Jordan: A Middle Eastern Road Trip

May 29

When you think of travel destinations, the Middle East may not be at the top of your list but Jordan may just change your mind. Bordering Israel, Iraq, Syria, and Saudi Arabia, lies Jordan; a relatively small country filled with other-worldly landscapes, a fascinating historical significance, delicious food, and some of the kindest people I’ve met. Jordan is known as one of the safest places to travel in the Middle East, and having traveled there I can confirm it’s an incredibly safe and easy-to-travel country. I visited with my friend, making us two young women travelling alone. I have no doubt that in the years to come, Jordan will become a popular tourist destination so do yourself a favour and visit this unbelievable country sooner rather than later.

*Standing at the Monastery in Petra, Jordan*

The Basics

HOW TO GET THERE

Chances are you will fly either into the capital city of Amman (Queen Alia International Airport) or the port-city of Aqaba (King Hussein International Airport). Other options for entering Jordan are via several land borders with Israel. I personally flew into Amman and therefore cannot speak to the logistics of entering via land.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

As always, check your country’s entry requirements and travel advisories. For several countries, travelers can obtain an on-arrival visa at several points of entry, including both airports mentioned above, and some land borders. This is what I did and it was really straight-forward. For more information on this visa click here.

*An early morning walk into Petra Archeological Park*

BEFORE YOU ARRIVE

I highly recommend purchasing the Jordan Pass before arriving in Jordan. This pass will waive your visa fee upon arrival as well as granting you entry into Petra, Wadi Rum, Jerash, and several other tourist destinations. I will note that there are several attractions that do not accept the Jordan Pass but as long as you require the visa on arrival and plan to visit Petra, you will get your money’s worth. There’s a few different kinds of Jordan Pass so read through the options and decide which is best for you.

HOW TO GET AROUND

I highly recommend renting a car in Jordan. This is what every single blog, article, video, etc. that I came across before visiting said to do, and after spending 2 weeks in the country, I agree. Public transportation is extremely limited, and although it’s a small country, in order to cover off the main places, you will need to travel large distances. Other than driving yourself, you can hire a driver, pay taxis (or Ubers in Amman), or maybe take a bus. However, the cheapest option will be to rent a car. It came out to about $50 CAD / day for our car rental. We rented ours from Enterprise at Queen Alia International Airport and had no issues.

MONEY FACTS

I mainly paid using my MasterCard while I was in Jordan. A few places will only accept cash so I recommend exchanging some or withdrawing from an ATM so you can pay taxis and local vendors. The only major attraction that did not accept cards while I was there was our tour in Wadi Rum. Out of all the places we stayed the only accommodation that was cash-only was our hostel in Petra. In short, have some cash with you but you can pay with a card in most places if that’s what you prefer. I did not travel with an AMEX so I cannot speak to how widely that’s accepted in Jordan.

In terms of cost, the Middle East is not a particularly cheap destination. That being said, you can save money by staying in hostels, cooking meals, and not shopping. Or you can stay in resorts, eat out every meal, and spend cash at the Souks (the name for markets in the Middle East). It really can be done in a variety of budgets, but don’t expect to have your money go as far as it will in other notoriously cheap areas of the world.

WHEN TO GO

When you think of the Middle East, you likely imagine a hot and dry climate. However, Jordan does get cold in the winter, they even get snow in some areas so consider this when deciding when to visit. Many of the sights in Jordan are outdoors and frankly best enjoyed in the sunshine. That being said, at the height of summer, Jordan can get very hot. The best time to visit is in the spring, between March and May.

Something to consider when visiting predominantly Muslim countries is when Ramadan falls. Ramadan changes every year so check if it overlaps with your travel dates. When I visited it was Ramadan and overall it didn’t greatly impact our trip so I wouldn’t worry about rescheduling, it’s just something to consider. There were a handful of times we had trouble finding food during the days but most of the time it wasn’t an issue around tourist attractions. One day we couldn’t find anything open so we just grabbed some ingredients from the grocery store and made some sandwiches. In some countries, it’s illegal to eat in public during Ramadan and impossible to find anything open. I recommend researching specifics about countries you plan to visit during Ramadan, but from personal experience, Jordan was totally fine to travel and if anything it helped keep crowds down slightly.

