I have given as much tourist information as I can in the pages that follow. However here is some general information about the country that travellers might find useful, together with a few "odd bits".
Jordan, with a population of a little over 5 million people, has been an independent state since 1921 when the Emir Abdullah declared the existence of the "Emirate of Transjordan" with himself as the ruler. Abdullah was the second son of Sharif Hussein, the leader of the Hashemite tribe in Saudi Arabia, and older brother of Faisal of "Lawrence of Arabia" fame - see web page on T.E. Lawrence - (the eldest brother's name was Ali). Originally intended as the King of Iraq, with Faisal as King of Syria, he had to content himself with the lesser prize when Faisal took the kingdom of Iraq in his place. It is perhaps ironic that today his descendants still rule Jordan, whereas Faisal's family was wiped out in the revolution of 1958.
Jordan became a kingdom in 1946 when the official name of the country became the "Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan" with Abdullah as the first king. The name was changed to "Kingdom of Jordan" in 1948. (See the history page "The beginning of the Kingdom")
Abdullah (today known as Abdullah I) was assassinated in 1951 and the throne passed automatically to his son the Crown Prince Talal. He abdicated for medical reasons in 1952 and his son Hussein became King at the age of 17.
Hussein ruled until his death in 1999 and was succeeded by his eldest son Abdullah II who rules at the moment. Since his succession, Abdullah has had to face a number of problems, economic, social and political, with the successive crises in Palestine and the Middle East.
Jordan is in theory a democratic monarchy, the people have a number of liberties and feel themselves quite free. But these liberties are granted for as long as the monarch wishes. King Abdullah has the power to delay or to cancel parliamentary elections, the press is closely watched and people can be detained for an almost indefinite period with no reason given. These powers are used with discretion, and as I said, the people in Jordan are on the whole perfectly happy with their government, and frequently compare it favourably with neighbouring states.
Queen Rania, the wife of King Abdullah II and something of an international media star, invariably accompanies him on his frequent travels, and is almost always a silent participant in any official interview. The couple have four small children, two boys and two girls.
Statistics
| Population | 5.48m (2003) |
| Annual population growth | 2.8% (2003) |
| Urban population | 78.7% (2003) |
| Population aged under 19 | 50.1% (2001) |
| Life expectancy | 71.5 (2003) |
| Literacy rate | 90.3% (2003) |
| Unemployment rate | 25% (2004 estimate) |
| Land area | 88.778 sq kilometers |
| Cultivated area | 238.640 hectares (2003) |
| Irrigated area | 71.320 hectares (2003) |
| Annual water deficit | 480 million cubic meters (2000) |
Tourist visas are easily available at any entry point into Jordan except the King Hussein Bridge. The logic here is that "Palestine" is still part of Jordan - go figure! These are single entry visas and cost 10JD or approx 15USD. You don't need photos, or any document except your passport. Please see below for information about free visas in Aqaba (ASEZ visas).
Single entry visas are officially valid for three months from the date you entered the country, but you must "register" them at a main police station within one month of your arrival. (This has been so since 05 July 2005 - before that it was two weeks only). If you forget about this, then you have a fine of 1.5JD per day for each day you have neglected to register. What's more, you cannot pay this fine at the same police station as the one that "registers" you : you have to do it at the district police station that may not even be in the same town! And when the fine is paid, you are still not registered, you have to return to the first police station to do it. All in all, it is much simpler to check in with the police before your month is up. They usually ask the standard questions : where are you staying, are you planning to work in Jordan etc. Give them the answers that make them happiest.
Personal anecdote : I recently tried to "register" my visa at the police station in Wadi Mousa and they insisted that I had to have a blood test to show that I was HIV negative. I protested that this was for people wanting a resident's permit, but they wouldn't budge. So I went to the visa office in Aqaba and had it registered in 5 minutes. If anybody tries this on you out of ignorance, you know the answer. In fact this is several times I have had problems registering a visa in Wadi Mousa (Petra) and next time I'll get it done somewhere else!
This "registration" gives most nationalities the right to stay for three months (but see a little lower down); if you leave the country before the three months are up, then you start again when you come back again, ie with the obligation of checking in to a police station within one month. If you are planning to go and come a bit, then a multiple entry visa makes life simpler, but it absolutely doesn't mean that you mustn't register within the month. If you decide to opt for this, you must get it at an embassy; they are NOT delivered at a border point. These visas are usually valid for six months, and cost the equivalent of 20JD which at the moment is about 31USD. You can see that this is cheaper than three single entries, so if you can get the visa easily, you will probably prefer this solution. If the visa is a drag to get from an embassy, then stay with several single entry visas, you don't lose much.
If you plan to stay longer than three months with a single entry visa, then you are supposed to apply for a residence permit - unless you are really staying for a good while, it is much simpler to go for a weekend to Israel, Sinai or Syria and start again when you come back! It is worth remembering however, that with a residence permit you can obtain a visa for Syria in Amman and also you pay lower prices for entering most tourist sites.
