Things to do in Jordan: a 3-day guide
29 august, 2022 / Jordan
Are there many things to do in Jordan in 3 days? To tell the truth with a good organization you can see a lot of things like Wadi Rum, Petra, Amman, Jerash and Ajlun Castle.
Since we decided to visit Israel in 2019, this gave us the opportunity to extend the trip to see Jordan by a few days. Will three days be enough? What makes the trip unique for me is not the quantity, but the quality of the days you spend in a place.
At the end of the trip, we brought inside the beauty, the colors, the smells, the history that you breathe in the air and above all the great Jordanian hospitality. But also the life of the Bedouins far from the world, locked up in a reality very different from ours and sometimes incomprehensible to us. And we will not forget the story of our driver, that of a Palestinian refugee in Jordan, who still struggles to face reality and tries to reinvent himself for a better life, which can be a lesson for his children.
PERIOD
March 12 – 15, 2019
Considering we were in the low season in Wadi Rum the weather was spectacular. In Petra, hot but cloudy. While in Amman, Jerash and Ajlun Castle we found cold weather, fog and a lot of rain.
FLIGHTS
ONE WAY with Alitalia / Florence – Rome – Tel Aviv
Border Eilat (Yitzhak Rabin) (Israel) – Aqaba (Jordan). After visiting Israel we crossed over to Jordan country by land. An Israel taxi driver took us to the border and left us in front.
RETURN with Alitalia / Amman (Regina Alia International Airport) – Rome – Florence
Eilat border (Yitzhak Rabin) / Sun-Thu 06:30-20:00, Fri-Sat 08:00-20:00. Closed on the day of Yom Kippur and the first day of the Muslim New Year / Transport: taxi or public bus no. 390, 444 (they stop after the intersection of Route 90 and Route 109 and from there in less than 5 minutes on foot).
VISA
With the JORDAN PASS, the entry visa to the country is issued at no cost.
INSURANCE
For ours 3 days travel we choose Axa Travel insurance Assistance. Company chosen for its good prices and for its name which is always a guarantee.
day 1
Things to do in Jordan: Wadi Rum
TRIP: Eilat Wadi Arab border – Wadi Rum village 75.9 km / NIGHT: Wadi Rum
Once we crossed the border and met our driver, we went to Aqaba to withdraw money because is not possible to do it in Wadi Rum. Remember to enable your credit cards before leaving, so avoid doing it like us on the spot, using our driver’s internet.
Before you go to Wadi Rum you must to stop to Wadi Rum Visitor Center to pay the entrance fee or to validate the Jordan Pass.
After booking your accommodation in the desert, make an agreement with your camp, because they usually come to pick you up at the village. In our case it was our driver who took care of everything.
Wadi Rum Desert, a must in Things to do in Jordan
We dedicated the afternoon to the 4 × 4 desert TOUR, organized by our camp. Omar was our guide and with him we saw the Little Bridge, the rock carvings, the house of Lawrence of Arabia, Jebel Burdah and Burdah Bridge, the red dune, Khazali Canyon, Um Frouth Rock Bridge. He also allowed us to interact with his camels by feeding them and take them a lots of photos. The tour was longer than expected and ended after dark.
The evening ended in the main tent, around the fire, enjoying the buffet dinner and talking with the other guests and the Bedouins. I couldn’t see the Milky Way because the sky was cloudy.
Tip:
In Wadi Rum forget the phone signal and remember that at a certain hour the electric power is disconnected.
Useful Info:
Wadi Rum / Price: 5 JOD / pers. (free with Jordan Pass) / Location Wadi Rum Visitor Center: See Google Maps / Wadi Rum website
day 2
Things to do in Jordan: Petra, Amman
TRIP: Wadi Rum – Petra 112 km (along the Kings road); Petra – Amman 240 km (along Desert Highway) / NIGHT: Amman
In the morning Omar accompanied us to the village, were we meet our driver wich drive us to Wadi Musa, the access point to visit the archaeological site of Petra.
Petra, a must in things to do in Jordan
The entrance to Petra is through the Petra Visitor Center where tickets are purchased or, as in our case, the Jordan Pass is stamped. Petra is a very huge archaeological site with several trails to explore it.
We choosed the classic trail towards the Ad-Deir Monastery, passing by the Treasury, 10.5 km in about 5 hours. The trail is quite easy, if you do not consider the 850 steps that arrive to the monastery, but in the top you are rewarded by a beautiful view.
After visiting Petra we went directly to Amman.
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan, a huge city, very messed up, lots of traffic, horns, noise. With little shops and people everywhere. Still, overall a pretty interesting find.
Info utili:
Petra / Nov-Apr 07:00-18:00; Apr-May 06:00-18:00; Jun-Oct 06:00-18:30; Ramadan 07:00-16:00 / Price: see here (free with Jordan Pass) / Location: See Google Maps / Petra website
day 3
Things to do in Jordan: Ajlun Castle, Jerash, Amman
TRIP: Amman – Ajlun Castle 75.2 km, Ajlun-Jerash Castle 24.7 km, Jerash-Amman 53.1 km / NIGHT: Amman
Ajlun Castle
The castle was the first visit of the day. Unfortunately, at the time of the visit the castle was literally shrouded in fog and therefore we were unable to enjoy the view around. The visit was short because several areas could not be visited.