*Standing in front of the door to an ancient cave in Petra*

*Our unbelievable lunch spot in Wadi Rum Desert*

HOW LONG TO SPEND THERE

Depending on how much time you have and what you want to do, I’d say you can visit anywhere between 7 to 14 days. I was there for 12 full days but honestly could have done everything I wanted in 10. If you’re coming from far away and want to make your trip worth it, you can always tag on neighboring countries like Israel or Egypt.

The Fun Stuff

PETRA

No trip to Jordan is complete without a visit to Petra; it’s easily the main tourist attraction in the country. Nicknamed the “rose city”, Petra was home to approximately 30,000 people at its peak over two thousand years ago. It’s estimated only 15% of the ancient city has been excavated which is hard to believe considering how much there is to explore already. We spent 2 days in Petra and I felt like I got to see everything and it was nice to not feel rushed. You could do it in one day if you’re pressed for time, but it’d be a long day.

We left Amman early in the morning and arrived at Petra around noon. By the time we dropped off our bags and grabbed some food, we entered Petra Archeological Park around 2pm. Our hostel recommended we enter through the back entrance since we started later in the day and it was such a great tip. We dropped our rental car at the main entrance and took a taxi to Little Petra. From Little Petra to the back entrance you can take a shuttle for 5 JOD which I recommend doing. It’s a pretty long dirt road and would have been a hot and uneventful walk. I was shocked by how empty the back entrance was. Once everyone from the shuttle started walking and naturally spread out, we were basically alone on the trail into the park. It’s about a one hour hike to the Monastery. Our timing worked out really because the lighting at the Monastery was amazing in the afternoon and it really wasn’t that busy. We took some photos, enjoyed the views, and continued through the park. For our first day we walked through without really veering off the main path, knowing that on our second day in the park we would be exploring all of the side trails and other attractions. It was such a lovely walk and I did not feel rushed at all even though we started later in the day. We walked past the amphitheater, tombs, and countless other ruins until we reached the iconic Treasury. This is what you see in most photos and the area where Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was filmed. I was very happy to have come in through the back as the Treasury was definitely quite busy by the time we got there. We left the park around 6pm and got a great taste of what we’d explore in more detail the next day.

My second day in Petra was another long day but it was so incredible. I highly recommend getting to the entrance as early as possible. We were walking into the park at 6:30am which was right when the sun was rising. The gates opened at 6am so the earlier you can get in the better. This allowed us to walk through the Siq and arrive at the Treasury with minimal crowds. It’s also a great way to explore the park before the peak heat of the afternoon. We spent the day exploring all of the other attractions we didn’t do the day before, including temples, churches, various viewpoints, and so on.

You can hire a guide but we opted to just explore on our own with the help of the map provided to us. After visiting all the areas we left Petra around 4pm. It’s a long day but so nice to start early and beat the crowds and heat a little bit.

Petra by Night

On our first day in Petra, we returned around 8pm for the Petra by Night show that runs 3 nights a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. This is not included in your Petra entrance fee (or the Jordan Pass) and costs 17 JOD. Petra by Night is basically when they line the entrance to Petra and the Siq with lanterns. The Siq is a 1.2km long canyon that reaches over 80 meters in height and leads to the Treasury. The walk in is really beautiful and the lanterns almost make it feel like you’ve gone back in time which is really interesting. Once you arrive at the Treasury there are tons of people all shuffled in and guides asking you to sit down. The process of having everyone sit down is quite long and eventually a show with a brief story of ancient Petra and traditional music begins. It’s a pretty short show and afterwards they ask you to leave pretty quickly. It was a cool experience, but in my honest opinion, I don’t think Petra by Night was worth the cost. I loved the walk in but the show itself is pretty short and felt a little bit like a tourist trap to me. If you’re there on one of the nights it takes place and you’re willing to pay, I’d say go for it but I wouldn’t worry about planning your trip around being there for one of the nights. That is just my honest opinion, other people rave about it!