Please note that there is recently some talk of its being possible to have a visa for 6 months without the obligation to register it. I have not been able to check this, and it seems likely that this is an option which you must request specially.
The exit taxi is no longer charged when you leave by air, since it is included in the price of your ticket. It is still to be paid when you leave by sea or by land, including if you leave Jordan by the King Hussein Bridge in the direction of Palestine and Israel. In this case it is now 20JD (instead of 5JD!)
For any additional information you should check out this website
The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA for short) has introduced a special Economic Zone visa for Jordan, to be known as an "ASEZ visa".
Anybody arriving in Aqaba, whether at the port, at the airport or from the Arava crossing from Israel can get a free visa for Jordan. There is no obligation associated with this visa, providing they leave the country within one month and do not need to register their visa for "renewal". Passports are not checked at the ASEZ control point leaving the Economic Zone.
People arriving at any entry point other than Aqaba, who say to the authorities that they are going to Aqaba can claim a free visa, but with the obligation to register with the ASEZA visa office in Aqaba within 48 hours of their arrival in Jordan. Failure to do this brings liability to pay for the visa plus a fine of 1.5JD/day for each day non registered.
Anybody arriving in Aqaba can if they wish, ask for a normal visa (usual price=10JD) instead of the free ASEZ visa. In this case if they want to stay longer than one month they can register at their local police station as per current practice.
Anybody holding an ASEZ visa, and wishing to stay longer than one month must extend it at the ASEZA office in Aqaba and not with their local police station as holders of a normal visa can do, so remember this and be careful about claiming the ASEZ visa if you will be in Jordan for longer than one month.
Everybody without a specific exemption must pay the 5JD exit tax whether holding an ASEZ visa or not and wherever leaving the country. Travellers staying in Jordan less than 24 hours are considered to be "in transit" and are exempt from the tax, as are certain cruise ship passengers - see below about transit visas.
In other words, if you are staying less than one month in the country and arrive in Aqaba, you can ask for a free visa without hesitation. If you arrive somewhere else, you must decide if you want the hassle of getting to Aqaba within 48 hours or if you prefer paying the 10JD (approx 16USD) for a normal visa.
Note that many taxi drivers in Aqaba are completely unfamiliar with the term "ASEZA". Ask them to drive you to the "Acleem" office, this meaning something like "Regional Authority".
Please note that these visas differ from the usual Jordanian visa in that they expire when you exit Jordan at any border. They CANNOT be used to re-enter Jordan at the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge in the same way that Jordan visas can. The background is that ASEZA visas are issued in order to attract business and investment into Aqaba. Tourists are then not restricted from using them to travel around Jordan, although ASEZA do, apparently, reserve the right - if, for instance, someone enters Aqaba on a free ASEZA visa then immediately leaves Aqaba in order to travel around Jordan - to rescind their ASEZA visa on the 'border' (Wadi Yitm road/Wadi Araba road etc) and ensure they buy a Jordan visa for 10 JD. In practice, this never happens - but that is the principle on which the ASEZA visa system was set up.
They are intended to benefit Aqaba, and Aqaba alone - not the whole of Jordan. ASEZA visas are when you enter through Aqaba only, and not through any other point.
It is also possible to obtain a free "transit visa" valid for 48 hours. Obviously with this visa you are automatically exempt from the exit tax, but if you stay longer than the 48 hours, you will not only have to pay both the visa charge and the exit tax but a fine of 1.5JD for each day you have been in Jordan. The easiest way to get them at Amman airport is to apply to the Transit Desk, the officials at the normal visa counter don't seem to have heard of them!
Health treatment in Jordan is on the whole pretty good. Jordan has an extremely high level of medical care; all doctors are proficient in English, many have trained in Europe or North America. Most medicines are obtainable "over the counter" at the pharmacies, but some medicines are available only on prescription, e.g. valium and analgesics like codeine, etc. Antibiotics are readily available and are very reasonably priced. Again and again I am surprised by the fact that "x" drug is immediately available instead of needing to be special-ordered. There is seldom any difficulty either with the dates of manufacture - I say "seldom" but in fact I don't think I have ever noted any.
Emergency medical treatment for cases not needing hospitalization, is free in Jordan. I do however, suggest that you avoid being hospitalized in any public hospital if you have any alternative. The levels of comfort and privacy are not to be judged by Western standards. While the actual medical care is irreproachable, the local custom of having a relative sleep nearby to provide any non-medical care says it all.
Some of the local fauna (scorpions, snakes - uh! ...) can be nasty when provoked. Unless you have a specific allergy to their bites, and provided you can get rapid treatment, they will probably be no more than nasty. Anti toxins are available in Wadi Rum and also in Dana.
Inoculations are not required for entry into Jordan unless you are travelling from an infected location. If you come from a country where diseases such as cholera and yellow fever are prevalent, you will have to show a certificate of inoculation at your point of entry into Jordan. Although they are not required, it is not a bad idea to have preventive shots for polio, tetanus and typhoid.
