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12 Useful Things to Know Before Traveling to Jordan

Last Modified: July 3, 2023 //  by  Anda //   17 Comments

To many people, Jordan seems like a far-away place, imbued with legend and mystery, but difficult to visit. Truth is that planning a trip to Jordan requires a lot of preparation which involves not only making your itinerary , but also informing yourself about the culture and local customs. In this post I’ll give you some useful information travel tips for traveling to Jordan.

Table of Contents

1. Jordan is a liberal country, but…

2. jordan is safe and tourist-friendly, 3. jordan is a refugee haven, 4. entering jordan requires a visa, 5. taxi cabs do long distance rides beyond the city limits, 6. money and costs in jordan, 7. there is so much more to jordan than petra, 8. there is a dress code in jordan, 9. jordanians dislike public displays of affection, 10. english is widely spoken, 11. bedouins measure wealth in camels, 12. the jordan pass may save you a lot of money, travel tips for jordan.

Jordan is a relatively young state (1946) in the desert of the northern Arabian Peninsula. The country occupies an ancient land whose rich history that goes back to biblical times and bears the traces of many civilizations.

Jordan surprised me in every way, although I’ve read many tips about traveling there. For one thing, I didn’t expect to find an ‘eco’ hotel in Jordan (Feynan Ecolodge ). But what I found most amazing was the varied climate and landscape that I encountered in this small country.

But my surprises didn’t stop there, so here are some useful things that you should know before traveling to Jordan.

If you plan to visit Israel as well while you are in Jordan, you may be interested in reading my travel tips for traveling to Israel .

The first thing that you may notice is that Jordan is actually a very open minded country. It is perhaps the most politically liberal of all the countries in the Arab world.

Their constitution provides freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Nonetheless, you’ll end up spending 3 years in prison if you speak against the king, offend the government officials, or other people’s religious beliefs!

Not surprisingly, whenever you’ll get into a conversation with a Jordanian, you’ll hear only praises and good things about their government and especially about their king.

Most people believe that traveling to Jordan is a not such a great idea and there is a reason for that. We constantly hear of the dangers in the Middle East. But although tensions and conflicts in this area are very real, not all countries in the Middle East present a risk for travelers. Such is the case of Jordan, which suffers guilt by association. But when you actually travel to Jordan you realize it’s a pretty safe and hospitable country.

Everywhere we traveled in Jordan, we encountered friendly people, knowledgeable guides, and well-trained hotel employees. After spending 5 days among Jordanians, we left touched by the generosity and kindness of these people. 

There is a large population of refugees in Jordan. In addition to Palestinians, the country also hosts forced migrants from Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, the majority of which are unemployed.

The Jordanian government takes good care of its citizens (including refugees), offering free and high quality education and healthcare. There are practically no beggars or homeless people in Jordan.

No matter where you come from, you will need a visa to enter Jordan. You can obtain a visa at the border, or you can get one ahead of time at the Jordanian embassy in your country of residence. However, getting The Jordanian visa from an embassy is more expensive.

One important thing to know is that Jordanians are willing to wave your visa fee if you spend at least 2 nights in Jordan. But that’s going to happen only at the border, so it’s better to arrive without a visa and prove you’ll spend at least two nights in Jordan.

Want to get to Petra from Aqaba, or from Amman to Wadi Rum but have no car? No problem! In Jordan you can grab a cab to just about anywhere. Most taxis will be glad to take you on 2, 3 or even 4 hours trips. You just need to worry about bargaining for a good price.

Legally, all cabs should have meters, but it’s not uncommon for a cab driver to pretend their meter doesn’t work in order to overcharge you. Especially if you travel to a tourist site.

Most cab fares within the city are around US$4-5. A trip to Petra from Aqaba is roughly $45. So if you decide to travel to any tourist site by cab, try to negotiate the price ahead of time. Most drivers are very open to negotiation.

While it’s possible to travel in Jordan relying almost entirely on credit cards, it’s wise to carry some cash with you. ATMs are available in most places, but not the smaller towns. And if you don’t want to exchange money, remember that all major currencies are accepted in cash.

Jordan is an expensive country to visit, so expect to pay more for the same commodity than in other parts of the world. That’s partly because the Jordanian Dinar is stronger than most other currencies (currently 1 JD is US$1.42). But mainly Jordan is expensive for what you receive in exchange for your money.

Lodging is particularly expensive, especially in places of interest for tourists. A hotel room in Jordan can run anywhere from $76 to over $990/night.

Unfortunately, a lower cost hotel room will definitely not be what you want. Below is an $85/night hotel room in Petra that has otherwise great reviews on TripAdvisor .

Food seemed expensive also. We didn’t eat anywhere for less than $40/person, and this price was for lunch at some very average restaurants.

Alcohol is particularly expensive, except for in the liquor shops in Aqaba, where the price is much lower than everywhere else due to no taxes.

Booking a shared guided tour doesn’t come cheap either, considering that on top of the high price you pay for the tour you are expected to tip your guide an extra $15-20/person per day. So far Jordan and Israel have been the two most expensive countries we have ever visited (visited over 30+ countries).

A visit to Petra is the main reason most people travel to Jordan these days. But although Petra is the crown jewel of Jordan, there are so many other amazing sites to visit there.

One of the sites that you shouldn’t miss in Jordan is Jerash. This incredible archeological site was once entirely buried in sand. Jerash is the best preserved Greco-Roman city in its original layout.

Ancient Greek inscriptions found in the city support that idea that Jerash was founded by Alexander the Great  and his general, Perdiccas.

Also, while you are in Jordan, don’t miss traveling to Wadi Rum, a vast and spectacular mountain desert in the southern part of the country.

Jordan may be the most acceptant country in the Middle East, but you don’t have to forget that it’s still a Muslim country. Before planning what to pack for Jordan , it’s important to know what locals consider an “appropriate attire” and respect the cultural norms. Tank tops, shorts and very fitted clothes are an absolute NO for women.

As for men, not wearing a top is equally unacceptable. Wearing a scarf as a woman is mandatory only if you visit a mosque. At the tourist sites you are not required to wear one, but carrying a scarf with you is always a good idea. You can use it to protect yourself from the sun, or the wind.

One of the things that will surprise you is how often Jordanians hug and kiss each other. But don’t be confused about that. While hugs and kisses are acceptable as a form of greeting, they are totally unacceptable as a sign of affection towards your partner.

This is a very important tip to remember if you are traveling to Jordan. I tried to hug my husband as we were taking selfie and I we have been admonished by a bypasser. You’ll encounter the same disapproval towards public displays of affection in Morocco as well.

One thing you don’t have to worry about when you travel to Jordan is not speaking Arabic. Although Arabic is the country’s official language, English is widely spoken too, especially in the cities. Most people in the travel industry speak English fluently, so we didn’t have any problems there.

Camels have always been a source of income and of survival for nomad tribes. Their strength and endurance have served in trade, while their wool, milk and meat are used in everyday life.

Camels are very resilient animals and live long lives (about 30 years.)

The Bedouins also believe that camel milk has miraculous powers: it heals cancer, sterility and it’s also an aphrodisiac. In Jordan the price of a camel is 3,500 JD (roughly $5,000). It’s easy to see why having more camels will make you a rich man.

Getting the Jordan Pass may or may not be a good deal for you, depending how you visit Jordan. If you travel independently, getting the Jordan Pass before you arrive will save you a lot of money. The pass also includes the visa for Jordan.

The Jordan Pass will give you free admission to over 40 sites, including Petra, Jerash and Wadi Rum. However, if you book a tour, admission to the sites you visit will be included in the price of the tour.

Did you find this information useful? Please pin it for later.

Interested to read about other exotic destinations? You may like these: Israel Itinerary – Best Places to Visit on a Trip to Israel What to do in Jerusalem – Best Historical Places to Visit The Mystery of the Tree-Climbing Goats in Morocco Tips for Visiting Morocco – All You Should Know Before You Go Morocco 10 Days Itinerary

Anda is an award winning travel writer, avid globetrotter and passionate photographer. She is the voice behind "Travel Notes & Beyond," a collection of stories and travel impressions from her wanderings around the world. When she is not busy writing, traveling, or editing photographs, you can find her hiking in the foothills behind her house together with her husband and their dog.

Reader Interactions

May 15, 2021 at 8:37 pm

I have been to Jordan several times over the past 30 years. I love going there but hate all the room they use in my passport for the visas and stamps. does anyone know if they have gone to the digital visa along the Jordan Pass?

May 15, 2021 at 11:50 pm

Not that I am aware of.

December 12, 2019 at 4:49 pm

Jordan has been on my list to get to for so long now (since high school, and you know that was a while ago!), but there were a lot of useful surprises in your tips. For example, I had no idea it was so expensive. I guess I always thought it would be a lot like Egypt cost-wise. Nor did I know it was one of those places were you better not say anything negative about the king, etc. Not that this is unusual in that part of the world, but it’s so different from the USA or Europe. I’m looking forward to getting there someday, but now I know I might want top set a little higher budget for that trip!

Anda Galffy

December 12, 2019 at 5:55 pm

Good to hear from you, Cindy. Petra was my dream too, but I finally managed to see it. I hope you will too.

November 19, 2019 at 3:23 am

I have never been to Jordan and know very few things about this country. I think that it is just reasonable that they have laws about speaking against the king, government officials and religious beliefs. There needs to be a stop/ balance between our rights/ freedom of speech. In the Philippines, where I am from, I believe that there is just too much freedom of speech that people become disrespectful already

Krzysztof Lab

November 17, 2019 at 8:04 pm

Traveling to Jordan doesn’t look easy. It’s good to know all those things you need to be aware of before going to Jordan, like political correctness and travel safety. Now I know that I need a visa to travel there, just have to make sure if we have Jordan embassy in Poland, so maybe a better idea is to get it at the border. The taxi story is similar in all those countries, so I am not surprised. When I plan my travel, I will put Wadi Rum on the list for sure. And I must remember about the dress code!

Arnav Mathur

November 16, 2019 at 11:08 pm

Quite an interesting piece about Jordan TBH. This does give a better picture about travelling to Jordan, specially about the exorbitant costs of the food and accommodation. Your tip about making use of the Jordan Pass is quite practical and useful.

November 16, 2019 at 10:46 am

Awesome tips in there. We spent about 3 weeks in Jordan and agree with all your points in there…except the expensive part. I mean, it wasn’t SE Asia cheap, but we were able to get around on public transportation and have some super tasty street food. Great overview of a great country!!!!

November 16, 2019 at 6:42 pm

Jordan seems expensive to many people. Especially for what you get for your money.

November 15, 2019 at 9:26 pm

Very useful tips. Particularly the one about arriving by road for a 2 days visit can waive of visa fee. The monuments are stunning, so old yet looks grand. Thanks for the tip on dressing there; very important.

Jane Dempster-Smith

November 15, 2019 at 8:04 pm

Jordan is an amazing destination. We visited back in 2013 and wish we had read your article, you have provided us with so many great tips, thanks! We found Jordan expensive as well back then. We shared a taxi with another couple we met in our hotel in Amman to travel to Petra, halving the cost still cost us around USD20 which we thought was a good deal back then.

It really was a good deal. The prices went up big time since 2013, Jane.

Chloé Arnold

November 15, 2019 at 6:59 pm

Ahhh I’m so sad we didn’t visit Jordan when we were in Israel. So close yet so far. Your trip looks AMAZING!! Guess I need to go back! I’ll have to remember to get the Jordan Pass before we go!

November 16, 2019 at 6:43 pm

By all means, Chloé. The Jordan Pass will save you a lot of money.

Linda (LD Holland)

November 15, 2019 at 10:36 am

We only had one day in Jordon on a tour. But we know we want to go back. So your tips were helpful for planning. We felt it was pretty safe. But good to know there are some topics not to comment on. Very interesting to know that the visa fee can be waived if you stay 2 nights. And good to know you can negotiate a taxi for a long day trip. We missed Jerash and would definitely want to visit on a return trip.

November 16, 2019 at 6:44 pm

Hope you’ll return to visit Jordan in more depth, Linda.

November 15, 2019 at 8:27 am

What a wonderful post! Ive always wanted to visit Jordan, yes mostly for Petra 🙂 Its good to know that taxis are willing to take a such a long journey and I am actually surprised how expensive its over there! I didn’t think about it to be honest but I better start saving money if I gonna plan a trip there 🙂 Love all those tips!

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• The Ultimate Jordan Travel Guide for First Time Visitors

Jordan was my first trip to the Middle East and it quickly became one of my all-time favorite destinations!

This country really has it all: if you are looking for dramatic landscapes, amazing red sand dunes, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, the lowest point on Earth, amazing local food, and friendly people then you have come to the right place!

In this Jordan travel guide, you can find all the information you need to know before visiting Jordan. Let’s get into it!

* Disclosure: This post contains a few affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through my link. *

No time to read now? Pin it for later!

Table of Contents

How Much Time Do You Need to Spend in Jordan?

Well, this totally depends on you. Many people just want to visit Petra so they are border crossing from Israel for only one day. But Jordan deserves so much more than that! I would suggest planning at least 3-4 full days to have enough time to cover the most famous spots.

Originally I wanted to do the same and while it’s totally doable, I realized I don’t want to rush over the whole country in just a few days. I’ve decided to spend one week in Jordan instead and after having done that I would say this is definitely the best option!

You will have a decent amount of time for the must-see places plus you can include some fun activities and some relaxing time as well.

If you want to spend more than one day in Petra or the Wadi Rum desert, or you want to see some more off-the-beaten places, spending 10 days in Jordan is ideal.

To be honest, even if you would spend 2 weeks there you wouldn’t get bored so it really depends on your own preferences!

Best Time to Visit Jordan

Jordan is a year-round destination, the best time highly depends on what type of activities you’re looking for. It’s important to know that the country may be small, but due to its topography, you can expect different weather conditions across the land.

That means you can experience some rainy and chilly days in Amman but you can work on your tan at the same time in the sunny Aqaba.

Spring (March-May) is one of the best options to visit Jordan. The weather is already pleasant in the mid-20 degrees with lots of sunshine, which is perfect for hiking and sightseeing. Springtime is really magical as the whole country is carpeted with wildflowers, even the desert!

The summer months (June-August) in Jordan are insanely hot and dry, the temperature can easily rise up to 40 degrees. Unless you are planning to chill all day long by the pool, I wouldn’t recommend this time for traveling.

Autumn (September-November) can be another great time for visiting as the temperature begins to drop in mid-September. This time is especially great if you are interested in diving in Aqaba.

The winter in Jordan (December-February) is generally short and cold. The temperature usually drops below freezing in the North and snow is not uncommon either.

All the popular sites will be quite empty so if you want to explore without the crowds and you can bear the cold, winter can still be a good choice for you, especially if you would like to experience Christmas in Jordan .

Visa in Jordan

Every visitor should obtain a visa. It can be purchased at the international airports and most the land borders for 40 JD ($56 US).

However, if you decide to buy the Jordan Pass it already covers the visa and it gives you free access to many sites, including the famous Petra.

The visa fee is waived on the condition that you stay at least 3 nights in Jordan (bad news for border hoppers).

If you are planning to visit Petra I recommend choosing the Jordan Pass. If you would choose to buy the one-day Petra ticket separately, it would cost you 50 JD ($70 US).

You would pay another 40 JD ($56 US) for the visa, so your total cost would be 90 JD ($126 US). The cheapest option of the Jordan Pass is 70 JD ($100 US) and it already includes the visa and a one-day pass to Petra.

You can choose a multiple-day Pass as well if you plan to stay longer in Petra.

Money in Jordan

When I first heard about Jordan I thought it would be a budget destination. I couldn’t have been more wrong about that! Jordan is quite an expensive country, even comparing it to European or American standards.

The official currency is the Jordanian dinar (JD). You can change money at banks, exchange offices or even at some hotels. Most of the major currencies are accepted but it’s easier to change US dollars, Euros, or UK pounds.

The US dollar rates are fixed ( $1 US = 0.7 JD) while the other currencies are subject to the current economical conditions.

I would recommend bringing US dollars to Jordan and then changing it to dinars once you’re there. It’s possible to change dinars back to any foreign currency if you don’t need them anymore.

ATMs are available throughout the country and credit cards are widely accepted. However, there are no ATMs in places like the Wadi Rum desert or Petra and you can only pay with cash in these areas.

We brought $350 US in cash with us and it was enough for the whole week (on top of the credit card payments, of course). We used it mostly in markets, smaller restaurants, and in the desert area.

If you’re interested to know more about the travel costs in Jordan, read my post about how much does it cost to spend one week in Jordan !

How to Get Around in Jordan

Public transportation only exists in bigger cities like Amman. Be aware that the public buses don’t follow a timetable, the bus will only depart once it’s fully loaded with passengers.

They have specific routes but there are no official bus stops. They will stop anywhere once you press the button and you can wave them down anywhere along the road if you want to get on. You can buy your tickets on the bus.

The other option is taking a tourist bus. The Jordan Express Tourist Transportation Company (JETT) operates many tourist buses across the country. They have a fixed schedule and they don’t stop en route.

If you want to travel with them, you have to purchase your ticket in advance. In case you prefer to travel privately, you can also opt for an organized tour or hire a private driver to take care of the transportation issue.

After checking many options we decided to rent a car. To be honest we were a bit afraid of driving in Jordan but as long as you can avoid the bigger cities you’ll be fine.

Most of the time you will be driving through empty highways and mountain roads. There are lots of tricky road bumps and some of the roads could be in better condition.

