Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Jordan: Petra, Wadi Rum and the Red Sea for three generations
8 days for grandparents, parents and children 6 and up: two nights on the Dead Sea, two at Petra, a night in a Wadi Rum camp and two by the Red Sea in Aqaba.
8 days · Amman to Aqaba · up to 12 guests
The Treasury (Al-Khazneh) in Petra, in the early morning Photo: Ankur P, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Treasury_(Al_Khazneh)_at_Petra_(25).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Start and end
- Amman to Aqaba
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
One long morning on foot in Petra, about 8 km on sand and paving with the gentle climb back up the Siq; the other days have 1 to 3 km of walking, mostly level, never far from the vehicle. The Monastery's 800 steps and the dune climb are optional. Drives are under 2 hours a day except day 3, about 4.25 hours in two legs split by Karak Castle and lunch.
- Meals included
- 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 2 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 565 (estimated price)
- Season
- March to May and September to November
Highlights
Why this trip
- Floating in the Dead Sea, with two nights at a resort with a pool
- The Jordan River at Bethany and the 6th-century Madaba Map
- The dark vaulted halls of Karak Castle, the halfway stop on the way south
- The Siq and the Treasury at about 7 am, ahead of the day-trip coaches, and back at the hotel by 2 pm
- Little Petra's rock-cut steps and the painted ceiling of the Biclinium, then a 4x4 into Wadi Rum
- A zarb dinner from an oven in the sand and a night under the desert stars
- A camel ride, then a glass-bottom boat over the Red Sea coral in Aqaba
- A short flight from Aqaba back to Amman instead of four hours on the road
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 565 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Jordan, down to the Dead Sea
Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) to a resort on the Dead Sea, about 1 hour
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Dead Sea
- Drive about 1 h
Afternoon
Fly into Queen Alia International Airport (AMM), south of Amman, ideally by early afternoon. Your See Sight Tours guide meets the family in the arrivals hall, and the driver loads the bags into our own air-conditioned vehicle, with child seats or boosters ready for the ages you booked.
Evening
Rather than a night in the city, we go straight down to the Dead Sea, about an hour away, dropping from the plateau through bare hills to the shore, roughly 430 m below sea level, the lowest land on earth. Check in to the resort for two nights. If you land early, there is time for a first float before sunset: the water is so salty that children and grandparents lie back and bob without trying. Otherwise the resort pool is the place to stretch after the flight. The welcome dinner starts at about 6 pm, with a short briefing on the week ahead, so the youngest guests are in bed on time.
Included
- Pick-up at Queen Alia International Airport (AMM)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner at about 6 pm
Easier option: Rest at the resort after the flight.
More active option: A first float in the Dead Sea before sunset.
Free time: Afternoon free at the resort
Activity: Land by about 3 pm to reach the welcome dinner; later arrivals are met and taken to the resort.
Bethany, Mount Nebo and the Madaba Map
Dead Sea to Bethany Beyond the Jordan, Mount Nebo and Madaba, then back to the Dead Sea, about 2 hours in short legs
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Dead Sea
- Drive about 2 h
We leave at about 8:30 am, before the valley warms up, for Bethany Beyond the Jordan, about twenty minutes north, the place where John is believed to have baptised Jesus, listed by UNESCO in 2015. A site shuttle and a shaded path through tamarisk and reeds leads to the remains of Byzantine churches and to the Jordan River itself, only a few metres wide here. Then we climb out of the valley to Mount Nebo. From the terrace by the Memorial Church of Moses the view runs back over the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea, and on a clear day to the hills around Jericho. Madaba is ten minutes further on. In the Church of St George, the floor holds the Madaba Map, a 6th-century mosaic of the Holy Land with Jerusalem at its centre; children like finding the fish in the Jordan.
Afternoon
Lunch is in Madaba, and we are back at the resort by about 2:30 pm for floating, a mud mask and the pool.
