Private Day Trip to Jerash, Umm Qais & Ajloun from Amman

Three millennia of ruins in a single afternoon, all within reach of Amman.

This private day trip from Amman visits Jerash, Umm Qais and Ajloun Castle in one 10-hour tour by air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking driver and hotel pickup included. You see Roman theaters and colonnades at Jerash, the ancient city of Gadara perched above the Jordan Valley at Umm Qais, and a 12th-century fortress in the hills at Ajloun, with transport and timing arranged so the three stops fit into a single day. Entry fees to the sites are not included and you'll need moderate fitness for walking the ruins.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Jerash2h
2. Umm Qais1h

Visit Jerash, Umm Qais, and Ajloun Castle

• Travel from Amman to Jerash
• Visit Jerash city and ruins
• Travel to Umm Qais
• Visit Umm Qais ancient ruins
• Travel to Ajloun Castle
• Visit Ajloun Castle
• Return to Amman

The experience

Your hotel pickup in Amman starts the day, and the private car means you move between sites without waiting for a group or following a fixed schedule within the itinerary. The driver speaks English and knows the route, so you get context about what you're walking through without the pace of a larger tour. The air-conditioned vehicle handles the driving between stops, which matters because Jerash sits about an hour north of the city and Umm Qais another hour beyond that.

Jerash is the largest Roman ruin outside Italy: a full ancient city with theaters, a hippodrome, temples and a colonnaded street that still runs straight through the site. Umm Qais sits on a ridge overlooking the Jordan Valley and the Sea of Galilee, and the ruins there are spread across the hilltop rather than concentrated in one zone, so the walk covers ground. Ajloun Castle crowns a hill in the north with views across the Jordan Valley. It's a 12th-century fortress built to control the trade routes, and the climb up to it is steeper than the other two sites. The 10-hour duration includes driving time between all three, so you're not rushing through any single stop, but you're also not spending a full day at one place.

Moderate fitness matters because each site involves walking uneven terrain and climbing: Jerash has steps and slopes throughout the ruins, Umm Qais spreads across a hillside, and Ajloun requires a climb to reach the castle itself. The driver will wait for you at each location and bring you back to your Amman hotel at the end of the day. You arrange and pay for entry to each site separately, and food and drinks are not included, so plan for a meal or bring supplies.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off from Amman.
• private air-conditioned vehicle for the full day.
• English-speaking driver who provides commentary at each site.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:00

Book up to14h before

AgesUp to age 90

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Paid on siteUS$ 30

Prices and times updated 10 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effort

Operated by Jordan Private Tours and Travel

Is this one for you?The English-speaking driver means you get context about what you're seeing without needing to read a guidebook or follow a group's pace: good if you want to understand the sites without the structure of a larger tour, and if you're comfortable with moderate walking across uneven terrain at each location.

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Top questions

What's the difference between Jerash and Umm Qais, why visit both in one day?

Jerash is a sprawling Roman city with theaters, temples and a long colonnaded street still standing in the valley floor, while Umm Qais (ancient Gadara) sits on a ridge with ruins spread across a hilltop and views down into the Jordan Valley and toward the Sea of Galilee. They're different periods and different landscapes, so seeing both shows the range of what's preserved in northern Jordan.

How much walking and climbing is involved at each site?

Jerash has steps and slopes throughout the ruins but the main sights are reachable without extreme climbing; Umm Qais spreads across a hillside so you cover more ground horizontally; Ajloun Castle requires a steeper climb up to the fortress itself. Moderate fitness means you can handle all three, but none of them are flat walks.

Do I need to book entry tickets in advance, or can I buy them at each site?

Entry fees are not included in the tour price and you arrange them at each location on the day. The driver can help you navigate the process, but the tickets and their cost are separate from what you've paid for transport and the guide.

How much time do I actually spend at each ruin versus driving?

The 10-hour total includes all driving between Amman and the three sites. You're not rushed through any single stop, but because the sites are spread across northern Jordan, a meaningful portion of the day is spent in the car moving between them.

What if my hotel is outside central Amman? Can the driver still pick me up?

Pickup and drop-off are included from Amman city. If your hotel is elsewhere, extra charges apply and you'll need to arrange that separately with the operator before booking.