9 Days in Jordan With Petra, Stargazing, and Bedouin Life

Rising across seven hills, Amman’s expansive cityscape—located at the crossroads of ancient history and contemporary life—makes a vivid first impression. After your complimentary arrival transfer, check into House Boutique Suites, a cozy retreat in the center of the action.

Those with time to spare can prebook an optional walking tour along a mural-filled route between Rainbow Street and Jabal al-Weibdeh for insight into Amman’s creative spirit and social history. In the evening, meet your Signature Guide for a welcome reception followed by a private after-hours visit to the Jordan Museum where a specialist will illuminate the country’s archaeological past, from the oldest statues in the world to the Dead Sea Scrolls. Continue the evening at Sufra with a feast of Levantine dishes like falafel, kibbeh, and hummus.

On your second day, venture north to the ancient city of Jerash, inhabited for more than 6,500 years. Walk beneath Hadrian’s Arch and follow the Cardo Maximus to the Oval Plaza, one of the best examples of Roman architecture in the Middle East. Savor a home-cooked lunch with a local family before returning to Amman for a private tasting and dinner at JR Wines, a third-generation business that champions Jordan’s wine heritage.

Discover Jordan’s spiritual and artistic heart, beginning at Mount Nebo, where expansive views stretch across the Jordan Valley from the site traditionally linked to Moses’ final gaze toward the Promised Land. Inside the Memorial Church of Moses, a conversation with the resident priest offers insight into Christianity in Jordan.

Continue to Madaba, where ancient artistry comes alive through sixth-century mosaics, including the famed, intricate floor map at St. George’s Church. For your first Signature Experience of the trip—a curated moment that grants travelers one-of-a-kind access to regional traditions—take part in a private mosaic workshop led by artisans.

For lunch, cook Jordanian dishes alongside your host at Hekayet Sitti, a beloved local home, and share stories around the table. Follow the King’s Highway, a historic trade route, south to Petra, arriving in time for dinner at Hayat Zaman Hotel & Resort, designed to transport you back to 19th-century rural Jordan.

Morning light casts a soft glow across Petra’s rosy cliffs, revealing a city shaped by stone, time, and ingenuity. As part of today’s Signature Experience, follow Petra’s quieter Backdoor Trail alongside a local archaeologist who will reveal hidden tombs and temples before the Treasury appears in its full splendor.

As dusk approaches, share a private dinner with a local family in Wadi Musa and learn about Bedouin life and the living heritage surrounding the site. Return for Petra by Night, when candlelight and subtle projections illuminate the Treasury beneath a sky thick with stars.

Journey south to Wadi Rum, an immense desert of crimson sand, sculpted canyons, and soaring cliffs. Check into the Valley Resort, where glass-domed rooms frame the wilderness beyond.

Following a traditional Bedouin lunch, climb into a 4x4 for a guided excursion through natural arches and rock corridors, revealing stories of desert life, lore, and survival. As night settles beneath one of the world’s clearest skies, learn to trace constellations and how Bedouins once navigated by the stars during a private astronomy lesson as part of today’s Signature Experience. Retire to your Martian Bubble Room, the stars glowing overhead.

Start your day with a traditional breakfast shared around the fire with a Bedouin family, where fresh flatbread is baked by hand. As you leave Wadi Rum, pause for tea with locals before arriving at this itinerary’s Signature Stay—a handpicked unique accommodation rich in Jordanian character—Feynan Ecolodge. A pioneering, solar-powered retreat in the Dana Biosphere Reserve, the property is known for its deep ties to the surrounding community.

An organic, locally sourced lunch sets the tone for the afternoon, followed by a Signature Experience: a private Bedouin coffee ritual, where music, ceremony, roasting, grinding, and pouring become an expression of respect and welcome. As evening approaches, a Feynan guide leads a private sunset walk through the mountains, sharing the quiet rhythms of the land and the conservation efforts that protect this remarkable wilderness.

Spend a peaceful morning at Feynan Ecolodge walking ancient copper trails with a local guide, baking arbood bread, or accompanying a shepherd as he moves across the desert with his goats, sharing tea beneath open skies. After lunch, return north toward Amman, stopping at the Museum at the Lowest Place on Earth and a stunning viewpoint over Wadi Mujib, where the land plunges toward the Dead Sea. Arrive back in Amman and return to the House Boutique Suites for a leisurely evening.

Your final full day is a Signature Day, offering the freedom to connect with Jordan on your own terms through a carefully curated experience. You might wander the UNESCO-listed streets of As-Salt, where Ottoman-era architecture, the Harmony Trail, local markets, and a shared lunch in a restored heritage house reflect the city’s tradition of coexistence.

Another option is to take a city tour of Amman’s most impressive landmarks including the Citadel and royal museum, trace faith and history at Bethany Beyond the Jordan, hike and wade to a hidden waterfall at Wadi Mujib, or take an exclusive journey through the Desert Castles, rich with early Islamic history. Come together over a private farewell dinner at Dara Dining, where chef Sara Aqel’s refined tasting menu reimagines Jordanian flavors with regional wines in an intimate villa setting. The next morning, as light spreads across Amman’s hills, depart for the airport via a complimentary transfer—leaving with a lasting sense of the country’s warmth and depth.