flagged in advance
  • The country quick guide: weather, transport, formalities, budget
  • A PDF file of 22 pages

What the price does not include

  • Flights
  • Hotel nights
  • Tickets and admission fees
  • Travel insurance
  • On-the-ground assistance during your trip

The travel book preview

The free day in full, with its hotel card. This is the sample.

Day 8

The Siq of Wadi Mujib and Wadi Hidan

Morning

Wadi Mujib, Siq Trail

Jordan's grand canyon, the ancient Arnon, cuts through the plateau down to the Dead Sea. The Siq Trail heads up the riverbed between red sandstone walls sometimes just two metres apart: walking in the water, sections with fixed ropes and a final twenty-metre waterfall where you can swim. Two to three hours there and back, no guide required, starting from the visitor centre.

Afternoon

Wadi Hidan

A northern tributary of the Mujib, Wadi Hidan carves gorges of basalt and sandstone with deep pools, wilder and less visited than the Siq. Its potholes of clear water and black walls make it one of the finest canyons in the country.

Good to know

The Mujib water trails only open from about 1 April to 31 October and close whenever there is a risk of flash flooding: check with the reserve the day before. Life jacket provided and compulsory, closed shoes that stay on your feet, a dry bag. The Hidan is done with a guide.

Hotel · Night 8

Mujib Chalets

Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature chalets set on the shore of the Dead Sea, at the mouth of Wadi Mujib: terraces right by the salt water, the reserve's restaurant, and the canyon trails starting a few metres away. Three nights on site, an ideal base for the treks.

Address
· Mujib Biosphere Reserve, Dead Sea Road
Check-in
3:00 PM · Check-out 12:00 noon
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Buy this itinerary

€39 incl. tax

that is €3.25 per day of travel

The buy button becomes active once the box is ticked.

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  • Available immediately in your customer account: online reading with clickable booking links, downloadable PDF for offline use
  • Method: what is checked, and when

A hotel in the itinerary closed or impossible to find, a place to visit permanently closed?

Within 12 months of purchase, email contact@etaperia.com

Itinerary corrected within 7 days, or refunded in full. Terms in article 12 of the T&Cs, on top of the legal warranty (new tab)

€39 incl. tax · 12 days

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A question before buying? Email Kylian, reply within 48 working hours.

The day-by-day rundown

12 stops, 240 km as the crow flies

  1. Day 1 Iraq al-Amir and the descent to the Dead Sea Qasr al-Abed and the caves of Iraq al-Amir Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  2. Day 2 The baptism site and the salt waters Al-Maghtas, Bethany Beyond the Jordan Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  3. Day 3 Dead Sea panorama and the climb to Madaba Panorama Dead Sea Complex Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  4. Day 4 Madaba, the city of mosaics Madaba Archaeological Park I Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  5. Day 5 Mount Nebo and the biblical tells Mount Nebo and the Memorial Church of Moses Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  6. Day 6 4x4 day: Um er-Rasas and Machaerus Um er-Rasas, St Stephen's and the stylite tower Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  7. Day 7 The hot springs of Ma'in and back to the Dead Sea Hammamat Ma'in Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  8. Day 8 The Siq of Wadi Mujib and Wadi Hidan Wadi Mujib, Siq Trail Free
  9. Day 9 Malaqi Trail, the great canyon crossing Wadi Mujib, Malaqi Trail Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  10. Day 10 From the lowest point on Earth to Karak castle Museum at the Lowest Place and Lot's Cave Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  11. Day 11 Nabataean sanctuaries and a thermal evening Khirbet et-Tannur and Khirbet edh-Dharih Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  12. Day 12 Wadi al-Hasa trek Crossing the canyon Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF

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Country quick guide and logistics

The essentials of the country, scannable in ten seconds.

