Jordan
Travel Guide 2023
Truly one of the most magical, surprising and wonderful countries
I have encountered.
Jordan will be on my heart forever.
Truth be told, I had no plan and followed no guidebook, I simply arrived in Amman and allowed the trip to unfold. And, unfold it did with the way appearing each moment in the most magical ways! I want to encourage you to do the same. To have the courage to step into the unknown with gratitude, awe and wonder and simply trust – because THIS is where wonderful things happen.
That aside, here are my discoveries that I found along the way and recommend.
Amman the basics
Amman is a great base to start your trip. I spent 4 full days here at the start which was awesome! Here are the basics you’ll for the start of your trip, from getting through the airport and into the city.
ARRIVING IN AMMAN
The Jordan Pass is a must, you need to pre purchase this HERE. It includes the visa fee and admission to a heap of attractions so works out to be way more economical. At the airport there are a couple of counters to go through for the visa and then the passport stamp – then you’re on your way.
MAP, MONEY & SIM
Maps are available at the Info Desk in the arrival’s hall (where you collect your bag). ATMs are down a corridor to the right as you exit from Customs, and there are three SIM card counters which you can’t miss. I went with Orange which did the trick. I think they would all be much of a muchness.
GETTING TO AMMAN
I caught the shuttle bus for JD 3.50. You can buy tickets from the little kiosk in the middle of the forecourt outside. It’s cash only so go to the ATM first. Buses leave when they are full in Jordan so never be in a hurry! It’s helpful to have a good idea which ‘circle’ your accommodation is closest too so you can be dropped there and literally, to my great amusement, I was dropped in the middle of a roundabout at the 4th circle in the middle of the night. From there I used the Careem app to get a cab to my hostel for JD 1.50.
WHERE TO STAY
I stayed in a private room with an ensuite at Battuta Hostel which was excellent. Expectations surpassed and highly recommended!! They have a beautiful rooftop common area as well as a few common rooms and work areas within.
GETTING AROUND – TAXIS & BUSES
Uber and Careem are the best two apps to have. Taxis are cheap by Australian standards, and I used them frequently! I don’t think I had a ride that cost more than JD 3.
The local bus network is good enough too. All buses leave Amman from the Northern Bus Station which you can catch a taxi to. I caught the bus to/from Jerash and also back out to the airport to collect my car. Each of these trips was only JD 1! Be warned, the buses don’t leave until they are full of people so don’t be in a hurry – what will be will be.
CAR HIRE
One of the best things I did was hire a car when I was ready to explore beyond the capital. I won’t recommend the place I used as pick up was a schemozzle but, it is very affordable to hire a car, and the freedom of it once you depart Amman is THE BEST. My one hot tip here is to choose one that is on site at the airport, turned out mine was a couple kilometers away which meant I lost about an hour faffing around.
DRIVING – BE AWARE
Don’t bother getting a car while you are in Amman as traffic is pretty crazy, plus taxis and buses are very good. They drive on the right side of the road in Jordan.
Police stops are plentiful, but we grew to look forward to these little interactions. The police never checked ID or anything, simply asked where we were from and sent us on our way with a smile.
Speed humps! OH, MY GOODNESS. In the middle of a highway where you are hurtling at 100km/h will be speed humps. Keeps you on alert at all times.
Driving distances. I underestimated this and it seemed to take longer to get everywhere compared to what I was anticipating.
Amman – what to see and do
Follow your nose and just explore the capital with no agenda – join a walking tour, get lost in the souks (markets), buy heaps of juicy Medjool dates, watch sunset from the Citadel, eat falafels, hummus and Masaf until your heart is content, enjoy sweet fruit smoothies, lie in the sun in the Amphitheatre, grab a scarf for you head and pat a cat along the way.
And, if you have more time explore further afield to Jerash, Al Salt and Aljoun. Must see for me! Check out my Jerash Travel Guide, Al Salt Travel Guide and Aljoun travel guides for more information.
Beyond Amman
My itinerary turned out like this:
– Dead Sea
– Wadi Mujib (closed)
– Petra
– Wabi Rum
– Dana
– Return car in Amman and cross border into Israel.
With one day at each which I assure you was NOT enough time at all. To have had an extra day or two (or a week!) at all locations would’ve been ideal so if you have time in your itinerary space things out. And, if you are linking the trip up to Israel my honest recommendation would be to drop the Israel component and spend more time in Jordan.