Oh and don’t be surprised if you find a horde of sheep (or goats) in the middle of the road! It’s just the normal traffic in the Jordan countryside.

Best Places to Visit in Jordan

The rose-colored city of Petra is one of the New Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Since Petra is the most interesting site in Jordan you absolutely need to put it on your itinerary!

You can see the vast majority of the ruins in only one day but if you have more time you can easily spend 2-3 days in Petra as well.

The most famous spot is the Treasury, but there are many more interesting sites like the Street of Facades, the Roman Theatre, or the Monastery.

If you’re looking for the best viewpoints in Petra, read my article about how to find the best view of the Treasury !

Where to stay in Petra

LUXURY – Mövenpick Resort Petra

Featuring free Wi-Fi, the 5-star Mövenpick Resort Petra is located directly at the entrance to the ancient city of Petra. The hotel’s rooftop garden terrace offers views of the hills. The spacious rooms feature white linen and bright windows.

MID-RANGE – Infinity Lodge

Set in Wadi Musa, Infinity Lodge offers 3-star accommodation with private balconies. Among the facilities of this property are a restaurant, room service, and a shared lounge, along with free WiFi. The property offers car hire and features a garden and terrace.

BUDGET – La Maison Hotel

La Maison Hotel is uniquely located in Wadi Musa, a 5-minute walk from the Jordanian world wonder, the Red Rose City of Petra. The hotel offers air-conditioned guest rooms with satellite TVs.

2. Wadi Rum

The Wadi Rum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the southern part of Jordan. This is a huge desert area with the most amazing landscapes you’ll ever see!

If you’re into photography you will absolutely love it. Oh, and it’s definitely one of the most Instagrammable places in Jordan as well!

Try to plan at least a half-day for visiting the desert but if you have more time I would rather recommend spending one full day and a night in the Wadi Rum.

If you want to go all-in, you can even stay at one of the best luxury camps in Wadi Rum .

Where to stay in the Wadi Rum

LUXURY – Wadi Rum Bubble Luxotel

With mountain views, Wadi Rum Bubble Luxotel is located in Wadi Rum and has a restaurant and a 24-hour front desk. Complimentary WiFi is provided. There is a private bathroom with a bidet in all units, along with a hairdryer and free toiletries.

MID-RANGE – Wadi Rum Bedouin Camp

Wadi Rum Bedouin Camp is situated in the heart of the Wadi Rum Protected Area. Guests at the campsite can enjoy a continental breakfast. Wadi Rum Bedouin Camp also offers a children’s playground, Jeep tours, camel rides, and hiking.

BUDGET – Bedouin Nights Camp

Featuring a terrace, Bedouin Nights Camp features accommodations in Wadi Rum. Guests at the camping can enjoy a buffet breakfast. Barbecue facilities are provided and guests can also relax in the garden or in the shared lounge area.

3. Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth and the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. It’s almost 10 times saltier than the ocean, therefore you will rather float than swim in the water.

Trust me, floating in the Dead Sea is a true bucket list experience! Although it’s really fun, there are some things you need to pay attention to. Read my best tips for visiting the Dead Sea for more information!

Where to stay at the Dead Sea

LUXURY – Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa

Located in Sowayma, this 5-star hotel features a fitness center and a private beach area. All guest rooms are equipped with air-conditioning units, WiFi, satellite TV, a safe, and a minibar. If you want to read more about this hotel, check out my  complete review of the Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa .

MID-RANGE – Dead Sea Spa Hotel

This 4-star resort in Jordan is situated at the lowest spot on earth. The family-oriented resort has outdoor pools with water slides and a terrace overlooking the Dead Sea. The hotel offers free WiFi.

Amman is the capital city of Jordan. It’s a very modern city with many ancient ruins so it’s definitely an interesting place to visit. Unfortunately, it is often overlooked by tourists but it’s worth spending at least a day there!

Visiting the Citadel and the Temple of Hercules is definitely one of the best things to do in Amman , such as shopping in the bazaars and tasting the local food.

If you’re looking for something off-the-beaten-path and you love cars, you can also pay a visit to the Royal Automobile Museum.

Where to stay in Amman

LUXURY – Amman Rotana

Located in the central business, social and residential destination, Amman’s new downtown, Al Abdali, Amman Rotana is the first tower hotel in Jordan offering 412 lavish rooms and suites, housed across 50 floors at 189 m high.

MID-RANGE – Amman International Hotel

Situated next to the University of Jordan, this 4-star hotel offers air-conditioned rooms with a flat-screen TV. All rooms at the Amman International Hotel are spacious and come equipped with free Wi-Fi and a private bathroom with a bathtub.

BUDGET – The Cabin

Located in Amman, The Cabin provides air-conditioned rooms with free WiFi. Providing a shared lounge, the property is located within 7 km of the US Embassy.

If you’re looking for the largest and most interesting Roman site in Jordan, you need to put Jerash on your itinerary.

This ancient city is packed with many temples, amphitheaters, columns, and ruined buildings. You can easily visit Jerash from Amman on a day trip so there is no need to stay there.

Aqaba is the only coastal city in Jordan, packed with beautiful beach resorts. The water is always warm and crystal clear which makes it the perfect place for snorkeling or scuba diving.

Unfortunately, if you’re only planning to spend a few days in Jordan you will not have time to enjoy the warm weather in Aqaba.

However, if you’re spending one week in Jordan as I suggested, you can easily plan a full-day snorkeling trip in Aqaba!

Where to stay in Aqaba

LUXURY – Mövenpick Resort & Residences Aqaba

This 5-star resort in the center of Aqaba is 500 m from the Red Sea. It features a private beach, several outdoor pools, and 5 food outlets. The rooms at the Mövenpick Resort & Residences Aqaba are bright and furnished with modern décor.

MID-RANGE – Marina Plaza Tala Bay

Situated along the Red Sea shore, this 4-star hotel offers modern rooms with air conditioning and satellite TV. Facilities include Tala Bay Beach Club and outdoor pools and each room is equipped with a private balcony.

BUDGET – Hotel Prestige

550 m from Al-Ghandour Beach, Hotel Prestige is set in Aqaba and features free WiFi, express check-in and check-out, and a ticket service. Boasting family rooms, this property also provides guests with a terrace.

Planning a trip to Jordan?

Then you might want to take a look at all our other travel guides about Jordan. I promise, they are just as awesome as this article was!

• The Perfect Itinerary for Spending One Week in Jordan
• Top 8 Most Instagrammable Places in Jordan
• How to Find the Best Viewpoint in Petra – Treasury From Above
• 10 Tips for Visiting the Dead Sea
• 9 Stunning Dead Sea Hotels in Jordan
• Wadi Rum Glamping: 9 Amazing Luxury Camps to Book
• Hotel Review: Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa

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25 thoughts on “The Ultimate Jordan Travel Guide for First Time Visitors”

Jordan is so high on my bucket list! Your blog post is such an interesting read ?

Thank you so much Lina! Jordan is such an amazing country, I can only recommend visiting!

So much good info here Kristi! I am bookmarking it for when I get to visit Jordan in the future- it looks so beautiful.

Jordan is still one of my favourite travel destinations ever! I’m sure you will love it Charu! 🙂

Jordan is on my list, and I’m so happy to see more than just about Petra. I have obviously always wanted to visit Petra, I mean look at it. But there seems to be so much more to Jordan that if I were to visit I would not want to just border hop, but spend some actual time there. Good to know about some of the costs though, that’s definitely helpful information

Totally agree with you, Jordan is so much more than Petra! I’ve never understood why many people only do a day trip there from Israel when the whole country is so beautiful. I have a full blog post about our Jordan expenses if you’re interested 🙂

The desert has such beauty, with the earth tones and sand dunes. I smiled at your comment that the buses don’t follow a timetable. It’s a different culture than my city life in the US, and that’s one reason it would be so interesting to visit Jordan!

Haha yeah it’s so interesting! It’s really different from Hungary as well and it was such an amazing travel experience!

My parents went here last year but I still haven’t had a chance to visit Jordan yet! I’d love to go someday! Your photos are gorgeous! :]

Thank you Farrah! Jordan is such an amazing country, I can only recommend visiting!

Wonderful post and photos! I had such an amazing time in Jordan!!!

Thank you Charlotte! I really loved it as well 🙂

I would love to visit Jordan! It looks like an amazing country and there are so many beautiful spots! I will definitely use your tips for when I go! Your photos are stunning btw!

Thank you so much Bettina!

I have traveled to the Middle East many times, but never made it to Jordan. This is a very informative and useful guide so I’m going to save it for when we can travel again. Thanks so much for the inspiration and for the STUNNING images!

Thank you so much Michelle, I’m so happy you liked it! Jordan is really great country, it’s still one of my favourite travel destinations ever 🙂

I would love to go back to Jordan! I only got to see the Dead Sea, so it looks like there are so many other places I should explore there!!

I have had Jordan on my top places to visit for a while now and this post just adds to the desire to go. I think I need to spend the full week here. Snorkelling, history and amazing views all in one place – YES PLEASE!!!!

I think one week is the perfect amount of time! We also did a one week trip (I shared our itinerary in another blog post as well) and it was so incredible! 🙂

I never thought about Jerash and Aqaba. Jordan is high on my list. It’s a very useful guide. It will definitely come handy for when I visit.

You’re making me miss this beautiful country!! So many good tips here. I definitely want to go back!

I was supposed to visit Jordan back in 2017 and my friend got really sick and we had to cancel the trip literally the day we were supposed to leave. Ever since, I’ve been absolutely DYING to visit Jordan! I pinned this for when I can finally make that trip 🙂

Omg I’m so sorry to hear about it! Jordan is really amazing, one of my favourite trips ever! I hope you will be able to visit Jordan when we can finally travel again 🙂

Jordan is perhaps my all-time favorite country! I spent almost three weeks there years ago, taking shared taxis everywhere, hitchhiking through the desert, and camping on the beach. I found all the locals to be so friendly and helpful! The one thing I need to go back for is Wadi Rum — didn’t make it there the first time around.

Oh gosh 3 weeks in Jordan – that sounds like a dream! I absolutely loved this country as well and it’s also one of my favourite travel destinations ever 🙂

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From the ancient city of Petra to the breathtaking Dead Sea and sublime desert landscapes of Wadi Rum in between, Jordan has delighted visitors for centuries.

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Attractions

Must-see attractions.

The spectacular sandstone city of Petra was built in the 3rd century BC by the Nabataeans, who carved palaces, temples, tombs, storerooms and stables from…

The area known as the Citadel sits on the highest hill in Amman, Jebel Al Qala’a (about 850m above sea level), and is the site of ancient Rabbath-Ammon…

The Ancient City

The 1.2km Siq, or canyon, with its narrow, vertical walls, is undeniably one of the highlights of Petra. The walk through this magical corridor, as it…

High Place of Sacrifice

The most accessible of Petra’s High Places, this well-preserved site was built atop Jebel Madbah with drains to channel the blood of sacrificial animals…

Hidden high in the hills, the Monastery is one of the legendary monuments of Petra. Similar in design to the Treasury but far bigger (50m wide and 45m…

Shaumari Wildlife Reserve

Established in 1975 by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), this 22 sq km reserve was created with the aim of reintroducing wildlife…

Originally built by the Nabataeans (not the Romans) more than 2000 years ago, the Theatre was chiselled out of rock, slicing through many caves and tombs…

Dana Biosphere Reserve

The Dana Biosphere Reserve is the largest in Jordan and includes a variety of terrain, from sandstone cliffs more than 1700m high near Dana to a low point…

Top picks from our travel experts

The 9 best experiences you can have in jordan.

Jordan River Foundation

Supporting top-notch worthy causes by selling equally top-notch crafted items, this shop is an Amman institution. The showroom supports handloomed rugs…

Karak Castle

This fantastic Crusader stronghold, and later Mamluk fortress, is the reason to visit Karak. Throughout the castle, boards give detailed descriptions of…

Wild Jordan Center

The nature store at the Wild Jordan Center sells products made in Jordan’s nature reserves, including silver jewellery, organic herbs, teas and jams from…

Planning Tools

Expert guidance to help you plan your trip.

Best Things to Do

Jordan has a rich culture, ancient ruins, incredible hospitality and wonderful landscapes. Use our nine favorite experiences to help plan your itinerary.

Things to Know

With top tips on safety, seasons and local etiquette, we've got all the insight you need to start planning your first incredible trip to Jordan.

Transportation

The best way to get around Jordan depends on you, your preferences, budget, itinerary and travel style. Here’s some insight to help you decide.

Visa Requirements

Jordan’s ancient sites, beaches and desert vistas draw enthralled visitors from around the world. Here's how to obtain a visa and start planning your trip.

Money and Costs

Jordan isn't known for its budget options but it's all a matter of knowing where to look. Use our top tips to help plan your budget adventure.

Traveling with Kids

Jordan is a massively underrated destination for family travel – here are our tips for planning an incredible trip with kids.

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Jordan packs a lot of ancient culture and staggering sights into a small space. Here's how to explore it all on a riveting road trip.

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Modern cities filled with worldly citizens, mountainous regions dotted with small villages, and deserts inhabited by the nomadic Bedouin - Jordan has all this diversity and more.

With the cosmopolitan cafes of Amman , the peace of hilltop Dana and the historic treasures of Madaba, you may come to Jordan to see the ruins of   Petra , but you’ll leave having encountered so much more.

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Jordan at a glance, capital city.

Amman (population 960,000)

6.5 million

(GMT+02:00) Amman

CALLING CODE

Electricity.

Type B (American 3-pin) Type C (European 2-pin) Type D (Old British 3-pin) Type F (German 2-pin, side clip earth) Type G (Irish/British 3-pin) Type J (Swiss 3-pin)

Learn more about Jordan

Culture and customs.

As a Muslim country, Jordan’s culture is quite conservative, although not as conservative as some other Middle Eastern countries. Western influences (particularly in Amman and other large cities) have infiltrated Jordanian society so Jordan now possesses a mix of Arabian customs amid modern ways of life. Due to immigration, Jordan now has a significant Palestinian and Iraqi population, adding to the cultural diversity of the country.

Despite the outside influences, Islamic traditions are strong in Jordan with spectacular mosques signaling the call to prayer five times a day, Ramadan being observed each year and some segregation of the sexes occurring. 

The desert-dwelling Bedouin have a distinct culture of their own, drawing on traditions that have been passed down for centuries. Living a largely nomadic lifestyle, the Bedouin rely on the herding of animals and the creation of handicrafts in the absence of a fertile environment to farm. With a strong musical heritage, traditional instruments are played and time-honored traditions are continued. 

Hospitality is a crucial element of Jordanian culture. Most visitors will be humbled by the kindness, sincerity and genuine care showed by Jordanians. Being welcomed into peoples’ homes is common, and can probably be attributed to the custom of welcoming strangers and sharing food when traveling in the unforgiving desert.

Eating and drinking

Intrepid believes that one of the best ways to experience a country is by eating! Whether you're sampling street food, savoring a cheap eat or indulging in a banquet, there are endless options to choose from wherever you are in the world.

Featuring typical Middle Eastern ingredients like lamb, chickpeas, garlic and a range of aromatic herbs and spices, Jordanian cuisine is delicious.

Things to try in Jordan

Like many other Middle Eastern countries, a plate of shared breads and dips is a great way to begin a feast.

This traditional Bedouin dish of lamb and yogurt is usually served with rice and bread. This is the national dish of Jordan, so definitely try it before you leave.

These small, sweet pastries made with honey and nuts will have you going back for more.

The coffee in Jordan is strong. Often spiced with a hint of cardamom, coffee is strongly linked to the famed Jordanian hospitality, so drink up – it would be rude not to!

Geography and environment

Jordan is made up of a staggeringly diverse range of natural environments. From stark deserts to towering mountains, fertile wetlands, coastal reefs and urban cities, journeying through Jordan provides changing scenery and varying conditions. 

Sharing borders with Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Jordan mixes modern architecture with heritage-filled buildings, well-manicured streets with historic alleyways and impressive mansions with simple homes. 

Modern, developed cities like Amman and Aqaba feature unique architecture, spectacular mosques, five-star hotels and resorts. Small villages with rustic housing populate the less-built-up rural areas and Bedouin tents made of goat hair can be found in desert areas.

History and government

Early history.

The country now known as Jordan was originally inhabited by the Nabataeans thousands of years ago. Over the centuries, Jordan has been a place conquered and inhabited by many different people including the Romans, Greeks, Assyrians, Ottoman Turks, Egyptians and Mamluks (people of Kurdish origins). All these influences can still be seen today in Jordan's ancient ruins, architecture, crafts and arts. Many battles were fought in Ancient Jordan, including the Christian crusaders who clashed with Islamic Forces in Jordan during the 11th and 12th centuries. The first Muslim Dynasty began with the Umayyad Empire in 661.

Recent history

In 1950, Jordan was renamed the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and in 1951, King Abdullah I was assassinated while visiting a mosque. His eldest son became king but was removed from his duties in 1952 due to mental illness. In 1953, his teenage son Hussein Ibn Talal became king, and continued to rule for over 40 years. In the 1960s, Jordan saw many immigrants arrive and settle – mainly Palestinians escaping the conflict in their homeland.

In 1999, King Abdullah II succeeded his father King Hussein and continues to rule Jordan now. His reign has been characterized by liberal policies, economic reforms and technological advances. His wife, Queen Rania of Jordan, has a visible public profile, is active in many social causes and is regarded internationally as a highly influential woman.

