Date of last update to this page : July 2003
GENERAL INFORMATION ON VISITING JORDAN
This page gives only fairly general information and is meant to be used for preliminary research or as a summary. If you would like more detailed information on specific towns or sites, please refer to the pages of " SITES IN JORDAN".
In fact, the primary purpose of this page, apart from giving you a starting point, is to provide sufficient information to be printed out, so that you don't need to print out the whole website, although of course, you are welcome to do so if you wish!!
For those of you with limited time in Jordan I have suggested a five day itinerary which you can find on the page entitled "Suggested itinerary for a short visit". Since it makes frequent reference to the "Sites in Jordan" pages, you might like to read this one first, or just go through the website in order.
To begin at the beginning, if you arrive in Amman by air, there are Royal Jordanian buses from the airport every hour during the day on the hour. The time taken must be somewhere between 30 and 40 minutes, depending on the traffic something close to an hour isn't impossible. They stop at midnight and then there are "night buses" at 1am, 3am and 5am. The "day buses" begin again at 6am. These buses go to the RJ offices quite near to the Abdali bus station. Last I heard, the fare was either 2 or 3JD (possibly more expensive at night ?)
Be careful about the airport taxis, they are highway robbers and will take the maximum fare that they think they can get away with, usually something over 25JD. This will almost certainly be higher at night. Unfortunately hotels from Amman are no longer allowed to pick you up at the airport, you are obliged either to take an airport taxi, or the airport bus. I suppose it is only fair to say that the airport taxis are charged a hefty price for permits to work there, but even so! If you apply to the taxi office at the airport, they should insure that you will be charged the meter price only - and that the driver puts the meter on! In that case the taxi price from the airport to Amman should be around 15-18JD and quite possibly less. I suspect this will entail a delay at the airport, but this is up to you.
Hotels in Madaba are still allowed to send a taxi for you, and it is also possible to arrange for a taxi from Madaba to take you to somewhere like Petra if you wish - standard price for this run is 45JD which is very reasonable indeed! If you do opt for this, then be very discreet at the airport about your destination! You can email Charl al Twal at the Mariam Hotel in Madaba (mh@go.com.jo) who has very kindly offered to be your go-between and to make the taxi reservation for you. See the page on Madaba for more information about Charl.
Visas are readily available at the airport for most nationalities, cost 10JD (approx 15USD). These are single entry visas only, multi entry visas are only available at embassies (the price at embassies for multi entry visas is the equivalent of 20JD and they are usually valid for six months). No photos or other papers are required.
SIGHTS TO SEE:
I expect you have the usual guidebooks and that both Petra and Wadi Rum figure on your itinerary; in fact most of the other sites in Jordan are minor ones. Jerash (very interesting) is about 50km from Amman, good for a long half day. There is a regular bus service from the Abdali bus station in the north of Amman. The Dead Sea is OK to do once, to say you have been there. Madaba is also worth the visit, and Mount Nebo is nearby. Other places, Ajlun, Um Qais, the desert castles etc are quite frankly not worth the trouble of getting there unless you have your own transport or unless you are spending more than a week in the country. Nice if you do though. Otherwise the time is better spent exploring the back corners of Petra where most people find 2 days is a MINIMUM.
BAD NEWS, SORRY!! The Petra entrance fee has returned to what it was before 9/11 and the tourism crisis in Jordan. Since the beginning of January 2005 entrance to the site costs 23JD for one day, 26JD for two days and 31JD for three days, with the fourth day free. There is no longer a reduction for student cards (faked or not)
The castles of Kerak and Shobak (this last quite near to Wadi Mousa) are less interesting if you know the much more important Crusader Castles in Syria. If not, and if you have the time, Kerak is easy enough to get to from Amman. Buses go from the Wahedat bus station.
There is now a bus going south over the spectacular route of the Kings' Highway every day. It leaves Madaba at 10am each day, PROVIDED that there are at least 3 passengers, stops for an hour at Kerak, pauses at Wadi Mujib for a "photo opportunity" and arrives in Petra at about 3.30pm. It will leave you wherever you want in Petra. The price per person for the trip is 12JD which is noticeably more than an ordinary bus on the Desert Highway, but much cheaper than a taxi which used to be the only alternative for anybody wanting to take the King s' Highway. You can contact Charl al Twal at the Mariam Hotel (mh@go.com.jo or phone at +962.5.325.1529) if you need any more information. For various reasons this bus doesn't take passengers in the other direction.