Jerash, a must in things to do in Jordan
Then we continued towards the archaeological site of Jerash, one of the best preserved Roman sites abroad. Jerash is not just a site, but an open-air museum. To see everything (site, museum and the souk at the entrance) it took us about two and a half hours.
Useful info:
Ajlun Castle / Jan-March 08:00-17:30; Apr-15 May 08:00-19:00; 16 May-Aug 08:00-20:00; Sep-Oct 08:00-18:00; Nov-Dec 08:00-17:00; Ramadan: 08:00-15:30 / Price: 3 JOD (free with Jordan Pass) / pers. / Location: See Google Maps
Jerash archaeological site / Jan-March 08:00-17:30; Apr-15 May 08: 00-19:00; 16 May-Aug 08:00-20:00; Sep-Oct 08:00-18:30; Nov-Dec 08:00-17:00; Ramadan: 08:00-15:30 / Price: 10 JOD / pers. (free with Jordan Pass) / Location: See Google Maps
Back in Amman, despite the rain we saw:
Citadel
The Citadel, the symbol of the city, is an archaeological site, where you can find some ruins from the Bronze Age. We were fascinated by the Temple and the Hand of Hercules, the Byzantine Church and the beautiful view over the city.
Roman amphitheater
The Roman Amphitheater is excavated on one of the many hills of the city and is very impressive for its size. Inside there are also the Folklore Museum and the Museum of Popular Traditions (not visited by us). The Forum is also a meeting point for the locals.
The day ended in Amman Downtown, the pulsating part of the city, admiring small shops, doing shopping, smelling perfumes and spices.
Useful info:
- Cittadella / Nov-Apr 08:00-16:00; Apr-May 08:00-17:30; Jun-Oct 08:00-18:30; Ramadan: 08:00-15:30 / Price: 3 JOD / pers. (free with Jordan Pass) / Location: See Google Maps
- Roman Amphitheater / Nov-Apr 08:00-16:00; Apr-May 08:00-17:30; Jun-Oct 08:00-18:30; Ramadan: 08:00-15:30 / Price: 2 JOD / pers. (free with Jordan Pass) / Location: See Google Maps
How to visit Jordan
Because we had chosen different things to do in Jordan, to maximize the times we preferred to hire a driver (Mohammad). This because we preferred to have someone at our disposal for 4 days, who would also pick us up at the border and take us to the airport on our last day.
Where to stay
Milky Way Ecolodge Camp / Wadi Rum / 1 night
Our private tent only had a bed covered with a mountain of blankets and 2 clothes hangers. The toilets and main tent were just a few meters far away from our tent. Meals for a fee, except breakfast included in the price of the tent. We also did the private desert pick-up tour with them.
Amman Pasha Hotel / Amman / 2 nights
The Hotel is located in the center, near the Roman Amphitheater. A little spartan place but which still reserves a certain charm. Ask for a room with a view of the amphitheater and don’t forget to visit the terrace located on the top floor for an excellent view of the city. They organize several tours. In the room Wi-Fi for a fee, free at the reception.
Where to eat
Milky Way Ecolodge Camp / Wadi Rum
Even if i have some intolerances, I had no problems with the dinner. I enjoyed an excellent risotto with vegetables, salad and pickles. At breakfast, i prefer to eat my supplies of biscuits because the choice consisted in a lot of dairy products, cold cuts and hard-boiled eggs. Fortunately, there was also excellent tea and jam.
Bring water or at least make sure you can buy it there. Drink only bottled water.
This restaurant belongs to the hotel where we stayed and was a fixed stop for the time spent in Amman. The menu is suitable for everyone with a great choice for vegans and gluten intolerant. Very good and typical food. But celiacs pay attention to the menu because often not all the ingredients are written. Unfortunately, only one waiter is well trained and I had some problems with the others. But I have to say they sometimes had gluten-free bread as well.
How much does it cost 3 days in Jordan
The cost of 2 people in Jordan for 4 days and 3 nights was 775.92 JOD (€ 958.26). To this must be added the price of the flight which was € 740.78 / 2 pers. (Florence – Tel Aviv – Amman – Florence) and Travel Insurance of € 76.60 / 2 pers..
Car with driver for 4 days – 330 JOD / car
1 night in Wadi Rum (dinner, breakfast included) – 65 JOD
2 nights in Amman (including breakfast) – 67.65 JOD
Private desert tour on pickup – 70 JOD / car
Jordan Pass – 140 JOD / 2 pers.
Food – 61.77 JOD
Souvenirs – 31.50 JOD
ATM fee for 2 withdrawals – 10 JOD
Things to do in Jordan if you have more than 3 days
- If you feel like a real Indiana Gio and you love hiking, you have to see Little Petra, Wadi Mujib or Biosfera Dana.
- Otherwise, if you want to do things more calmly, visit the ruins of the many castles scattered around Jordan or the city of Madaba.
- For lovers of history and religion there is the archaeological site al-Maghtas (baptismal site belonging to Unesco).
- And if you want to relax, you can do it either on the beach of the Dead Sea or at the thermal springs of Ma’In, known since ancient times and set among the rocks of the canyon.
Last update: august, 2022