Top 10 ways to experience Jordan

1. locate a lost city.

Spend a day exploring the astonishing lost city of Petra. Discover temples, tombs, a monastery and an amphitheater in this fascinating, world-renowned archaeological site.

2. Take a dip

Dive into the Dead Sea and relax in the famous waters thought to have therapeutic properties. The high salinity makes floating effortless so it’s easy to lie back and enjoy the view. This experience is a must-do for any visitor to Jordan.

3. Kick back in a cafe

The cafes of Amman are the perfect place to get acquainted with modern Jordan. From elegant, urban cafes serving international fare to earthy, family-run cafes offering traditional food and coffee, see both sides of modern Jordan when you eat.

4. Delve into the desert

Travel across hot, desert sands and spend the night camping under the stars with Bedouin hosts. Stargazing, eating traditional food and learning about the Bedouin way of life is an authentic experience to remember.

5. Admire ancient art

The city of Madaba is known for its amazing collection of ancient mosaics. Take a stroll around the city to scout out these handcrafted pieces of the past that are scattered throughout Madaba’s churches, museums and homes.

6. View an icon

Behold the sight of the legendary Mt Nebo. A revered holy site, Mt Nebo is home to the ruins of a church and monastery, and is an interesting place for believers and non-believers alike.

7. Meet Mother Nature

A hike through the changing landscapes of the Dana Nature Reserve offers wildlife encounters, quaint villages and majestic mountain views. Get back to nature and see Jordan’s natural treasures here.

8. Relax in a resort

See a different side of Jordan in the laidback resort town of Aqaba. Chill out on the beach, feast on fresh seafood, soak up the sunshine and enjoy the change of pace in this piece of coastal bliss.

9. Uncover a bit of history

Explore the fortified town and castle of Karak to gain insight into the fascinating history of this region. Walk through a network of tunnels and walkways and imagine what life was like centuries ago.

10. Discover Roman ruins

Travel to Jerash to see some of the biggest and most preserved Roman ruins outside of Italy. Baths, theatres, temples and forums feature within the colonnaded streets and still-standing city walls.

From atmospheric souqs to modern malls and designer boutiques, Jordan has a shopping experience to suit everyone. While not particularly cheap, the quality is generally excellent and the service friendly.

It's a good idea to check with your local customs officials to ensure that you are able to bring certain items back into your home country.   T he United States   and   Canada  generally have strict customs laws.

Things to buy in Jordan

1. Traditional handicrafts

Mosaics, ceramics, rugs and carpets can be found everywhere in Jordan, but the variety and quality found in Madaba is a standout.

2. Bedouin crafts

Silver jewelry and embroidered scarves make great souvenirs and can be purchased from souqs and independent vendors around Jordan.

3. Gold jewelry

Traditional souvenirs and stunning gold jewelry can be found in the souqs of downtown Amman.

Festivals and events in Jordan

Ramadan and eid.

During the ninth and holiest month in the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is observed by most in Jordan and is thought to be a time of spiritual rejuvenation. For this month, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset - refraining from eating and drinking during daylight hours. Eid marks the end of fasting with three days of feasting and celebration.

Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts

See the best of local and international performing arts with theatre, music, poetry and dance taking over the ancient Roman city of Jerash, much to the delight of locals and visitors alike.

Top places to visit in Jordan

If you think you’ve been to Rome and seen some impressive ruins, you’ll be amazed by the sights at the ancient city of Jerash. One of the biggest and most well-preserved ancient Roman cities in the world, it has a striking collection of archways and theatres, baths, public buildings and colonnaded streets.

Explore the ruins of Jerash on our 9 day Cycle Jordan: Petra & Wadi Rum tour .

This seaside town is the perfect place to kick back and relax by the hotel pool or at the beach. Located on the tip of the Red Sea, there are untouched coral reefs not far from the shore ready to be explored.

Soak up the sun on our 22 day Egypt, Jordan, Isreal & the Palestinian Territories tour , embrace the beach vibes on our 15 day Discover Egypt & Jordan tour or snorkel coral reefs on our 19 day Explore Egypt & Jordan adventure .

3. Wadi Rum

When you first enter Wadi Rum you may feel as though you’ve been transported to Mars. The red desert landscape is peppered with towering rock formations as far as the eye can see. Don’t miss an opportunity to mingle with the nomadic Bedouin people and perhaps even spend the night in one of their Desert Camps.

Visit the Wadi Rum Desert on our 9 day Jordan & Egypt Express tour or on our 8 day Explore Jordan adventure .

The ancient city of Petra was crowned one of the Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, and once you visit, it’s not hard to see why. Packed with history and culture, a visit to this UNESCO world heritage site is a must.

Admire the beauty of Petra on our 8 day Jordan Discovery tour .

Similar destinations

We have a variety of similar destinations, trips and routes that you could consider. Tie another trip into your holiday, or see how we can help you get from A to B. We have tours departing from a variety of locations around Jordan. The options below may be of interest:

• Tours from Amman
• Amman to Madaba
• Cairo to Madaba
• Tours to Madaba

Or maybe you're thinking about a trip to Jordan but still browsing other destinations? Check out our tours to neighbouring locations:

Further reading

Jordan travel faqs, do i need a covid-19 vaccine to join an intrepid trip.

Trips from 1 January 2023 onwards

From 1 January 2023, Intrepid will no longer require travelers to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 (excluding all Polar trips and select adventure cruises).

However, we continue to strongly recommend that all Intrepid travelers and leaders get vaccinated to protect themselves and others.

Specific proof of testing or vaccination may still be required by your destination or airline. Please ensure you check travel and entry requirements carefully.

Do you need a visa for Jordan?

Visas are required by all visitors entering Jordan.

Single entry visas valid for 14 days and can be obtained by most nationalities on arrival at the airport in Amman or at the Jordanian border for approximately JOD40.

It can be significantly more expensive to acquire your visa from the embassy in your home country.

If you require a stay longer than 14 days, visas obtained from the embassy in your home country will be valid for two months.

When is the best time to visit Jordan?

The weather in Jordan can get quite extreme. Overall, it tends to be hot during the day and cold at night (in desert areas, expect it to be extremely hot during the day and freezing at night). Yet during winter it can get bitterly cold, with snowfall occurring in some parts of the country.

Traveling during the summer months (June, July and August) can be challenging for those not accustomed to the heat, so visiting Jordan during spring and autumn is recommended for those who wish to escape the hotter temperatures. 

Is tipping customary in Jordan?

Tipping is up to the individual in Jordan. Hotels and up-market restaurants typically add a surcharge that is included in bills, which is usually 10%. Rounding up bills and leaving spare change is a good idea when dining in smaller restaurants and when using taxis.

What is the internet access like in Jordan?

Internet access is growing rapidly in Jordan. Internet can usually be accessed from hotels and internet cafes in major cities. Expect little to no access in small towns, villages and other rural areas.

Can I use my cell phone while in Jordan?

Cell phone coverage is good in Jordan’s major cities and built-up areas like Amman and Aqaba. Expect limited to no phone coverage in more isolated areas like the desert. Ensure you have global roaming activated on your phone before leaving home.

What are the toilets like in Jordan?

Western-style toilets are common in modern hotels, malls and at popular tourist areas. Squat toilets are the standard throughout the rest of the country. Sometimes, you may need to pay and bring your own toilet paper when visiting public rest rooms.

What will it cost for a…?

Street snack = 3 JOD Can of soft drink = 1 JOD Dinner at a restaurant = 10 JOD Embroidered shawl = 20-30 JOD

Can I drink the water in Jordan?

Drinking water from taps in Jordan can be safe, depending on where you are. It's considered safe to drink water from modern hotels that have filtered water but perhaps not so from smaller establishments and in rural areas. For environmental reasons, try to use a refillable water bottle rather than buying bottled water. Peel fruit before eating and avoid ice in drinks.

Are credit cards accepted widely in Jordan?

Major credit cards are widely accepted by stores in Jordan. Smaller cafes and shops may not accept credit cards so ensure you carry enough cash to cover small purchases.

What is ATM access like in Jordan?

ATMs are common in Jordan’s main cities so finding one won't be a problem. Rural and remote areas typically will have less ATMs so be sure to carry enough cash for purchases when away from the city.

What public holidays are celebrated in Jordan?

• 1 Jan: New Year's Day
• 1 May: Labour Day
• 25 May: Independence Day
• 25 Jun: The End of Ramadan
• 26 Jun: The End of Ramadan
• 27 Jun: The End of Ramadan
• 31 Aug: The Feast of Sacrifice
• 1 Sep: The Feast of Sacrifice
• 2 Sep: The Feast of Sacrifice
• 3 Sep: The Feast of Sacrifice
• 4 Sep: The Feast of Sacrifice
• 21 Sep: Islamic New Year
• 30 Nov: The Prophet Muhammad's Birthday
• 25 Dec: Christmas Day

Please note, Jordan public holidays may vary.

Is Jordan LGBTQIA+ friendly?

As a Muslim country, Jordan’s culture is quite conservative, although not as conservative as some other Middle Eastern countries. Homosexuality has been decriminalized in Jordan since 1951, and while Jordanians who identify as having an LGBTQIA+ identity will not be criminalized, many people continue to hide their sexuality or identity from their families, and there is still a deep social stigma. As long as LGBTQIA+ travelers display some discretion and respect for local culture, particularly when visiting places outside of the major cities and tourist areas, they will have no problem visiting Jordan. 

How do I stay safe and healthy while traveling?

From Australia?

Go to: Smart Traveller

From Canada?

Go to:  Canada Travel Information

From the UK?

Go to:  UK Foreign Travel Advice

From New Zealand?

Go to:  Safe Travel

From the US?

Go to:  US Department of State

The World Health Organisation also provides useful health information.

Do I need to purchase travel insurance before traveling?

Absolutely. All passengers traveling with Intrepid are required to purchase travel insurance before the start of their trip. Your travel insurance details will be recorded by your leader on the first day of the trip. Due to the varying nature, availability and cost of health care around the world, travel insurance is very much an essential and necessary part of every journey.

For more information on insurance, please go to: Travel Insurance

What's the transport like in Jordan?

Intrepid believes half the fun of experiencing a new country is getting there, and getting around once there! Where possible, Intrepid uses local transport options and traditional modes of transport - which usually carry less of an environmental impact, support small local operators and are heaps more fun.

Depending on which trip you're on while in Jordan, you may find yourself traveling by 4x4.

Head out for a day of dune-bashing in a 4x4. Scale the towering desert dunes and take in the sweeping views. A fun way to explore remote parts of Jordan .

What's the accommodation like in Jordan?

Traveling with Intrepid is a little bit different. We endeavor to provide travelers with an authentic experience to remember, so we try to keep accommodation as unique and traditional as possible.

When traveling with us in Jordan you may find yourself staying in a desert camp.

Be welcomed by Bedouin for a night of camping under the stars. Enjoy traditional food and music then fall asleep in the supreme silence of the desert.

What to wear in Jordan?

Jordan is a predominantly Muslim country and conservative clothing is the norm for all genders. You don't need to cover yourself from head to toe, but you should wear clothing that covers your chest, shoulders and legs from the knee up. Honoring the local dress code shows respect for the local culture and customs.

Does my trip support The Intrepid Foundation?

Yes, all Intrepid trips support the Intrepid Foundation. Trips to this country directly support our global Intrepid Foundation partners, Eden Reforestation Projects and World Bicycle Relief. Intrepid will double the impact by dollar-matching all post-trip donations made to The Intrepid Foundation.

Eden Reforestation Projects

Eden Reforestation Projects are helping to mitigate climate change by restoring forests worldwide; they also hire locally and create job opportunities within vulnerable communities. Donations from our trips support restoration across planting sites in 10 countries around the globe. Find out more or make a donation World Bicycle Relief

World Bicycle Relief provides people in low-income communities with bicycles to mobilize school kids, health workers, and farmers in far-out areas – giving them access to vital education, healthcare, and income. Donations help provide Buffalo Bicycles – specifically designed to withstand the rugged terrain and harsh environment of rural regions – to those who need them most. Find out more or make a donation

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• Exploring Jordan with Intrepid Travel: A Review

Disclosure : Intrepid Travel hosted me on this trip in exchange for this review. As always, all opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links.

Home to countless sites and stunning landscapes, Jordan is an ancient wonder that has delighted visitors for centuries. Every experience in Jordan is more enchanting than the last, whether it be camping in the vast, epic landscape that is Wadi Rum or hiking your way through Petra, with its well-earned title as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. It was all of these things and more that led me to book the Discover Egypt and Jordan tour, a combination of Intrepid’s Explore Jordan and Egypt Adventure tours.

I’d always wanted to visit Jordan, and jumped at the chance when I saw I could combine it with a trip to Egypt . Jordan exceeded my expectations and beyond: to date, it’s my favorite country in The Middle East – and I’ve been to several of them. Jordan is truly the gem of The Middle East: more spectacular than your wildest dreams can imagine.

So without further ado: my review of the Intrepid Explore Jordan tour, complete with a day-by-day itinerary and a side-by-side comparison to some of Intrepid’s other Jordan tour offerings.

Table of Contents

A Review of the Intrepid Explore Jordan Tour

Out of all the trips I’ve ever done with Intrepid (I’ve been to Egypt , Turkey , Peru , and Southeast Asia with them), the Explore Jordan tour was my absolute favorite. I know that’s a big statement, but it was honestly perfect: I had some awesome travelers on my tour, my guide was the best I’ve ever had (no exaggeration) and Jordan itself doesn’t disappoint.

Because Jordan is small, this tour helps you cover the highlights of the country in just over a week. Yes, we did spend a few hours in the car everyday, but our guide Muhammad kept us entertained with stories of historical, present, and future Jordan.

Because Jordan isn’t a “typical” destination compared to others, it attracts travelers who are open-minded, curious, and respectful, and that’s exactly what I found with my fellow Intrepid travelers. Honestly, if you’re on the fence about Jordan for any reason, I strongly urge you to book one of Intrepid’s Jordan tours . You won’t regret it and I’m still talking about it several years later.

Should you book a tour to Jordan?

Although you can travel to Jordan independently, it’s definitely challenging to do so. Jordan is on the more expensive side, and I often find that costs tend to add up quickly when traveling independently in an expensive country. There aren’t many hostels in Jordan, and transport, while inexpensive, can be challenging for travelers since there’s no official bus timetable. Given all of that, I highly recommend booking a tour in Jordan.

If it’s your first time visiting and you’d prefer not to worry about all the hassle of transporting yourself from place to place or are short on time, I highly recommend booking a tour. I did the Explore Jordan Tour but you can check out all the Jordan tour options from Intrepid Travel  as well.

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Why Intrepid Travel?

I’ve been on four tours with Intrepid Travel across seven countries on four continents, so I’ve been fortunate to experience how they operate all over the world. Yes, Intrepid is the world’s largest small-group adventure travel company, but that’s not why I travel with them. These are just a few reasons I love traveling with them – including why I chose them specifically for Jordan (you can also read my full review of Intrepid Travel here ).

• Small groups: As an introvert, I hate big groups with a fiery passion. Intrepid limits their groups to a maximum 12 people, which means you’ll have enough time to get to know everyone on your trip. On this group in particular, there were 5 of us in total – the smallest Intrepid group I’ve traveled with.
• Local guides: The guides are always from the country that you’re visiting, ensuring that you’re both supporting the local economy and traveling with someone who truly knows the country you’re visiting. Our guide, Muhammad, is from Madaba, and knew all the cool places to eat and hang out there.
• Responsible tourism: To Intrepid, responsible tourism isn’t just a buzzword. They carbon offset their tours, give back to communities through The Intrepid Foundation, promote gender equity within their tour guide force, and discourage all plastic usage. You can read about their responsible tourism practices here .
• Safety : Traveling in a group always makes me feel a little more relaxed about my surroundings and Jordan would have been a tad challenging to navigate on my own, especially since I don’t like renting cars abroad if I don’t have to.

Which Intrepid Jordan tour should you choose?

If you’re interested in only visiting Jordan on an Intrepid Tour, you’re in luck: Intrepid only offers two (three if you count the 18-29 year-old-tour) Jordan-only tours, making the decision on which Jordan tour you should choose relatively simple. If you’d like to visit Jordan as part of a longer tour, you have quite a few options to choose from.

I went on the Discover Egypt & Jordan Tour , which is a combination of Egypt Adventure and Explore Jordan . It was honestly the perfect way to see the highlights of both countries in two weeks. Either way, every Intrepid tour has something different to offer, depending on your budget, desired travel time, and sites you’d like to visit. I’ve picked a few of my top recommendations and broken them down below.

Explore Jordan

I did the Explore Jordan tour as part of the combined Discover Egypt and Jordan tour and I loved it. Jordan is on the smaller side, so although this 8-day trip doesn’t include a visit to Aqaba, it’s still pretty comprehensive. You’ll cover the highlights of Jordan including Petra, Jerash, The Dead Sea, and Wadi Rum. Almost everything is included in the trip price (except for Petra by Night and any optional activities in Amman), meaning the majority of your expenses will go towards tips and food.

In all honesty, the main things that differentiate this tour from the Jordan Discovery tour are spending 1.5 days in Petra (instead of just one – huge bonus!), an extra day in Wadi Rum (great bonding time with travel buddies), minimal time in Amman (a bummer but easily remedied with a couple of extra days) and Madaba as the final stop instead of Amman (there are plenty of buses that go to Amman though). Psst: If you’re between 18-29 and want to travel with people your age, check out the similar One Week in Jordan tour instead.

