Petra Was Worth It—But We Planned It Wrong
Looking back, this Petra Jordan itinerary taught me just how difficult it is to experience the country properly in only a couple of days.
Even as we were there, driving between the Dead Sea and Petra, trying to fit everything into barely two days, I remember thinking: this country deserved more time than we gave it.
And honestly, I think that realization came from the way the trip was planned in the first place.
When I originally started building our Egypt itinerary, Jordan wasn’t even included.
But once I saw the flight time from Cairo to Amman was only about an hour, it started to feel impossible not to add it. In my head, it became one of those classic travel thoughts:
We’re already this close.
Then reality set in.
The flight itself may have been short, but the cost absolutely was not. The round-trip flights from Cairo to Amman for our group were surprisingly expensive, especially for such a short route. Fortunately, I was able to offset most of that using points, which made adding Jordan feel much more justifiable.
And now, looking back, I understand exactly what happened mentally.
I fell into the same trap I think many travelers do:
Treating a long-haul international trip like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity where you try to fit in as much as possible.
But after coming home, looking through photos, and reflecting on the trip, I realized something important:
Egypt and Jordan did not feel like “one-time” destinations.
If anything, the trip made me want to return to both even more.
Planning a Short Petra Jordan Itinerary
If you’re trying to combine Petra and the Dead Sea into a short Jordan itinerary, it’s absolutely possible — but I’d strongly recommend giving yourself at least 3–4 full days if you can.
While Petra can technically be visited as a long day trip from the Dead Sea, the driving distances add up quickly, especially if you want time to actually enjoy your hotel and experience the site without rushing.
Arriving in Jordan
We landed in Amman early in the morning after our flight from Cairo.
Jordan immediately felt different from Egypt.
The airport was modern, calm, and incredibly easy to navigate. We quickly handled our visa on arrival, picked up our rental car, and started the drive toward the Dead Sea.
One of the trickiest parts of planning Jordan was transportation.
Because we only had about two full days, our priorities were very clear:
- Petra
- the Dead Sea
- and hopefully enough downtime to actually enjoy the resort
At first, I looked into guided transportation and private drivers for Petra, but for four people the costs added up quickly. Since Petra is roughly a three-hour drive from the Dead Sea resorts, transportation became one of the biggest logistical decisions of the trip.
Eventually, renting a car simply made the most sense.
And honestly, Jordan ended up being more manageable for driving than I expected.
Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa
Choosing where to stay at the Dead Sea was the easy part.
There are several large resorts along the coastline, and since I had Hilton points available, the Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa became the obvious choice.
Originally, I had planned to split the stay between two different hotels, but once I realized how little time we actually had, constantly moving hotels felt unnecessary. I ended up canceling the second property and extending our stay at the Hilton instead.
That turned out to be the right decision.
The resort itself is beautiful, expansive pools, multiple restaurants, and direct access down to the Dead Sea shoreline. Because the property is built into the cliffs, getting down to the water takes a little time, but there are elevators, ramps, and pathways that make it manageable.
And surprisingly, this was one of the few hotels on the trip where our Hilton Diamond status actually resulted in a meaningful upgrade.
My parents’ room was upgraded into a massive suite with a huge balcony overlooking the water, and honestly, it felt like the kind of room you actually wanted to spend time enjoying.
That became important because this was one of the few moments on the trip where we intentionally slowed down.
After checking in, we had lunch at one of the resort restaurants, spent time at the pool, and eventually made our way down to the Dead Sea itself.
Floating in the Dead Sea
The Dead Sea experience feels surreal the first time you step into it.
The water is incredibly calm, incredibly dense, and floating happens almost instantly.
But before floating comes the mud experience.
And honestly?
I did not love it.
My mom, sister, and even my dad seemed to really enjoy covering themselves in the thick mineral mud and letting it dry in the sun. I, on the other hand, very quickly realized I was perfectly fine experiencing that exactly one time in my life.
The floating itself, though, was incredible.
We went closer to sunset, when the temperatures had started to cool slightly and the light over the water became softer. After rinsing off, we stayed near the shoreline and just watched the sun go down.
It ended up being one of the calmest moments of the entire trip.
And we needed that calm because the next day would easily become one of the longest.
Driving from the Dead Sea to Petra
Our only full day in Jordan was dedicated entirely to Petra.
That alone probably tells you everything you need to know about how rushed this trip was.
There are multiple driving routes between the Dead Sea and Petra, including more scenic mountain roads that wind through dramatic desert landscapes.
