Last updated on 01-apr-2025CONTENT– Formalities/ Travel Itineraries / Places To See / Basics / Accommodation / Getting Around / Food / Cultural Sense & Safety / Shopping / Budget
The wonders of the world, beautiful red sand deserts, interesting cities with well preserved Roman and Byzantine architecture, tasty food and friendly people – If all of these are on your list of must-haves during a travel, then Jordan is a perfect destination for you. I think this is one of the best countries to visit for an introduction to the Middle Eastern culture. On this page you shall find the details to plan your travel across this incredible country that is open to tourists and has so much to offer. C’est parti!
Formalities
Jordan offers a Visa on arrival service for many countries including India. However, it is required to buy a Jordan Pass that will cover your visa and entry fee to Petra and other historic sites. I would highly recommend buying a Jordan pass with a two-day entry to Petra.
Most Indian travellers go through a lot of questioning or waiting at the immigration but if you have a valid US or Schengen visa, then it will speed up the process and not many questions would be asked. Tourists get 1 month visa to Jordan.
The documents required while entering Jordan – Passport, Jordan Pass, Return Ticket and Hotel booking (Optional). You may carry your 6-month bank statement just in case they ask. This will show that you have enough funds to cover the trip. However, this is not really asked at the entry point.
Travel Itineraries
Jordan is a small country and if you are covering just the main attractions, then you can do it in a week or 10 days. However, in order to explore it in detail and enjoy the country I would definitely recommend two weeks. Here are two itineraries.
7-10 Days (Essentials in a rush) – Amman-Dead Sea-Petra-Wadi Rum–Aqaba.
12-14 Days – Amman-As-Salt-Jerash-Ajloun-Umm Qais-Mount Nebo-Dead Sea-Wadi Mujib-Madaba-Karak-Petra-Wadi Rum-Aqaba.
Places to See
Wadi Rum, Petra, Wadi Mujib, Amman, Dead Sea and Umm Qais are my most favourite locations in Jordan, in the same order. You cannot miss these places. Please follow the links to my personal blog and find out more about the places to visit in each of these cities.
Amman: This ancient city preserves some of the best Roman architectures.
Jerash: More Roman architectures to explore.
Ajloun: Visit a beautiful hill top Castle.
Umm Qais: Another ancient city at the border of Jordan, Israel and Syria. From here you can see the Sea of Galilee.
Madaba: Explore the Byzantine churches with painted marble floorings.
As-Salt: Undoubtedly the most beautiful old town in Jordan.
Dead Sea: Float in the salty waters of Dead Sea – The lowest point on earth.
Wadi Mujib: Walk through the canyons following the Siq trail.
Karak Castle: Another ancient castle.
Petra: One of the world wonders and a Nabatean masterpiece.
Wadi Rum: Your most beautiful experience in Jordan would be here – Stay a night or two in the middle of a desert in Bedouin camps and enjoy the jeep rides and sleeping in a cave under a star filled sky.
Aqaba: Popular destination by the Red Sea for adventure sports and fish food.
The East: Explore Azraq Castles and Quseir ‘Amra, Shaumari wildlife reserve.
The Basics
As soon as you land in a country you will need two things - a SIM card and some local currency.
At the airport, you can buy an orange SIM card. I used this through out my trip and it had good connectivity. You must ensure to take an offer with more data, rather than calls as you will mostly use internet. You can recharge the SIM if required, at any of the orange stores that are available all around the country. WhatsApp calls are not allowed in Jordan. However, you can use Telegram or other apps to make calls.
I recommend people to carry dollars while travelling abroad. DO NOT exchange all the dollars at the airport. The exchange rates at Amman airport are very expensive. You will need around 4JOD to pay for the bus to reach town. For safety, you can exchange cash equivalent to 20JOD. At Amman city, I would recommend exchanging currency at Alawneh Exchange. They have the best exchange rates and also do not mandate a lot of documents.
Avoid exchanging money in Petra, Wadi Rum and other tourist places. Though credit cards are accepted in major cities, many small towns and villages do not accept cards. You will need cash all the time. Small falafel wrap stores and local markets take only cash.
Accommodation
Backpackers will find hostels in Amman and Aqaba without any issue. There are several of them to choose from. Petra has some coming up but the options are limited. Other places in Jordan only have hotels and home stays. For example in Dead Sea, you will have to book one of the beach facing resorts. Here are my recommendations -
Amman - Carob Hostel (Amazing ambience and close to downtown)
Aqaba - Hakaia Community hostel (Great vibes)
Petra - Nomads Hotel
Jerash - Hadrian’s arch hotel (Family owned)
Dead Sea - Oh Beach resort
Wadi Rum - You can book your desert safari and Bedouin camp stay with Wadi Rum Jordan guide (+962-777247899)
Getting Around
To reach Amman city from the airport, avail the shuttle buses. They will take you to town for just 3.5JOD. The hostels that you book will provide you with the latest details. The bus route ends at North station. You can take a taxi or local buses to reach your hostel. Uber and Careem are preferred by travellers as the rates are pre-fixed.
The best way to travel around Jordan is by renting a car. Many remote areas do not have public transport and therefore you might spend a lot on taxi to visit them. It is also convenient and easy to rent a car from airport or town.