• Duration: 8 days
• Cities visited: Amman, Wadi Rum, Petra, Madaba / Jerash
• Travel style: Original
• Price: starting at USD $1,060

Jordan Discovery

If you’re keen on including Aqaba in your itinerary and you don’t mind missing out on The Dead Sea, then Jordan Discovery is the trip for you. It’s a Comfort trip (rather than the Original style Explore Jordan), which means your hotels will be nicer (think around 4*) and you’ll only camp for one night instead of two. You also get more time in Amman compared to Explore Jordan.

If I were visiting Jordan on its own, I’d personally lean towards this tour (it would have been cool to visit Aqaba). However, because I did the combined Egypt and Jordan tour, our first day in Amman actually included a guided tour to Amman (we visited the Citadel and Roman Theatre). Either way, you can’t go wrong with either tour option. Which you choose mainly depends on your preferences towards visiting Aqaba, time spent in Petra and Wadi Rum, and your hotel accommodation.

• Cities visited: Amman, Wadi Rum, Aqaba, Petra, Madaba / Jerash
• Travel style: Comfort
• Price: starting at USD $1,631

Discover Egypt and Jordan

Because Jordan is a small country (the highlights are easily covered in 7-10 days), you might want to consider combining Jordan with another country. That’s what I did when I took the Discover Egypt and Jordan Tour , a combination of the Egypt Adventure and Explore Jordan tour.

On this 15-day Original style trip, you’ll cover the main highlights of Egypt and Jordan, with about a week in each country. The Egypt portion includes two days each in Egypt’s three most popular cities (for historical sites) as well as one day cruising the Nile on a felucca.You’ll experience a good mix of optional and included activities (especially on the Egypt portion) and quite a variety of transportation. This was honestly an amazing tour of both countries and I strongly recommend it for those who want to see a lot in two weeks.

• Duration: 15 days
• Cities visited: Cairo, Aswan, Luxor, Amman, Wadi Rum, Petra, Madaba / Jerash
• Price: starting at USD $2,528

Things to Know Before You Go to Jordan

Most people make certain assumptions about Jordan, knowing that it’s a Muslim-majority country that borders Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Palestine. Well, I say throw those assumptions out the window. Instead, keep an open mind and know the following before traveling within Jordan:

• Overall, Jordan is safe and Jordanians are incredibly kind and hospitable. The only time you need to be vigilant in Jordan is in Petra – there are a few well-known Bedouin scams that could happen.
• Yes, you should dress conservatively in Jordan (covering your knees and shoulders), but no you don’t have to wear a headscarf.
• PDA is a no-no.
• Jordan is a Muslim-majority country, but Christians, Jews, and people of various beliefs all co-exist peacefully.
• When greeting people from the opposite gender, let them take the lead. Some Muslims won’t touch people of a different gender unless they’re related by blood.
• It’s okay to eat with your hands, especially if it’s the national dish, mansaf.
• Bring plenty of cash as ATMs aren’t as readily available as you’d expect.
• Want access to the internet wherever you go? Consider getting an eSIM !

If you’re from The United States or Canada, you do need a visa to enter Jordan. However, you can easily obtain it on arrival at King Faisal Airport for 40 JD (USD $56.50 at the time of writing). Be sure to check your local embassy for up-to-date information about visas.

Travel Insurance

Intrepid requires its passengers to have travel insurance, but I wouldn’t even consider going to Jordan without travel insurance anyway. You honestly never know what could happen. My go-to insurance is World Nomads for every country I visit.

Packing for Jordan

Jordan is a Muslim-majority country, and I recommend dressing more conservatively there than you would at home – both men and women should cover their shoulders and knees. If you’re curious as to what sort of items I normally pack for my trips, check out my recommendations  here and check out my dressing for conservative countries packing list here . Also, be sure to bring:

• Bring a filtering water bottle to avoid single-use plastic and stay healthy.
• Always pack a scarf in case you visit a mosque or need coverage from the sun.
• Western toilets are readily available, but toilet paper isn’t, necessarily. Pack some .
• Bring sunscreen , even if you’re traveling in the winter (like I was). The sun is strong even when it’s cold out.
• Dress modestly – dresses like these ones (maxi, short or long-sleeved) are great for Jordan.

P.S. If you’re planning on using public Wi-Fi (likely), I strongly recommend purchasing a VPN subscription . A VPN (virtual private network) is a service that allows you to securely and privately route your internet through a server. Basically, it makes your internet think you’re in one place when you’re in a different one. Why do you need this? Well, if you want to access your bank account or any secure online account, the sites get super sketched out when you’re in a foreign country, making it difficult to access said sites. Additionally, you’re more liable to have your accounts hacked on an unprotected Wi-Fi network. NordVPN is powerful, secure, and inexpensive and a must if you’re planning to log in to any account using public Wi-Fi.

Explore Jordan Itinerary, Day-by-Day

Day 1: amman.

The first official day doesn’t start until the 6 pm welcome meeting, but I recommend arriving at least one day before so you can spend some time exploring Amman. Because four out of five us were in Jordan as part of the combined Egypt-Jordan tour and the fifth person was arriving late, our guide, Muhammad, gave us a city tour around Amman, taking us around downtown and to the Roman Theatre and the Citadel.

Otherwise, your welcome meeting will be at 6 pm, where you will meet your new Intrepid friends and go out for an optional group dinner. I highly recommend Hashem , the best street-food-style restaurant in Amman. It’s affordable, delicious, and loved by locals and visitors alike. Afterwards, the night is yours to do as you please – try some of Amman’s famous knafeh at Habibah Sweets , smoke some shisha (called argeela in Jordan) with your new friends, walk around Downtown, or call it an early night.

Day 2 – 3: Wadi Rum

You’ll wake up early on the first official day of the tour and start your day off with breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, you’ll board a private mini-bus and start the 5-hour journey to Wadi Rum, one of Jordan’s most impressive landscapes. You’ll be spending the next day and a half here, so bring some entertainment (a pack of cards, Exploding Kittens , or other fun card games will do) and get to know your fellow travelers. On the first day, we explored some of the surrounding landscapes, went up to a couple of viewpoints, and enjoyed the spectacular Wadi Rum sunset before enjoying a home-cooked dinner by the Bedouins.

You’ll be camping in Bedouin tents on both days two and three, complete with mattresses, blankets, and communal bathrooms and showers. On day two, you’ll go on a trek around the Wadi Rum area in the morning, and the rest of the day is yours to do as you please. All your meals are cooked by the Bedouins and they’re delicious! Some people get a bit bored on this day, so I recommend bringing a book, journal, games, etc. I was close to my fellow travelers by this point, so we had a great time just hanging out. It was also winter when I visited (February), so the weather outside was quite pleasant as well.

Day 4 – 5: Petra

After a stop at the Wadi Rum visitor’s center this morning, you’ll continue your journey to Petra, one of the 7 New Wonders of the World and one of the most amazing sites I’ve ever visited. After checking into our hotel in Petra, we headed to Petra itself for a guided tour. Muhammad was honestly my favorite guide I’ve had with Intrepid for lots of reasons, but I especially appreciated his candid warnings about Petra. He mentioned that our ticket included a “free” horse ride that we would have to tip for heavily later. He told us where in Petra to purchase souvenirs and refreshments if we wanted but that he would have to make a show of asking us if we wanted to buy things near the main entrance to maintain good relations with the vendors. We all really appreciated his candor.

Another thing to note about Petra (which I didn’t experience but have heard from many female travelers): be wary of the Bedouins who invite you to a party/dinner/the back entrance to Petra / etc. I’ve heard of various scams around these offers, so just be a bit wary of overly friendly locals.

Anyway, back to Petra. On the first day, you’ll spend a solid few hours exploring the site with your group, led by your guide. You’ll get your first glimpse at the famous Treasury and be enthralled by just how majestic and impressive Petra is. It’s truly mind-blowing.

We opted to have dinner at our hotel that evening since we knew we’d be waking up early the next day for a long day exploring Petra.

On day two in Petra, you’re free to explore on your own. There are tons of amazing hikes, viewpoints, and buildings in Petra (it’s the size of a small city) so bring plenty of snacks, water, sunscreen, and some sturdy shoes , and get ready for a full day of exploring. I separated from my group at various points, met up with them again, and so on. The day is yours to explore – the site is seriously amazing beyond words.

That evening, I’d pre-planned to do a cooking class with locals with A Piece of Jordan. I was beyond exhausted from the day of hiking but I’m so glad I opted to do it (a couple of my group members joined me as well). It was a great way to meet locals, learn how to cook some delicious Jordanian food, and just chat about culture and customs. I highly recommend doing an experience with them while in Petra!

Day 6: Dead Sea and Madaba

The next morning, you’ll head to Kerak Castle, where you’ll be enchanted by your guide’s tales of battles between the Crusaders and Muslim armies in the 12th century.

Next, you’ll head to the famed Dead Sea, a lake so salty that no animals or plants can survive in it. It’s the lowest point on Earth, and the density guarantees you’ll float, so go ahead and get those classic Dead Sea photos. Did I mention that the water also has healing properties? Just be careful not to shave for a couple of days beforehand – you’ll be extra aware of any cuts you have on your body! Also, don’t forget to bring a towel .

Next, you’ll head to Mt. Nebo, the spot where Prophet Moses is said to have seen the promised land and where he’s supposedly buried. Jordan is filled with tons of historically religious sites, making it extra fascinating for those who practice Christianity, Islam, or Judaism.

Your day will end in the small city of Madaba, famed for its beautiful mosaics and Ottoman-style houses. This is actually where our guide was from, so he knew all the good places to eat and hang out.

Day 7: Jerash and Madaba

The next morning, you’ll drive an hour and a half to Jerash, one of the most impressive Greco-Roman ruins I’ve ever seen. It’s huge with tons of nooks and crannies to explore – and explore we did, after getting the grand tour from Muhammad. Jerash has an incredible collection of theaters baths, archways and more, and you can easily spend an entire day exploring.

Back in Madaba, you’ll visit some of the iconic places in town (like the mosaic-filled St. George’s Church) and then the rest of the evening is yours. Dinner, dessert, and shisha are always a fun way to end the evening.

Day 8: Madaba

The tour officially ends after breakfast today. If you’re headed to the Amman airport, you can easily pre-book a transfer . However, I recommend taking the bus to Amman and spending an additional day or two in the city – there’s plenty to do, see, and eat!

What’s included and what’s optional?

This is an original style trip, but the majority of the activities are included – you mostly just have to cover your meals.

• 7 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 2 dinners
• All accommodation (5 nights in a hotel, 2 nights in a desert camp) and transportation
• Wadi Rum – 4WD jeep safari, guided trek, and desert camp
• Petra – Guided tour of Petra, 2-day entrance pass
• Kerak – Kerak Castle
• Mt Nebo – Mt Nebo visit
• Dead Sea – Dead Sea visit
• Jerash – Roman ruins
• Madaba – St Georges Church

Not included:

• Breakfast on the first day, most lunches (except on the second day in Wadi Rum), most dinners (except both days in Wadi Rum)

To be honest, almost everything I wanted to do in terms of activities is already included in this itinerary. The only additional add-ons I paid for were in Amman (the theater and the citadel) and the cooking class in Petra , which was independent of Intrepid. You can also optionally do the Petra by Night tour, which I’ve heard mixed reviews about. The main expenses on this trip are food-related.

The Tour Leader

One thing I love about Intrepid is that they always hire leaders who are native to the country you’re visiting. Muhammad was our tour guide on this trip and he was by far my favorite Intrepid guide to date. He was incredibly and impressively knowledgeable about Jordan – both in terms of history and current issues. He also went out of his way to make sure we weren’t scammed in Petra, which I appreciated. Lastly, he was fun . He joked around with us and made us all at ease with him and each other – the five of us were all so close by the end of the trip.

Overall Muhammad, along with my fellow travelers, made this trip truly unforgettable – seriously, I can’t say enough good things.

Who travels with Intrepid?

Intrepid Travel attracts people from all over the world. In my experience, most of the travelers tend to come from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. The age range varies wildly – I’ve been on trips with 18-year-olds and 80-year-olds, and everything in between (which makes for some seriously interesting perspectives and characters)! I have to say that the majority of the time, travelers tend to be curious about other cultures and genuinely interested in gaining new perspectives and experiences. Out of all my trips, I’ve only dealt with one unpleasant passenger (it happens) but have often left the trips with plenty of new friends. On this trip in particular, I traveled with four Aussies, all of whom were awesome.

What’s the transportation like?

This was an original trip and we took private, air-conditioned mini-buses as transportation everywhere. We also did a jeep ride in Wadi Rum.

What’s the accommodation like?

This is an original style trip, which means simple, tourist-style hotels (usually around 3 stars). We also glamped in desert camps for two nights. The camps were really comfortable – we had access to bathrooms, showers, and mattresses.

Our hotel rooms were all clean and comfortable – boutique-style and budget-friendly hotels that I would be happy to stay in again. Most of them were within walking distance from the downtown area with friendly staff and all the amenities you’d need. Overall, the hotel accommodation was good – neither bad nor amazing.

What’s the food like?

Jordanians take eating very seriously and it’s no wonder: their food is some of the best in The Middle East (in my opinion). The food is fresh and flavorful, influenced by spices and cooking techniques from both Africa and Central Asia.

Ask any Jordanian what the best dish is and they’ll tell you mansaf, a spiced rice dish made with lamb and fermented yogurt. It’s not for everyone, but definitely worth trying.

Other delicious dishes include kibbeh bi laban (fried meatballs in yogurt), mujadara (a rice and lentil dish), and fattet hummus (a bread, yogurt and chickpea dish) amongst many other delicious eats.

If you’d like to get a true taste of the food scene in Jordan, consider taking a cooking class in Petra and be sure to check out this awesome food tour in Amman!

Is Jordan safe?

I know that Jordan tourism suffers due to its location, but don’t let that deter you from visiting. Jordan is at peace with its neighbors and as long as you don’t go hanging out in the border towns, you’re good. I felt incredibly safe the entire time I was in Jordan. I wandered solo in both Petra and Amman without thinking twice. Men tend to stare, but I didn’t experience any catcalling or harassment.

As a word of caution, I’ve heard of a few concerning incidents from fellow female travelers (especially those traveling solo) in Wadi Rum and Petra – especially Petra. I did not experience this myself despite wandering through Petra on my own for most of day two (it helps that I’m ethnically ambiguous and blend in). However, I’m not discounting these experiences – please do not wander off with local men in Jordan. Yes, hospitality is a thing, but use your discernment – a quick Google search will show you the common Petra scams that women sometimes face.

Overall though, I’d say that Jordan is safe for travelers as long as you follow your gut and use common sense. Be sure to  get travel insurance too – you never know when you might need it.

Would I recommend the Explore Jordan tour with Intrepid Travel?

Yes, yes, yes, I would definitely recommend the Explore Jordan trip with Intrepid. It was incredibly organized and fun and covered the highlights of Jordan. It’s nice that nearly all the activities are already included, making it easier to budget ahead of time, especially considering that Jordan is an expensive travel destination.  Jordan is a country where a local guide / organized tour is a seriously beneficial addition to a trip – public transportation is difficult for tourists and expenses as a solo traveler tend to add up.

Jordan is truly a once-in-a-lifetime trip, so if you’re considering a tour, book Explore Jordan (or Discover Egypt and Jordan if you have time). It’s an amazing place.

In terms of improvements, I don’t have much to critique about this tour. Some travelers online weren’t too happy with the day three itinerary (a full day in Wadi Rum), but I loved it and had no qualms about spending a relaxing day in the desert. Additionally, although I arrived in Jordan early enough to do a little tour of Amman, I think it’s a shame that an Amman city tour isn’t included as part of the itinerary. Lastly, it’s a tad annoying that the tour ends in Madaba rather than in Amman, since there isn’t much more to do in Madaba at that point. However, this is a relatively painless problem as you can always take a bus or taxi back to Amman (or book a transfer if you’re heading directly to the airport).

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Other Essential Information

The tour starts at USD $1,060 but the actual cost depends on the departure date.

Best Time to Visit Jordan

Jordan is more or less a year-round destination, but hot summers and fairly cold winters make it a country best enjoyed in the spring and autumn. For budget travelers, winter is a definite option as long as you dress properly (I went in February and it was a little cold but fine overall). Note that you can still enjoy the water in the winter since the Dead and Red Seas are warm year-round.

March – May: Springtime is the best time to visit Jordan. It’s warm but not unbearable and the country is covered in wildflowers. Because the climate varies widely depending on where you are, this is the best time to enjoy temperate weather everywhere.

September – November: Weather starts to cool slightly in autumn, but stays pleasant until November, when it starts to cool into the low 60s F – still temperate by most standards.

The official language of Jordan is Arabic, which is spoken by everyone. In most touristy places, you’ll find that many people have a decent grasp of English, but you’re better off learning some Arabic phrases  just in case you find yourself in a jam.

Jordan uses Jordanian Dinars (JD) and at the time of updating this post (January 2024), the rate was about USD $1 to .71 JD. Credit cards are widely accepted in Jordan at touristy places (but not in smaller establishments and towns). You should still bring some cash to exchange or use one of the many ATM machines while there.

Want to extend your trip?