Nearer to Petra/Wadi Mousa, but closer to Tafileh, there is also the nature reserve of Dana. No public transport goes there, but if you like hiking or just walking where there are few people but spectacular scenery this is worth doing. Dana is quite beautiful, but sorry, no cheap and easy suggestions for getting there. There is more information on Dana in the "Jordan out of doors" section.
Don't forget Wadi Rum. You really do not realise what it is like just spending an hour or two there. If you sleep in a Bedouin tent, they will supply enough blankets, don't worry. For those wanting a bit more comfort, the Wadi Rum equivalent of two star hotels are the camps in Dissieh, offering beds with mattresses (!) and showers with hot water.
To get to the Dead Sea it is easiest to go from Amman. There are buses from Muhajrin station that take you to the Dead Sea resthouse. Be careful not to miss the last bus back at 4pm or you will have to spend the night there and there is n o budget accommodation available.You can also reach the Dead Sea from Madaba with a bus connection at Shumieh for Sweymeh. At Shumieh it is also possible to get the bus to Amman, so you can do Amman - Dead Sea - Madaba (or vice versa) in one day if you like. There are several buses a day on this route.
HOTELS
Amman : I have heard good things about the Farah Hotel (tel. +962.6.465.1443 fax 465.1437 email is farahhotel@hotmail.com) on Al Hussein Cinema St., about 15 mins walk from the Abdali (main) bus station. The Farah has been described as the best backpackers' hotel in Amman at the moment. The Abdali bus station is north of the city centre, fine if you are going north afterwards. I personally prefer the Caravan (caravan@go.com.jo) which is not far away, near the King Abdilla Mosque. Rooms at the Farah from 10JD, the Caravan from 20JD BUT NOTE THAT THE CARAVAN AND ITS SISTER THE CANARY WILL GIVE YOU A 15% DISCOUNT IF YOU SAY THAT YOU HAVE FOUND THEIR NAMES ON THE THORN TREE. In Madaba, the Mariam Hotel is run by the same family and will give the same discount. The well-known Cliff is in the centre of the town and I make no further comment on it. If you take a taxi from the airport the driver will also probably have his recommendation to make (looking for his commission).
Petra : The Alanbat Two (info@alanbat.jo) is probably the best cheap hotel in the village at the moment though to be utterly frank, this isn't saying much. You might also have a look at the Cleopetra Hotel a bit higher up, which several people have recommended. A couple of hotels, (Mousa Springs and Alanbat One), while good hotels, not expensive and providing free transport to Petra, are a good mile from the village UPHILL ALL THE WAY. If you are likely to want to wander around the shops/coffee shops in the evening, better to stay a bit lower down. Mousa Spring is a hotel suitable for backpackers. The Alanbat One does have a beautiful view of the valley and is very nice when it is hot, in fact if it had been nearer to the village it would unquestionably have been my first pick. A better hotel if you have a deeper pocket is the Petra Palace (AC and a swimming pool with bar). It has the advantage of being closer to the gate to Petra but this means that it is a fair way from the village.
Wadi Rum is not to be missed. It is beautiful and a very special experience. However, I do advise you against taking a "cheap" tour, these are the real ripoffs. In this case you get a quick two hour drivearound the main tracks and this is all. You need at least four hours even for a short tour. To see Wadi Rum properly, allow for a night there and at least a half day for visiting. (See the Wadi Rum pages for prices of possible tours. There is also a separate page "Tours of Wadi Rum" with the various tours possible by jeep, cameltrekking or hiking). Note that during the summer months, it isn't really feasible to move around during the afternoon. Sightseeing should be done during the morning, preferably early, or the evening. Bring plenty of moisturizing cream and a lip salve with you.
The new rules in Wadi Rum make it more difficult to bargain about prices. Since the new Nature Reserve is being installed, you can no longer make your way to Rum Village and bargain with the Bedouin hanging out at the coffee shop and see who makes the best offer. Unless you have pre-reserved with one of the guides two days ahead, you are obliged to take one of those waiting at the Visitors' Centre. You do not necessarily have to take the first one on the rota, if you take a dislike to him, but you MUST take somebody who is on the rota for that day. This means that it is all the more important to organise your trip in advance if you can - there are several rip-off artists around. If you pre-reserve, the guide in question must advise the Wadi Rum authorities of the reservation and be waiting for you when you arrive. I give you one warning here : there is no bank and no ATM in Wadi Rum. Your guide will expect to be paid in cash, although he is probably indifferent to the currency. Be prepared for this.