WADI RUM

If you go to Jordan you absolutely have to visit Wadi Rum. A UNESCO heritage site, this bright red desert has been compared to the surface of Mars by astronauts. Several movies including Dune and The Martian have been filmed amongst the cliffs and red sand dunes in the desert. I would highly recommend spending a night in the desert to get the full experience. There’s several ways to go about spending the night, you can opt for an aesthetic, instagrammable bubble tent, a more traditional night in a Bedouin camp, or you can even tent camp in the desert (with proper permits of course). I opted for the Bedouin camp and had a fantastic experience.

I booked our experience through Wadi Rum Stillness and could not recommend them enough. Our guide was kind, knowledgeable, and always made sure we were having a great time. They offer a variety of options for your trip depending on how long you want to visit, what you like to do, and so on. We opted for their Vertigo Tour which was one day and one night, for me this was enough time and I felt like we got a good taste of the desert. If you want to stay longer, you totally can. We started with a morning hike up to Burdah Arch, then ate lunch in possibly the coolest spot I’ve ever enjoyed a meal, and then spent the afternoon on the jeep tour stopping at various places and exploring other areas of the desert. Finally we arrived at the camp and had dinner, listened to music by the fire, and went to bed. The next morning we were provided with breakfast and a ride back to the village.

READ SEA, AQABA

Aqaba is a small port-city in the south of Jordan with direct access to the Red Sea. Aqaba is a decently large city but for tourists there’s not a ton to do. The main attractions are located in the old town and include Aqaba fort, Sharif Hussein bin Ali Mosque, and the souks. However, I would say unless you plan to spend time in the Red Sea, you can probably skip Aqaba.

It’s a popular dive destination with bright coral and a famous shipwreck, Cedar Pride. Although I have my PADI certification, I did not go diving and only went snorkeling. I would recommend diving if you’re certified, but even the snorkeling was fantastic. There were tons of fish, and bright corral all close enough to the surface to experience without diving.

*Exploring Sharif Hussein bin Ali Mosque*

We also spent time at Berenice Beach Club just relaxing by the pool and beach. If you do want to swim at the beaches I recommend going to one of the beach clubs as western bathing suits are not allowed on public beaches for women. Most of the information I read did not recommend visiting the public beaches as a tourist so I’d respect that and just go to one of the beach clubs.

This was a nice stop after a couple of really hectic days, but like I said if you don’t plan on snorkeling or diving one day is probably enough to spend on the beach relaxing and wandering through the old town.

DEAD SEA

The Dead Sea has a salinity of 35% which is ten times greater than that of the ocean. For this reason, there is no life in the body of water - no microorganisms, algae, or fish, hence the name “Dead” Sea. The main reason people visit the Dead Sea is to float in it; since the water has such high salinity, people will not sink and it’s even hard to swim - you just kind of float in the sea. Another fun fact is that the Dead Sea is 430 meters below sea level!

*Covered in mud from the Dead Sea before going in to float*

We decided to splurge and spend a night at the Hilton but you can swim at the salt beach on the south end of the Dead Sea for free. It was raining the day we were there which is pretty unlucky considering they get about 65mm of rain per year. This could easily be a stop on your road trip, you do not need to spend the night, but don’t miss floating in the Dead Sea if you visit Jordan - it’s such a unique experience!

MADABA

Madaba is known as the “City of Mosaics”. It’s mainly known for the mosaic map of several biblical sites on the floor of St George's Greek Orthodox Church. We stopped here for a few hours and checked out the church, stopped into several shops, and had dinner. We ended up chatting to a couple store owners for over an hour and drinking tea. This was something I noticed often, people would offer you tea and just want to chat which was such a lovely gesture. We also had an amazing dinner here, we tried a Middle Eastern dish that I wish I remembered the name of. It was barley and vegetables cooked in a ceramic vase over fire. Not only was it absolutely delicious, but it was so interesting to see this traditional way of cooking.

*The pottery our amazing dinner was cooked in*

MOUNT NEBO

Mount Nebo is on the way back to Amman from the Dead Sea. It’s where Moses received the 10 commandments and therefore a significant area in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. It costs 3 JOD to enter and is a pretty quick stop. The views from there are also beautiful as you can see Israel on a clear day.