Although this itinerary is pretty thorough, it lacks sufficient time in Amman and doesn’t include a visit to Aqaba.  Even if you’re short on time, I recommend spending at least an additional couple of days in Amman. Here are my recommendations if you want to spend some extra time in Jordan:

• Explore Amman on a city tour
• Learn to cook some Jordanian food or eat your way through the city instead
• Trek to Wadi Mujib Siq
• Relax in some hot springs
• Visit Eastern Jordan’s castle ruins

Final thoughts

Discover Egypt and Jordan was my second trip with Intrepid Travel (I’ve now been on four total). You can read my review about why I like the company so much here . I don’t think group tours are necessary for every country, but I highly recommend doing one in Jordan.

Although I felt safe the entire time I was in Jordan, there’s something to be said about having all the details of your trip already planned and having an awesome guide who is knowledgeable both about the history and the customs. Transportation can be a challenge in Jordan and the same goes for keeping travel costs down (especially for solo travelers).

After spending 10 days in Jordan, my resounding conclusion is this: it’s time for you to get to Jordan. With its welcoming and fascinating culture and awe-inspiring sites, Jordan will surely shatter any misconceptions you have about visiting.

More Jordan Resources

• Jordan Travel Guide
• Shattering Stereotypes Over Food With A Piece of Jordan

Tell me: Would you consider taking an Intrepid Jordan tour? Why or why not? Share in the comments below!

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2 thoughts on “ Exploring Jordan with Intrepid Travel: A Review ”

Thanks for awesome story and pictures. I’m going there next friday and I’m super excited! And what was very interesting is your suggestion to purchase a VPN. I have NordVPN myself and always travel with it, however it’s very rare to see someone recommending it in a travel context. It’s a great app, I always save some extra money on tickets he-he and never miss a chance to watch US Netflix no matter where I am at that moment. All in all, thanks for all the info!

I’m glad you enjoyed the post, Sabrina! I’m SO excited for you – Jordan is amazing! And yessss haha I know that people discount the issue of internet privacy but I’ve had a lot of issues accessing accounts abroad (and Netflix of course) so I think it’s super important to recommend it! That one’s one of the more powerful ones out there so I swear by it! Happy travels 🙂

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Jordan Tours & Travel

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Jordan Tours & Travel - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Jordan Tours & Travel Packages 2024/2025

Our 354 most popular jordan trips. compare tour itineraries from 83 tour companies. 1,148 reviews. 4.7/5 avg rating., popular jordan tours.

Hidden Treasures of Jordan

• Visit desert castles, steeped in centuries of history
• Explore the ancient city of Jerash and Bethany
• Float in the Dead Sea
• Visit Mount Nebo, claimed to be Moses' burial site
• Enjoy two days in Petra, the Red Rose City

Jordan Experience (with Dead Sea Extension)

• Amman: Embrace the genuine hospitality of your Jordanian hosts during an exclusive Be My Guest dinner with a family in their Amman home featuring favorite local flavors.
• Petra: In the 'Rose City' of Petra, you'll see tombs and temples carved into pink sandstone cliffs and admire the 45m-high facades of Al Khazneh, the Treasury.
• Amman: During a city tour of Amman, visit the Citadel, the grand Roman Amphitheater and the Archaeological Museum.
• Jerash: Feel like you have stepped back 2,000 years in time as your Travel Director guides you through this marvelous ancient metropolis - now the finest surviving example of a Greco-Roman city in the world!
• Mount Nebo: Take in the astounding view of Moses' Promised Land, where the ruins are truly a site to behold.

Jordan Discovery

• A journey through the best of Jordan, from Roman ruins to the Red Sea
• Spend two full days exploring the tombs and temples of The Rose Red City of Petra
• Experience Bedouin living at a secluded traditional camp on the sands of Wadi Rum

Premium Jordan

• Spend a day exploring the majesty and mystery of Petra, embark on a 4WD drive adventure through wind-swept rock formations of Wadi Rum and experience the unique sensation of floating in the Dead Sea.
• Lift the lid on Jordanian cuisine when you dine in a fantastic local restaurant in Amman, and learn the tricks of the trade during an immersive cooking class run by three sisters in the home of their grandmother.
• Experience isolated elegance during your Feature Stay at a comfortable Bedouin-style camp in Wadi Rum. Enjoy modern comforts while being surrounded by the vast desert, natural sandstone sculptures and a sky jewelled with stars.
• Embrace local life as you travel with a passionate Jordanian leader, allowing you to gain a deeper understanding of the communities and historic sites you visit.
• Join your Bedouin hosts in Wadi Rum for an Exclusive Experience to remember. Tuck into a traditional dinner cooked in a zarb (underground oven) while learning about the Bedouin way of life.

Classic Egypt and Jordan

• Marvel at the magnificent pyramids at Giza
• Discover the Valley of the Kings in Luxor
• Cruise down the powerful Nile
• Explore the Roman ruins of Jerash
• Get lost in the pink city of Petra

Jordan Experience (Small Groups, Summer, Dead Sea Extension)

• The Ruins of Mount Nebo, Explore the Ancient City of Petra
• Jerash: Feel like you have stepped 2,000 years back in time as your Travel Director guides you through this marvelous ancient metropolis - now the finest surviving example of a Greco-Roman city in the world!
• Petra: Explore the ancient and hidden 'rose-red' city, as you journey with your Travel Director, through the winding, dark passageway, between rock walls up to 200 meters high. See the Treasury and explore the Roman Amphitheater and ancient tombs.
• Wadi Rum: Enjoy beautiful desert scenery as you make your way on a jeep safari deep into the heart of Wadi Rum's majestic desert.

Jordan Uncovered (Summer)

Jordan in 11 days - From Petra to the Red Sea - Luxury

• Ajloun Castle

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Small Group Jordan Tours

Explore Jordan

• Visit the ancient ruins of jerash and petra
• Watch a cooking demonstration and taste local specialties
• Float in the dead sea
• Thunder through the red-hued desertscapes of wadi rum
• Enjoy a lecture from an archaeologist

• With an included two-day pass to majestic Petra, you will not only have a guided tour of the complex but will also spend time at your leisure to focus on the sections that interest you.
• Experience the best buoyance this side of outer space with time for your small group to effortlessly float in the super-salty waters of the Dead Sea.
• Hop in a jeep and see the extraordinary desert scenery of Wadi Rum – a rugged lunar-like landscape of huge sandstone mountains and ancient structures hidden in the sandy dunes.
• After your day of four-wheel-driving in Wadi Rum, spend a night under the stars with a special experience at a desert camp run by Bedouin locals – full of good food and warm hospitality.
• Marvel at the well-preserved ancient Roman city of Jerash on a guided tour, and discover the religious significance and Ottoman and Byzantine influence in Madaba.

Kingdoms of Jordan - Premium Adventure

• Spend an unforgettable two days exploring the Nabataean Kingdom of Petra
• Experience the vibrant city of Amman, capital of the modern Kingdom of Jordan, and visit ancient sites such as the Citadel and Roman Theatre
• Explore the well-preserved ruins of Roman Jerash, with our expert leader teaching you about the fascinating history
• Gaze at a star-filled sky and enjoy traditional music around the campfire at Wadi Rum
• Experience the natural phenomenon of the Dead Sea as you float in its salt waters

Walking Jordan's Spice Trails

• A week long adventure packed with awe inspiring walks and Jordan's unmissable highlights
• Walk into Petra from the back door and hike through its magnificient tombs and temples
• Trek across the dunes of Wadi Rum and stay overnight at a traditional Bedouin camp

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Top Jordan Attractions & Experiences

Top Jordan Experiences

• Standing before the candle-lit Treasury at night in Petra , one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.
• Exploring the Roman ruins and temples in the historic city of Jerash.
• Learning the ‘other side’ of the history of the Crusades  while exploring Ajloun Castle.
• Wandering the labyrinthine streets of old Amman while you sample local street foods and window shop.
• Admiring the intricate Byzantine mosaics and learning their history in the town of Madaba.
• Hike through the Holy Land following in Abraham, Moses, Noah, and Jesus’ steps from the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights to the riches of the Jordan Valley
• Looking out toward the ‘Promised Land’ from Mount Nebo, where Moses is rumored to be buried.
• Hiking in the refreshing clear waters of Wadi Mujeb while canyon walls tower all around you.
• Stargazing from the rooftops of the historic town of Dana.
• Learning the edible plants and enjoying a tea ceremony while hiking through the Dana Bio Reserve .
• Exploring the massive Nabatean city of Petra beyond the famous Treasury and Monastery ruins.
• Scale castles from the Crusades and see the most intact Romans cities outside of Rome from Amman to Jerash and Pella in the Jordan Valley
• Dipping your toes in the Red Sea after a day shopping in Aqaba.
• Enjoying a traditional Bedouin dinner before camping out in Wadi Rum.
• Ride a camel on the red sands of the Wadi Rum that inspired Lawrence of Arabia
• Floating peacefully in the Dead Sea .

Jordan Tours & Travel Guide

Jordan Attractions & Landmarks Guide

Jordan is a stable country in the Middle East that enjoys a peaceful border with Israel -- the Israeli resort city of Eilat on the Red Sea is literally within walking distance of the Jordanian city of Aqaba.

Often overlooked due to its geographic location in the tumultuous Middle East region , Jordan is a haven for international travelers. Prevalent cultural experiences, outdoor activities, and world-class hospitality help welcome visitors to Jordan each year, despite regional safety concerns and distorted perceptions of traveling and daily life in Jordan.   

If you’re looking to whet your appetite for the Middle East, learn both old and modern history, and come home with once-in-a-lifetime memories from some of the world’s most impressive sights, Jordan is a destination worth exploring.

Why Visit Jordan on a Guided Tour?

Traveling independently  or  solo has its charms, such as freedom to roam and the flexibility to traverse through a destination at your own pace, but traveling in a group has its own benefits and charm too.

Traveling one a private or   small group tour or a   large group tour ,  everything is taken care of allowing you to soak in more of the details of the destination rather than fussing with maps, translation apps, crossed communication due to language differences, and anything and everything else that can go terribly or pleasantly wrong. It is no longer your problem to solve when you are on a group tour.

Traveling is an adventure and what better way to travel than making new friends? It’s a great way to share and make those memories that will stay with you for a lifetime.

It’s safer, especially in areas that are experiencing some economic and political turmoil, to travel in groups with a trusted guide. The guide has your back, spotting safety concerns and divert the group to a safe place.

See a world you otherwise wouldn’t have seen before. The guide can also or provide access to parts of the country or communities where it would be much more challenging to gain entrance being a foreigner.

Jordan Travel Overview

Jordan provides a friendly introduction into Middle Eastern culture with a western bent. The mostly Muslim country bordered by Saudi Arabia in the south and east, Iraq in the northeast, Syria in the north, and Israel and Palestine in the west was once influenced by trading merchants, religious wars, and the Romans who have all left their mark over the millennia.

Recently Jordan, which was at the center of the Nabatean merchants trading route between Damascus and Egypt in the Iron Age during the first centuries B.C., revived the 400-mile stretch, once known as the King’s Highway renamed as the Jordan Trail . The Nabatean’s were a nomadic Arabian tribe that eventually settled in Jordan as well as the Naqab desert and Palestine over a period of time during the sixth century B.C.

They built the famous ancient city Petra – Indiana Jones fans will recognize the “Rose City” immediately. For hikers and history buffs (amateurs to the well-trekked) the trail, which opened in 2016, is the best way to truly get to know the small and often overlooked country in an off-the-beaten-path way. The trail winds and twists its way through many if not all of Jordan’s historic sites and natural wonders as well as 52 villages and towns.

See All Hiking Tours in Jordan  »

There are, of course, easier ways that take less time than nearly 45-days of hiking (depending on how fast you trek) to get to know Jordanians and the country nearly as rich in biblical history as Israel with the Dead Sea parting the two countries. However, the countries are worlds apart. This can simply be experienced walking between the resort cities that reside within walking distance of each other on the edge of the Red Sea: Aqaba in Jordan and Eilat in Israel.

Close to Aqaba is Wadi Rum (Valley of the Moon), a popular spot for climbing mountains and hiking or camel riding through the desert rock formations. Jordan also borders the Dead Sea and contains numerous  biblical sites . 

Jordan's top attraction is the ancient rock city of Petra, where temples, treasuries and houses are carved out of sheer rock faces. The UNESCO site is only a few hours' drive away from the resort city, but don’t overlook the journey to Petra in the "siq", translated it means canyon, but its more accurately a gorge, filled with spiritual monuments and carvings along its narrow walls along the pathway to the ancient Nabataean city.

Al-Karak, also known as Karak or Kerak, is home Kerak Castle, a Crusader Castle , which is one of three of the region’s largest castles, resides between Petra and Madaba. The castle was built and utilized by Crusaders but later it was used by the Islamic armies of Saladin and even Islamic terrorists in more recent years.

Jordan’s mosaic city Madaba is home to the country’s largest Christian communities. The city is one of Jordan’s most traveler-friendly cities hosting visitors for millennia through the Byzantine, Hellenistic, Islamic, and Roman ears that traveled the King’s Highway, the main trading route that was restored in 2016.

Travelers can relax at the more well-known Dead Sea or escape the crowds at nearby Ma’in Hot Springs where cold and hot springs rush over the rocks in cascading waterfalls into pools above the cliffs of a wadi, translated riverbed, into the Zarqa river.

Other hot springs in Jordan include the Al Hemma hot springs, popular with the Roman dignitaries and vacationers, located north of Umm Qais and about a 45-minute drive from Jerash.

Rich in minerals and salts, the Dead Sea is renowned for its healing properties. It is also a popular destination for Israelis and Jordanians on each side of the border to cool off and simply float, smother themselves in the mineral rich mud, and float again in the salty water. It’s so worth ruining a good pair of water shoes for this once in a lifetime experience.

The youthful capital city of Jordan, Amman , is historic with the magisterial Citadel, mosques, Roman ruins and an active café scene in the city’s center. Further out, the city opens up residential treelined neighborhoods filled with art galleries, shopping, on the western side of the city and where the eastern side of the city is more somber with a more traditional vibe.

The Jordan Valley , translated into Arabic "the Ghor", is known for its rich soil and agriculture. The valley is more than the country’s “food bowl,” it also bursts with pride of its wealth of pristine excavated and unexcavated archeological sites in Pella and Umm Qais, where the Jordan Trail begins.

Above the Jordan Valley are the ancient cities of Jerash and Pella. One of the world’s best-preserved Roman ruins outside of Rome is in the Greco-Roman city of Jerash. The city ruins boast of theaters, coliseums, temples, and monuments. An hour away across the Jordan Valley, Pella has been cited as an archeological jewel with its more than 6,000 years of continuous settlement in the city unearthed in its mounds.

Cities in Jordan

Jordan has several cities of importance, but it’s capital Amman, which is the country’s largest city, and the port city of Aqaba, are the two that serve as entry points or places of rest between the wealth of historical sites the country offers for visitors to explore.

Jordan’s capital city was erected around ancient Roman ruins merging a modern city with its past. Residing on a hilly edge between the Jordan Valley and the desert, Amman enacts a balancing act between its roots deeply seeded in both Europe and the Middle East . The western side of the city is modern lined with homes, art galleries, and cafes and bars shaded by leafy trees. The grittier eastern side of the city is more conservative.

Usually the launching point to the sites of Jordan, most notably Petra, it’s worth spending some time in Amman to see its own sites, such as the Citadel, and particular insight to the Middle East in a western-friendly way it has to offer visitors.

The resort town on the Gulf of Aqaba from the Red Sea is a popular getaway. Aside from the Dead Sea, it offers pristine beaches, incredible snorkeling and diving, culinary delights, and of course easy access to the country’s most treasured sites.

Underwater explorers will indulge themselves of the best the warm waters of the Red Sea have to offer from spectacular coral reefs, including Picasso’s Reef, an underwater mountain off of Pharaoh’s Island, and shipwrecks.

The beaches, private and public, offer sand dwellers and sunbathers ample opportunity to enjoy the sun and water. Two of the best places are where the locals go, the free public beach Palm Beach, also known as Al-Hafayer, and the private beach club, Berenice Beach Club, where you can enjoy the pristine waters, pools, water sports and basically all of the luxury comforts.

Traveling merchants and tradesmen ended their journey in southern Jordan at the port city of Aqaba at the end of the historic trading route, the Jordan Trail . Chefs were introduced to Asian, European, and Middle Eastern ingredients.

Experimenting with the international flavors and ideas they infused traditional Bedouin cuisine with new spices, fruits, vegetables, fish, and meats creating mouthwatering dishes that entice foodies the world over. The best examples can be found in the Old Town Aqaba.

The city is also a favorite entry point to the red desert, Wadi Rum , and the ancient Nabatean city of Petra, also known as the “Rose City.” The sites are nearby as well as historic Arab ruins ready to be explored within the city.

Exploring two cities and countries by foot at once. Aqaba and its Israeli counterpart Eilat are literally steps away from each other.

3. Umm Qais

At the head of the new Jordan Trail in the northern part of the country, Umm Qais offers visitors stunning sweeping views of Jordan, Israel, Palestine and Syria from its perch on top of the Jordan Valley. The area encompasses the Golan Heights, Mount Hermon and the Sea of Galilee. On the edge of Umm Qais, resides the unexcavated ruins of one of the Roman-era Decapolis cities, Gadara, next to an abandoned Ottoman village providing visitors with an awe striking juxtaposition of history and eras long past in the once tumultuous land.

The site boasts of many interesting architectural and archaeological treasures to behold from Roman tombs to the West Theater, but one of the most striking remains is the Basilica Terrace. The terrace is carved directly into bedrock on one side. Shops below it, support it on the other side.