And the views truly were beautiful.
At times, though, they were also slightly terrifying.
As the elevation changes increased, the roads became tighter, with steep drop-offs and winding curves that definitely made me grateful I was not the one driving.
We were also stopped briefly at a checkpoint where officials asked to see passports, which caused a brief moment of panic when I thought I had accidentally left ours at the hotel. Thankfully, I hadn’t.
The drive itself became part of the experience.
Jordan feels vast in a way that’s difficult to explain until you’re moving through it by car.
Visiting Petra on a Short Jordan Itinerary
Eventually, after several hours, we arrived in Petra.
And almost immediately, the exhaustion of the drive faded into excitement.
The walk into Petra is part of what makes the experience feel so memorable.
At first, the entrance feels relatively open and straightforward, but gradually the walls narrow around you until you’re walking through the Siq, the long canyon passageway that leads toward the Treasury.
And even though you know the reveal is coming, the first glimpse still catches you off guard.
You see just a small sliver of the Treasury appear between the canyon walls before the entire structure suddenly comes into view.
It genuinely feels cinematic.
The Treasury is obviously the most photographed part of Petra, but seeing it in person still feels different than expected. The scale, the color of the stone, and the way it emerges from the canyon all make it feel far more dramatic than photos capture.
And surprisingly, it didn’t feel overwhelmingly crowded.
We visited in October, and while there were definitely people around the Treasury itself, much of the walk through Petra felt peaceful and spacious. We spent a long time stopping for photos, slowly making our way through the canyon, and just taking everything in.
One thing I underestimated before visiting Petra was how physically large the site actually is.
The Treasury is only the beginning.
Many travelers continue onward to the Monastery, which requires a long uphill climb involving hundreds of steps. But by the time we reached the Treasury area, it was already hot, we still had a three-hour drive back ahead of us, and realistically, we knew attempting the Monastery wasn’t the right decision for us that day.
That’s probably my biggest Petra regret.
Not because the Treasury wasn’t worth it, it absolutely was, but because Petra deserves more than a rushed single-day visit.
I would love to return one day, stay closer to the site itself, and experience it at a slower pace.
The Drive Back
By the time we started driving back toward the Dead Sea, we were exhausted.
And honestly, the return drive felt much longer.
Part of that was simple fatigue, but part of it was also the route itself. Rather than taking the same mountain roads back after dark, with all the tight bends and turns, we chose a longer highway route that looped closer toward Amman before reconnecting south.
It added time, but it felt safer and more comfortable for a night drive.
Once we finally made it back to the resort, we ordered room service and spent the evening relaxing in my parents’ suite.
And honestly, that quiet evening became one of my favorite parts of Jordan.
What I’d Change About This Petra Jordan Itinerary
The biggest takeaway from Jordan was simple:
Everything we did was worth it.
But we tried to compress too much into too little time.
Jordan deserved its own trip.
Petra deserved more than a rushed day trip from the Dead Sea.
The Hilton Dead Sea Resort deserved more downtime.
And honestly, we probably deserved a slower pace too.
That became the recurring theme of this entire Egypt and Jordan itinerary.
We kept staying in incredible places while not always giving ourselves enough time to fully experience them.
And yet, I still wouldn’t trade the memories.
Traveling this trip with my parents made every early morning, long drive, and packed itinerary completely worth it.
But if I could change one thing, it would simply be this: slow it all down.
And I already know there will be a next time.
Final Note: The End of the Egypt & Jordan Series
This post marks the final stop in my Egypt and Jordan series — from Cairo, to Luxor, to Jordan.
Each place felt completely different in pace and personality, but together they shaped one of the most memorable trips I’ve taken.
We saw incredible places, stayed in unforgettable hotels, and covered more ground than I probably ever will on a single itinerary again.
But if there’s one theme that connects all of it, it’s this:
We saw almost everything… but didn’t always give ourselves time to experience it fully.
And that’s something I’ll carry into every trip I plan moving forward.
If you’ve been following along, you can revisit the full journey here:
- We Saw Everything in Cairo, But Barely Experienced Cairo
- Luxor Needed More Downtime Than We Gave It
- Using Points for Hotels Instead of Flights in Egypt and Jordan
And if you’re just finding this series now, I’d probably say start at Cairo — because that’s where the pace, the planning, and the story really begins.
If you’re planning a trip and want help shaping it — from points strategy and flights to a fully built itinerary or a light-touch plan — you can always find how I work with travelers on my Work with Me page.