Included
- Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Al-Maghtas) with your guide
- Mount Nebo and the Memorial Church of Moses
- The Madaba Map in the Church of St George
- Lunch in Madaba
- Floating in the Dead Sea at the resort
Easier option: At Bethany, wait on a shaded bench near the river while the others walk to the church ruins; Mount Nebo's terrace is a short level walk from the vehicle.
More active option: Walk Madaba's old streets with the guide to a mosaic workshop before lunch.
Free time: Afternoon free at the resort from about 2:30 pm
Activity: About 2 km on foot in all, mostly level. Cover shoulders and knees at Bethany and in the churches.
Karak Castle and south to Petra
Dead Sea to Karak, about 1 hour 45 minutes, then Karak to Wadi Musa on the Desert Highway, about 2 hours 30 minutes
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Wadi Musa
- Drive about 4.5 h
Today moves the family from the Dead Sea to Petra, the longest day in the vehicle at about four and a quarter hours in all.
Evening
We accept it so the family unpacks only four times; the other route means a night in Amman and a fourth hotel. It is split by a real stop. We leave at about 8:30 am, drive south along the shore, then climb about 1,300 m in an hour of hairpins to Karak, where the Crusaders began their castle in the 1140s on a ridge above the town. Children love the long dark vaulted halls (bring a torch); grandparents can stay on the upper terraces, where the view runs down towards the Dead Sea. Lunch is in Karak. In the afternoon we cross to the Desert Highway and drive about two and a half hours south, with a stop halfway, to Wadi Musa, the town at Petra's gate, by about 4:30 pm. Dinner is your own, at about 6 pm if you can, and bed is early, ready for the Petra gate at 7 am.
Included
- Karak Castle with your guide
- Lunch in Karak
Easier option: Stay on the castle's upper level and terraces and skip the stairs down to the lower halls.
More active option: Explore the lower galleries and the castle museum with the guide.
Free time: Early evening free in Wadi Musa
Activity: The longest drive of the trip, in two legs of about 1 hour 45 minutes and 2 hours 30 minutes, split by the castle and lunch. Karak's floors are uneven and some halls are dark.
Petra in the morning
A morning and early afternoon inside Petra, on foot
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Wadi Musa
We are at the Petra gate at about 7 am, an hour after it opens and well before the day-trip coaches arrive from Amman and Aqaba. The walk down the Siq, the 1.2 km gorge between towering sandstone walls, is gently downhill and shaded at this hour, and the Treasury appears at the end of it, carved by the Nabataeans in the 1st century AD. Your guide turns it into a story for the children: the bullet marks on the urn above the doorway, the water channels in the Siq walls, the camel caravans the city grew rich on. We carry on along the Street of Facades to the Theatre and the Royal Tombs, then down the Colonnaded Street to the Great Temple and Qasr al-Bint.
Afternoon
Lunch is a proper sit-down meal inside the site. After lunch most of the family walks back out with the guide and is at the hotel by about 2 pm, for the pool if the hotel has one, or a rest, while anyone keen climbs to the Monastery.
Evening
After an early dinner, Petra by Night (about 8:30 to 10:30 pm) is optional, the only late evening of the trip.
Included
- Petra with your guide from about 7 am: the Siq, the Treasury, the Street of Facades, the Theatre, the Royal Tombs, the Colonnaded Street, the Great Temple and Qasr al-Bint
- Sit-down lunch inside Petra
- Petra by Night, optional, about 8:30 to 10:30 pm: the show runs only on set evenings, so departure dates are set for day 4 to fall on one
Easier option: Ride one of Petra's electric carts between the visitor centre and the Treasury where they are running (fare paid locally), and wait in the shade at the Theatre while the others walk to Qasr al-Bint. Skip Petra by Night and stay at the hotel.
More active option: After lunch, climb the roughly 800 rock-cut steps to the Monastery with the guide or a local Petra guide, and walk out by about 5 pm.
Free time: Afternoon free from about 2 pm
Activity: About 8 km on foot on sand and paving for the main route, with the walk back up the Siq at the end; about 12 km with the Monastery. Hats, water and good shoes.