Exploring further, visitors discover the terrace’s main feature, a fifth or sixth century square Byzantine church with its entrance and outer circular passageway still paved with colored geometric titles leading to an alter in the central octagon. 

Just beyond the altar in the atrium, is Gadara’s main street that gives way to the breathtaking view of the Jordan Valley, the Sea of Galilee, the Yarmouk Gorge, and the Golan Heights. The view is worth the long side-trip to get to Umm Qais.

Jerash, which has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, is most notably known for being the site of the most intact Greco-Roman city, Gerasa, outside of Rome. The ancient Hellenistic city’s ruins are located just outside of the northern city that is more than 2,000 years old.

The site takes visitors back to around the first and second centuries when the Roman city was constructed as they wander through Hadrian's Arch, constructed in 129 A.D.; the Corinthian columns of the Temple of Artemis, and the Forum’s oval colonnade to Roman times. The living excavated site displays artifacts found at the Jerash Archaeological Museum.

The “City of Mosaics,” is known for its mid-6th century mosaic map of the Holy Land in the Church of St. George preserved in the Madaba Archaeological Park. The oldest known map of the time was created with more than a million pieces of colored stones along with five other churches and sites in the area resides in the ancient town southwest from Amman that was also along the trade route.

Just to the northwest of Madaba is the biblical hill of Mount Nebo that overlooks the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. Archeologists and history lovers will enjoy the wealth of artifacts dating back to Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic eras.

Monumental battles between the Crusaders and the Islamic Armies of Saladin, the first sultan of Egypt and Syria, happened in Karak, locally known as Al-Karak. Saldain eventually won the battle reclaiming the land for Islam. The fortified Kerak Castle built in the 12th century is the most intact Crusader castle in Jordan.

The castle and fortress town along the King’s Highway, the main trade route, played a central role during the Crusades and is filled with passageways, dungeons, kitchens and a chapel that encompass seven levels.

Each one of these cities features modern amenities alongside its historic past offering visitors locally operated accommodations, restaurants, museums, and other amenities.

Top Tips For Visiting Petra

There are some key things you can do to enhance your experience of visiting Jordan’s top attraction the ancient Nabataean city, Petra .

Can you really get to know one of the Seven Wonders of the World in a single day? To really understand or scratch the surface of Petra (archaeologists have only uncovered 15% of the ancient city, 85% of it remains a mystery waiting to be unearthed) it’s suggested to spend two or three days to really let it sink in.

Check to see if your hotel in Wadi Musa offers a free roundtrip shuttle to Petra, taxi or rent a car.

Stay with a Bedouin family for a local experience and support the community.

Hire a Bedouin guide. Who else knows the caves and land better than a Bedouin whose family has resided in the area for generations if not for millennia?

Bargain like a Bedouin when buying their handcrafted scarves, jewelry, and other souvenirs. You will be supporting the people.

To get a full experience of Petra, it’s not only about getting to the famous façade. Take your time during the journey to the ancient Nabataean city. The winding pathways through the siq, translated means canyon, but it’s more accurately a gorge, is filled with spiritual monuments placed on rocks jutting out creating natural shelves and carvings along its narrow walls along the way to the ancient Nabataean city.

Plan to walk a lot. Wear comfortable shoes. Enter from the main gate, but rather than return the same way you came fighting the flow of tourists, exit on a less traveled path that continues forward away from Petra toward the Bedouin village Uum Sayhoun, where the Jordan government resettled the Bedouins who still lived in the Petra caves up until the late 1990s more than a decade after it was designated a UNESCO site.

Dare to explore Little Petra, but you will need a guide for this adventure.

Explore Petra at night when its lit up by the glow of the candlelight. It will provide a whole other experience of Petra.

Jordan Culture - Hospitality & Greetings

Jordanians, especially Bedouins, are warm and welcoming embracing guests inviting them into their homes and to join them for meals, especially for dinner.

Declining invitations , it’s alright to decline an invitation by someone. Simply place your right hand over year heart, smile, and repeatedly express your regret for having another engagement. Take a moment to chat candidly with them rather than rush off. If you rush off, you will be perceived as being rude. If you stay and chat and continue politely decline the invitation several times as a cultural custom and politeness.

When accepting an invitation , inform the host of any dietary restrictions or requirements, such as being vegetarian, and don’t show up empty handed. Bring a token of appreciation to your host. Hand it to them when they greet you and invite you inside and don’t bring it up again as is the custom. You can give children gifts, something simple for them like crayons, books, a ball, in front of the family.

Also, when praising the host’s home, be general, don’t eye or point out décor in the home. Custom is for the host to give it to you and for you to accept it or it will be an insult to the family’s honor.

Jordanians greet guests with a traditional offering of coffee (Turkish or Arabic-style),  tea , or juice accompanied by sweets or a meal. Most Muslims don’t drink alcohol. Drink immediately, so the host can move the evening forward. If you don’t want another cup, twist your wrist back and forth with the cup in your hand to indicate you don’t want anymore.

During holidays or special occasions, it’s tradition to serve Mansaf , a flat bread of lamb cooked in dried yogurt served on a bed of rice on top of the bread.

Guests and hosts sit around a spread laid out in the center of a room in the afternoon when the biggest meal of the day is served. The women serve the guests, including female guests, and men, and disappear into their sphere of the house or tent. Everyone sits around the food tearing off a piece of bread to scoop up food.

Cultural custom forbids using the left hand to eat , use your right hand to feed yourself. Dining is a practiced dance. Let the host serve you. Don’t reach across for what you want it is considered a faux pas. Maintain an easy pace balancing accepting what the host serves you, slow the process down without stopping as you get full, leave food on your plate so you don’t appear greedy. Once the guest stops eating, everyone stops eating. Consider that the women and children eat the leftovers.

When you are done eating. Thank the host with your right hand over your heart saying, “Thank God,” or better al-hamdulillah ( /alˌhamduːlɪˈlɑː/), which translated from Arabic means the same thing.

The second half of the evening happens after everyone washes their hands and adjourn to a lounge. More coffee and tea will be served during the conversing about work and children.

Dodging personal questions about why not more children, or if you don’t have any children, or traveling as an unmarried couple or single woman - there are some things to do to ease the conversation along and take you off of the hot seat:  Have photos ready of family members. Unmarried couples might consider wearing inexpensive wedding bands and explain their engaged to be wed. Single women might consider wearing a wedding band to try to avoid prying questions. It also signals respect. Jordanian men don’t enquire about spouses.

Jordan People & Customs

Jordan is a combination of tradition and modernism with Bedouins, Jordanians, and Palestinians inhabiting the small country.

Bedouins , the Arab nomadic tribe that traditionally inhabited what is now known as Jordan. For centuries Bedouins roamed the Middle East, mostly around North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula inhabiting Jordan, Israel, Syria, Iraq and Egypt , traditionally herding camels and other animals. It’s only within the past few decades that Bedouins have begun to adapt to modern times become semi-nomadic settling throughout Jordan and neighboring countries.

One of the rare countries that allows Palestinians citizenship outside of Palestine, the country has seen more Palestinians, who originally resided west of the Jordan river, inhabiting Jordan. Palestinians have brought greater commerce and education to Jordan.

Jordanians are people who have resided west of the Jordan river since 1946 at the end of World War II when the Ottoman Empire was divided up by the British in accordance to the Balfour Declaration.

A Muslim country, it’s rare to see women inhabit the same public space as men. Labor is divided by gender. Women will wear different head coverings from burka, hijab or niqab. Western women aren’t expected to cover their heads as it’s not a part of their personal culture and Jordanians understand that.

Jordanians are also very forgiving if foreigners accidentally break a cultural customs rule. They are also very appreciative of any attempts to follow customs.

Friday is the holy day where the country comes to a crawl in observance of the spiritual day, so plan accordingly. The same in Israel when on Saturday, Shabbat is observed, and most places are closed, and the electricity is shut off from sunrise to sunset.

Food in Jordan

Jordanians typically don’t drink being Muslim, however, they do favor their Turkish or Arabian-style coffee, tea or juice and will happily offer you to sit and join them in a cup at a shop, cafe or at their home.

Situated at an apex of continents Asia , Europe and the Middle East , Jordan’s enjoy internationally influenced fare along with traditional Bedouin cuisine. Expect to enjoy Middle Eastern cuisine such as falafels stuffed into shells of pita bread, maqluba, mansaf, zaarb, shawarmas, fattet hummus, roasted nuts and kunafa.

Not your average hummus, fattet hummus is creamy and rich with the usual blend but pita is added to the mix and its topped off with rich olive oil.

The Middle East’s burritos, shawarmas are pockets of pita bread stuffed with a choice of lamb, beef, or chicken and topped off with a variety of ingredients from raw onions to tangy sumac.

Barbeque Middle Eastern style, zaarb , is a marinated meat baked with vegetables in a sand covered coal pit. The slow baked meat and vegetables is unearthed ready to be rolled into flavorful balls with your right hand (custom is to feed yourself with your right and not your left hand) and popped into your mouth.

A classic comfort food harking back to medieval Baghdad, maqluba is a chicken stew with rice, potatoes and vegetables slowly simmered over a long period of time on the low fire until its ready to be made into flavorful cakes filled with chunks of the meat and vegetables.

The most prized dish served is mansaf , a flat bread of lamb cooked in dried yogurt served on a bed of rice on top of the bread, on holidays and special occasions. Given that there isn’t much vegetation in the arid desert land, the cuisine is largely animal-based seeped in herbs and spices infusing the meat with flavor and accompanied by rice.

The Jordan Valley is considered the “food bowl” of the country where there might be more vegetables and fruits offered from the fertile soil and in the gulf of Aqaba opening into the Red Sea seafood is served.

Don’t forget dessert with the sticky sweet kunafa , a pastry layered with cheese or cream.

Safety and Security in Jordan

One of the first concerns most travelers have when considering a trip to Jordan is safety and security. Much of the Middle East is under U.S. Department of State travel advisories.

While Jordan is usually a rare exception, deemed a safe destination by the state department, in the region there’s a standard notable police presence and checkpoints throughout Jordan.

Since December 2018 the U.S. State Department elevated the country’s threat level to “exercise increased caution” to travelers enjoying the once long peaceful Middle Eastern country.

Common Countries Also Visited on Jordan Tours

There are many ways to travel to Jordan . You can focus your entire trip on Jordan or select from a variety of private, small group and group tours that also include the entirety of the Holy Land or focus on key countries, such as Israel  .

Tours to Jordan, Israel, and the Palestine Territory

Venture through the Holy Land through Israel and Jordan , on a selection of 5-day to 26-day trips, that takes travelers through the cradle of civilization and the birthplace of three of the world’s major religions Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

Go back to biblical times with the rise of religious beliefs and their evolution through modern day. Explore cities carved into the walls of gorges and canyons to ancient cities some thriving and others archeological relics of the past and life in the arid desert then and now from Cairo to Amman to the West Bank to Jerusalem to Tel Aviv-Yafo.

Tours to Jordan, Israel, and Egypt

Return to the time of Pharaohs and Sultans traveling through Egypt, Jordan, and Israel on a selection of 7- to 22-day guided tours. Many of these trips begin exploring the pyramids of Egypt in Cairo. The groups then journey to Jordan exploring Petra, the mosaic map of the Holy Land at the Church of Saint George in Masada and other sites before crossing over to the other side of the Dead Sea into Israel.

In Israel, these travelers explore the Holy Land in the old city of Jerusalem, which is a living archaeological site, and the cosmopolitan city of Tel Aviv-Jaffa. Some tours traverse into the West Bank in the Palestinian Territory to Bethlehem.

Tours to Jordan and Egypt

Journey through the land of Pharaohs and the Valley of Kings to the land of Nabataeans, Byzantines, Franks and Sultans on a choice of 19- to 26-day guided tours of Jordan and Egypt . Explore Pyramids of the bygone Pharaohs and civilizations into antiquity to the ruins of the Roman and Ottoman empires to Jordan’s partially and unexcavated living archeological sites.

Tours to Jordan and Oman

This Middle Eastern adventure thorough Jordan and Oman takes travelers on a journey through Jordan and the other side of Saudi Arabia to Oman on a selection of 14- or 22-day guided tours. Some itineraries include Egypt. In Oman, travelers will visit the sites starting with the ancient city of Muscat before 4-Wheeling across the desert and into the Jebel Akhdar Mountains.

Here adventurers will explore the forts of Nakhal, Al Hazm, Nizwa Fort and the Jabrin Fort and sleep in luxury tents in the desert before journeying to Jordan. In Jordan the adventure takes visitors to Petra, Masada, and the country’s capital city Amman. Throughout the trip experience the hospitality of the Jordanian and the Omani people.

Something For Every Kind of Traveler

Whether you hope to sample the best of all Jordanian tourist activities or have a particular kind of travel you enjoy – Jordan has something for everyone. Adventure travelers will enjoy hiking, camping, and cycling throughout the country; luxury travelers will appreciate the resorts along the Dead Sea and world-class shopping in Aqaba; history fans will admire the ruins spread throughout the country; and foodies or wine lovers can sample some of Jordan’s excellent traditional dishes and vintages. If you can’t find at least one thing you enjoy while traveling in Jordan, you simply haven’t done enough.

Jordan Reviews & Ratings

This adventure exceeded my expectations. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan offers a huge variety of different landscapes and activities for the traveller. Its histor...

An excellent adventure

A great holiday with memorable sights. Petra was amazing and two days well spent. Eddie was great. Take toilet paper and imodium. You will need both. If you dr...

A terrific trip!

This trip is great! The varied itinerary explores all the major attractions of Jordan, its fascinating history and culture as well as the lovely landscape and, if ...

Jordan Adventure

This trip provided us with a wide range of activities and cultural visits across the Kingdom of Jordan. An ever-changing landscape is studded with Castles and world...

Jordan - Thoroughly Recommended!

A great experience, you get to see so much, from crusader castles to the Dead Sea and the delights of Wadi Rum. Well this comes down to two: - Petra, just amazing, ...

See all Jordan reviews

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Full Review of Exoticca’s Jordan Tour 2022

by Maggie McKneely | Feb 10, 2023 | Jordan | 17 comments

Last Updated on April 24, 2023 by Maggie McKneely

Want to visit Jordan with a tour group but not sure which one? Have you seen Exoticca’s enticing prices but are not sure they’re worth it? Check out my review of Exoticca’s 9-day tour of Jordan (and read to the end to save $200!)

*This post contains affiliate links. That just means that if you happen to click on one of those links and end up making a purchase, I make a small commission (and you will have made my day!)

Review of Exoticca’s Jordan Tour

The last time I wrote a review about Exoticca, I said I would book another trip with them. And true to my word, I did just that. So, how did round #2 go?

If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you know that I prefer to do all of my own trip planning – booking tickets, reserving hotels, and doing trip research is almost as fun as actually traveling (I know, I’m weird). But when I went to Egypt , I decided to book a tour with an agency because I’d heard that Egypt is extremely challenging to do on your own. Exoticca had a tour with a wonderful itinerary for a shockingly affordable price and most of the reviews I saw online were positive.

My experience with Exoticca on that trip went so well that when I started planning a trip to Jordan, I decided I’d trust them once again. Currently working full-time while also in school part-time while doing 400 other things (including this blog) it’s also a major time saver to put the trip planning into someone else’s hands every now and then. So this time I went with their 9-day tour of the Hashemite Kingdom (the fancy name for Exoticca’s Jordan tour).

So am I glad I did another trip with them? OH YES.

Table of Contents

What is Exoticca?

First things first: what is Exoticca , exactly?

Exoticca is an online travel agency. They offer tour packages that include flights (for much cheaper than you can get on your own), accommodations, transfers, tours, and activities in countries all over the world. They do not themselves run tours (like Gate 1, for example), but partner with local companies in each location.

Exoticca acts as a middleman of sorts between you and the local tour agency that actually handles everything in-country. They work with a team of over 50 curators who are experts extensively familiar with each destination in order to create vacation packages that provide unforgettable and unique experiences. And because they deal directly with the local providers, they are able to keep costs low.

The Booking Process

My one complaint about my Egypt trip was Exoticca’s booking process. But in the time between writing that review and booking Exoticca’s Jordan tour, the booking process had actually changed slightly, and for the better.

When booking my Jordan trip, the process was mostly the same simple and easy process as it had been before. Once I chose my destination (Jordan) and which package I wanted, I selected which category of comfort I wanted. Exoticca offers “Charm,” “Superior,” and “Luxury.” Not all trips have all three categories; some only have two and a few only have one option. Charm is the most budget-friendly and Luxury is, well, the most luxurious. For Egypt, I did Superior because that was the cheapest option; the Exoticca’s Jordan tour has a “Charm” option, so I went with that this time.

Next, I picked the dates of our trip. Exoticca’s helpful calendar tells you the price differences between different dates, so if you’re trying to travel during the cheapest time of year, their calendar makes it easy to see when that is.

After that, Exoticca gives youthe option to add on any optional excursions, but you don’t have to make a final decision on that until 30 days before your trip. Exoticca’s Jordan tour has several optional add-ons and I didn’t finish deciding which ones I wanted until shortly before the 30-day window.

A city tour of Amman is an add-on

During the booking process, Exoticca is completely transparent about the price of the trip, so you won’t be surprised by any additional taxes on the final payment page.

