◆ Country guide · Western Asia

Jordan, north to the Red Sea

Petra is why most people book, and it is a fraction of the trip. Roman cities in the north, a Crusader road down the spine, the lowest shore on earth and a desert of sandstone towers, in a country you can cross in a day.

City guide

11,937,000

People

89,318

km²

–440 m

Dead Sea shore

Live destination map

AllAmman & the northDead Sea & the riftKing’s HighwayPetra & Wadi RumAqaba & the Red Sea

By Wimup Editorial Updated September 2026 12 min read

Best months

Apr · May · Oct

Ideal length

7–10 days

Budget / day

$70–160

Language

Arabic

Getting around

Rental car, JETT coaches & taxis

Region ▾Trip length ▾Season ▾Budget ▾Style ▾ 1 guides

Grid Map

Quick answer · where to go in Jordan

Land at Queen Alia International Airport outside Amman and treat the capital as the hinge. North of it, Jerash, Ajloun and Umm Qais are all day trips. West, the road drops below sea level to Madaba, Mount Nebo and the Dead Sea. South, three highways lead to the same place: the Desert Highway if you want speed, the King’s Highway if you want Karak, the Mujib gorge and Dana, the Dead Sea Highway if you are coming off the shore. Petra deserves two days rather than one, Wadi Rum is a night in a camp rather than an afternoon, and Aqaba is where the trip ends in the Red Sea. A week does the loop. Ten days does it without driving tired.

All regions Amman & around Jerash & Ajloun The Jordan Valley Dead Sea King’s Highway Petra & Wadi Musa Wadi Rum Aqaba & the Red Sea The eastern desert

Jump to Map Fun fact Stereotypes Famous Jordanians Food FAQ

1 Jordan city guide

The country layer comes first here. City guides follow it.

Aqaba

Asia · 10 picks

Fun fact

One number worth knowing

The shore of the Dead Sea is the lowest dry land on earth, and it keeps breaking its own record. The surface sat near 440 metres below sea level in 2025, against about 390 metres in 1930, and it has been dropping by roughly a metre a year since 2001 as the Jordan River is drawn off upstream.

Stereotypes, sorted out

The clichés you have heard, what is actually true, and how to fit in.

"Jordan is Petra, and Petra is a day."

The realityPetra is a city of tombs, temples and a colonnaded street spread over a valley, and the walk from the gate to the Monastery is a full day on its own. Treat it as two. Then note that Jerash in the north is one of the best preserved Roman provincial cities anywhere, and almost nobody plans a day for it.

"It is all desert."

The realityThe eastern two thirds are desert, and the rest is not. Amman sits over 700 metres up and gets snow in some winters. The northern hills are olive groves and pine. The Jordan Valley grows the country’s fruit and vegetables below sea level, and the Dana reserve drops through four biogeographic zones in one walk.

"The neighbours make it unsafe."

The realityJordan has been the stable address in a difficult neighbourhood for decades, and the classic route runs nowhere near a border zone. Advisories have moved with regional events, so check the current one, but the practical experience of travelling here is tourist police at the sites and drivers who want to talk politics with you.

"There is nothing to do but look at ruins."

The realityThe country walks: the Jordan Trail runs its whole length, the Mujib gorge is a canyon waded upstream in summer, and Dana descends to Feynan on foot. Aqaba dives Red Sea reefs and a deliberately sunk aircraft. Wadi Rum is climbing, camel work and a night under a sky with no light pollution in it.

Petra and nothing elseEndless sandToo close to the conflictsJust a two-day add-on to another tripCamels everywhereThe Dead Sea is a photo stop

How to fit in

Hospitality is close to obligatory here. Tea or coffee will be offered constantly, and accepting one small cup is the polite move even when you do not want it.
Greet before you ask. A salam alaikum and a moment of small talk before a question is the difference between a transaction and a conversation, and it changes the answer you get.
Dress modestly in towns and at sites: shoulders and knees covered, for everyone. Resorts and hotel pools are the exception, not the rule.
Friday is the prayer day and the start of the weekend. Mornings are quiet, offices are shut, and family lunch takes over the middle of the day.
Ramadan reshapes daylight hours. Eat and drink out of sight during the fast, expect restaurants to open late, and take the invitation if you are asked to an iftar.
Ask before photographing people, especially women and especially in villages. At a Bedouin camp the answer is usually yes, but the asking is the point.
The right hand is the eating hand, and mansaf is eaten from a shared platter. Follow whoever is hosting, and take from the section in front of you.