Some highly competent and trustworthy guides in Wadi Rum (more details about them on the Wadi Rum pages with some ideas of their specialities) are :
Attayak
Ali phone/fax mobile +962.795.899.723
Atallah Sweilhin phone/fax +962.3.203.3508 mobile +962.77.428.449
Attayak Aouda, phone/fax obile +962.795.834.736
Aouda Abdillah, home/fax +962.3.203.2819 mobile
+962.795.617.902
(NB when you call these numbers from INSIDE Jordan, then you leave out the +962 and add a zero before the rest, for instance Attayak Ali's mobile number becomes 0795.689.373.)
Aqaba : the Red Sea Hotel and the Nairoukh One Hotel are quite pleasant. Rooms according to season, at this time you should be able to get something correct for 14/16JD. You can sleep on the roof of the Petra Hotel, which is strictly backpacker type accommodation. Slightly more upscale is the Moon Beach where the rate is about 25JD for double room with breakfast, the rooms are clean with bath +TV + AC. Tel. +962.3.201.3316/9 Fax +962.3.201.6500. The Al Zatari Hotel, close to the bus station, has also had good reviews.
A better hotel is the Alcazar Hotel which also has a dive centre (Seastar) attached. The Alcazar is a three star hotel with AC, and a swimming pool. A very good breakfast indeed is served by the swimming pool. At the moment they have good bargains in rooms - as indeed do most hotels in Jordan.
IN ALL CASES, THESE ARE OFFICIAL PRICES, AND YOU MAY BE ABLE TO BARGAIN except in the high season. A lot of people have been frightened away by the current situation in Israel, so Jordan is welcoming warmly the individual tourists who come.
TRANSPORT
Let me emphasize here that in general there are fewer buses in the afternoons, and none at all in the evenings. The only exception I know of is the last bus from Amman to Petra. On Fridays, many routes just don't function - be sure to enquire if you are planning on Friday travel. However, if I say "each day" or "every morning" here, you can pretty well count on that bus running even on Fridays.
To get to Petra from Amman, best is to take a local bus from the Wahedat bus station in the south of the city. Fare is 3JD, but if you have a lot of luggage they may charge you a bit more (by Jett bus the single fare is 5 or 6JD and they impose a return ticket whether you need it or not). The local bus leaves about every 2 hours from 7am onwards until 7pm except on Fridays when it stops earlier. There are also service taxis available. The Jett bus (only 3 a week - better to check with their office, this is VARIABLE! - air conditioned, more comfortable and slightly faster) leaves at 6.30 or 7am. The trip in either bus takes between 2 and 3 hours.
Petra to Wadi Rum : there is a bus every morning. Ask your hotel to fix it for the driver to pick you up. It is about a two hour run and costs 3JD. Buses also go from Aqaba to Wadi Rum, there is an early morning bus (about 6.30am but check its existence on a Friday, sometimes it runs, sometimes it doesn't, depending on demand) and another at about 1pm. Aqaba to Wadi Rum by road takes some 40 minutes or so. Right now, there are extensive roadworks between the Wadi Rum junction and Aqaba.
Petra to Aqaba direct : three buses a day, the first at 6am the last at 4pm. Ask your hotel to reserve a seat for you, if you do this the bus will probably come to pick you up. Again about a two hour run and again the price is 3JD. You can swim or snorkel etc at the Royal Diving Centre, (see Aqaba on the "Sites" page for information on prices and contacts) but if you just want to lie on the beach and go into the water from time to time, go quietly round the right hand side of the Aquamarina Hotel and settle on their private beach. They don't mind as long as you are discreet, and the public beach is rather grotty, not to mention full of local Casanovas. I have to admit that the beaches at Aqaba are far from being as nice as the Sinai. There is also a private beach belonging to the Alcazar Hotel (the "Murjan Club" which is a fair way out of town. This is free for people staying at the hotel, others are charged 4JD which includes the transport there and back. Here also you can find diving and snorkelling facilities. Full information on snorkelling and diving is given on a separate page..
If you are going the other way around, there are buses from Aqaba to Petra at 8am, 10h30, 12h30, 15h00. The fare is 3JD. There can be other buses also, the best thing to do here is to go to the bus station and see what's around. In between times there are always service taxis or ordinary people offering to drive you. On the whole, I am inclined to advise you - quite strongly!- to avoid anything but the official buses or service taxis. This is an obvious question of insurance and general security.
You are welcome to call me directly if you need any more info. Have a great time!
Email: ruth@jordanjubilee.com
Return to the Visiting Jordan page
İRuth Caswell 2002