Many people very sensibly ask about the weather in Jordan. The easiest site I have found for a very quick check of what the weather is doing right now is the Jordan Meteorological Department one at http://met.jometeo.gov.jo/. It gives current conditions for a number of towns, and a concise four day forecast (very concise - just the temperatures!) A more interesting site for this is http://weather.yahoo.com/forecast/JOXX0002_c.html which gives a five day forecast for Amman - a few other towns are available from this link. This link also gives the times of sunset and sunrise which can be useful. I have also been pointed to a site giving official temperature statistics for several towns in Jordan : http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/city.php3?c=JO&refer=. You would think that it would help, but since it takes average temperatures, it doesn't seem to all that much. When you are making plans, you should first of all remember that most of Jordan is high up, Amman is at 400m and Petra over 1000m. Given that the Dead Sea is below sea level and that Aqaba is very warm, you will understand that there is a great difference in the temperature between one place and another. Here I am talking basically about the medium conditions, and you should remember that ALWAYS the Dead Sea and Aqaba are hotter and drier. Also, please take into account that one year is not always like another year, just as happens elsewhere. All I can do is to give you the probabilities.
Summer is easy - it is hot everywhere. You can often find temperatures of 35-40°C in Petra; in that case, Wadi Rum and Aqaba will be higher! You cannot sightsee in Wadi Rum in these conditions, everybody finds somewhere in the shade to sleep. You can start to move about again from about 5pm. Much the same in Aqaba, the beach is most unpleasant in the afternoon, and you would be risking sunstroke to try to stay in the sea for long, unless you are diving. If snorkelling, you might get away with it, but be sure to wear a tee shirt against a sunburnt back.
End March to middle of May : mostly pleasant weather. Take a good pullover for the evenings, especially at the beginning of April. Rain is possible, but unlikely after the beginning of May. September and October are broadly similar, but of course, substitute "end October" for "beginning of April".
Winter : this generally begins about the end of November - and it is cold! You can't expect much better than 10-15°C during the daytime, and this when the sun is shining. Rain is ardently hoped for - it always amuses me to see the broad smiles of the locals in (what seems to me) most unpleasant weather! Snow is entirely possible in January and February, I have known it in November. Wadi Rum is also cold, not much less so than Petra. It invariably freezes at night, but the daytime isn't really too bad. But don't have any illusions, you will need a warm jacket, preferably waterproof, just about everywhere. Actually, the massifs of Wadi Rum in the snow are quite spectacular! Petra is as well, but usually in rain or snow, access to Petra is not allowed. There have been a number of flash floods lately, so far there have been no more tourist deaths, but the authorities still remember 1963 [when a group of French tourists was swept away by a flash flood in the Siq, and 23 of them were drowned], and prefer to play safe (you might like to look at the page on "Wadi Mousa and its people" for more details about flash floods).
Aqaba in the winter is the warmest place, but even here, high temperatures are unlikely to go over 20°C. The sea tends to be coldish. Aqaba is at the south end of Wadi Araba, there is invariably a good breeze to be felt, this turns into a lot of wind in the winter. Snorkelling conditions are not really good at this time.
Wind in Jordan, and especially in the desert areas, and around Petra, is very unpleasant indeed. It always brings a lot of dust and sand, sometimes one can experience a full blown sandstorm. On a number of occasions the Desert Highway has been closed because of bad visibility from the sand and dust. Driving in these conditions is not to be recommended. This sort of thing usually happens in the winter, but is by no means unknown in the spring and the autumn.
There is a link to current weather in Amman and in Aqaba on the main Index page. Obviously this only gives today's weather and usually a forecast for three or four days to come, but it might help if you are travelling in the near future. You also have the times of sunrise and sunset there.
The Jordanian dinar is now officially pegged to the USDollar at 1USD to 0.70JD, and for rough calculations you can take it that 2JD is approximately 3USD. One JD is also very close to one British pound, so you can base yourself on these currencies for calculating prices. Information in November 2006 has the dinar almost at par with the euro.
A dinar is officially divided into 1000 "fils", but in fact just about everybody in Jordan speaks and thinks in "piasters" which is the equivalent of 10 fils. In other words, the dinar is also divided into 100 piasters.
Here is a link to a currency converter that you can keep open if you like for immediate reference. It's rather good, it gives a conversion from any currency to any other currency.
Since there are no currency restrictions in Jordan, unlike some neighbouring countries there is no currency black market and you have nothing at all to gain in changing money outside normal banking/money changing circles. On the contrary you will invariably lost by doing this, since your "changer" can only put the money back into the bank and will usually allow himself some margin against unexpected fluctuations in the exchange rate.
Warning !! The prices are going sky high in Jordan, following the huge increase in the price of petrol which more than doubled in eighteen months. The salary increases have been only token ones and do not begin to compensate the price rises. This is bringing a great deal of hardship to those on small incomes. More immediately for you, it means that hotel and restaurant prices are likely to be much much higher than those quoted in guide books. If you are looking for picnic food this is also likely to be far more expensive that two years ago. Such articles as milk, fresh or dried, and pots of yoghurt have more than doubled. Eggs cost nearly the same as they do in Paris.
