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From deserts to mountains, forests, and canyons, Jordan is a magnificent splendour. The country is endowed with unique landscapes, historical and archaeological marvels, dazzling rose-red sandstone rock facades, red & dead sea, and amazing beach hotels {with great hospitality}. Driving is easy and one of the best ways to explore this beautiful country.
Our Jordan itinerary: Where to go in Jordan?
Amman, Petra, Aqaba, and Wadi Rum are must-visits when you are in Jordan. Your trip must include atleast one night in one of the dead sea resorts. Also, if you are planning a trip to Jordan for more than 3 days, getting a Jordan Pass is a good idea (more about it below).
Our trip to Jordan started from Amman where we stayed for two nights before driving down to Petra. "The Lost City" of Petra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is just a two-hour drive from Amman.
Our stay in Petra was in the Luxotel Bubble Hotel in Wadi Musa. It was an interesting experience for my friends who were staying in a bubble hotel for the first time. For me, I would say I've seen better bubble options. It was an expansive room, but it had really tiny inconvenient bathrooms. However, the service was good and the residing chef was amazing - he prepared vegan and even Jain meals on request.
On the day we arrived, we enjoyed the sunset view from our hotel and took a dip in the jacuzzi, gazing the stars. Next day, we started the day early to explore the wonder of the world!
There are two ways to enter Petra:
- The front entrance – about 4.5 kms to get to the Treasury and further ahead 2-3 kms for more sites
- The back entrance from Little Petra – about 13 kms total. A longer hike but an incredible way to see Petra
Be prepared for a long walk to explore the ancient city of Petra. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes and carry your own water. Please do not engage in animal cruelty by taking camel or donkey rides.
We could not take the Petra by night experience, which looks magnificent because they don't have night tours on weekends. So if you are planning Petra, you must know that Petra By Night runs only on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and starts at 8:30pm, so plan your trip accordingly.
After two nights in Petra, we drove to the beautiful coastal town of Aqaba. We stayed in Al Manara Saraya Aqaba hotel by Marriott and loved everything about the stay. Set on the red sea, it was a beautiful luxury hotel with expansive rooms and attentive staff. The service was amazing and their staff was very warm and friendly.
We did a day trip to Wadi Rum from Aqaba, which was the easiest way to travel. It took us a little over an hour (75 km). However, we booked a Jeep tour with a local guide from Wadi Rum, which is the best way to explore this beautiful mysterious desert with spectacular landscape of dramatic sandstone cliffs.
With its reddish sand and rose-red mountains Wadi Rum looks like the arid and red surface of Mars. No wonder Wadi Rum is a Hollywood favorite for films set on the red planet. In fact, many popular Hollywood films have been shot here including The Martian (2015), The Last Days on Mars (2013), Red Planet (2000), Mission to Mars (2000), Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Aladdin (2019).
While we chose to do a day trip to Wadi Rum, you can also choose to stay a night or two in one of the desert bubble hotels or glamp-tents. Star gazing is really popular in Wadi Rum and if you love hiking you'll love it!.
Things you must do in Jordan
- 🏝We floated in the Dead Sea (an epic experience), slathered ourselves with black mud mask,
- 🏜explored the ancient city of Petra (part of 7 new wonders of the world),
- 🐪 experienced the incredible landscapes of Wadi Rum
- 🌱 enjoyed the delicious vegan food customised by hotel chefs and
- 🌴 had a blast in the ocean city of Aqaba and picked some Jordanian dates and the brown Jordanian Zaatar from the local market.
What is Jordan Pass and Do You Need It?
Part of the Jordan government tourism scheme, the Jordan Pass package combines a tourist visa with admission to about 40 tourist sites across the country for a discounted price.
It exempts you from paying tourist visa fees (but does not exempt you from a visa) and is a no-brainer if you are traveling for more than 3 days. The pass needs to be purchased online in advance of your arrival in Jordan in order to realise the savings available. Once you make the payment and purchase the pass, you’ll receive your downloadable Jordan Pass via e-mail. Take a print-out of the pass; this is all you need to show to enter each included tourist attraction.
Is Jordan vegan-friendly?
Amman surprisingly has a few 100% vegan restaurants and one is also located in the dead-sea area. Our lunch in Amman was at the vegan restaurant Bayt Sara run by Sara who is a vegan activist in the city and is really friendly and warm. Our dinner was at V-Spectrum Kicthen, a tiny cute cafe with a small menu. The salad was a miss here, but you can try other hot meals. If you're in the mood for hummus and falafel you should visit Al Quds Falafel (vegetarian).
We could not find any vegan places outside of Amman. However, if you are staying in good hotel chains, they all cater to vegan and even Jain vegan food on request. You just need to give them a heads-up in advance.
If you can't find anything, they have really amazing fresh produce in Jordan. This along with their delicious olives and zaatar and you can make your own salads!
What is a good time to travel to Jordan
We went in first week of October and it was slightly warm. Hot sunny days but with cool breeze. If you want to avoid the sun, the second week of October is a good time to travel. Spring time, i.e. March-May is also a good time to travel here.
June and August are summer months in Jordan and are insanely hot and dry. The temperature can easily rise up to 40 degrees, so avoid travel during this period.
From November to February, the country receives a great deal of cold and cloudy days. It even rains, snows, and has sleet and hail on occasion. They even shut down Petra if there is any risk of flood, so check weather conditions and warnings if you are planning in winter.
Here are a few key takeaways from the trip:
✨ Shrouded in mystery and intrigue, the rose city of Petra was truly a delight. This spectacular rock-carved ancient city with its archaeological treasures is also one of the seven wonders of the new world that you should visit mindfully.
🐫 Don’t be a part of animal cruelty, which is part of the travel experiences of Jordan. Be prepared for walks and trails to explore Petra.
🌇The capital city of Amman is set on mountains, making the uphill-downhill drive in the city really fun. Take a trip to Rome from Amman by visiting the Citadel (Roman ruins) and Roman Theater- its great for history buffs and perfect backdrop for pictures for Instagrammers. Here's your guide to spending 24hrs in Amman.
♻️Carry your own reusable filtration water bottle as tap water is not drinkable in Jordan. We requested at every hotel to provide us the filtered water but they could only give us bottled water. Environmental education and recycling facilities are scarce in Jordan, so you will have to travel mindfully with a little extra effort. I carried my own reusable straw and cutlery {fortunately} and requested to refill my water bottle from the 16-liter refillable mineral water dispenser wherever possible.
🏜 Watching the sunset in the beautiful Wadi Rum desert is magical. A day trip with a Bedouin guide is highly recommended. Even camping there overnight is a good idea.
🗯️ Bubble hotel in the desert is a truly unique experience that we enjoyed, including the star gazing from our bed. They have great options in Petra and Wadi Rum. We stayed at Petra Bubble Luxotel Hotel.
🏝 Make sure to visit the beautiful coastal Aqaba city with the Red Sea. This hidden gem with beautiful beaches and amazing hotels is perfect to unplug & chill! 
🌊 When in Jordan you must visit the Dead Sea with its miraculous healing properties! Floating in the dead sea is a unique experience that I highly recommend (atleast once in a lifetime). But did you know the DeadSea is depleting? So, make it happen now!
🌱Traveling vegan in Jordan is easy. Amman & Dead Sea have #vegan restaurants, and in other places most chefs understand and cater to vegan diets (they did Jain and vegan for us). Veganising many Jordanian dishes is pretty easy too!
🌵Load up on the yummy zaatar powder from Jordan before you leave (and their delicious medjool dates).
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