Jordan Travel Guide
Information and Advice

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Jordan Travel Guide, climate:

Best: Spring and Autumn
Worst: July-August [excessive heat], Nov-March [cold and windy] and Ramadan [Muslim fasting month, Sept 24 - Oct 22 '06; Sept 13 - Oct 11 '07; Sept 1 - Sept 29 '08].

Tour operators offering tours to Jordan can be found in our listings here: Jordan Tours

Length of Stay:
Minimum worthwhile stay, not incl. flights/border crossings: 2 days [Wadi Rum- Petra via Aquaba].
Recommended: 10 days

Festivals Guide:
Dates vary, nationwide, Eid al Fitr, end of Ramadan, a couple of days of feasting.
February. Eid al-Adah, pre-Mecca feasting.
May, Independence day.
Summer time, 2 weeks. Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts.

Activities Guide:
Trekking: around Wadi Rum and Petra.
Riding: camels and possibly horses at Wadi Rum.
Climbing: rock pinnacles of Wadi Rum. Basic gear available for rent locally.
Diving: Aquaba and further south have some great dive spots. Aquaba also has dive centres offering PADI courses.
Health Spas: the Dead Sea offers mineral baths etc.
Beach Life: some Aquaba hotels can help you out.

Jordan Star Guide:

Visas:
Officially all tourists need to get a visa in advance from the Jordan consulate in their own country; or available on arrival at a border or airport, except entry from Israel at the King Hussein/Allenby Bridge, where you must already have a visa/entry permit on your passport.

Why Travel to Jordan?

Jordan offers friendly, hospitable people, history up to its keffiya - Lawrence of Arabia's ghost still wanders around - it's relatively small and easy to travel around and dead good value if you can escape the usual tourist hotels.
There are some incredible sights: Petra, Wadi Rum, Jerash and the Dead Sea for starters.
Jordan is a natural addition to an Israel holiday as border crossings are easy, roads are good and the best destinations are not far from the Eilat/Aquaba crossing.

Downside:
- Much of the desert is flat, hard and featureless except for Wadi Rum.
- Amman and Aquaba are not attractive.
- Tourist infrastructure is limited - in other words cold beer and sandwiches are not readily available, and the hotel selection is poor.
- This is definitely not a gourmet destination.

Where to travel in Jordan:

***Petra. One of the word's best ancient wonders, this 'lost' pink city is a huge geological and artistic marvel, and really requires two full days of constant walking. There are hotels nearby so stay over if possible. Petra is about 150km from Amman, 80km from Aquaba. See Petra Pictures.

***Wadi Rum. One of the world's best desert landscapes, with soft sand and pinnacles of melting red rock providing a wonderful contrast. This was the inspiration for Lawrence's 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom'.
Travel by camel or 4WD around the Wadi.
Accommodation was only tents a couple of years ago, but it's worthwhile staying at least a couple of days.
It's an easy drive from Eilat, Aquaba or Petra [about 40km from each of them].

***Jerash. 50km north of Amman and known as the Pompeii of East, this is a large and superbly preserved Roman city dating from around 300 AD. Although only 10% is currently uncovered, there is plenty to see. Only a handful of hotels currently stand nearby though!

**Quseir Amra. A desert castle built by the Umayyad caliph Walid I in 8th century, 100 km east of Amman. It has well-preserved frescos in the reception hall and the hammam, but it's way less impressive than the must-see Petra, tho' relatively easy to do as a quick detour.

**The Dead Sea. Bathe in the therapeutic waters of the Dead Sea 55km south of Amman. Some hotels are there already and more are on the way.

*Um er-Rasas [Kastrom Mefa'a]. A new UNESCO World Heritage archeological site with ruins from mixed civilizations - Roman, Byzantine and Islam, but apart from two unique square towers and a magnificent Roman mosaic in the Church of Saint Stephen, it is still little more than rubble.

If you plan to travel in the Jordan region you may also find these guides useful:

Egypt Travel Guide | Syria Guide | Turkey Guide

Oman Travel Guide | Yemen Guide | Jordan Links