Famous Jordanian faces

The names behind Jordanian politics, sport, screen and science. Pick a field.

King Abdullah II

King since 1999, and a career army officer before the throne

Queen Rania

Queen consort since 1999, and one of the region’s most visible campaigners on schooling and refugees

King Hussein

King from 1952 until his death in 1999, and the shape of the modern kingdom is largely his

Ahmad Abughaush

Won Jordan’s first Olympic gold, in the men’s 68 kg taekwondo at Rio 2016

Musa Al-Taamari

Winger, and the first Jordanian to play and score in a top-five European league

Naji Abu Nowar

Directed Theeb, the first Jordanian film nominated for an Academy Award

Ibrahim Nasrallah

Palestinian-Jordanian novelist and poet, who won the 2018 International Prize for Arabic Fiction

Mustafa Wahbi Al-Tal

Wrote as Arar, and is read as the national poet

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2014 to 2018, the first Arab and Muslim in the post

Queen Noor

American-born queen consort to King Hussein, and a long-running campaigner on landmines and refugees

Prince Ali bin Hussein

Football administrator, a FIFA vice-president until 2015 and twice a candidate for its presidency

Amer Shafi

Goalkeeper with 171 caps for Jordan between 2002 and 2021, among the most capped keepers in the game

Yazan Al-Naimat

Forward, and a runner-up with Jordan at the 2023 Asian Cup, the country’s best finish

Saba Mubarak

Actress and producer, and one of the best-known Jordanian names in Arabic drama

Amin Matalqa

Directed Captain Abu Raed, the first Jordanian feature in decades and a Sundance audience award winner

Diana Karazon

Singer and presenter, who won the first season of the Arabic SuperStar in 2003

Zade Dirani

Pianist and composer, and a UNICEF goodwill ambassador for the region

Rana Dajani

Molecular biologist, and the founder of the We Love Reading library programme

Fadi Ghandour

Co-founded Aramex in 1982 and listed it on NASDAQ, the first Arab company on an American exchange

Must-try Jordanian food

Lamb, yoghurt and rice at the centre, and a mezze table around it. Pick a category.

Mansaf

Lamb slow-cooked in jameed, a fermented dried yoghurt, poured over rice and flatbread and finished with almonds. The national dish, eaten from a shared platter, and on the UNESCO intangible heritage list since 2022.

Maqluba

Rice, meat and fried aubergine or cauliflower layered in a pot and turned out upside down at the table. The name says exactly that.

Zarb

Bedouin barbecue: lamb or chicken and vegetables lowered into a sand oven and left for hours. What a Wadi Rum camp serves at night.

Makmoura

A layered pastry of chicken, onion, sumac and olive oil from the villages of the north. Cut like a pie, eaten with the fingers.

Rashof

Lentils cooked with cracked wheat and the same fermented yoghurt as mansaf, served with pickles. Winter food, and comfort food.

Galayet bandora

Tomatoes crushed into olive oil with chilli, onion and sometimes a little lamb, cooked hard and scooped up with bread. The dish every Jordanian kitchen makes.

Sayadieh

Fish over rice cooked in caramelised onion and cumin, the standard order in Aqaba. The country’s only coast, and its only real fish tradition.

Hummus

Eaten for breakfast here rather than as a dip, warm, loose, pooled with olive oil, with the bread doing the work.

Fatteh

Torn flatbread under chickpeas and yoghurt, with pine nuts and butter over the top. Filling in a way the menu does not warn you about.

Mutabbal

Aubergine burnt over flame, then worked with tahini, lemon and garlic. Smokier and looser than the baba ghanoush of other countries.