Taxis, buses and all transport now are priced far more than a couple of years ago. So please do not asume that you are being ripped off if you have been to Jordan before and now are being asked far more money for the same article or service.
I usually advise people to BUDGET between 30 and 40JD per day in Jordan (2JD approx 3USD). This involves staying in budget hotels in rooms with connected bathrooms and picnicking a fair bit. The upper limit allows you a beer from time to time.
You will not spend this amount every day, but the entrance to Petra is 21JD for one day, 26 for two and 31JD for 3 or 4 days. I know this is very expensive, but most people admit that it is worth it, even if it upsets a lot of budgets. Wadi Rum, the high point of so many people's holidays, is also not cheap. These prices, like the entrance fees to other sites, have been reduced for the last three years and have just been returned to what they were before the tourism crisis in the Middle East. Rather a pity!
If you are shocked by this sum, don't panic too soon. It is better, on the whole, to be pessimistic when budgeting. If two of you are travelling together, you will save noticeably, there are many ways in which 2+2=3 as far as budgets are concerned. You can also reduce this sum sharply by sleeping on roofs, except during the winter (see FAQs). If you are planning on the cheapest hotels, which again would bring down the budget, you might consider bringing a sleeping bag liner with you. They are light, easily washed, can be used alone without blankets during the summer or in Sinai, and will protect you from dubious bedding.
Syria and Egypt are considerably cheaper, Israel is more expensive.
Jordan is not like Egypt for this. You can seldom get more than 20 or 25 percent lower than the asking price, and not even that if you are with a guide who expects a commission. The best way to bargain is to buy (for instance) two of something, and ask for a special price in consequence. If you are unsure of what a price should be, then ask around before you embark on serious negotiations. But if you offer a price for any article, then you should be prepared to pay it!
People coming from Egypt or Syria, often offer a "ridiculous" price, perhaps half of the price named by the vendor or even less. If you do this in Jordan, the chances are that the vendor will refuse to talk to you at all. You are considered to be "making fun of him" or to be treating him as somebody dishonest. In that case, then it's no use offering him his original price - he just won't sell to you. He might also pass the word around to his colleagues....
Obviously if you are with a group, then you can NEVER get a price lower than that already paid by another member of the same group. You can, however, negotiate a group rate!
I mentioned guides and commissions. The tendency among tourists is obviously to dislike this practice! However, it isn't all bad. If a guide takes you to a particular shop, then it is because he knows that here you will get honest merchandise at a reasonable price. After all, the shopkeeper says "Goodbye" and forgets about you, but the guide is with you for the rest of your visit. The last thing he wants is to hear you complaining about the bad bargain you made - right up until you go home, and possibly taking it out of his tip! I have heard a guide reaming out a shopkeeper about a sale he made the previous week: "Another one like that and I don't bring people here any more" is a potent threat.
Since we are talking about commissions, I should just like to mention ME. I have been "accused" of taking commissions from certain hotels. It is very easy to refute this if anybody is wondering: since several of the hotels in question offer discounts to the people giving my name, obviously they don't also offer me commission! If you like, YOU are getting the benefit of any commissions that I might have claimed. For the record : No, I don't get any money at all from the advice I make available to travellers!
There is an interesting ripoff that I might mention here. Suppose that you are in a taxi and are looking for a particular hotel, perhaps one mentioned in this website. The driver might pick up his mobile phone and say "I'll check that they have rooms available " Instead he asks the hotel "How much commission will you give me for these people?" If the answer is unsatisfactory ("none') he says to you "Sorry but they are full, I'll take you to another good place". Taxis in fact often "grade" hotels by the commission they are given.
This might happen also if you want a particular guide or driver etc, and it might be a receptionist at a hotel telling you "Sorry, but he's not free that day". It is easy to avoid : you just insist on speaking to the hotel/guide yourself. Don't be put off, all these people speak good English and nobody honest would refuse to let you talk. If they do then consider it suspicious!
Somewhere between commissions and ripoffs comes the huge "Handicrafts Centre" near to Madaba on the road to Mount Nebo. They pay commissions to drivers and guides in the range of 40-50 percent of the purchase, which personally I find outrageous. I heard recently of a tourist who bought a painted ostrich egg there for the price of 350JD. The driver was given 150JD for bringing her there. An identical egg is on sale in a Madaba souvenir shop for the price of 180JD. Obviously guides will push you to buy at the Handicrafts Centre - by all means do so if you wish, but remember that the commission given to the guides comes directly from your pocket. There have also been complaints from several people who have asked to have goods sent to them. On arrival, the goods turned out not to be the same as those on display at the time they were ordered. On one occasion, even an article packed in the shop and carried away by the purchaser had been exchanged during the wrapping. Now this might well be carelessness, forgetfulness or plain lack of organization. However it is very annoying if it happens to you, whatever the reason!