The last step before paying is choosing your flights. My one complaint last time was how Exoticca handled booking flights. Before, you wouldn’t be notified about what your flights were until about a month before you were supposed to leave for your trip (STRESS for people like me who plan way in advance!). You also didn’t have the option to pick which flights you wanted, so you were stuck with whatever they booked for you.

Now, however, you get to pick your flights during the booking process! I don’t know if Exoticca saw my last review or if enough other people complained about this, but I’m very glad that they fixed this. Some flights, like direct flights, may cost extra than the base package price, but Exoticca is upfront about that and you have the option to pay for that if you want.

The final step is putting down your initial deposit. At the time of booking, you pay 60% of the trip cost and the final 40% is due 60 days before your departure date. Once you pay, you will receive an immediate email confirmation. Between booking and final payment, Exoticca sends multiple reminder emails, so there is no chance you will forget to either pay the final installment or book any optional trips you want to add on.

Types of Tours

Both my Egypt trip and my Jordan one were technically group tours. Exoticca offers a group tour option for all of their destinations. I say “technically” because, in Egypt, most of the people in my group ended up being friends of mine. And for Jordan, because my trip was the second week of December, there were only 6 people on the tour – the four members of my own family and another couple, which was basically a private tour. Exoticca’s group tour option is supposed to max out at 30 people, but I have not experienced a group that big. Maybe most people do end up in a group like that, but I’ve been very lucky so far.

However, if you are concerned about being stuck with a bunch of strangers for a week, Exoticca does offer a private tour option or a small group option for many of their trips.

The Local Tour Operators

Picking partners in the destination country is really where Exoticca shines. For Exoticca’s Jordan tour, they work with Jordan and Beyond Tours .

The trip got started as soon as we touched down in Amman, where an airport representative from the tour met us near the gate. He helped us get through customs, collect our bags, load them onto the shuttle, and then drove us to our first hotel.

The next morning, we were greeted in our hotel lobby by the tour guide who was supposed to be with us the whole week. As circumstances would have it, he was only with us for the first two days. Then he had a family emergency and had to take some time off, so he was replaced with another guide. We liked our first guide perfectly fine, but we lucked out with the replacement – Riad Zaki.

Riad has been a tour guide in Jordan for 37 years and it shows. He was extremely personable and knowledgeable, and the man seemingly knows everyone in the country. While we were in Jordan, there was a nationwide trucker protest going on that affected tour buses using the main highwy between Amman and Petra. Riad was constantly in contact with the police and other tour guides to make sure the situation impacted us as little as possible and to ensure that we never felt in danger (which we didn’t – we just felt like it was part of the adventure!).

With tour guide extraordinaire Riad

In fact, we never had to worry about anything. My dad did something to his ankle while hiking around Petra, and Riad kept a close eye on him the rest of the trip, always making sure there was an easier alternative to whatever we were doing that my dad could participate in.  Riad ensured that every transfer was taken care of, any issue we had immediately addressed, and every question was answered.

We became such good friends with Riad that on the last day, he invited us to his home in Amman for a meal with his family! This was not part of the regular tour, but a sign of how generous and kind both the Jordanian people and the tour company are.

As mentioned, Exoticca is a separate entity from Jordan and Beyond Tours, but they are proof that Exoticca does its research when choosing what local companies to partner with. If you, for some reason, don’t want to book through Exoticca (for example, you don’t need flights and are just looking for a tour in-country), you can book a variety of different tours in the region through J ordan and Beyond Tours directly.

Exoticca’s Jordan Tour Itinerary

Because Jordan is such a small country that is mostly uninhabited desert, you can see all of the highlights in 9 days. I didn’t feel like we missed out on anything important, but I also didn’t feel rushed.

We spent a full day in Petra and a full day and night in Wadi Rum. We spent time floating in the Dead Sea and visiting several Crusader and Byzantine castles that I’d never heard of. Visiting Amman’s historic sites is an optional add-on that I recommend because the Citadel is worth visiting.

We actually did all of the add-ons for Exoticca’s Jordan tour. In addition to the Amman city tour, we did Petra by Night and the Wadi Rum Stargazing experience. Neither of those are must-dos. It’s cool to see Petra lit up at night, but the show (yes, there’s actually a performance) is bizarre and not worth anyone’s time. Stargazing in the Wadi Rum is amazing because you can see so much, but it takes over an hour, which we were unprepared for, especially since it gets so cold in the desert in the winter.

I’ll post the full itinerary on the blog shortly, but as far as this review goes, I thought the length and time of Exoticca’s Jordan tour trip was perfect.

Floating in the Dead Sea

Exoticca Trip Insurance

Exoticca offers several different levels of trip insurance. The most basic, which automatically comes with each booking, guarantees a full refund if they have to cancel the trip for whatever reason (COVID, some kind of political or natural disaster in the destination country, etc). The next level allows you to cancel for any reason up to 30 days before the trip for trip credit with Exoticca. The highest level lets you cancel for a full cash refund. Every level gives you 24/7 assistance both before and during your trip.

Exoticca Quality Control

An important part of this Exoticca review is noting how the company ensures high quality while staying within budget. With such low prices, you might think that the quality of accommodations would be kind of meh. I can speak with experience that that was not the case in Jordan.

Three of the four hotels for Exoticca’s Jordan tour were phenomenal, even though we chose “Charm,” the cheapest comfort level. We stayed in a beautiful resort on the Dead Sea , a wonderful boutique hotel in downtown Petra , and slept under the stars in a Wadi Rum bubble hotel at Hasan Zawaideh Bedouin Camp . The only hotel that was questionable was our one in Amman . The food was unfortunate and it was a bit outdated, but it was clean and the staff were extremely kind and accommodating, so it was fine for a couple of nights.

On the porch of my “martian dome”

When choosing hotels for their packages, Exoticca requires that they have a minimum of 3.5 stars (out of 5) on  Tripadvisor . They also require that 65% of reviews left by customers be “excellent” or “very good.” That way you know you won’t be staying in any sketchy or completely rundown hotels.

Now that Exoticca has fixed the way they book flights, I only have one criticism. And it’s not even really a criticism, just something you should know. There’s not any ability to customize the itinerary. If there’s something you’d like to go see or do and it’s not part of the itinerary, you’re probably not going to be able to do it.

Normally, I hate not having control over the itinerary, but for this trip, the advantage of having a tour guide who knew the best things to do and places to go outweighed the ability to customize the trip, especially when I’m not nearly as knowledgable as a local. Plus, because Jordan is a small country, I really felt like we did just about everything major there is to do. Exoticca’s Jordan tour has a jam-packed itinerary!

I love the process of researching a trip and the flexibility of building my own itinerary, so if I hand that task over to somebody else, they had better do a good job. If I trust them to do it twice, that must mean they’re doing something right! And the fact that I only have one minor complaint of note for Exoticca’s Jordan tour is really saying a lot. The booking process was easy and smooth, the customer service was helpful, the local tour agency was AMAZING, and the price of the trip was a steal.

Would I book yet ANOTHER trip through Exoticca? Already have – we’re headed to Morocco later this year! Book your own trip with Exoticca today, and save $200 by using my link !

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17 Comments

Thanks for the honest review. I’ve been to Egypt on a group tour and would do it with Jordan as well. This is one to keep in mind.

I’ve always wanted to visit Jordan but I think I would be to nervous to book it all myself. I also would feel nervous to leave it all up to someone else as well but it looks like you had a great time! Lovely post!

Thank you for sharing the review. It is indeed helpful. I

Thank you so much for sharing this great review! I’m thinking of going to Jordan this year because I’m dying to see Petra and using Exotica seems like a great idea for that. Will definitely think about this. 🙂

Great post. Jordan hasn’t really been on my radar yet but I’m starting to hear more and more about it, I think a group tour is a great way to explore the area and I appreciate your helpful review of Exoticca.

I’ve always wanted to float in the Dead Sea! I’m glad to know I would be able to fit in into a short trip!

This is a great review! I have always wanted to visit Jordan but wasn’t sure how to go about it. This tour agency sounds like a great option!

Great review. I have been considering visiting Jordan and surrounding countries for some time now. I will heed your advice.

Thank you for this incredibly honest review. Jordan is one of my bucket list destinations and I will certainly consider this tour.

Jordan has been on my list for some time now but also always felt like a bit of a hassle to organise to be perfectly honest. Glad to see there are other options out there – thanks for sharing!

I’d love to visit Jordan and Exoticca seems to be the right company to book it with! Thanks for your detailed review and inspiration to finally go!

I’m not huge fan of organised tours, but this does sound like a great and easy way to explore the country!

Exoticca’s Jordan tour sounds like the perfect company when exploring this area. While I love planning, sometimes I want someone else to take the wheel. Great review!

Really interesting post. I’d love to visit Jordan and Egypt, and tour groups sound like a good option. Thanks for sharing and I’ll check out the link!

We too like to plan our own travel but the few times we booked tours it worked well. Glad to know that your trip with Exoticca to Jordon was a good experience. But I would never have a tour company book my flights. I have the same opinion about letting cruise companies book airfare. Looks like a great trip with all the add-ons.

The land is so vast I probably wouldn’t try to tour it on my own. Thanks for the review!

Going in a couple of weeks (end of Feb2024) and pleased to read such a good review. Thanks.

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I’m Maggie, a 30-something politico from Washington, DC, who always has one foot off the ground, looking for adventure. I work full-time in the Swamp, but use travel as a way to stay sane! Read on for my crazy stories from the road, and tips to help you in your own travels! Learn more about me

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An Honest Jordan Pass Review – Is it Worth Buying?

By: Author Sophie Pearce

Posted on Last updated: January 18, 2022

Categories JORDAN

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for details.

If you’re heading to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, more than likely you will require a visa to enter the country as a requirement.

But, did you know that as well as the tourist visa on arrival, the country has the Jordan Pass?

Not only does this pass include your visa to enter Jordan, but it’s also a ticket that includes entry to some of the main attractions in the country. Even Petra, which is one of the most expensive UNESCO sites in the world!

In this detailed post, I’ll go through a full Jordan Pass review and whether it’s worth buying one when you visit Jordan. 

Thinking of renting a car? Click here to see my detailed post with driving tips!

What is the Jordan Pass? 

The Jordan Pass is a discount programme that is provided by the Jordan Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

It’s a ticket that combines a tourist visa with FREE entry to over 40 tourist sites and attractions across the country. 

This includes the likes of Petra, Amman Citadel, Jerash, Wadi Rum and so much more!

It’s only available if you plan to spend over 3 nights in Jordan and there are a couple of options available for you depending on your type of trip.

The Jordan Pass comes as a PDF document that you can print off and/or keep on your phone. 

On the document will be your personal details and a QR code that is scanned on arrival to Jordan and at all the attractions. It’s important to have a few copies with you so that you can use the card at all times!

Jordan tourist entry visa vs the Jordan Pass 

So, what’s the difference between the Jordan Pass and a normal Jordan tourist visa? Well, mostly it’s the amount of money you’ll be paying for it. 

A tourist visa on arrival in Jordan will cost you around 40JOD (£45/$56USD). But, the Jordan Pass will naturally cost you much more than that as it also includes entry fees to attractions. 

The Jordan Pass prices start from £80/$106 – £91/$113 depending on how many days you want to spend in Petra. 

It’s good to note that your tourist visa on arrival for Jordan will not include any extra benefits like entrance fees. So, you’ll be paying out of your own pocket. 

How much is the Jordan Pass? 

This all depends on what type of pass you want to buy and how long you’re planning to spend in the country. 

There are 3 Jordan Pass options;

• Jordan Wanderer – Price: 70 JOD (£80/$98USD), 1 day entry for Petra
• Jordan Explorer – Price: 75 JOD (£85/$105USD), 2 consecutive days entry for Petra
• Jordan Expert – Price: 80 JOD (£91/$112USD), 3 consecutive days entry for Petra

So, you should probably decide what sort of pass would be right for your needs. Personally, I went for the Jordan Expert which included 3 days in Petra.

As I was planning on spending 10 days in Jordan, this was the best option for me as I knew I wanted to do lots of hiking in and around the complex.

But, if you’re only going to spend 3/4 days in Jordan, then I would buy the Jordan Wanderer .

Most people tend to buy the Jordan Explorer which includes 2 days in Petra. 

I mean, it’s only $7 dollars extra to have one more day in Petra added on to a pass as a just in case . If you were going to buy an extra day’s entry to Petra at the site, this would cost you $127!

What does the Jordan Pass include?

All of the Jordan Pass options above include;

• Free one time entry to over 40 attractions in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. This includes things like Amman Citadel, Petra, Jerash, Ajloun Castle, Umm Qays, Qasr Al-Azraq, Wadi Rum etc. 
• Waiving of your tourist entry visa fees if you are eligible for a visa on arrival in Jordan. As long as you stay over 3 consecutive nights in the country!
• You can use it for over 12 months following your date of purchase. But, once you have scanned it at the airport, it will automatically expire after 2 weeks
• Up to 30 days stay in Jordan with the Jordan Pass (but the included attraction entry fees are only valid for 2 weeks)
• A FREE travel guide that gives you important information on travelling around, attractions, tips etc.

It’s good to note here that if you spend less than 3 nights in Jordan , you’ll be charged the 40JOD visa entry fee on exit

What it doesn’t include

• Petra by night – You will still need to spend 17JOD (£19/$23) on your ticket for Petra at night
• Wadi Rum jeep fees – these will be separate. You only get your permit fee included. I would recommend booking your jeep tours in advance (although I didn’t)
• Swimming in the Dead Sea – But, this is free anyway if you find the right spot along the coast. You’ll get this included with your hotel rate or you can pay a hotel to visit as well.
• Wadi Mujib – this is a completely separate attraction and will cost you 13JOD (£14/$18)

Who can buy the Jordan Pass? 

Anyone who is eligible for a visa on arrival in Jordan and is planning to spend over 3 nights (4 days) in the country can buy the Jordan Pass. This applies to over 137 countries at the moment!

It definitely makes sense for independent travellers who are arriving in Jordan or couples that are travelling independently of a tour. Sometimes, tours companies include your visa and entry fees.

For me, I was travelling solo, so it definitely made the most sense for my trip! But, it’s not the most ideal option for many travellers.

Here’s who the Jordan Pass is not ideal for;

• If you’re from South Africa, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan or the Vatican City – you don’t need to pay a visa fee to enter Jordan. So, a pass isn’t required.
• If you’re from an Arabic country or have Arabic nationality, you will get local discounts on entrance fees. 
• There are some countries that are banned from buying the Jordan Pass at this time. Always be sure to check.
• Children under 12 do not need to buy a pass as they get free entry to attractions as long as they are accompanied by an adult.

Can you buy the Jordan Pass at the airport?

No, you must buy the Jordan Pass in advance of travel and the purchasing of it online is the thing that tourists complain most about!

Here is the official link to purchase one – https://www.jordanpass.jo/ .

The checkout process with card payments can be a little bit of an issue with errors and processing. So, if you’re buying your pass last minute, this can be a little stressful. 

There are 3 ‘speeds’ you can choose from these are Standard Processing  (3 Business Days), Rush Processing  (maximum of 2 Business Days), Super Rush Processing  (1 Business Day). Obviously, the speedier you want your visa the more it will cost.

My personal advice would be to purchase the Jordan Pass at least one week before you plan to visit Jordan. 

This way you can ensure you sort out any purchasing problems and you don’t miss out on getting it for your trip. It’s a real money saver!

The pass is valid for 12 months after your purchase it, so it’s really not a big deal if you purchase it well in advance. 

Helpful steps for buying the Jordan Pass 

• Click this link – https://www.jordanpass.jo/ . to enter the Jordan Pass Website
• Then click on the ‘Buy Now’ button on the top right hand corner
• You’ll need need to put in your details, like your name, email address, telephone number, what ticket you would like (drop down menu) and then the number of tickets you’d like.
• Proceed to payment and enter your payment details. (tip – be careful, don’t click ‘pay now’ too many times as you can be double charged). 
• Review your application and make sure all your details are correct. This is important. Make sure your name on the pass is identical to your passport! 
• Submit your application and then you’re done! Now, just wait for your pass to arrive.

How does the Jordan Pass work?

So, once you’ve sent off your application for the pass, you should receive your pass via email within 3 business days as a standard. But, if you’ve spent more money for a ‘speedier’ service you’ll get it quicker.

You’ll receive your pass as a zip file in your email. Once you’ve opened the file, you’ll see 3 documents there.

One is your Jordan Pass PDF, one is a mobile-friendly version of your Jordan Pass (just the QR code) and you’ll also receive a free travel guide/map of the country as well.

Once you get the PDF and mobile-friendly version, I would recommend saving the PDF to your phone and taking a screenshot of them as well. Just in case you cannot connect to WiFi while in Amman at the airport. 

You don’t need to print out a physical copy of the pass, having it on your phone will work when you scan into the airport and attractions. But, if you’re worried about your phone dying while you’re in Jordan, I would say it’s best to print out a couple of copies to keep with you. 

When you reach the airport, you’ll be able to fly past the normal visa on arrival queues by entering the Jordan Pass queue. 

Then whenever you arrive at an attraction in Jordan, you can present your Jordan Pass at the kiosk. 

You’ll receive a special ticket for the attraction that won’t cost you anything! Or, the security at the entry gates for the attractions will scan your QR code on your ticket. It’s really easy to use and worked well for me!

Is the Jordan Pass worth it?

If you are one of the qualifying countries that can purchase a visa on arrival, you’re travelling alone or independently from a tour group and you’re planning on spending more than 3 nights in Jordan – I think it’s totally worth buying the Jordan Pass!