Msakhan

Roast chicken over taboon bread soaked in olive oil, sumac and slow onions. A Levantine dish Jordan cooks as its own.

Falafel

Fried to order from morning until they run out, handed over in paper with pickles and tahini. The cheapest good meal in the country.

Shawarma

Chicken or lamb off the spit, wrapped tight with garlic sauce and pickles. Amman’s late-night default.

Mashawi

The mixed grill: shish taouk, kofta and lamb over coals, arriving with more bread and salad than anyone ordered.

Knafeh nabulsieh

Stretchy white cheese under shredded pastry, soaked in syrup and scattered with pistachio, cut in front of you and eaten hot.

Arabic coffee

Cardamom-heavy, poured from a dallah into a small cup, refilled until you tilt it. Refusing the first cup is the only wrong move.

Shai bi na’na’

Black tea with mint and more sugar than you expect, drunk all day and offered everywhere from a shop counter to a camp fire.

Jordan travel FAQ

How many days do you need in Jordan?+

A week covers the standard loop without rushing: a day in and around Amman, a day north for Jerash and Ajloun, a night on the Dead Sea, two days at Petra, a night in a Wadi Rum camp and a day in Aqaba. Ten days lets you take the King’s Highway slowly, add Dana or the Mujib gorge, and stop driving before dark. Anything under five days means choosing between the north and the south.

Is the Jordan Pass worth buying?+

For most itineraries, yes. It is bought online before arrival, covers entry to Petra and a long list of other sites, and waives the tourist visa fee provided you stay the minimum number of nights it sets. Petra is the biggest single admission on a Jordan itinerary, which is why the pass is the usual choice. Read the conditions on the official site rather than a reseller: the minimum-stay term is the one that decides it, and it must be bought before you land.

When is the best time to visit Jordan?+

Spring and autumn. April, May and October are the months when Petra can be walked all day, Wadi Rum is comfortable after dark and the north is green rather than baked. July and August are severe in the south, where the Dead Sea shore and the desert both sit in genuine heat. Winter is the opposite problem: Amman is over 700 metres up, nights are cold, and snow closes roads in some years. Aqaba stays mild all winter, which is why Jordanians go there in January.

Do you need a car in Jordan?+

Not necessarily, but it changes the trip. There is no passenger rail network, so everything moves by road. JETT coaches link Amman with Petra, Wadi Rum, Aqaba, the Dead Sea and Jerash on a schedule that suits a straightforward loop, and taxis and drivers fill the gaps. A rental car is what makes the King’s Highway worth taking, because the point of that road is stopping at Karak, the Mujib overlook and Dana. Roads are good, signage is bilingual, and the driving is assertive rather than dangerous.

Is Jordan safe to visit?+

Jordan is a stable country and tourism is a core part of its economy, with tourist police stationed at the major sites. Advisories do single out a narrow strip along the Syrian border, and nothing on a normal itinerary goes near it: Petra, Wadi Rum, Aqaba, the Dead Sea and Amman all sit far from any border zone. Regional events have moved advice up and down more than once in recent years, so check your own government’s current advisory before booking rather than trusting a page written earlier.

How long do you need at Petra?+

Two days is the honest answer. Day one is the walk in through the Siq to the Treasury and along the colonnaded street, which is most of the distance people underestimate. Day two is the climb to the Monastery and the high places above the valley, which is where the site stops being a photograph and starts being a city. The Jordan Pass covers multiple days at Petra depending on the tier bought, so the second day is a matter of stamina rather than another admission.

Know before you go

The essentials for planning a Jordan trip.

Currency

Jordanian dinar (JOD)

The dinar divides into 1,000 fils, which is why a price can be written with three decimal places and why a taxi meter reads in numbers that look enormous. Cards work in Amman, the resorts and the big sites; cash is what runs a Bedouin camp, a village restaurant and a roadside stop, so draw more than you think you need before heading south.