Little Petra and a night in Wadi Rum
Wadi Musa to Little Petra, then south to a camp in Wadi Rum, about 2 hours in all
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Wadi Rum
- Drive about 2 h
A slower start, then fifteen minutes north to Little Petra, Siq al-Barid, at about 9 am. It is everything children liked about Petra on a small scale: a short, flat canyon of Nabataean houses, cisterns and dining rooms, with rock-cut steps to scramble up and down. Look up in the Painted Biclinium for a 1st-century ceiling fresco of vines and birds.
Afternoon
Then we drive about two hours south to Wadi Rum, a protected desert of red sand and sandstone mountains listed by UNESCO in 2011, reaching camp in time for lunch and a rest in the shade. At about 3:30 pm, when the heat goes out of the day, Bedouin drivers take the family out by 4x4: Lawrence's Spring, the rock drawings of Khazali Canyon, a red dune to run down and a small rock bridge.
Evening
We watch the sunset from high ground, then dinner is zarb, lifted from an oven buried in the sand, at about 6:30 pm.
Included
- Little Petra (Siq al-Barid) and the Painted Biclinium
- Lunch and dinner at camp, with a zarb dinner cooked in the sand
- A 4x4 tour with Bedouin drivers: Lawrence's Spring, Khazali Canyon, a red dune and a rock bridge
- Sunset from high ground, then stargazing at camp
Easier option: Stay in the 4x4 at the dune and the canyon; every stop can be seen from the vehicle or a few steps away.
More active option: Climb to the top of the red dune and scramble onto the rock bridge with the Bedouin guide.
Free time: Early afternoon free at camp
Activity: About 10 km to Little Petra, then about 120 km to camp. Wadi Rum sits at about 1,000 m, so nights are cool for much of the year and cold in early spring and late autumn: warm layers for everyone.
A camel ride, then the Red Sea
Wadi Rum to Aqaba, about 1 hour
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Aqaba
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
Anyone who wants to can be up for sunrise, when the light runs down the cliffs and the sand has no fresh tracks; everyone else sleeps in. After breakfast the family rides camels for about half an hour across the valley floor near camp, led on foot by a Bedouin handler, slow and low enough for a six-year-old and a grandparent. Then we leave the desert and drive about an hour south to Aqaba, Jordan's only town on the sea, at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba, with the mountains of Sinai across the water.
Afternoon
Lunch is by the sea. The afternoon is free at the hotel for the pool or the beach, where the water is warm enough to swim in spring and autumn.
Evening
Aqaba is easy in the evening: a walk along the corniche, the small Mamluk fort near the shore, and an early dinner wherever the family likes.
Included
- Sunrise at camp, for those who want it
- A camel ride of about 30 minutes with a Bedouin handler
- Lunch in Aqaba
Easier option: Watch the camels from the camp's shade, or ride for a few minutes only.
More active option: Walk out to the rocks near camp for sunrise with the guide.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Aqaba
Activity: The camel ride is gentle and led on foot; long trousers make it more comfortable.
A glass-bottom boat over the coral
Aqaba to the south coast and back, about 30 minutes
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Aqaba
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
The Red Sea is calmest in the morning, so that is when we go out. A short drive takes the family down the coast to the jetty for a glass-bottom boat over the reefs of the Aqaba marine park, where corals start a few metres from the shore. Grandparents can watch the fish through the glass without getting wet; children and parents can slip in at a snorkel stop with masks, fins and life jackets, with the boat crew in the water beside them. Common sights are parrotfish, clownfish in their anemones and, with luck, a turtle.
Afternoon
Lunch is included on the boat day. The afternoon is completely free: the pool, a nap, the beach, or a stroll to the shops for a sand bottle with the family's names in coloured layers.
Evening
We gather for the farewell dinner at about 6 pm, early enough for an easy last night and a calm morning.
Included
- Glass-bottom boat over the coral of the Aqaba marine park, with a snorkel stop and equipment
- Lunch
- Farewell dinner at about 6 pm
Easier option: Stay on board and watch the reef through the glass floor.