Many small towns can be visited by public buses. I would highly recommend trying the local mini buses to Madaba, Karak, Ajloun, Jerash and As-Salt. Local buses are available also in Aqaba.
For Petra or Aqaba from Amman, you can take the Jett bus which is faster and convenient. A ride from Amman to Aqaba will cost you 10JOD and the journey will take you about 4 hours.
You will need to hire a jeep or a camel ride in Wadi Rum once you reach the visitor centre or village. This anyway is covered in the package you book before reaching there.
Dead Sea, Wadi Mujib and Mt.Nebo do not have good connectivity in terms of local transport. You can maybe get to the nearest town and then hire a taxi. I would recommend hiring a car or taking package tour from Amman in case you are unable to drive. Many hostels run package tours to most of the tourist places.
Food
It is interesting to note that there are several vegetarian options in the Jordanian cuisine. In fact, there are all vegetarian falafel wrap places everywhere in the country. That is the best place to have your local falafel wraps. The cheapest I found was for 0.35 JOD. You can also try Mutabal, Fatteh and Ful mesdames (Fava bean) here.
Among other foods that I tried there are Gallayah (Tomato based dish), Dolma (Stuffed grape leaf), Zarb (Vegetables and meat baked in underground pits), Maqluba (Rice cooked with lots of vegetables - specially potato and aubergine), Zaatar Manikeesh.
Desserts - Harissa, Halva, Muhalabeih, Knafeh, Baklava, Mamool.
Restaurants and sweet shops in Amman -
1. Hashem restaurant Down town
4. Falafel wrap joint opposite the sweet shop mentioned above
5. Restaurant that sells the cheapest and most authentic falafel wraps in town
You must also go to the open market in Arab revolt plaza in Aqaba. Every evening locals come to see their home made food.
The roads leading to the plaza also serves the best sea food in town. There are restaurants where you can pick the fish from a display and get it cooked for you right in front of you.
The people of Jordan are friendly and well-mannered. There is a lot of warmth and care for fellow beings that I see many modern cities and developing nations slowly loose. You will find Falafel wrap places serving free falafels to children and adults. You shall see people gathered in group enjoying an evening, speaking and sharing some tea and snacks.
Though not extremely conservative, it is required to dress modestly here. It is not strictly required for women to wear a hijab. Though many women do wear, it is also common to find women not wearing them. Aqaba seemed a bit more relaxed in terms of dressing. Being a beach town, the people wear comfort clothings. However, dressing modestly remains important.
Jordan is one of the safest places I have travelled to. The people are very kind. Also, tourism is an important industry here. They seldom bother the tourists.
In major cities, you will find a lot of people out till 2AM. You will find enough men and women enjoying a sheesha at hookha bars or eating at a local restaurant.
Tips are welcome everywhere. Specially in small towns. At Wadi Rumt it is a kind gesture to tip the cook or drivers who have provided exceptional service during your stay at the Bedouin camps.
What to buy & where?
Among the things you must bring back is definitely a Keffiyeh. There are some elegant designs available. While the tourist places charge a lot, I prefer buying them in small towns, in regular shops where locals buy. I got mine for 3.5JOD in a small town called Nejel, on the way to Petra.
You can also think of getting dates from the Middle East as they are grown there and are of great quality. You can also look for pistachio and other nuts. Walk into a regular grocery store and get some tasty date cakes and other local products. If possible, you should also pack the best Tahini sauce to make hummus when you return home. I would also recommend some spices like sumac and Zaatar that can be used as dressing over toasts.
When visiting Dead Sea, make sure to get some Dead Sea clay and salt. The clay can be used as face packs. You will also get them in souvenir shops of Amman. I would recommend buying them from a medical store.
I would highly recommend buying the middle eastern sweets that are so rich in taste - Harissa, Mamool, Baklava and others.
If you are a coffee person, then a pack of good cardamon flavoured Arabic Coffee would be a great addition to your purchases.
Budget & Travel Tips
An approximate daily expense is listed below.
*Accommodation is Single dorm bed for Backpacker and private room for two in case of mid-range and luxury.
*Transport is an average cost of renting a car. Does not include long distance travel.Rent a car - The cheapest way to travel around Jordan is to rent a car and share the expenses with a co-traveller. This will amount to around 10-15 JOD per day.
Local Transport - To many towns, you can use the public transport from big cities like Amman and Aqaba. The bus tickets are very cheap and the locals will help you with the directions. Each town has a designated bus station from where you can board.
Dead Sea - The resorts in Dead Sea are expensive. You may find good deals depending on the demand. But if not, many resorts offer a day pass - For 20JOD, you can spend a full day there. By doing so, you can use the private beach, the changing rooms, the swimming area and the showers after using the clay pack and taking a dip in ultra saline water. This is a good deal if you do not want to spend a lot on accommodation for a night.
Bargain - It is required to bargain a little, specially in tourist areas like Amman downtown and Petra.
Falafel wraps - Falafel wrap joints are places that you can find through out the country. Most people take away wraps for breakfast or lunch. This is the most tasty, cheapest and filling food option you have there.
Shop at Grocery stores - To buy local products, avoid going to the tourist locations or souvenir shops. Visit a normal grocery store or a local market to buy spices, sweets and other products.
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