There is also another scam around that concerns Wadi Rum. Hotels and sometimes taxi drivers are always delighted to organise "a tour of Wadi Rum" for you, even if this is officially no longer allowed - only official tourist agencies are permitted to do this. What the hotels do is to charge you (say) 25JD and send you to a Bedouin there passing on to him (perhaps) 15JD. The Bedouin then gives the tourist a 15JD tour and all too often the tourist is disappointed. I have never known anybody who has received a decent tour of Wadi Rum claim that it wasn't worth every penny. If somebody in Petra or Dana does offer to "organise" a tour for you and requests payment in advance, you can be 100% sure that a ripoff is involved. Only if you are given the card of somebody in Wadi Rum and advised to contact him yourself can you be reasonably sure of a good tour there.
Taxi drivers have a worse method in a way: they might take you themselves - but to the area of Dissieh, rather than to Wadi Rum. Dissieh is outside the Nature Reserve and the rules are less strict, especially in what concerns the environment. It is in fact turning from a beautiful area into something of an extended rubbish dump. If you see one of your "guides" uncaringly scattering rubbish around the landscape you can be sure that he is NOT a local Bedouin!
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
| New Year's Day | Jan 01 | Jan 01 | Jan 01 |
| *Eid al Adha | Dec 20 | Dec 9th | Nov 28th |
| *Moslem New Year | Jan 20 | Jan 10/29th Dec | |
| Labour Day | May 01 | May 01 | May 01 |
| Independence Day | May 25 | May 25 | May 25 |
| *Al Mawlid Al Nabawi | March 31 | 20th March | 9th March |
| HM King Abdullah's Accession to the throne | June 09 | June 09 | June 09 |
| *Al Isra' wal Mi'rai | |||
| Christmas Day | Dec 25 | Dec 25 | Dec 25 |
| *Eid Al Fitr | Oct 13 | 2nd Oct | 21st Sept |
| *Beginning
of Ramadan (note that this is NOT a public holiday but is a useful date to know) |
Sept 13 | 2nd Sept | 22nd August |
The Islamic feast days, marked with a * are not fixed dates and will only be definitively determined a few days beforehand, according to the sighting of the moon. Usually the two Eids and also New Year's Day and Labour Day are followed by a couple more days holiday for banks and offices, etc. The ATMs are very much used then, so draw out money beforehand, they will "go dry" before the banks reopen.
Check on these dates at the Jordan Tourist Board site at http://www.see-Jordan.com and see http://members.cox.net/ahmedheissa/icdates.html for Islamic dates
The official Jordanian weekend is now Friday and Saturday. On these days, banks and most offices are shut. Post offices are open on Saturdays ; large shops in Amman (except supermarkets) will certainly be closed on Fridays, but are probably open on Saturdays. The big supermarket "Safeway" is open 7 days a week in both Amman and in Aqaba, as are nearly all small shops.
On Fridays, with the exception of the long distance services, buses usually run in the mornings only, and many buses not at all. You should check this if you are planning on travelling on a Friday.
They are easily found, and are in several denominations. You might note that the shopkeepers get a rake off on the sale of these cards, so the official price is a little higher than that actually marked on the card. This is quite normal - I did say "OFFICIAL" price. On the whole phone calls are pretty cheap, but for long distance and international calls, try to call after 10pm or on Fridays, when calls are cheaper.
There are a number of public phones, but the JPP no longer exists, you should use the "Allo" connection. This is because mobile phones are cheap, and everybody seems to have one. Even I have got one now!
If you are staying in Jordan for a month or two, note that you can get a temporary number for 4 months. The price is pretty good, although you will still have to pay for the calls and for the phone itself. Especially if you already have a mobile phone and want to use it in Jordan this option is noticeably cheaper than others.
There
are two mobile phone operators : Fast Link and Mobilcom. The
second of these is the Jordan Telecom and they offer distinctly
better deals on most calls, especially calls to other Mobilcom
numbers.
There are many Internet cafés all around, and several places like the "Safeway" supermarkets also offer Internet access. This has become much cheaper during the last year : until lately there was only one provider based in Amman, so any login to the Internet from elsewhere immediately involved a long distance call. Now there must be a good half dozen providers, with special telephone numbers that are even cheaper than local calls. Everybody is taking it up. Most Internet cafés offer broadband - don't let's mention the private connections.... There is even a big Internet café being built in Wadi Rum with broadband (ADSL) connections. The most usual price charged by Internet cafes tends to be 2JD/hour, but this varies.
But please note that there is a problem with Hotmail in Jordan. You can send your messages, and hotels etc in Jordan receive them and reply - but all too often their reply doesn't reach you. So it is a good idea either to avoid Hotmail altogether if you have any alternative, or give another address for reply. I have no idea why this is, but there is no doubt that it happens, I have heard of a number of cases.
