We are going to Jordan this summer! When we said this sentence, our relatives were generally astonished by this choice of travel.
Honestly we didn’t have this destination in our list of countries to visit. We left to find my sister. She worked in Amman, the capital, for two years in a French company.
We loved our stay, we were pleasantly surprised by the number of places to visit and the beauty of the different sites.
We also appreciated the contact with the local population who always helped us when we needed it.
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Is Jordan a dangerous country?
When we have a destination in mind, we systematically consult the diplomatie.gouv website . For Jordan, we did not deviate from the rule even if my sister who had already been living there for 6 months had guaranteed us that the country was stable.
The government website gives general recommendations on the country and specifies the areas to avoid (the borders with Syria and Iraq) on a map.
These recommendations were helpful in planning our trip. The sites we wanted to visit were not in the discouraged areas! We never felt unsafe during our stay.
As the country suffers from an unattractive geographical location. You will cross few tourists on the various places.
For example, visitation to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Petra has dropped considerably since the outbreak of war in Syria. We were almost alone in the world, it’s the first time it happens to us in such a famous place!
When to go to Jordan?
You are probably wondering, what is the best time to go to Jordan?
Jordan is a sunny country with little rainfall and mild temperatures all year round! Nevertheless, the period from April to November is the best in terms of temperature (minimum 15 and maximum 40 degrees).
If you are afraid of being too hot, avoid the months of July and August as temperatures can reach 40 degrees. We were there in August and it was indeed a bit hot in the desert of wadi rum. However, the month ofAugust is recommended by tourist guides because there are few tourists.
One last piece of advice, find out the date of Ramadan before you leave because during this period many shops and restaurants will be closed at the time of the young.
What to do in Jordan : our 6 must-sees!
1. The incredible city of Petra – ❤❤❤
The city of Petra is our favorite of the trip. We loved our 3 days discovering all the corners of the city.
The site is grandiose and magnificent, as mentioned above we were often alone in the world. Yet it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and considered one of the seven wonders of the world. It’s time to visit this wonderful city!
You will walk a lot during your visit and you will be hot. If you are there like us in the middle of August, but you really won’t regret it.
To arrive on the site, you will borrow daily a splendid canyon named the Siq. When you leave the latter, you will be amazed by the famous and well known Khazneh (the treasure). Then you can wander around the site according to the different places you want to see. Do not miss the Deir, theroyal tombs, thelower city, the Byzantine church, the Blue Chapel and the High place of the Sacrifice which will offer you a magnificent point of view on all the site of Petra!
If you don’t want to drive in Jordan you can book a tour from Amman. Your driver will drive you to Petra and then you will have a guided tour of Petra, to learn more about the incredible history of the place. You will need to add the entrance fee for Petra.
If you want more information about our 3 days in Petra that we organised ourselves, we have published an article with our tips to visit Petra and our good plans for restaurants and accommodation!
2. Floating in the dead sea: a unique experience – ❤❤❤
The Dead Sea is a very salty lake, shared between Israel, Jordan and Palestine. It is the lowest place in the world – 400 meters below sea level.
Bathing in the Dead Sea is a unique experience. You float there like a cork! Your swim will be short because the water will tingle after a few minutes.
When you get out of the pool, rinse yourself off and apply mud to your skin to keep it soft.
If you go swimming outside the hotels, remember to bring a few liters of water to rinse off afterwards. Be careful not to get water in your eyes.
You can drive along part of the Dead Sea to enjoy the beautiful views.
Again, for those who prefer to be driven and enjoy the scenery, you can book a tour from Amman. Your driver will take you to the beautiful town of Madaba and then to a beach at the Dead Sea where you can swim and float!
3. Venturing into the desert of wadi rum – ❤❤❤
We have excellent memories of our two nights and three days in this enchanting place. You will take the opportunity to disconnect completely, surrounded by breathtaking scenery.
On board our pick-up and with the help of our guide, we start by discovering sand dunes with multiple colors and incredible rock formations.
While moving away from civilization, we take the opportunity to explore on foot the canyons, climb the arches, surf on the dunes and discover the carved caves. As you can imagine, we did not meet many travelers during our stay.
