Jordan is an absolute hospitable and one of the must visit places in Middle-East. The ideal travel itinerary in our opinion would be a 9- 10 day one as there is so much to see and so many activities to do and the best way to explore Jordan would be self-driving through its breath-taking landscapes.
Are you concerned about how safe is Jordan and otherย planning requirement for travel to Jordan ? Read our ultimate travel-guide on Jordan to get answers on all possible things you need to plan this trip.
We landed at Queen Alia International airport, took the car that we had pre- booked and self-drove, exploring Jordan for the next 9 days !!
Day one: Bangalore - Bahrain-Amman
Stay: Airbnb Jordan University
- Bangalore โ Bahrain : To travel to Jordan, there are no direct flights from Bangalore to Amman. We flew in Gulf Air to reach Amman via Bahrain. The flight time from Bangalore to Bahrain was 4 hr 40mins.
- Bahrain โ Amman :ย After a brief layover of 2.5 hours at Bahrain, we reached Amman at around 12.30 pm Jordan time.ย We landed at Queen Alia International airport, took the car that we had pre- booked with Auto Nation and self-drove, exploring Jordan for the next 9 days!ย
- Time Zoneย : Jordan runs around 2.5 hours behind IST
Exploring Amman
- After reaching to our AirBnB, we decided to explore the capital city of Amman post lunch. Since the time difference is not much, you can actually plan your travel to Jordan very conveniently without losing a day due to time difference.
- We covered the famous Citadel and the Roman theatre on our first day and had some authentic Jordanian cuisine in downtown Amman.
The citadel:
Located at the centre of downtown Amman, the citadel is perched on top of Jebel Al Qalaโ, Ammanโs highest hilltop. The site is of high historical importance as it has evidences of hosting mankindโs earliest of civilizations, the ruins of which can still be found there. The Major attraction at the Amman Citadel is the Temple of Hercules and the Umayyad Palace.
Roman Theatre:
A 20-minute walk down from the citadel brings you to this impressive roman ruin built around the 2nd century AD. Used for community gathering during the ancient roman era, the theatre is an example of beautiful roman architecture.
It is recommended to spend some time with the Amphitheatre to soak in the culture.
#TEE Tip:ย Although we had pre- booked a car for ourselves but we did not drove to the citadel as it is in Downtown Amman which is a little crowded. 4 wheelers in Jordan are left handed and you may need some time and most importantly an open road to get accustomed to left hand driving. You can easily get an Uber.
Downtown Amman is the best place to get a taste of authentic Jordanian cuisines. Make sure to walk through the alleys to get a feel of the Jordanian culture up so close.
Day two: The lost city of Petra
- A good pair of hiking shoes, sunscreen, cap and water bottle were our best friends for the next two days as we explored the famous lost city of Petra
- Petra is huge! Itโs a 2000-year-old lost city after all. Technically, exploring the entire city can take up to a week, however we decided to dedicate 2 full days to Petra exploring the main trail and the Al โ khubtha trail.
First day in Petra
- The first thing you visit before you enter Petra is the Petra museum. A 40 โ 45-minute walk through the museum gives you a brief history of this city. The museum itself is technologically very interactive and history is presented very lucidly here
- There are different trails through which one explores Petra and we covered the 8km long Main Trail on the first day
- We walked through 2.5 kilometre long Siq after entering Petra. At the end of the Siq, you get to tick off your long-time bucket list wishe โ The famous Treasury. After that, we Continued our walk upto the Al- deir monastery, came back the same route and called it a day.
- We reached Petra around 1 pm in the afternoon and left late evening around 5 pm this day. Even though the sun has started to set, the best part was we got the Treasury to ourselves while our way back to the entry gate as by evening the crowd had subdued
- The other thing we felt is that the Monastery is more beautiful and less crowded than Treasury. It looks breathtaking during the sunset.ย
Day three: Another day exploring Petra
- We left for Petra after a good breakfast around 9 am
- Day two in Petra was all about getting different views of The Treasury and the entire city following the Al โ Khubtha trail and High Place of Sacrifice
- The Al khubtha is a 3.5km long but a tough trail considering the amount of hike you have to do. It gives you stunning views of the entire city and most importantly gives you the one of the most Instagrammable picture of the Treasury โ from the top
- Al Khubtha also offers you with visual treats of the different Royal tombs like the Corinthian tomb, Unayshu Tomb, Silk Tomb, Urn Tomb etc.
- It’s best to cover this trail in the early hours of the day as it becomes tough to hike with the sun shining with all its might
- An early morning start and you are all set to finish off this trail by early afternoon
- High Place of Sacrifice trail is advised to cover during sunset, otherwise the hike doesn’t offer much if you have already done Al-Khubtha trail
#TEE Tip:ย Petra entry fees and stay options are costly! The best budget trip tip would be to book a stay in Wadi Musa which is just a km walk from Petra. There are a lot of budget hotels in Wadi Musa which serves amazing complimentary breakfast as well.