Wifi isn't yet generally available in Jordan, but the idea is spreading rapidly, and since it isn't really expensive for a commercial establishment, you may well find it in ordinary coffee shops as well as in a number of hotels. Sometimes it is charged for, sometimes it isn't. Most hotels do offer free access. However I was shocked to hear that the Movenpick in Aqaba, a hotel which charges up to 100JD/night for a room, demands 14JD/day for Wifi access. This really comes into the heading of a ripoff. I don't know if they can check exactly what you do in your room, mind you....
ATMs are just about everywhere, except again in Wadi Rum. This also might change when the new Tourist Centre is finished, but right now you need to draw whatever you need before you reach Wadi Rum. Your guide there will expect payment in cash, but is probably not overly worried in what currency.
Be careful during an official holiday. The ATMs have caught on in a big way and everybody uses them. This means that they are very likely to run dry during weekends, and almost certainly during a longer period of banks being closed.
Credit cards are not yet really popular in Jordan except for use in ATMs. The card most usually accepted is Visa, and sometimes you may be asked to pay a surcharge to cover the charges levied by Visa on the sale. Obviously, most of the places you can use them are upmarket, but more and more shops, hotels and restaurants are joining up.
It is always worth asking if you can use yours, even if the shop itself doesn't take them, they can often arrange something with the shop next door!
The electric current in Jordan is 220V and the plugs are the same as in Continental Europe ie two sized plugs with two prongs and little round holes. Like everywhere else, "earthed" plugs are taking over, with the third prong a simple one. (Please excuse the complete lack of technical vocabulary, I think you understand what I mean!) Visitors from the UK or the US will need adaptors, visitors from France, Germany ,Spain etc etc won't.
I am not claiming that theft is unknown. It is however very rare indeed. In fact, most of the stories I have heard of things being stolen concern hotels : not very pleasant hearing, I admit. Take the usual precautions here and don't worry too much elsewhere. I have just heard of somebody who dropped her wallet in a bus station in Amman, and who was relieved and surprised to hear that it had been handed in to the office. Again there are some stories about this subject in "Wadi Mousa and its people".
I, together with most Jordanians, happily drink tap water. However, first of all most tourists are not used to it and secondly, it would spoil your holiday if you did catch a bug. So I advise you on the whole to stick to bottled water. You can perfectly well clean your teeth in tap water, and you shouldn't worry too much about salad dishes. If you do run out of bottled water, then a glass or two of ordinary water is most unlikely to upset you seriously. Be more careful in the north than in the south. Many houses here prefer to buy treated water to use for drinking.
Once again Wadi Rum is an exception, this time positively! Their mains supply of water comes directly from the aquifer at Dissieh, and is far purer than any other water around. If you find yourself drinking water that came from a jerrycan you may rest assured that the quality of this water is likely to be at least as good as any mineral water, and possibly better. You will realise however, that for this reason mineral water is not normally supplied by any of the guides there. If you prefer to stick to bottled water then you should stock up before heading out into the desert.
You will notice perhaps that I have everywhere given details of travel in local minibuses. The Jett buses, much touted in most guide books, are certainly more comfortable and have AC but they are far more expensive, very little faster and on the whole they are less useful. If you are interested anyway, the Jett office (for inside Jordan routes) in Amman is at King Hussein Street, a short distance away from the Abdali bus station. The phone number is 06.566.4146.
If you are travelling in a minibus, you might like to know that the recognised way to ask the driver to stop is to tap on the window with a coin, or a ring. He will stop immediately unless it's against traffic rules, so don't stop him a hundred meters short of where you want to get off.
There are no Jett buses to the Dead Sea, to Madaba, to Jerash or to Wadi Rum, but there is at last a service between Amman and Petra. You can find full details of this on the page on Petra. This service is useful because it means that a day visit is possible from Amman without your having to take a taxi to get back. Apart from that, the most useful one for tourists is the service Amman-Aqaba, on which there are five buses a day. You might like to use this one either at the beginning or the end of your trip to south Jordan. The fare is 4JD (local buses charge 3JD) and the buses arrive at and leave from the Jett office on the Corniche. The phone number for Jett in Aqaba is 03.201.5222. For all other places, the local minibuses are perfectly efficient, and are reasonably comfortable.
| Departure from Aqaba or Amman | Arrival in Aqaba or Amman | |
| 7
am 9 am 11 am 2 pm 4 pm |
Not given |
Trust International Transport also offer transport between Amman and Aqaba. I give the timetable (since I happen to have it) : the buses leave every day including Fridays at the following times from each town. Their offices in Amman are close to the big Safeway supermarket at Shmeisani at the 7th circle, phone 06.581.3427 and in Aqaba at An-Nahda Street phone 03.203.9480. On the whole the locals prefer these to the Jett services.
These long distance buses are point to point : they neither pick up nor put down between the official stopping places. Both services take the Dead Sea road between Aqaba and Amman, which you might find more interesting than the Desert Highway.
| Departure from Aqaba or Amman | Arrival in Aqaba or Amman | |
| 7.30
am 9.30 am 11.30 am 2.30 pm 5.00 pm 6.00 pm |
11.15
am 01.15 pm 03.15 pm 06.15 pm 08.45 pm 09.45 pm |
The minibuses, however, are rare everywhere in the afternoon, and are nonexistent in the evenings. They usually stop at midday on Fridays, and on the less popular routes might not run at all.
