Jordan is a small middle-eastern country in Asia, having famous neighbors like Israel, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Despite its neighbors being in news for various reasons, Jordan is a must-visit for your travel bucket list.
I traveled to Jordan at the end of June 2019 with three of my friends. We did a road trip in Jordan covering all the major attractions there. I drove an automatic Hyundai i10 hatchback for 860 km. I always make it a point to research intensively about a place I am visiting on the Internet but there are always some learnings a traveler realizes while actually being on that trip. I would honestly share those with you. I wish someone had bestowed on me the same enlightenment before I traveled to Jordan. Read on:- You must buy a Jordan Pass – it is a one time fee for various sites and monuments one would visit in Jordan. It waives off the Tourist Visa Fee given you stay for a minimum of 3 nights and 4 days. It covers Petra too. But here is the catch It does not cover Petra by night. And it does not cover Bethany of Christ – the Baptism Site of Jesus Christ. There are three price ranges for Jordan Pass, 70 JD ($99), 75 JD ($106) and 80 JD ($113). The Bethany of Christ would be another 8 JD, do not forget to add it to the cart while checking out. Jordan offers Tourist Visa on arrival for Indian Nationals. Here is the official link to get your Jordan Pass – Jordan Pass.
2. Petra by Night – Petra is a World Heritage Site in the Wadi Musa region of Jordan, It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Petra is a must-visit while in Jordan. It is spread over an area of 264 sq Km. The entry fee to the site is covered by the Jordan Pass. The Petra Site opens to visitors at night on Mondays, Wednesdays & Thursdays. The entire site right from the entrance till the Treasury Monument is lit up with candles. The entrance fee for Petra by Night is 17 JD (24 USD), children below 10 years are admitted free of charge. Tickets can be bought at the Visitor Centre in Petra until 16:00 or at your hotel reception. An advance reservation is not possible.
3. Hire a Self-drive car if possible – Jordan follows American Driving rules and Road sense. If you are comfortable to drive that way, then commutating all over Jordan is very convenient since Public Transportation is sparse. Roads are a first-rate all over Jordan. I got made an International Driving Licence from my local RTO. It is safe to have one, though throughout my journey my International DL was not once checked. We hired our car from Rent A Reliable Car. Link to the International DL in India: International Driving Permit.
4. Keep the Wadi Rum Visit short – Wadi Rum looks like how the Planet of Mars is portrayed in Movies. The desert sand is Red with random mounts and hillocks of red sandstone dotting all over. I felt like Lawrance from the Hollywood movie Lawrance of Arabia. Wadi Rum offers accommodation at various Desert Camps of various degrees of luxury depending on price. Nights at Wadi Rum feels great with the clear skies and cool desert breeze. All the sites in Wadi Rum can be covered in one day. Daytime at Wadi Rum is boring otherwise after the first 24 hours. That what I felt. Do not get me wrong, Wadi Rum is wonderful, I would love to visit again but for a shorter duration this time. I stayed at Wadi Rum for 2 nights and 1.5 days.
5. Snorkeling in the Red Sea at Aqaba is a must – I traveled to the Aqaba city at the Southern side of Jordan to visit the Gulf of Aqaba. The Gulf of Aqaba is shared by Jodan & Israel, which is the northernmost tip of the Red Sea. The Red Sea is a treasure trove of Corals and vibrant sea fishes. The Red sea derives its name from a certain Algae on Corals whose blooms turn red after dying off and gives the sea a reddish hue. Hence, this is one of the best snorkeling sites in the World. The water is clear and has a high density of undamaged Sea Corals. But mind you, these rocks and corals are sharp and the beach sand can get very hot during the day. Do wear water shoes and hire or carry the Snorkel Gear. South Beach is the best beach for Snorkeling in Aqaba as it offers direct access to the Coral Reef. Read more on South Beach at South Beach (Aqaba) – 2020 What to Know Before You Go (with Photos).
6. The Dead Sea burns your skin – Yes you will automatically float here, given you do it only on your back. The water of dead sea is extremely salty, such levels that if it touches your face or gets into your eyes, the salty water will sting like hell. I cried with literal tears after I had this mishap. Now I think I wish i had swimming goggles there to protect my eyes. One can not spend more than 10-15 minutes floating in these extreme salty waters. The water has so much salt that it feels oily to touch. But yes the Dead Sea is beautiful, the salt on the side looks like accumulated snow.
7. Always buy a large can of water like a 5 L or so from a Departmental Store in the City. Carry your own water everywhere. Depending on the location, water is very expensive in Jordan. We felt water is as expensive as the Gasolene or the car fuel. For example at Wadi Rum, 0.5 L of mineral water bottle cost us 1JOD (1JOD = INR 101).
When to travel to Jordan?
For cooler temperatures in the high teens, the best time to visit Jordan is March-May. Amman reaches a comfortable 32°C between June and September, while nights can drop below freezing from December to February. The beaches of Aqaba and the salty Dead Sea touch 40°C in July.
If you have 4 to 6 days for your visit to Jordan, you can comfortably fit in Petra, Wadi Rum, and the Dead Sea. You can either focus your time between these 3 amazing places, or add a few additional destinations onto your itinerary including Aqaba at the shores of Red Sea, or spend some time exploring Amman.
Jordan is very safe to visit and, despite local dissatisfaction with issues such as Iraqi immigration, the Syrian refugee crisis, unemployment, and high inflation, you are unlikely to feel any hint of the turmoil of neighboring countries.
When it comes to tops, your best bet is to choose t-shirts or long sleeve tops over tank tops and make sure they have higher necklines that cover your cleavage. I also recommend longer tunic-style tops like these that will cover your bum if you are wearing tighter pants or leggings.
They’re only required if you go into a mosque, and many mosques provide them. But if you wear your own scarf instead, it’s not enough just to cover your head — make sure to cover underneath your chin and don’t let any hair, including bangs, peek out.
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