BAPTISM SITE OF JESUS CHRIST

Near the border of Jordan and Israel sits the Jordan River and the site of Jesus’ baptism. The entry is 12 JOD and as it’s located in a military zone you cannot go in without a guide. I found this a really interesting experience because past the baptism site you can walk to where the Jordan River sits today. It has shifted over the last two thousand years and now sits right on the border of modern-day Jordan and Israel. We stood on the river bank on the Jordan side and could see people being baptized in Israel. The river is about 10m wide so you are very close to the other side. Standing meters away from the West Bank of Israel was such a unique experience.

*View of Israel’s West Bank from the Jordan River*

WADI MUJIB

Unfortunately we did not actually get to visit Wadi Mujib as the water levels were still too high. This typically opens on April 1st depending on the water levels. There’s several trails you can hike here, some guided and others self-guided, and you can go canyoneering as well. It’s a similar vibe to the famous Narrows in Zion National Park. If it's open while you’re there, I would recommend checking it out as it looks amazing!

DANA BIOSPHERE

This was another area that we did not explore mainly because we had other things we wanted to do more and the day we could have gone it was quite rainy. It’s a huge area with several trails to hike. I’ve heard it’s not too busy and has amazing views so if you want to add on some extra hiking, this could be a great addition to your Jordan trip.

AMMAN

Since you will likely fly into the capital city of Amman you might as well spend a day there. It’s a large city and honestly there’s not a ton for tourists to do but if you have a day to spend there are some things worth a visit. In the middle of downtown there is a large Roman Amphitheatre. From the Amphitheatre you can look up and see the Citadel overlooking the city. Both of these sites are another example of Roman and Greek ruins; it’s a really cool contrast between the modern city.

There is also the blue mosque or King Abdullah I Mosque as it’s properly called. This is open for visitors but women will be asked to cover knees, shoulders, and hair to enter. They have coverings you can borrow if you don’t have one with you.

The Jordan Museum is a great way to learn more about the country’s history but if you don’t have time I’d say you can skip this one. We also took a cooking class while in Amman which was a neat way to interact with locals and learn more about the food, we made Maqluba which was delicious and I’d recommend trying!

There’s several Turkish Hammams in the city, we went to AlPasha Turkish Bath and I’d highly recommend. The experience felt very authentic and it was a nice way to relax and getaway from the bustling city.

I’d say the best thing to do in Amman is just wander the streets and get a feel for the local life. Rainbow Street is a popular area for food and shops, we ended up chatting to some shop owners for hours and drinking tea with them one night. The souks in downtown are also a great way to interact with locals shopping and see what everyday life is like for people living in Amman.

JERASH

Located about an hour drive north of Amman you will find Jerash. Jerash is nicknamed “Pompeii of the Middle East” as it is the largest and best preserved Roman ruins outside of Italy. A once thriving civilization, Jerash was home to twenty thousand people at it’s peak. It makes a great day trip from Amman, and there’s public transportation you can take to get there for about 3 JOD. We opted to take an Uber there and taxi back (about 20 JOD each way) simply for the convenience. I absolutely loved wandering the ancient ruins and exploring all the various temples, amiptheatres, the hippodrome, churches, and more. I was so pleasantly surprised to see how few people were there. Don’t get me wrong there were lots of visitors but since the area is so large you really aren’t swarmed by crowds and can actually enjoy everything there is to see. We spent about 5-6 hours there including a lunch break, I’d recommend bringing lots of water and snacks as there’s nothing available inside the Archeological Park. We had lunch at the buffet restaurant just outside the entrance gates (past the hippodrome), it was 10 JOD per person (not including drinks) and delicious. We were able to leave the park to eat and go back inside which was really convenient.

final thoughts

Visiting Jordan had been on my bucket list for a while before I went. It was one of those places I wasn’t sure I would get to but I’m so glad it worked out and I was able to explore this stunning country for two weeks. I learned so much about the area’s history, ate delicious food, explored a huge variety of landscapes, and interacted with some of the kindest humans I’ve met. If you are even remotely thinking about visiting Jordan, all I can say is… do it! I have no doubt in my mind you will fall in love with this part of the world, and if you’re anything like me, it will likely leave you wanting to return to explore more of the Middle East.

Safe travels,

Maria

Maria Acosta

Jordan: A Middle Eastern Road Trip

The Basics

The Fun Stuff

final thoughts

Colombia’s Amazon Rainforest