I’ll help you out and do some of the math for you;

If you bought a tourist visa on arrival for 40JOD (£45/$56USD), then you added on a day entry to Petra which is 90 JOD (£103/$127 USD) that alone would cost you over 130JOD (£150/$183).

If you compare that to the Jordan Wanderer pass which waives your tourist entry fee and includes one-day entry to Petra which is only 70JOD (£80/$98USD). You’ve already made a massive saving of over 60JOD (£68/$84) already, without any of the other attractions yet! 

That’s why I decided to buy the Jordan Explorer pass for 80JOD (£91/$112USD) which got me 3 days in Petra for only 40JOD (£45/$56USD) minus the visa fees. 

This already saved me over 230JOD on Petra tickets (£263/$324) not to mention I went to the Amman Citadel, Amman amphitheatre, Jerash, Wadi Rum with it too.! So, I saved hundreds of pounds by purchasing it. 

Plus, there are many other benefits of having the Jordan Pass, other than just saving money;

• You don’t have to keep getting cash out from the ATM for attractions
• You can skip the visa lines at Amman Airport 
• It saves a lot of time!

My experience using it in Jordan

To me, the Jordan Pass was a no-brainer. I had a lot of time in Jordan (10 days) and I knew that Petra was at the top of my to-do list! 

So, rather than rush it, I decided to buy the 3 days in Petra pass so that I could take my time there to explore and do as many hikes as possible. 

I bought my pass around 5 days before I entered Jordan. I was a little concerned as I had read many horror stories about visas not coming through in time and many tourists being overcharged on credit cards. But, my payment went through fine. I actually got my visa within 2 business days which was a bonus. 

The arrival in Amman airport was a breeze and I felt pretty smug skipping past all the visa on arrival queues by heading to the Jordan Pass queue. I was the only one there! 

Amman was definitely a learning phase for me with the Jordan Pass though. I made my first mistake by paying for the Amman Amphitheatre early in the morning, even though this was included in my Jordan Pass.

Maybe I was just tired or didn’t have enough coffee so I forgot. But, when I told the staff member on the kiosk if I could get a refunded ticket, he refused as it was my mistake. It was only 3JOD but still…

Other than that hiccup, I had no problems using the pass throughout my travels! In fact, it saved me so much time and money. I didn’t even have to think about getting enough cash or using my card for anything really. 

The Jordan Pass was a lifesaver – I would highly recommend it. 

Final tips for using the pass 

• Once you’ve made your decision about what Jordan Pass you want, you can’t upgrade or downgrade your pass. Personally, the difference in price is so little, I’d always add on a day at Petra just in case. It beats, paying the 90JOD again…
• Always check if your Jordan Pass is valid for an attraction before you pay for a ticket. Don’t make my mistake.
• Make sure you have your passes on your phone. Take a screenshot, have it on file in your inbox/documents folder and take a few paper copies. You don’t want to lose it for Petra as this is the most expensive attraction.
• Always contact the service team at https://www.jordanpass.jo/ if you have any issues. They’re apparently very helpful! 

Are you heading around Jordan? 

So, that’s my full Jordan Pass review and whether it’s worth it…Now, let’s start planning your trip to Jordan! 

The best places to visit would be Amman, The Dead Sea, Petra, and Wadi Rum. But, there are also many more amazing places including the Ma’in Hot Springs, Wadi Mujib, Aqaba as well. 

I would definitely recommend renting a car in Jordan if you’re travelling independently. Taking taxis is an expensive activity in Jordan. For example, a taxi from Amman to Petra is well over $200USD! Click here for my detailed guide.

If you’re debating whether to skip Amman, I would highly recommend that you don’t. It’s a fantastic city with so much to do, here’s my complete guide with all the things to do here.

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Saturday 29th of April 2023

The article explains well how JP works, thank you. The Jordan pass is functional, and if your destination is Petra and you stay more than three nights, it will save you money. Without a visit to Petra, it does not give much benefit. Visiting Petra takes time, but I wouldn't want to spend more than two days on it. Getting to know Petra in depth will take several days, the area is so large. In many places you have to pay an entrance fee and you cannot get in with a Jordan pass. And most of the destinations included in the it can be skipped without a visit, for example Aqaba Castle. And on the other hand, at the baptismal site of Jesus, for example, you pay the entrance fee separately and it's not cheap either. Religious historical areas and churches require an entrance fee everywhere anyway. It's a bit special when you're used to places like that being free of entrance fees. Jordan is a great country and so are the people there!

Sophie Pearce

Sunday 30th of April 2023

Hi Pasi, I agree there is definitely pros and cons for the Jordan Pass. I mainly bought it as it was a Visa and entry to Petra. It provides a massive discount compared to buying the tickets separately. But, I do agree, that beyond that the attractions are limited. Jerash was great though and Amman had several attractions. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Sophie x

Saturday 15th of April 2023

Hi We've are using half day in Little Petra and one day in Petra. So we need the one day or two day option for the Jordan Pass?

Thursday 20th of April 2023

Hi Linda, I would always recommend the 2 day in Petra option as Petra is HUGE. Thanks, Sophie x

Friday 10th of February 2023

Hi Sophie Thanks for your detailed information on Jordan and in particular the elusive Jordan Pass buying process.I have been trying 5 times to buy but everytime the page stalled at the"Buyers Information"waited for the following page for hours and nothing happens! Any tips from you or others experiencing similar please.I am visiting Jordan end of this month which is 2 weeks away. Kind regards

Thursday 16th of February 2023

Hi SB, I don't I'm so sorry! Some people are having little/no issue and some are struggling. Have you tried a different browser like Chrome? Sorry! I'm not sure :( Sophie x

Hans Goldsmits

Friday 30th of December 2022

Thanks a lot Sophie, very well described revue of the Jordan pass, I will absolutely get it for our trip to Jordan next March. I had heard about the non receival or late receival and problems with the Jordan Pass , your revue gives me a bit of peace... I am a globe traveller for fun and for work ( only missing Australia as continent to have visited) and I have learned that all information/ experiences are worth a lot, since you avoid mistakes others might have made. Thank you very much.

Tuesday 3rd of January 2023

Hi Hans, I have also heard about problems but now it should be all good to go. I would make sure to order your pass early to make sure you have it before you arrive :) Hope this helps and enjoy Jordan. Sophie x

Tuesday 15th of November 2022

Thanks for the invaluable info Sophie! We bought ours online and received them instantly. Yay!

Hi Heather, ah I'm so happy for you and I'm glad my post helped. Enjoy Jordan, it's an incredible country! Thanks, Sophie x

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23,539 total

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I’ve booked with Exoticca for Turkey

I’ve booked with Exoticca for Turkey, Ecuador, Peru, Jordan, and Egypt. Their local travel guides, drivers, transports are all professional. Their hotels accommodations and activities are all good to excellent. You do get good values out of the tour. It is hard to reach customer services though…,long wait time when calling the help center.

Date of experience : April 10, 2024

Reply from Exoticca

Hi M. DiGennraro. We are so grateful for your kind words and 5-star rating! Our team works hard to ensure every customer has a memorable experience. If there’s anything else we can do to make your next holiday even better, please let us know. Take Care, Exoticca

A brilliant trip to India & a first…

A brilliant trip to India & a first tour for us. Everything went smoothly from the flights to pick ups, Mr. Singh the bus driver, Manav the tour guide, sights, accommodation, food, we couldn't fault any of it. Definitely to be recommended & we will be looking at Exoticca for next year's holiday.

Date of experience : April 08, 2024

Hello Fiona, Thank you again for your 5-star rating and for being an amazing part of our journey. Your continued support means everything to us, and we can’t wait to exceed your expectations every time you choose us. Kind regards, Exoticca

Well designed trip to Dubai and Oman

The flights and trip activities went off perfectly. The trip was a fascinating contrast between the extreme wealth and urban design of Dubai versus the more realistic experience of living life in the more conservative, Oman. The trips to the desert were an absolute blast. Our guides and drivers were very informative and had excellent English language skills.

Date of experience : April 09, 2024

Hi Kls, We sincerely appreciate your business and your valuable feedback. Your satisfaction is what drives us, and we can’t wait to welcome you back for another outstanding experience. Take care, Exoticca

Our week in Switzerland!

Our group was small and our guide was very knowledgeable about everything! Everyday was something new in a different part of the country. Beautiful churches. The cities were clean and the transportation was flawless. Going through the mountains with all of the tunnels was breathtaking.

Hi Todd! Thank you for sharing your experience with us! We are thrilled to hear that you had a great time on your trip to Switzerland. We look forward to welcoming you back soon! Take care!

Turkey: Treasures of Anatolia

The tour “ Turkey: Treasures of Anatolia” was simply amazing! It was well planned, very well executed and perfect in every respect from the itinerary, to the sights, to the hotels, to the bus driver! But the best of the best was the guide Mehmet Konuk! He made an amazing tour, amazingly perfect. He was professional, experienced, knowledgeable, informed, courteous, and…funny! What a great guy, what a great tour guide! There were four of us, travelling together on this tour…we all loved Mehmet…and so did all of our fellow travellers!

Date of experience : March 25, 2024

Hi Russ, We sincerely appreciate your business and your valuable feedback. Your satisfaction is what drives us, and we can’t wait to welcome you back for another outstanding experience. Kind regards, Exoticca

Great tour agenda with a fantastic tour guide…

Great tour agenda with a fantastic tour guide who added additional sites and educational info. Country was gorgeous and folks were very friendly. Food was delicious and adult libations were good. Hotel accommodations were wonderful and daily breakfasts were 5 star. Flight arrangements could have been better.

Hi, We truly appreciate your continuous support and trust in us. Your 5-star review brightens our day and serves as a constant reminder of why we love what we do. Kind regards, Exoticca

Bucket-list trip to Beautiful Iceland

Iceland! Exoticca made it easy with daily excursions and with Martina, our friendly and knowledgeable guide. With the famous Blue Lagoon closed due to nearby volcanic activity, we were offered the option to change to the Sky Lagoon, a newer hot springs location. It was spectacular! We don't often choose cold destinations, and this was particularly frigid, but absolutely worth the visit!

Date of experience : March 27, 2024

Hello, We truly appreciate your continuous support and trust in us. Your 5-star review brightens our day and serves as a constant reminder of why we love what we do. Kind regards, Exoticca

Exoticca the best adventure

The locations and tours preplanned by Exoticca were amazing. Every connection and flight were timed perfectly. In 16 days there were no issues. We had time to book our own extra activities. We felt like we were on our own adventure!

Date of experience : March 11, 2024

Hi Susan! Wow! We are blown away by your review. Thank you for choosing Exoticca. We can’t wait to have you back and create more wonderful memories together. Take Care!

Wonderful trip to Portugal!

We had a great experience and memories on our trip to Portugal. Our tour guide Andre was top notch and very helpful with his insight, tips and patience. We had never been on a group tour and was better than our expectations. Hope to go on another Exoticca trip in the future.

Date of experience : March 30, 2024

Hello Jerome, We are so grateful for your kind words and 5-star rating! Our team works hard to ensure every customer has a memorable experience. If there’s anything else we can do to make your next holiday even better, please let us know. Kind regards, Exoticca

Exoticca takes care of all the details

Exoticca takes care of all the details. This was my second trip using Exoticca (traveled to Ecuador in 2022) and would use them again and again. I especially appreciate that ALL of the stressful details in traveling to some place new are taken care of. All the transfer drivers to hotels and airports are timely and professional. I love that the hotels are locally owned so my travel dollars go back to helping the country I am visiting. The experiences are amazing! Machu Picchu was more awesome in person, and our time in the Amazon River valley was just the adventure we were hoping for.

Date of experience : April 07, 2024

Hi, Betsy. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us feedback. Kind regards, Exoticca

Absolutely the worst travel tour…

Absolutely the worst travel tour company ever booked with. When calling Exoticca help line the wait time to speak with someone was incredibly long and when you finally got someone they couldn’t answer any questions. We did the Turkey adventure and did not realize Exoticca only acts as a contractor/broker with an in country company. In this case that company was far better than Exoticca but still had issues. Trying to get travel and in country information was very difficult. You have to wait to get an email 15-20 days prior with a help line number. When you call that number they want you to use WhatsApp to chat and each time on same chat you have to get putting in your booking number. Even then they never provided any real assistance. Our guide and bus driver from the in country tour company were good, as was the bus and most of the hotels. I would not recommend booking with Exoticca it is just too frustrating working with them. Guess you get what you pay for but in our case felt like we didn’t even get that.

Date of experience : March 29, 2024

Hello Keith, Thank you for your review. We're sorry that your experience wasn't up to your expectations. We are so sorry your experience did not match your expectations. We strive for excellent service, and we are disappointed it was lacking for you. We would like to discuss your feedback in more detail. Could you please update your review with some additional information? Thank you, Exoticca

Fabulous destinations!

The hotels were good, although not very well located for 'free time'. Destinations fabulous, some retail visits unnecessary and pressurising. Clean, comfortable coach. Excellent guide throughout the whole trip, he organised everything, explained the history and culture of Turkey and kept us informed of next days activities and pick up times. Fantastic driver, plenty of comfort breaks and food stops. Itinerary was different to the one provided by Exoticca which was confusing and concerning especially regarding pick up and flight times.

Date of experience : March 26, 2024

Hi. We’re glad that you enjoyed your extraordinary Exoticca travel experience! Kind regards, Exoticca

We book 10 days to Greece with exotica

We book 10 days to Greece with exotica. We paid extra and upgraded hotel rooms to Superior But in Athens hotel was 3 stars and in Mykonos the hotel was 2 stars. Very bad experience. I called Exoticca 5 to 6 times and was on hold for more then 2+ hours. Don’t waste your money with travel company.

Hello Samip, Thank you for your review. We're sorry to hear that you are dissatisfied with part of our services. We would love to discuss your experience with you. Please update your review with some additional information so we can reach out to you. Take care and we remain at your entire disposal. Best Regards, Exoticca

Italian Delight

Our trip to Italy with Exoticca exceeded our expectations. The guides were excellent and so knowledgeable. Transfers between cities/villages was seamless. Our group guide could not have been more helpful! Breakfasts in the morning had a great variety of food and made getting out to see the amazing sights of Italy easier. Would definitely book another trip wit Exoticca!!

Date of experience : April 05, 2024

Hi Janice, We appreciate your feedback and are delighted to know you enjoyed our curated experiences. Your satisfaction is our top priority, and we look forward to serving you again soon. Take care, Exoticca

Carlos is great to call us after we…

Carlos is great to call us after we holded the booking for 24h and answered all the questions that I had and helped me to finalize the optional tours and payment. Thank you.

Hi Nga, We’re really grateful and appreciate you taking the time to share your rating with us. Take care, Exoticca

The arrangements provided by Exoticca…

The arrangements provided by Exoticca are excellent. It would be even better if they can provide direct flight from Newark flight to/from Johannesburg.

Hi Simon, Thank you for sharing your experience with us! We are thrilled to hear that you had a great time on your trip to South Africa. We look forward to welcoming you back soon! Take care, Exoticca

I was a bit skeptical using Exoticca at…

I was a bit skeptical using Exoticca at first but we decided to give them a try and booked a 9 day trip to India. We were pleasantly surprised! From booking to the end of the trip, we were happy. They organized everything well, the guides were knowlwdgeable, the accomodations were great and the ease of booking the trip was amazing. Thank you Exoticca for a beautiful memorable trip! We will book your services again for our next adventure!

Date of experience : April 06, 2024

Hi Tony, Once again, thank you for choosing Exoticca and for the incredible 5-star rating. Your feedback motivates us to keep raising the bar and sets the standard for excellence in everything we do. Take care, Exoticca

Review to Ayoub, Morocco

We have had a pleasant experience with Ayoub. It was our first time in Morocco and he made it very easy and special for us. He is careful and cautious driver, knowledgeable and patient tour guide, incredible helpful to communicate with local people. We will definitely recommend Exoticca Morocco tour to our friends and colleagues.

Hello, Thank you for sharing your experience with us! We are thrilled to hear that you had a great time on your trip to Morocco. We look forward to welcoming you back soon! Best, Exoticca

This was my second trip with Exoticca

This was my second trip with Exoticca, this time to Turkey and I have to say that it was another awesome trip with a great guide and lots of nice fellow travellers. We saw so many awesome things including a hot air balloon ride in Capadocia, awesome experience. I have been to Arabic countries before and I knew that we would go to a carpet store or perfume store, but I don't mind that, you'll get free tea and you don't have to but anything 😉 it's part of the travel culture there. Our guide Murat was such a nice man, who showed us so many awesome things and gave us interesting information in such a nice way, two thumbs up for him! I can only recommend Exoticca tours. Everything was awesome from pick up at the airport to transfer. Tip: pay a lityle more and stay in the center of Istanbul, we were in walking distance to Taksim Square!

Hi Anja, We appreciate your feedback and are delighted to know you enjoyed our curated experiences. Your satisfaction is our top priority, and we look forward to serving you again soon. Take care, Exoticca

Visit Jordan! Beautiful, friendly country

Great experience in a stunning country. Wonderful guide and driver. Hotels were clean and comfortable. Lots to see, early starts. Be prepared for time on the bus in-between sites. Most lunch stops are on the road (like services) though of course you could bring food with you. Exoticca mainly good, flight info wasn't updated on the app but was communicated after contacting them.

Hi, Sarah. Thank you so much for your positive rating on your recent visit to Jordan. Kind regards, Exoticca