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea is an unmissable place for your holiday in Jordan. To float in this crazy, buoyant, super salty water is something you must experience.
We swum like the locals did, including getting smothered in Dead Sea mud and a fresh water hot spring shower to finish (1 JD). No resort or anything fancy and it was the best time ever!!
Hot tips for the Dead Sea include taking of any jewellery before you go in as it will corrode in an instant. Not shaving for a couple of days before and covering and grazes or cuts you have with a smear of Vaseline. I wouldn’t wear your favourite swimmers as then you might be a bit precious about playing in the mud – and who wants to miss out on that!! Oh, and don’t stick your head under the water, you’ll regret it.
Here is the approximate LOCATION of where to swim like a local in the Dead Sea.
Petra
Wow, wow, wow! So, you think Petra is just the Monastery… think again. This place is HUGE. Walking around 30km on this day to see it all, and I think that pretty much covered every side trail and vantage point. Start early and pack your walking feet and plenty of water for this day.
I stayed at the Petra View Hostel. It’s a brand-new hotel and the customer service was excellent!
Wadi Rum
One of the most awesome places you ever might see. The expansive red earth and rock formations sure is something else! Another must do is a dessert camp. I went with Wadi Rum Desert Adventures which is just one I booked on the day, and it was amazing!! The tents were perfect, dinner and breakfast were included and there was singing and dancing around the fire at night.
The next day we did a half-day desert jeep tour, again a must do at JD 80 (for two). SUPER fun and the best way to see the highlights of the dessert.
Dana Reserve
Dana Reserve was a complete surprise. Certainly, you’d have to be living underground not to know about the Dead Sea, Wadi Rum and Petra, but Dana – no one had mentioned this place at all. I simply found it looking at the map for a spot to stop between Wadi and Amman and had a good feeling.
The accommodation I found was such a treat. Al Nawatef Camp ECO camp was only 16 JD for the night for two, or upgrade and get a tent with an ensuite. Dinner and breakfast were included once again and also a sunset tour into the reserve which turned out to be one of the most magic times of the trip.
Crossing the border from Jordan to Israel via King Hussein Bridge
Pack your patience for this day! It took a full 8 hours to get from Amman Airport where we dropped our car, to our accommodation in Jerusalem – with only 100km between the two. YUP!
AIRPORT TO BORDER
No bus exists for this, trust me I checked. Taxi is the only option which cost around JD 24. There were a few false starts with the first two drivers I got on Careem deciding that driving to the border was too risky for them. Hmmmm okay! Finally, with Uber we got a driver who would go the whole way.
CHECKS GALLORE
1. Enter the border checks building on the Jordanian side and line up for a passport check at one counter. They will send you to another counter to pay the JD 10 exit fee and they will send you to another counter where your passport will be taken and you will be instructed to take a seat and wait. I had heard this wait could be up to a couple of hours, but I think it was only about 30 minutes
2. Passport returned, and you’ll be hurried to a bus (airconditioned coach), which I was about JD 10 I think? Don’t hurry -you’ll just wait standing outside the bus for an unknown period of time.
3. Let’s go! Hurried onto the bus. Only to wait, in the bus. Haha
4. Eventually, the bus gets going when full and you’ll moved onto the next check point, being the Israeli one before crossing into Israel. This one was chaos, bags and people galore. There are lots of counters which you’ll be directed through to. Passport check again then bags one way you another. A sticker was for the passport corresponding to your bag. Carryon bags were able to be taken through. If you wanted to get through here quicker the smaller the bag the better.
5. Lining up in quite a long line for security screening, standard screening like an airport.
6. Lining up, another quite a long line for a passport check.
7. Waiting for a very long in a seated waiting area for permission to progress to another passport check, bag collection and then TA DAH! In Israel.
8. Getting into Jerusalem was easy. There was a kiosk just outside the terminal which sold tickets for a bus ride. I think this bus was JD 10 and they did accept JD money which was handy as I had plenty of JD cash still and no Israeli Shekels yet.
9. The bus had another stop at an Israeli checkpoint and an armed guard came onto the bus to check passports AGAIN!! Someone didn’t have their passport, so we got held up for quite some time as they were taken of the bus and interviewed.
10. Then, about 6 hours later the bus dropped us in the middle of Jerusalem near the bus terminal. It took at least a further 2 hours to navigate our way to accommodation. The public transport was very confusing, and taxi drivers more aggressive in Israel, so keep that patience handy! And nothing is in English at all!!
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