Language

Arabic

Modern Standard Arabic is the official language and Jordanian Arabic is what is spoken. English is taught from primary school and is the working language of tourism, so hotels, guides and drivers will meet you in it. Outside those settings a few words go a long way: shukran for thank you, and ahlan wa sahlan is the greeting you will hear more than any other.

Power

230V, 50Hz, mainly Type C, D, F, G and J

Sockets are a mix rather than a standard. European two-pin plugs fit most of the time, British three-pin sockets are common in hotels, and older buildings still carry round-pin variants. A universal adapter settles all of it, and anything rated for 230V needs no converter.

Emergency

911

Jordan runs one unified emergency number for police, ambulance and fire, and it is answered in English as well as Arabic. The Public Security Directorate also fields tourist police at the major sites, which is who to find first at Petra or Jerash if something goes wrong.

Visa

On arrival for most nationalities, or the Jordan Pass

Most visitors are issued a tourist visa at the airport. The Jordan Pass is the alternative worth understanding: bought online before you fly, it bundles entry to Petra and dozens of other sites and waives the tourist visa fee provided you stay the minimum number of nights it specifies. Read that condition on the official page before paying, because it is the term that decides whether the waiver applies to your trip.

Land borders

No visa on arrival at King Hussein Bridge

The three crossings from the west behave differently, and the difference catches people out. The King Hussein Bridge, also called Allenby, does not issue visas on arrival, so anyone entering there needs one already in hand. The northern crossing at Sheikh Hussein and the southern one at Wadi Araba beside Aqaba do issue them. Check the tourism board’s own border page before you plan a crossing, because opening hours and conditions change.

Getting around

Rental car, JETT coaches and taxis

There is no passenger rail network to speak of, so the country moves by road. A rental car is the way to do the King’s Highway, where the point is stopping. JETT runs scheduled coaches from Amman to Petra, Wadi Rum, Aqaba, the Dead Sea and Jerash, and it is comfortable and easy to book. In cities, metered yellow taxis and ride apps both work. Distances are short, but mountain roads take longer than a map suggests.

Tipping

Expected, and modest

Restaurants often add a service charge and a little more on top is normal. Round up for taxis, and tip a guide, a camp host or a driver who has spent the day with you. Nothing here is aggressive about it.

Weekend

Friday and Saturday

The working week runs Sunday to Thursday. Government offices and many businesses close on Friday, which is also the main prayer day, so the morning is quiet and things pick up in the afternoon. Sites and hotels keep their own hours.

Alcohol

Legal, and not everywhere

Jordan is a Muslim country where alcohol is sold legally: hotels, licensed restaurants and liquor shops in Amman, Aqaba and the resort areas all serve it. Smaller towns and conservative neighbourhoods do not, Ramadan changes the picture again, and drinking in public places is not done.

Dress

Cover shoulders and knees in town

Nothing is imposed on visitors, but modest dress is the norm and is noticed. Shoulders and knees covered is the easy rule for towns, villages and sites. Swimwear is fine at Dead Sea and Aqaba resorts and at hotel pools. A scarf is needed for a mosque, and long sleeves are practical in the desert anyway.

Water

One of the driest countries on earth

Jordan is among the most water-scarce countries in the world, and it shows in how water is used: tanks on every roof, supply delivered to homes on a weekly schedule. Tap water is chlorinated but most people drink filtered or bottled. Take short showers, and carry a refillable bottle rather than buying a case.

Heat and sun

Desert extremes, both ways

Summer in Wadi Rum, Aqaba and along the Dead Sea is genuinely severe, and the Dead Sea shore sits so far below sea level that the air is heavier and hotter than the forecast reads. The other half surprises people: Amman is over 700 metres up, winter nights are cold and snow closes roads some years. Pack for both.

When to visit Jordan

Two shoulder seasons carry the year: spring for green hills, autumn for a walkable desert.

Full month guide →

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Best: April, May and October, when the desert is walkable all day Peak: December, when the holidays fill Petra and the Dead Sea hotels Good: March, June, September and November, hot or cool at the edges but workable Hardest: July and August in the south, January and February in the northern cold

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