In the evening we enjoy unforgettable sunsets andexcellent meals prepared by our guide, a desert Bedouin.
This magical place, was the place of shooting of many films, Lawrence of Arabia, Alone on Mars, Aladdin, Stars War ….
Organised tour: Wadi rum bedouin friends offers a roaming tour without a fixed camp. That’s why we selected this tour. My sister also recommended it to us.
The price was 45 JOD (57€) per day as we took 3 days. This included all meals and excursions in the desert. We had a very good guide and an excellent cook!
4. Explore the ancient cities of Jerash and Amman – ❤❤
Both cities are splendid, we loved to walk inside these old stones. The one inAmman will give you an incredible view of the new city.
We have a preference for Jerash located at 1 hour from Amman. The latter is extremely well preserved.
During your walk among the ruins, you will discover three emblematic sites in excellent condition: the hippodrome, the theater and the forum. Count on about 3 hours of visit to take the time to explore all the corners.
–> Practical information: The cities of Jerash and Amman are included in the Jordan Pass.
5. Canyoning in Wadi Mujib – ❤❤
The Wadi (river) Mujib is the largest canyon in Jordan, located next to the Dead Sea.
Equipped with your life jacket (lent on the spot) and your old sneakers (to take along), you will be able to start the course with your feet in the water, surrounded by huge walls.
Soon you will be up to your knees and then up to your neck in water. Ropes installed on the walls will facilitate your progression against the current .
Once you reach the end, you can rest for a few minutes in a small pool and admire a beautiful waterfall. The return journey will require less effort. You can sit on your back and admire the beautiful landscape.
We had a great time even if we came out of this adventure exhausted!
Practical information: The fee is 21 JOD (27€), which includes a life jacket and free parking. You can leave your keys at the reception. Ask about the opening hours as the wadi is not open all year round.
To get there, enter “Wadi Mujib Adventure Center” in your GPS. The site is located opposite the Dead Sea.
6. Snorkeling or diving in the coral gardens in Aqaba – ❤
We were pleasantly surprised to discover the beautiful seabed of the Red Sea.
We advise you to stay at Tala Bay, south of Aqaba, you can snorkel from the beach of your hotel.
We booked a half day on a boat to relax and explore the corals and fish with our mask and snorkel. We observed beautiful multicolored fish in 3 different places.
Tour: My sister advised us to go to Omar Madain. For 4 hours of snorkeling and the lunch bbq we spent 35 JOD (44€). For the diving, we had to pay 70 JOD (88€).
We were a group of ten people, we were the only ones snorkeling so we were quiet on the different spots.
The boat is big with a floor to admire the sea and one of the mattresses at the front to relax after the effort 🙂
Wadi Rum is only 1 hour away from Aqaba. The city of Aqaba is a good option for exploring southern Jordan. You can book your all-inclusive tour (transfer, transport and entrance) to Wadi Rum directly from Aqaba.
Itinerary: our 2 week tour
We stayed 15 days in Jordan, we took our time because we wanted to spend time with my little sister.
- Day 1 – Amman: City of Amman, Amphitheatre and Souk – Accommodation Amman
- Day 2 – Jerash – accommodation Amman
- Day 3 – Madaba – Dead Sea accommodation
- Day 4 and 5 – Dead Sea – Dead Sea accommodation
- Day 6 – Wadi Mujib – Dana accommodation
- Day 7 – Dana valley – Petra accommodation
- Day 8, 9 and 10 – Petra – Accommodation Petra
- Day 11, 12 and 13 – Wadi rum – accommodation 2 nights desert and 1 night Aqaba
- Day 14 – Aqaba – accommodation Amman
- Day 15 – Amman – return to France
If you have ten days, you can take out a day in Madaba, a day at the dead sea, a day in the Dana valley, a day in the wadi rum desert and a day in Aqaba.
If you have a week focus on Petra, the dead sea, Jerash and wadi rum.
Evaneos offers high quality, 100% customisable tours.
We advise you to contact a local expert to ask for a free, no-obligation quote, to save time in preparing your trip and to give you plenty of ideas!
The different tours to visit the jewels of Jordan
To visit the different points of interest in Jordan(Amman, Petra, Dead Sea…) you can book your tour in advance via internet. We advise you to take a look at the website getyourguide which offers various activities at attractive prices.