Service taxis are less used than they used to be, since the minibus network is pretty good. Basically, the principle is that everybody pays for his seat in a car - usually a large one. The amount asked varies according to distance, and also varies according to the number of people in the car - obviously! The usual routes that I know of : Amman-Petra, Amman-Aqaba or Aqaba-Petra seem to average out at about 6JD each. You can always bargain here as well if you have enough people to fill the car. Most service taxis can be found near to the bus station serving your destination.
When going to Syria, which is where I personally use the service taxis most, I like to pay for the two places in front, or if we are two, then for the three seats in the back. I am by no means the only person in Jordan preferring this solution. These cars go very fast and one is crushed in for several hours - the extra sum always seems very well spent. On this route as well, the usual charge is 8JD: 16JD really doesn't seem very much to pay between Amman and Damascus. Incidentally, the trip Amman-Damascus is unlikely to take more than 4 hours, border formalities included (see "the road to Damascus").
You can, of course, opt to pay for an extra seat in a service taxi inside Jordan as well.
And if you are travelling in a small party, Yussef Salamin owns a minibus seating 8 people and has a licence to drive tourists anywhere in Jordan. He speaks good English, knows the tourist sites and how to get to them and is very reliable. He is also a nice guy! His phone number is +962.795.596.288 and his fax is +962.3.215.6466. He has no email address. Charly at the Mariam Hotel in Madaba (see mariamhotel.com) could also put you in contact with a driver, but it would be for you to make the arrangements.
There is no
particular difficulty in driving in Jordan if you "expect
the unexpected" and try as far as possible to avoid driving
in Amman, where frankly the drivers are crazy! All road signs
except on very minor roads are in English as well as Arabic, and
with the same exception the road surfaces are good.
Try not to hit any goats, camels, horses or any other livestock which you might meet on any road - including the main Desert Highway! If you kill anything, YOU are responsible, and it can run into serious money - an ordinary goat costs about 100JD. It is very likely that for some reason the particular goat you killed will turn out to be an unusually valuable animal....
If you can swing a car rental, then it is most certainly the best way to get around. Places like the Kings' Highway and Dana are difficult to reach by public transport, and even in Petra, where you are likely to be spending most of your time down in the site, a car is necessary if you want to visit places like Baïda (see Sites of Jordan/Petra). It is also very welcome at the end of the day to get you back to your hotel!
If you are a hiker or an out of doors person, then a car is pretty well essential. You can't get to places like the fantastic Wadi Mujib without one - see the Nature Reserve pages - and for anybody who enjoys walking in the countryside, a trip to Jordan would be incomplete without a visit to Mujib.
Petrol has been sharply increased in price lately. The Iraq war has put a stop to the cheap oil supplies enjoyed by Jordan and the price of just about every associated product has gone up steeply. The price is now (February 2008) 0.65JD per liter for the normal grade and more for super. That's an increase of over 100% just in the last year, and everybody is complaining. From April 2008 only unleaded petrol will be available which will cost 0.75JD per liter! You will certainly find taxi and bus prices more expensive than those given in guide books.
The cost of animal foodstuffs has also been increased by nearly 100pct which has resulted in the increase of all milk and dairy products. We don't know exactly when these increases will take effect, but be prepared for higher prices everywhere! This applies to hotels as well and in a big way; they are affected by just about every one of these price increases, from domestic gas to diesel oil used for central heating, including the most basic food served. Please do not suppose you are being cheated when you meet these increases! You are just adding insult to a very great feeling of injury.
There are a number of car rental agencies in Amman and also in Aqaba. I have a long list, but few of them have email addresses. I give below those that do, inevitably, most of them are big firms. However, I have had a several recommendations* for the "Reliable" and also for "Montecar". Jordan Tourist Board gives a fairly complete list of rental firms on its website. The usual price for a reasonably modern car with full insurance seems to be around 40 or 50JD/day.
Rental agencies prefer an international driving license, but are usually happy enough to accept your national one.
If you have hired a car in Amman and want to leave it in Aqaba or vice versa, there is no problem. The "drop off" charge is usually one day's rent. The same applies to leaving a car at the King Hussein Bridge going to Israel. Incidentally, you CANNOT take a rental car through any frontier in the Middle East.
| Reliable* | reliable@nets.com.jo |
| Montecar* | Reservations@montecar.com |
| Hertz | hertz@go.com.jo |
| Avis: | avis@go.com.jo |
| EnterPrise | entercar@index.com.jo |
| EuroDollar | eurodollar@nets.com.jo |
| Payless | payless@globalone.com.jo |
| Heart | heart@joinnet.com.jo |
This is the main north/south highway in Jordan. It was completed only a few years ago and bears the traffic not only from Aqaba to Ramtha (the main Syrian border crossing point), but from Yemen to Turkey and points north. However good the road is, be careful about speed traps, the police are very active here, and if you see oncoming traffic flashing their lights at you, then you are being advised to slow down immediately. Foreigners usually get off with a lecture, but by no means all traffic policemen speak English, so you might get away without even that. Be careful anyway, you might meet somebody in a bad temper, and 20JD is a minimum fine.
