Place

Petra and Wadi Musa

How locals move

Getting around Petra and Wadi Musa the local way

JETT's scheduled coach from Amman is the easy way in; everyone else relays through Ma'an on minibuses that leave when full, and once inside the Siq the only transport is a regulated horse, cart, donkey or camel concession.

01
JETT Amman (Abdali) – Petrabus
JETT office near Abdali station, Amman, to the JETT stop at the Petra Visitor Center, Wadi Musa
Where
JETT's Abdali office; the bus stops right at the Petra Visitor Center, a few minutes' walk from the gate
When
One departure a day each way (JETT live-schedule API shows the Abdali–Petra route as active, 2026)
Fare (2026)
11 JD adult, 7.7 JD child, one-way (JETT live-schedule API, checked September 2026); Wikivoyage quotes 10 JD one-way as of May 2025
Takes
About 3.5 hours (Wikivoyage, May 2025)
Season
year-round
Booking
buy at the JETT office or via jett.com.jo; no reservation required for the standard fare shown by the API
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2025-05) · jett.com.jo (2026-09) · confidence high
02
JETT Aqaba – Petrabus
JETT office, Aqaba (with pickup at Movenpick Tala Bay and Divers Village) to the Petra Visitor Center stop
Where
JETT office in Aqaba; hotel pickup listed at Movenpick Tala Bay and Divers Village
When
Route listed as active and round-trip in the JETT live-schedule API (checked September 2026); no clock times published in the API
Fare
not published as a fixed adult price in the live-schedule API (returned as 0); fare could not be confirmed for this route
Takes
undated, not directly stated in the sources checked
Season
year-round
Booking
book through jett.com.jo or the Aqaba office
Sources: jett.com.jo (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2025-05) · confidence medium
03
Wadi Musa – Ma'an – Aqaba relayminibus
Wadi Musa Bus Station (next to the mosque) to Ma'an, then a separate minibus from Ma'an on to Aqaba
Where
Wadi Musa Bus Station beside the mosque; ask for Ma'an, then change for Aqaba
When
regular during daylight hours; leaves when full, no fixed timetable found
Fare
0.55 JD Wadi Musa to Ma'an, 1.50 JD Ma'an to Aqaba; year not stated in the Wikivoyage text, treat as undated
Takes
not stated in the source checked
Season
year-round
Booking
none, pay on board; going via Ma'an gets the local price rather than the marked-up direct fare
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2025) · confidence medium
04
Direct Aqaba – Wadi Musa minibusminibus
Wadi Musa Bus Station direct to Aqaba, aimed at travellers crossing from Eilat
Where
Wadi Musa Bus Station; ask for the Aqaba minibus, no fixed stand name given
When
on demand; one early minibus from Wadi Musa around 06:45, returns from Aqaba once full, no fixed timetable
Fare
5 JD; year not stated in the Wikivoyage text, treat as undated
Takes
not stated in the source checked
Season
year-round
Booking
none, pay on board; ask at the tourist information office at the Aqaba border for departure times
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2025) · confidence medium
05
Direct Amman – Wadi Musa minibusminibus
Amman to Wadi Musa direct, bypassing Ma'an
Where
informal departure points in Amman; ask at the Northern (Tabarboor) bus station
When
on demand, leaves when full
Fare (2023)
7 JD charged to tourists as of March 2023; drivers may try to add a separate luggage charge, which the source says to refuse
Takes
about 3 hours (Wikivoyage)
Season
year-round
Booking
none, pay on board
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2023-03) · confidence medium
06
Wadi Rum – Petra minibusminibus
Wadi Rum village to Wadi Musa
Where
arranged through a Wadi Rum tour operator or guide, not a public stand
When
on demand; usual departure around 09:30 from Wadi Rum, can shift for weather or other tour groups
Fare
10 JD; year not stated in the Wikivoyage text, treat as undated
Takes
about 2 hours
Season
year-round
Booking
compulsory advance arrangement: have your Wadi Rum tour operator or guide call the bus owner the day before
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2025) · confidence medium
07
Taxi or hired car, Amman – Petraprivate hire
Amman to Petra and back via either the Desert Highway (faster, Amman–Ma'an–Aqaba road) or the King's Highway (Kerak, Madaba, Wadi Mujib, joining the Desert Highway south of Ma'an)
Where
arranged through a hotel or hailed directly; the King's Highway is a specific route request, not the default
When
on demand
Fare
around 75 JD or less for a private taxi from Amman including about 6 hours of waiting at Petra; a hotel-arranged shared taxi via the now-discontinued Madaba bus route costs 85 JD; year not stated in the Wikivoyage text, treat as undated
Takes
about 3–4 hours one-way depending on route; the King's Highway is described as slower and more scenic
Season
year-round; the King's Highway runs through highland areas that get colder and wetter in winter (November–March) than the Desert Highway
Booking
negotiate directly, or arrange through a hotel (e.g. the Mariam Hotel in Madaba organises a King's Highway shared taxi)
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2025) · en.wikivoyage.org (2025) · confidence medium
08
Taxi, Aqaba – Petraprivate hire
Aqaba to Petra one-way via the Desert Highway
Where
hailed in Aqaba or arranged by a hotel; Wikivoyage flags a taxi cartel operating at the Aqaba border, worth avoiding for this specific ride
When
on demand
Fare
around 55 JD one-way; year not stated in the Wikivoyage text, treat as undated
Takes
about 2 hours
Season
year-round
Booking
negotiate directly or via a hotel
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2025) · confidence medium
09
Wadi Musa town to the Petra gate, and on to Little Petraprivate hire
Wadi Musa town centre to the Petra Visitor Center gate; separately, Wadi Musa to Little Petra (Siq al-Barid)
Where
taxis wait around central Wadi Musa and outside hotels; many hotels also run a free shuttle to the gate
When
on demand
Fare (2018)
1–2 JD taxi to the gate (or free hotel shuttle); about 25 JD for a return taxi to Little Petra including an hour's wait, as of October 2018
Takes
gate run: about 15 minutes on foot as an alternative; Little Petra run with an hour's wait: not stated
Season
year-round
Booking
none, hail directly or ask hotel reception
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2018-10) · confidence medium
10
Wadi Musa bus station – Little Petra minibusminibus
Wadi Musa Bus Station to Little Petra (Siq al-Barid)
Where
Wadi Musa Bus Station in the city centre, ask for Little Petra (Siq al-Barid)
When
at least one minibus around midday (approx. 12:00)
Fare
fare not stated in the source checked; entry to Little Petra itself is free
Takes
not stated in the source checked
Season
year-round
Booking
none
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2018-10) · confidence low
11
Petra entry ticket and the Jordan Passpermit
Petra Visitor Center ticket gate, Wadi Musa
Where
buy at the Visitor Center gate, or online in advance at jordanpass.jo before arriving in the country
When
gate open daily; visiting hours 06:00–17:00 in winter, 06:00–18:00 in summer
Fare (2025)
Jordan Pass: 70/75/80 JD for one/two/three days at Petra (as of August 2025); this also waives the 40 JD single-entry visa fee for anyone staying 3+ nights in Jordan; without the pass, the same article puts regular Petra entry at 50/55/60 JD for one/two/three days, and 90 JD for anyone visiting Jordan for a single day
Takes
n/a
Season
year-round; note winter opening hours are an hour shorter in the afternoon
Booking
buy the Jordan Pass online before arrival to get the visa waiver; must be used within 12 months of purchase
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2025-08) · en.wikivoyage.org (2025) · confidence high
12
In-site concession: horses, carts, donkeys and camels through the Siqhorse cart
Four segments inside Petra: entrance to the Siq (foot or horse), Siq to the Treasury (foot or cart), Treasury to the Monastery stairs (foot, donkey or camel), and the Monastery's 800 steps (foot or donkey)
Where
animal handlers wait at the entrance and throughout the site; the ticket includes a short horse ride to the Siq entrance but not further legs
When
on demand, throughout opening hours
Fare
prices are unset and heavily negotiable; Wikivoyage advises no more than 15 JD per hour for camel/donkey hire further into the site; year not stated in the source, treat as undated. This is a regulated concession with a published animal-welfare controversy: a Brooke charity clinic near the entrance treats mistreated animals for free, and Wikivoyage documents visible whipping and overloading, especially near closing time
Takes
varies by segment
Season
year-round; animals are reported to be driven especially hard in summer heat
Booking
none, negotiate on the spot; a common scam quotes the short horse ride as 'free with the ticket' then charges heavily for a longer unrequested ride – agree an all-inclusive price up front
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2025) · en.wikivoyage.org (2025) · confidence high