More active option: Snorkel from the boat with the crew, or along the house reef at the beach in the afternoon.
Free time: Afternoon free from about 1:30 pm
Activity: Children snorkel only with a life jacket and an adult beside them; the crew sets the minimum age on the day.
Aqaba to Amman by air and home
Aqaba to King Hussein International Airport (AQJ), then the domestic flight to Queen Alia International Airport (AMM)
- Breakfast
- Drive about 15 min
Morning
A slow breakfast and a last swim if the flight allows. Your guide and driver take the family about fifteen minutes to King Hussein International Airport (AQJ) for the domestic flight to Amman, about an hour in the air, which is included. It replaces about four hours on the Desert Highway, the drive most family trips in Jordan end with. The guide checks everyone in and sees you to security before saying goodbye. At Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) you connect to your flight home.
Evening
The domestic schedule is not yet confirmed and some flights leave Aqaba in the evening, so we confirm the flight time with your trip before you book home; depending on it you connect the same evening or stay a night in Amman. Families who would rather end with a night in Amman, or add Jerash and the Citadel, can ask us for an extra night there. If your own route home leaves directly from Aqaba, we take you to that flight instead.
Included
- Drop-off at King Hussein International Airport (AQJ)
- The domestic flight from Aqaba to Amman (AMM)
Free time: Morning free in Aqaba
Activity: Do not book your flight home until we confirm the Aqaba to Amman flight time with your trip.
- Ammanstart
- Dead Sea2 nights
- Wadi Musa2 nights
- Wadi Rum1 night
- Aqaba2 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Spring and autumn bring warm days, roughly 22 to 30°C at the Dead Sea and in Aqaba and cooler in Petra, which sits at about 1,000 m; the desert night can drop below 10°C. The Red Sea stays warm enough to swim, about 21 to 27°C. Parrotfish, clownfish and reef fish are common from the boat; turtles are possible but not certain.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Grandparents, parents and children aged 6 and up travelling together
- Families who want Petra, the desert and the sea without long days on the road
- Grandparents who walk well on the flat but do not want long climbs
- Children who like castles, camels, 4x4s, floating and fish
- A grandparent travelling with one grandchild who wants a fair room price
Not for you if you want
- Families with children under 6
- Travellers who want two full days inside Petra; see our Jordan: Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea trip
- Keen hikers; see our Dana to Petra trek
- Step-free access: Petra means sand, rock and some steps
- Travellers who want Amman and Jerash; add a night before the trip
Minimum age: 6
Most guests are 6 to 80
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
7 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Dead Sea2 nights
- Wadi Musa2 nights
- Wadi Rum1 night
- Aqaba2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 7 nights: 2 at a Dead Sea resort, 2 in Wadi Musa near the Petra gate, 1 at a desert camp in Wadi Rum in a tent or cabin with its own bathroom, 2 in Aqaba
- Hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Family rooms or connecting rooms requested for each family, and a pool asked for where the hotel has one, both confirmed with your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) on day 1 and drop-off at King Hussein International Airport (AQJ) on day 8
- Our own air-conditioned vehicle and professional driver for the group throughout, with child seats or boosters for the ages booked
- The domestic flight from Aqaba (AQJ) to Amman (AMM) on day 8
- 4x4s with Bedouin drivers in Wadi Rum
- A glass-bottom boat in Aqaba
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from the day 1 pick-up to the day 8 airport drop-off
- Local Bedouin guides in Wadi Rum, a local guide in Petra where the site requires one, and the boat crew in Aqaba
Activities
- Jordan Pass with one-day Petra entry for each guest who needs one, arranged before you fly
- Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Al-Maghtas)
- Mount Nebo and the Memorial Church of Moses
- The Madaba Map, Church of St George
- Floating in the Dead Sea
- Karak Castle
- Petra from about 7 am with your guide
- Petra by Night on day 4, optional (departures are set on an evening it runs)
- Little Petra (Siq al-Barid)
- Wadi Rum 4x4 tour, sunset and stargazing
- Camel ride in Wadi Rum
- Glass-bottom boat and snorkel stop in Aqaba, with equipment
Meals
- 7 breakfasts
- 6 lunches: in Madaba, in Karak, inside Petra, at camp, in Aqaba and on the boat day
- 3 dinners at about 6 pm: a welcome dinner at the Dead Sea, a zarb dinner at camp and a farewell dinner in Aqaba
Not included
- International flights to Amman and home
- Travel insurance
- Visas for guests not covered by the Jordan Pass
- Lunch on days 1 and 8, and dinners on days 2, 3, 4 and 6
- Drinks
- Tips for your guide, driver, Bedouin guides and boat crew
- Petra's electric carts and the Monastery's local guide fee, if used
- Spa treatments at the Dead Sea resort
- Personal expenses
- Hotel nights before day 1 or after day 8
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 565 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 15% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 2,440 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 2,640. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 2,870.