And don’t miss Jordan Pass. It is going to save you a lot in Jordan, specially in Petra. Read everything about Jordan Pass here
Day four: Wadi Rum - a place like no other
Stay: Umm Sabatah Camp
We left for Wadi rum after a good breakfast from Petra
- Around 100kms from Petra, we took about an hour to reach this red planet as we would call it. Your travel to Jordan would be incomplete if you miss this place
- Kings highway and the windmills on the way offered a spectacular scenic drive as we awed upon the approaching desert landscape
- We spent the entire day touring the vast stretch of the desert which literally gives you a feel of roaming around in a different planet. Huge sand dunes, natural rock bridges, ancient rock carvings, ruins and Wadi Rum was an altogether different experience
- Wadi rum is the home of the Bedouins โ Jordanโs earliest known settlers, known for living a nomadic lifestyle and out of the box hospitality. We camped overnight at a Bedouin camp witnessing the Bedouin life up so close. A Bedouin tea is a must have when camping at Wadi rum
- Last but not the least โ Nothing can beat the feel of lying down and watching the sun setting far behind the Rocky Mountains and millions of stars slowly twinkling and lighting up the entire valley. If you are an early morning person, get up to catch the sunrise as well. We enjoyed both sunrise and sunset and made the most out of our camping experience
#TEE Tip: Although Wadi rum can be toured in a dayโs time and you can actually head to your next destination the same day but it is highly advisable to camp overnight. There is no place else in Jordan where you will enjoy authentic Bedouin hospitality along with the most beautiful sunset and sunrise in the entire country. It is one of a kind experience.
Day five: Aqaba and diving in red sea
Stay: Aqaba Adventure Divers
To everyone who thinks travelling to Jordan is about hiking and trekking, this is your answer
โข Diving in the red sea was one of our most awaited activity from the 9 day itinerary.
โข We left Wadi Rum in the morning after breakfast and after an hour or so drive, reached Aqaba Adventure Divers where we had booked our stay and our dive
โข As you leave Wadi Rum and approach Aqaba, you see a beautiful change in landscape from orange to soothing blue. 6 โ 7 kms before Aqaba, you get the view of the red sea which makes the drive an absolute visual treat.
โข There are multiple dive spots .We did the dive at cedar pride and saw some beautiful corals and colourful fishes during our dive.
#TEE Tip:ย Diving in red sea doesnโt require certification however it does require a little understanding regarding the usage of the diving equipment. The key here is to remain calm and composed. Not tough, but a little presence of mind will help you get once in a life time experience. Guides of Aqaba Adventure Divers will make sure you have an awesome dive and they literally handhold you if you are a first timer under water.
Day six: Aqaba to Madaba via Wadi Mujib
Stay: Madaba Hotel
Wadi Mujib was one of the best experience we had in our entire Jordan Trip
โข A river canyon hike through tall siq trail, wadi Mujib was thrilling and absolute fun.
โข We left Aqaba in the morning and reached Wadi Mujib after a 3-hour long drive through beautiful King’s Highway !!
We parked the car outside Wadi Mujib, rented water hiking shoes, one water proof bag for keeping our personal belongings and went on for one of the most amazing adventure hike
โข We hiked through long siq trails, through sandstone rocks up to a beautiful waterfall in the middle of nowhere. The water level at the entrance is quite low but rises up to the waist level at some places. There are fixed ropes in such places which are used to cross the current.
โข You can also hire a guide to take your through the hike as water level at some places are high and one might require assistance to battle the current. However, we chose to hike all the way to the waterfall ourselves.
#TEE Tip:ย If you are road tripping across Jordan, be very sure to enter โMujib Chaletsโ in your GPS to reach the entry point. It is just opposite to the entrance of Wadi Mujib. Putting just โWadi Mujibโ will take you to the top of the waterfall which is a total detour from the entrance ofย Wadi Mujib.
Day seven: Mount Nebo & Dead Sea
Stay: Airbnb Jordan University
We planned to explore Mount Nebo and dead sea and return to Amman on the same day.
- Mount Nebo is the place from where Moses was shown the promised land which is present day Israel. Approx. 700 meters above sea level, the elevated ridge gives a complete view of the holy land along with river Jordan at one side
- There were a couple of churches and the baptism site in Madaba which we had earlier planned to visit but the entrance fees to these sites were quite high and also exploring all these places would have taken at least half a day. Since we had to return to Amman the same evening, we decided to cover Mount Nebo and directly went to the Dead sea.
- The highlight of any Jordan trip – floating in the dead sea. Mud mask and floating in the sea โ A complete dream come true moment it was
- We had the time of our lives floating in dead sea and drove back to Amman the same evening.
#TEE Tip:ย See if you can arrange for a private beach access for Dead sea. We had a day access to the private beach of Ramada Resort arranged by the owner at Madaba Hotel, for a minimal cost. Private beach access gives you all the time you need with the dead sea with almost no crowd, arrangements such as mud masks, shower facilities and the sea.
Day eight: Historic ruins of Jerash
Stay: Airbnb Jordan University
- Day eight was our final day in Amman and in Jordan. We decided to visit Jerash โ The ancient city boasting great roman architectural ruins. Located about 50kms from Amman, Jerash is the best place to witness remains of the roman era
- We came back to downtown Amman and cherished the look and feel of this amazing place one last time before we left Jordan. Walking by the rainbow street in downtown Amman, the blend of the east and west was very much visible.
Day nine: leaving this beautiful country
Left our Airbnb early in the morning and drove to the car station where we dropped our car and they dropped us to the airport.
Had a 9 am flight from Amman to Bangalore via Bahrain โ the same route that we took for flying to Jordan. Had 4-hour layover at Bahrain and finally boarded our flight back home for Bangalore.
Our travel to Jordan was months of planning, days of excitement, one week of thrill and lifetime of memories, The experience was truly overwhelming and memorable!
Want us to help you plan Jordan? We would love to!!!
Follow us on Instagram to directly connect!
