Wadi Rum · Backpacking

The protected area fee is 5 JD and is waived on a Jordan Pass. A camp night with dinner and breakfast plus a full-day jeep circuit is the rest; on the going rate of 60-80 JD a head for the jeep, one night and one day runs 90-130 JD alone and far less in a full car.

The vehicle is the unit of cost, not the person. Joining an existing group through your camp or at the visitor centre is the single biggest saving available in Wadi Rum, and it costs nothing but a message the day before.

70 JD, 75 or 80 depending on how many Petra days you want, and it takes in the 5 JD reserve fee here along with 40-odd other sites. Bought before you land it also waives the tourist visa fee.

Petra to Wadi Rum on the Jordan Trail is 91.6km over five days; the last region, Wadi Rum to the Red Sea, is 112km over six more, following old shepherd paths down to Aqaba. Wild camping is free; guides are not.

Balloon flights, camel hours and guided climbing are all priced separately from the camp night and the jeep day. Ask for the full total in cash terms before you agree, because there are no card machines past the visitor centre.