Not yet confirmed: The brief's claim of a JETT 'live schedule' with clock times is only partly right: the API (https://jett.com.jo/api/v2/live-schedule) returns route, pricing and pickup-point data but no departure clock times for the Petra routes checked here – the Wikivoyage-quoted 06:30 Amman departure and 17:00 return could not be independently confirmed against the API and should be checked directly with JETT before travel.; JETT's own schedule page (jett.com.jo/en/schedule) returned 404 at the time of checking; Wikivoyage separately flags its own JETT timetable link as dead since August 2026.; The JETT Aqaba–Petra fare returned as 0 in the live-schedule API and could not be confirmed from any source checked; ask at the Aqaba JETT office directly.; Little Petra and the Beidha 'back door' route into Petra (a hiking trail sometimes described as entering near Beidha) could not be confirmed from Wikivoyage or any other source reached in this pass beyond the one midday minibus and taxi to Little Petra itself – the specific back-door hiking route through Beidha needs on-the-ground or trail-guide confirmation.; The Madaba–Wadi Musa daily bus via the King's Highway is confirmed defunct as of 2025 per Wikivoyage, correcting any assumption of a scheduled King's Highway bus; only a hotel-arranged shared taxi (about 85 JD) was found as a substitute.; petrasite.gov.jo and petra.gov.jo (the official Petra Archaeological Park domains) both redirect to broken pages and could not be used to confirm or update ticket prices or hours; entry fee figures here rely on the Jordan Pass comparison in Wikivoyage's Jordan article rather than an official price list.; No self-drive car rental operator, rate or Wadi Musa branch could be confirmed from the sources reached; Jordan's Wikivoyage 'By car' section covers road conditions and driving culture but names no rental company or price.; No dedicated Wikivoyage article exists for Wadi Musa (the URL redirects to a 404); all Wadi Musa detail here comes from the Petra article's Get in/Get around sections.; The in-site animal concession is four services under one kind: 'horse_cart' was chosen because SCHEMA.md names Petra's concession as the case where a ridden animal and a cart are the same option. 'horse', 'camel' and 'mule' all exist as kinds if this is ever split; donkeys, which Wikivoyage says are the animal most used and most exploited on the Monastery stairs, have no exact kind word..

The field note on Petra and Wadi Musa reads this entry in full, one option at a time, with every source beside it.

We have no description for this place yet. The planner still knows how to get there.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.