Are you looking for a day trip from Amman that brings together adventure, nature, and history? If you have all these different travel interests, and you happen to be planning your trip to Amman, then this is the itinerary you’re looking for. 

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My Complete Itinerary for This Day Trip From Amman

I headed out to the following destinations in this specific order for very valid reasons, and you’ll know why in a minute. But let’s first break down each destination and what you can do or see there, then we could move on to the logistics.

#1 Madaba

In case you’ve never heard of it before, Madaba is an ancient city located southwest of Amman. There are plenty of sites to see there, such as the Madaba Archaeological Park and the Virgin Mary Church, in case you’d like to extend your trip there. However, if you choose to make a stop on your day trip as I did, then the most important landmark to see is the famed 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land. The map, found in the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George, is the oldest geographic floor mosaic, depicting the Holy Land in the Middle East during the Byzantine era.

#2 Mount Nebo

You can then make a quick stop northwest of Madaba where you can ascend Mount Nebo, which is basically a hill and not a mountain so there’s not much hiking involved. Mount Nebo holds a sacred value as it’s believed to be where Moses was shown the promised land by God. The hilltop overlooks the Dead Sea, Jericho, and Jerusalem – something that personally meant a lot to me as it was the closest I could ever get to Palestine. 

Unfortunately, the day I went the sky wasn’t clear because the weather was hot and that meant more water vaporization over the Dead Sea. In winter though, clear skies are more guaranteed, and then you could actually spot the iconic Golden Dome of the Rock Mosque from far away.

On top of Mount Nebo, there’s also a memorial church dedicated to Moses that you can visit, as well as a structure of his walking stick next to the viewpoint. 

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#3 Wadi Mujib

Wadi Mujib is a biosphere reserve located within the Wadi Mujib gorge. And just like the neighboring Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth, Wadi Mujib is the world’s lowest nature reserve, at 410 meters below sea level. The canyoning experience is a thrilling adventure for adrenaline junkies. So, if you’d like to spice up your day trip from Amman, then you need to add Wadi Mujib to your itinerary. 

To learn more about the trails, difficulty level, packing essentials, cost, and much more, make sure to read my Wadi Mujib guide. 

#4 The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is the perfect destination to end your day trip at. It’s not just because it makes sense on the map, and it’s not just because taking a dip in the saltiest water is soothing after canyoning in Wadi Mujib. But simply because if you start your day trip from Amman early enough and spend your time wisely at each stop, you’ll make it to the Dead Sea at the end of the day to catch a truly marvelous sunset. To me, this was one of the most magical sunsets I’ve ever witnessed in my whole life!

Of course, you can go to the Dead Sea on a day trip on its own, or even choose to stay the night if you wish. Either way, make sure to read my Dead Sea guide first to better prepare for the experience. 

How to Go on a Day Trip From Amman?

For this specific day trip, you have a couple of options:

Option 1: Rent a car

If you’re comfortable with driving overseas and prefer to go at your own pace, then you might want to consider renting a car. Make sure to read my Jordan transportation guide if you’d like to learn more about renting a car there. However, it could be pricey if you’re a solo traveler like me as you won’t split the daily rent and gas with others. That’s why I personally went with option number 2 and recommend it for other solo travelers – which still offered some flexibility.

Option 2: Hire a driver/taxi

Your best option is to put together a group of travelers from your hostel and hire a private driver with a car. If you’re wondering how to find a driver for hire? Well, in Amman, there are 2 ways. You could hire a taxi/Uber driver – most of them will offer this service to foreign passengers anyway, so most likely, they’ll be approaching you. Just make sure you carefully select a driver that you feel comfortable and safe around. Ask to see their driver’s license or ID, check their ratings on the ride-hailing app if they’re on one, and of course, follow your gut feeling based on your conversation with them.

The other way to find a driver, and how I did, was through the hostel. I was staying at The Cabin Hostel in Downtown Amman, which I highly recommend. One of the things that I actually liked about this hostel was that they helped solo travelers like myself put together such day trips and excursions. They hired the driver, helped put together the itinerary, and introduced me to other travelers who were also interested in this trip.

How Much Did This Day Trip Cost?

You can find below the breakdown of how much this trip cost me. However, it’s important to note a few things. For a start, as an Arab, some of the entry tickets that I paid for across the country were at a discounted rate. So, your tickets may differ in price depending on your nationality or whether you’ve purchased the Jordan Pass or not. The sites I visited were not covered by the Jordan Pass anyway. Make sure to check out this post first if you’re planning on making changes to the itinerary as it does cover other sites. 

You also need to bear in mind that these prices are subject to change due to some economic factors. These were the prices I was charged back in October 2022. 

• Driver (including car rental and gas): JOD 65 in total – we were 3 girls so we each paid JOD 21.6.
• Entry ticket to the church in Madaba: JOD 1
• Breakfast (I got a thyme Mano’ushe on the way): JOD 1
• Entry ticket to Mount Nebo: JOD 3
• Entry ticket to Wadi Mujib: JOD 21
• Rent of dry bag in Wadi Mujib: JOD 10
• Day pass at Dead Sea Spa Resort (after discount): JOD 18

• Total spend per person: JOD 75.6
• We didn’t spend much on food or water because we’d already packed enough snacks for the day.

This was one of my most memorable days in Jordan and I’m sure you’d absolutely enjoy it as well. And if you have different interests, you can easily customize this itinerary and make it work for you. If you’re more into nature and adventure, then you could just head to Wadi Mujib and the Dead Sea and stay longer. And on the other side, if you’re a history buff, then you could spend the entire day exploring Madaba and make a stop at Mount Nebo. Let me know in the comments which itinerary works best for you.

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• Underrated Things to Do in Amman – Full City Guide
• Visit Petra: Everything You Need to Know About Jordan’s National Treasure

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