We have selected 3 of the most interesting activities below. Don’t forget to read the description carefully to know what is really included in order to fully enjoy your excursion.
Do I need a visa for Jordan? (Jordan Pass)
This is the first time in our travels that the Ministry of Tourism offers a financially interesting pass including the entry visa and the entrance to the main sites of the country.
You must purchase the Jordan Pass online before your departure. Then simply print it and present it upon arrival and at the sites you visit.
We took the Jordan Expert for 80JOD (100€), including our entry visa, 3 days in Petra, entrance to Jerash, wadi rum and the citadel ofAmman.
Taking the visa upon arrival at the airport and the entrance tickets to each site we would have to pay 60 JOD + 60 JOD + 8 JOD + 5 JOD + 3 JOD = 133 JOD (170€). Great savings with the Jordan Pass!
Practical information (flight, travel and accommodation)
How to get to Jordan?
From Paris, without a stopover, it takes about 3.5 hours to fly to Amman, the capital. We traveled with the very good company Royal Jordanian.
Depuis la France, vous pouvez trouver des vols à partir de 350€.
Nous vous conseillons le site Skyscanner, que nous utilisons généralement, pour comparer les prix des différentes compagnies aériennes et trouver votre vol au meilleur prix.
The price of flights varies greatly depending on the number of stopovers and the day of departure and return .
As always we advise you to compare prices between several days. If necessary and if possible, you can slightly shift your vacations to get a really good price.
How to get around Jordan?
The best option for getting around Jordan is to rent a car. You will be free to move around and you can stop to take photo breaks whenever you want.
We had no difficulty driving in Jordan. As in many countries, this will just require you to be a little more careful.
Outside the capital, the roads are not very busy. We still advise you not to ride at night!
Taxi: We advise you to download the Careem application, the local Uber. You are geo-located and the rate is fixed in advance.
Car rental: To compare car rental prices we recommend the RentalCars website to find the best rate. In August, we found a car for about 33€ per day by booking a few weeks in advance.
Sixt offered the best rate. You can pick up and drop off your car at the airport. We had no problems with this company.
Where to sleep?
We were surprised by the high price of accommodation in Jordan, especially in tourist sites such as Petra, the Dead Sea and Aqaba.
For the last two places, we recommend booking hotels with private beaches. At the Dead Sea, it’s really comfortable to rinse off after your swim.
In Aqaba, on some public beaches you may not be comfortable swimming in a bathing suit.
1. Accommodation in the Dead Sea (Sowayma town): We stayed at the Mövenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea, (about 190€) we are not used to stay in hotel chains, even less in a 5 stars hotel. We were pleasantly surprised!
It is a perfect place to rest and enjoy the different facilities.
The two swimming pools are nice with a view of the dead sea. There is a beach to access the dead sea and mud to smear after your swim. The buffet breakfast is gargantuan. We did not need to eat lunch. We even took advantage of the gym although we never go there in France, we really tested everything for you 😉
2. Accommodation in Petra (Gaia town): The Petra Moon hotel (about 145€), is a great option, located 5 minutes from the entrance and including a swimming pool to relax after a long morning of visit. The rooms are nice and clean.
3. Accommodation in Aqaba: We again had a repeat experience at Movenpick, Mövenpick Resort & Spa Tala Bay Aqaba (approx 190€), we were once again not disappointed!
We took advantage of the huge swimming pool which was accessible late, we took a night swim. You can snorkel from the hotel beach or relax on the many sun beds.
We were upgraded to a better room in the middle of August.
4. Accommodation in Amman: we stayed with my sister, as one of her roommates kindly lent us his room.
We can recommend La Locanda Boutique Hotel (about 100€), where my family stayed.
They appreciated the cleanliness of the place and the geographical location about 2km from the amphitheatre and the citadel. Private parking is available on site.
As you can see from this article, we loved our stay in Jordan.
It is a beautiful country preserved from mass tourism, which is really nice!
We thank my sister again for making us discover this beautiful country.
Enjoy your trip to Jordan! Don’t hesitate to leave us a note below to tell us if you are planning this trip, or to ask any questions you may have, we will answer you with great pleasure 🙂