What does the price include?
Seven nights with family or connecting rooms requested, our vehicle and driver with a See Sight Tours guide, the Jordan Pass for each guest who needs one, Petra, Petra by Night, Little Petra, Karak, Bethany, the Wadi Rum 4x4 and camel ride, the Aqaba boat, the flight from Aqaba to Amman, 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 3 dinners. International flights, drinks and tips are extra.
What age do children need to be?
Children need to be 6 or older. The days are built so a 6- to 12-year-old and a grandparent in their 70s can follow the same plan, with short walks, an early finish in Petra and an easy option every day. Teenagers usually go for the Monastery climb and the snorkel stop.
Is there a price for children?
Child pricing is quoted on request. Send your dates and each child's age, and we quote for children sharing a room with adults, because Petra is free under 12, Petra by Night is free under 10 and family room types vary by hotel.
How big is the group, and will we be with other families?
Departures run with 7 to 12 guests, counting children. A family of seven or more can fill a departure on its own; a family of six or fewer that wants to travel alone books the private style on its own date. Otherwise you travel with other three-generation families, with one See Sight Tours guide and a driver throughout.
Can grandparents manage Petra?
Yes, if they walk comfortably for a few hours. The main route is about 8 km on sand and paving, gently downhill on the way in and uphill on the way out, with a long sit-down lunch. Petra's electric carts, where running, cover the stretch to the Treasury, and the Monastery climb is optional.
How long are the drives?
Most days have under 2 hours in the vehicle. Day 3, from the Dead Sea to Petra, is about 4.25 hours in all, split into legs of about 1.75 and 2.5 hours by Karak Castle and lunch. We plan to end with a one-hour flight from Aqaba to Amman instead of a four-hour drive, timed once the schedule is confirmed.
Why only one night in Wadi Rum?
One camp night gives the family the 4x4, a desert sunset, a zarb dinner, the stars, sunrise and a camel ride, and it is the shortest move of the week. A second night would cost a pool afternoon in Aqaba. Families who want two nights can ask for it on a private trip.
I am a grandparent travelling with one grandchild. What is the single supplement?
A grandparent sharing a room with a grandchild pays no supplement; both pay the shared-room price. An adult who wants a room alone pays CAD 565 more, shown before you book. We do not yet match solo travellers with a roommate.
When is the best time to go with children?
March to May and September to November, which take in spring break, Easter and the autumn school breaks. Days are warm rather than hot, the Red Sea is warm enough to swim, and Petra is comfortable in the morning. Summer is too hot for Petra with grandparents.
Do we need visas for Jordan?
Most visitors do. We arrange a Jordan Pass before you fly for each guest who needs one; for stays of 3 nights or more it covers the tourist visa fee and a one-day Petra entry. Children under 12 enter Petra free, and we confirm the visa arrangements for them when you book.
How does booking work?
Send a request to book with your preferred departure, the number of guests and each child's age. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request.
Can our family travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The private style is your family only, with your own guide, vehicle and driver, on a date you choose, from CAD 5,165 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section for a quote.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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