Weather and when to go

  • The Dead Sea is warm all year: pleasant from November to April, stifling in summer, often above 40 °C. Keep swims short, 15 to 20 minutes at most.
  • The Wadi Mujib water trails, on days 20 and 21, only open from about 1 April to 31 October and close when there is a risk of flash flooding: check with the reserve the day before. The same caution applies to Wadi al-Hasa on day 24, to be avoided if storms threaten on the plateau.
  • Madaba, on the plateau at 800 m, is noticeably cooler than the shore 1,200 m below: a light jumper for the evenings of days 15 to 17.

Transport and permits

  • Rental car throughout. The Dead Sea road strings together long, steep gradients: use engine braking and watch the temperature gauge, and have brakes and tyres in good order for the descent from Madaba to Ma'in, more than 800 m in about thirty kilometres.
  • Day 18 is done by 4x4 with a driver, on the plateau tracks to Um er-Rasas and Machaerus; the optional Qasr Bshir needs a proper 4x4 and careful driving after rain.
  • Al-Maghtas is visited only by guided shuttle from the visitor centre, on day 14. The Malaqi Trail on day 21 and the Wadi al-Hasa trek on day 24 are done with a guide, the latter with a shuttle back: the route ends a long way from its start.

Formalities and safety

  • The guide sets out the entry rules for French passport holders: passport valid six months beyond the return date, visa on arrival or Jordan Pass. The visa extension planned in Madaba on the morning of day 16 concerns only the full 47-day route, since the entry visa covers 30 days. Travellers on another passport should check their own conditions.
  • The Jordan Pass does not include Al-Maghtas, the Baptism Site: entry is offered as a reduced-price add-on when buying the pass. It is a border zone, so passports are compulsory and photography is restricted on the river side. Um er-Rasas, on day 18, is included.
  • The Malaqi Trail must be booked with the Mujib reserve: guide provided, good fitness and confident swimming required. On the Siq Trail on day 20, the life jacket is supplied and compulsory.

Budget and meals

  • The Jordanian dinar: 1 JOD is about €1.30. Cards are accepted in the resorts; Madaba and the sites run on cash.
  • A simple meal costs 4 to 8 JOD, a restaurant in Madaba 10 to 18 JOD; prices along the Dead Sea are noticeably higher.
  • Several entries are paid separately: managed beaches such as Salt Beach, with their showers and changing rooms, the day entry to the Ma'in resort, which is the way in to the hot waterfalls, and Al-Maghtas. The tells of Hesban and Jalul have no ticket office, and Qasr al-Abed is visited freely.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly do I receive?

Your Étaperia itinerary, available immediately in your customer account after payment: readable online with clickable booking links, and downloadable as a PDF for the trip. Every day is sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening, with the hotel for each night, its address and its booking link, and timed-entry tickets flagged in advance.

How is this better than what an AI gives me?

A generative AI composes a plausible list in seconds, without saying what was checked or when. At Étaperia, every itinerary is compiled day by day, with the booking constraints spotted before it is too late to get them. The Method page says what is checked, against which source and on what date.

Can I adapt it to my dates and my pace?

Yes. The days are self-contained blocks: you can shift the departure, stretch a stage or skip a day without breaking what follows. Only timed-entry tickets require adjusting the dates accordingly, and they are all flagged.

What if a hotel or a place in the itinerary has closed?

Email contact@etaperia.com within 12 months of your purchase. If a hotel in the itinerary is closed or can no longer be found, or a place to visit has closed permanently, the itinerary is corrected in your customer account within 7 days, or you are refunded in full. A hotel fully booked on your dates, a seasonal closure or a change in opening hours or prices is not covered. This guarantee comes on top of the legal warranty of conformity; details in article 12 of the terms and conditions of sale.

Who is selling you this itinerary

  • Kylian Surget, sole trader, SIRET 927 587 709 00035
  • Consumer mediator: ANM Consommation
  • Payment handled by Stripe: Étaperia never sees your card number
  • Publisher, not a travel agency: you book flights, hotels and tickets yourself

In the same country

This module is one leg of the full itinerary: Complete Jordan itinerary: 47 days, hotels and bookings

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