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Jordan Itinerary Help

Posted by (Portland, OR) on

My husband and I are planning a week in Jordan and have a few questions about how to travel on a budget without a tour group.

We are going to stay in Amman with my husband’s grandmother and would like to explore Jordan on our own without inconveniencing her. My husband visited Jordan once as a small child but is not much help to my travel plans.

1) We arrive in Amman late at night. I assume we will take a taxi from the airport to his grandmother’s home because I do not wish to ask a grandmother to be driving late at night. How much are airport taxis? Are they reliable?

2) We would like to spend two nights at a Bedouin Camp outside Petra. We are most interested in the Seven Wonders Camp. Is the following plan realistic?
a. Take the Jett Bus from Amman to Petra.

b. The first afternoon, explore the area, hike to little Petra and at night eat a traditional Bedouin dinner at the camp.

c. The next morning eat breakfast at the camp and take the back entrance to Petra (4hr hike with a Bedouin guide). That night (Wednesday) see Petra by night. (Is this too much for one day? My husband and I are in good shape and hike a lot.) Take a bus back to the camp at the end of the night.

d. On the third day take the evening Jett Bus back to Amman.

i. Suggestions for how to spend the last day before our bus departs?

e. Is there a better way to organize these three days around Petra?

3) I read that on Friday you can take the Jett Bus round trip from Amman to the Dead Sea.

a. Is this the most affordable option?

b. Is the Amman Tourist Beach the best option for a day trip?

c. 20JD/person for a shower? Are there other facilities to chose from?

d. Is it worth spending the day at the Dead Sea or should I look into nearby sights?

4) After Petra and the Dead Sea we have 3 days in Amman in which we will want to spend time with his grandmother.

a. I imagine we will explore the historic center of Amman, shop, and day trip to Jerash.

b. To get to Jerash, take a taxi to the Tababour Bus Station hub?

I appreciate any and all input. This itinerary is confusing for me as it is my first trip outside of the US and Europe and I am sorely missing my Rick Steves Guides!

Posted by
1609 posts

I can only answer some questions and make some suggestions.

First, get the Lonely Planet guidebook - I ran a quick check and a brand new edition came out about a month ago. It will give you a lot of information which will be fairly recent.

Checkout the Thorntree forum on the LP site if you haven't already done so - you will get a lot more upto date information.

Some suggestions - based on my travels to Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, etc about 6-7 years ago.
- Consider hiring taxis v/s taking the bus - I didn't find them very expensive and you can set the agenda
- You may want to consider a day trip to Madaba, Mt. Nebo, Bethany on the Jordan, and the Dead Sea - easiest to hire a cab - this will probably only take 4-6 hrs. We had based ourselves at Madaba (which is only about an hr out of Amman) and did this as an afternoon trip. For the dead sea, I chose to follow the LP guidebook and chose a spot where the locals went to swim. Didn't have to pay a fee - but do take your own towels - this was next to where a hot springs flows out of the ground so easy way to wash off the salt before heading back to Amman.

Your day at Petra maybe exhausting - it is a very large area and can be very hot with little shade in the middle of the day. If you were planning on going back to camp to rest in the afternoon and then returning in the evening I would say it is doable.

Getting to Petra - again, consider a cab - take the Kings Highway (v/s the Desert H'way) - and stop at Kerak castle and possible other spots along the way.

When we went, we choose to visit Wadi Rum (hour or more south of Petra and camped out in the desert for one night with the Bedouins. From there, we went South and then crossed into Israel. Hence, we spent 1 night in Madaba, 2 in Petra (1 full day to see the site), left in the morning and went to Wadi Rum and spent 1 night in the desert.

I wish I had time to see Jerash but we had to skip it.

Posted by
2 posts

Arnold,

I really appreciate your reply!

Thanks for the Lonely Planet suggestion. I just picked up a Rough Guide at a local bookstore and was completely underwhelmed by the information. Ordering the Lonely Planet now. And I’m not familiar with LP’s travel forum. Will look into that as well.

You’ve given me a lot to think about and I am very grateful for the direction.

Thank you!!!

Posted by
15794 posts

When are you going? Weather is all-important.

The Dead Sea is an experience, but not as a beach. After floating for 15 minutes in the water, there's not much else. If you do it, be sure to go to a location that has facilities. A friend told me she and her boyfriend spent a very uncomfortable couple of hours after they got out of the water. It was hot, they were covered in salt, and there was nowhere to shower off and put clothes back on. A spa experience can be lovely, mud bath, massage, etc.

If you want beach time, go to Aqaba for a night. It's a couple hours drive south from Petra - or you could visit lovely Wadi Rum on the way with a jeep tour.

Some evenings Petra is open. I was sorry not to have been there for one of them. It sounds beautiful. Try to time your stay to visit during the evening as well.

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