Do not confuse the Desert Highway with the Kings' Highway described in the "Sites of Jordan" page. This is a twisting mountainous road and it is impossible to make any speed on it.
As said higher up, most of the Desert Highway is unfenced and animals might be found at any point on it, with or without a guardian.
During the "Hadj" period, this highway becomes the main road towards Mecca, it carries an enormous amount of traffic and it is a good idea to avoid crossing into Syria around then. One year I cleverly avoided the "going to Mecca" rush, but completely forgot that pilgrims also came home again a few days later. Some day I will describe what it is like to be stuck at the Syrian border behind three thousand buses full of pilgrims, many of them bound for places like Turkistan!
While hitch hiking can be a great way to get around Jordan and to meet the people there, you should know that in many cases you are expected to pay something. The locals hitching invariably offer a few small coins, why shouldn't the foreigners do the same? This doesn't mean that your offer will be accepted. But it is very easy to take too much advantage of offered hospitality; if you get down from a ride and walk away with a "thanks awfully" it might well mean that the next foreigner the driver meets will not get a lift! ALWAYS, always at least offer to pay something.
If you stop at a coffee shop or something, invariably the driver will offer to meet the bill. This isn't fair and in general you should refuse to let him. If he appears to be a very rich man compared to you, he will probably insist, but I think you will agree that it is a normal thing for you to try to pay. This is of course, if we are talking about a glass of tea or coffee - I am not suggesting that you should treat him to a four course meal.
He may well do this discreetly, by paying when your back is turned. In this case, you can't do very much about it, except say a fervent Thank you!
There is only one passenger train in Jordan: between Amman and Damascus, on the former Hijaz railway line. This line is notoriously slow, taking up to ten or twelve hours for a trip that a service taxi does in less than three hours on the road, so it is really interesting only for those looking for a "train experience". The trains only run two days a week. You can call the railway station in Amman for information phone 06.489.5413. Again see the "Road to Damascus" page. See also www.jhr.gov.jo for information on the Jordan Hejaz Railway.
You can find descriptions of the journey at http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/990615/1999061512.html and at http://www.odu.edu/ao/instadv/archive/vol28issue3/rail.htm
There is also a site giving details of how to get from London to Amman - by train ! http://freespace.virgin.net/markgideon.smith/Jordan.htm
You might notice another railway line marked on the map of Jordan, running right down to Aqaba, via Ma'an and Dissieh. This is the "phosphates line" to Aqaba port and doesn't take passengers. A pity, this, it runs through some spectacular country!
Anybody wanting to ask a travel agency to organise their trip could do worse than apply to one of the following agencies. I have heard recommendations for all of them, by all accounts, they appear to be efficient and honest. As always, I should be most interested if anybody else has anything to say about these or any other companies.
Petra Moon Travel Agency in Wadi Mousa. (This agency also offers hiking and camping trips)
Tel +962 3 215 6665 Fax +962 3 215 6666
Website http://www.petramoon.com email info@petramoon.comNyazi Tours in Aqaba.
Tel +962.3.202.2801 Fax +962.3.201.9461
Website http://www.nyazi.com.jo email nyazi@index.com.joEcotours in Amman : Jordan Eco-Tours
Tel: + 962 6 5524534 Fax: +962 6 5536964
Website http://www.jordanecotours.com email: jet@go.com.jo
An interesting travel agency has been opened by Sami Hassanat, who is a qualified travel guide, the Jordan Inspiration Tours www.jitours.com. As well as the classic tours around Jordan, Sami also offers tours for people interested in sketching and photography. He also runs special tours to the Nature Reserves. His email : sami@jitours.com, fax +962.3.215.7317 mobile number +962.745.554.677.
There is a project very close to Sami's heart : the turning of touristic profits to benefit the local Bedouin schools in Beidha. He has sponsored the building of new classrooms and is hoping to equip the school with computers. He had to start by bringing in a generator, but the project is still on track. He would be delighted to answer any questions about this - contributions are not necessary! The idea is to try to benefit both the those locals who are left out of the tourist income and the tourists themselves.
A new agency has recently opened in Wadi Rum, which besides organising trips of all kinds around Wadi Rum can also book hotels and arrange transport and guides to all places inside Jordan. This is Jordan Tracks and you can find their website and all information at www.jordantracks.com email saleemali@jordantracks.com
"JORDANJUBILEE" is now available as a book, which is much more convenient for reference if you are travelling around. You can buy it online if you wish by clicking on our securized site, or it is on sale in a number of places in Jordan
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©Ruth Caswell 2002