Finally JORDAN!! The very first question people ask us-how did you find Jordan? Well Jordan was always one of our bucket listed country and the time we spent there was absolutely amazing. Right from the people we met, the food we ate for the first time, the sunrise and sunset we saw definitely left us amazed in every aspect. Read the detailed Jordan Travel blog till the end, go through the pictures and decide for yourself what you feel about visiting Jordan. With beautiful cobbled streets, deserted scenery, fascinating archaeological sites, cities which remained hidden in a valley surrounded by desert and mountains, delicious food and lot more… Jordan should be one of the top destinations in the Middle East. So if you are looking for ultimate Jordan Travel Guide and places to visit in Jordan for your next trip follow our Jordan Itinerary 10 days in Jordan below and explore the best this country has in store for you!
Our Jordan Itinerary 10 days
- Day 1: Arrive in Amman
- Day 2: Explore the city of Amman and day trip to Jerash
- Day 3: Mount Nebo, Madaba and Al Karak and Petra By Night
- Day 4: Petra
- Day 5: Little Petra & Wadi Rum
- Day 6: Wadi Rum
- Day 7: Aqaba( Red Sea)
- Day 8: Aqaba( Red Sea)
- Day 9: Dead Sea via Wadi al Mujib
- Day 10: Dead Sea and fly back home
Things to know before you go to Jordan : Jordan Itinerary 10 days
Best time to visit Jordan : Jordan Itinerary 10 days
Usually The best times to visit Jordan are during spring (March to May)or autumn(September to November). But we took a chance visiting in the month of February which is the winter( December – February). It was relatively colder yet manageable. We packed few layers of woolens and were good to go, didn’t feel we were in Iceland honestly. However nights were cooler but the days were bright and warm.
Note: Winter is the off season in Jordan and you won’t find too many visitors there. So the deals you get with hotels and airfares are comparatively cheaper. In addition you find most of the touristy places empty and all for yourself to click some of the best pictures for your Instagram feed.
Is Jordan safe? : Jordan Itinerary 10 days
Answer is: yes, absolutely.
Jordan borders Syria and Iraq, probably the two most antagonized countries but, Jordan itself has always been a peaceful nation and we didn’t feel unsafe or uncomfortable for a single moment. The people are so friendly and polite they helped us with everything possible they could.
You might find some vendors pitching you multiple times to sell their products, avoid them softly just by saying Shukran (meaning thank you) if you don’t wish to buy anything from them and they are not harmful in anyway. We found people some people answering so rudely to the vendors and that wasn’t polite in our vision.
How to get Jordan travel pass? : Jordan Itinerary 10 days
You can get your Jordan pass before arrival which is really well designed for the visitors. Having this pass means that you have pre-booked most of your entry fees for over 40 Jordan attractions.
It would costs 70/75/80 JD(per person) and depending on the days you want to visit Petra. It gives you the ability to visit the top sights and attractions saving time, money and efforts. It also includes the visa fee, while you don’t have to wait in the queue at the airport, hence making the experience hassle free.
You can get the Jordan travel pass packages from the link here.
How to get Jordan Visa
Jordan offers Visa on Arrival facility to many countries including India. Check the comprehensive list of countries here. Moreover if your country is part of Visa on Arrival list then buying a Jordan Pass is highly recommended as Jordan Pass would cover visa on arrival cost.
Buy a prepaid SIM card at the airport itself : Jordan Itinerary 10 days
On arrival we purchased a SIM card so that we can easily get in touch with our pick-up cabs and hotels. Zain is the major telco in Jordan. We recharged with 30GB internet pack, 30min of international call, local free incoming calls and SMS for 17 Jordan Dinar which was valid for a month. You can also check their price list as per your requirements and number of days you are staying.
Language in Jordan : Jordan Itinerary 10 days
Communication isn’t a big problem here, as most of the people speaks and understand English. But there are some areas or occasions where you might not to able to make people understand things you want, as it happened with us multiple times. So we kept our phone handy and used google translator whenever required.
What should you wear in Jordan? : Jordan Itinerary 10 days
We felt Jordan is a very liberal country, from other middle eastern countries we visited, in terms of women apparels. We would still suggest to be respectful towards their culture and dress modestly and avoid showing too much of skin in public areas. You don’t have to cover up from head to toe, and on the beach you can surely flaunt your best bikinis.
How to hire a car in Jordan? : Jordan Itinerary 10 days
You can pre-book a self driving car before arrival and collect it from the airport itself. The best we would suggest is the Rentalcars which would give you the best deals from a range of various companies and is trusted globally. We have used the same earlier and would definitely recommend. All you need a valid international license and you should be at least 21 years of age to drive a car in Jordan.
Note: Its a left hand drive in Jordan.
However in this trip we didn’t wish to self drive, so we hired a driver for the entire trip to ourself from a local tour company called Zaid Tours and Travels. You can definitely check out their offers for car and city tour services at great deals. We would highly recommend them.
Please ask for Hasan(+962798957505) and give our reference, he would be the best driver one could ever find.
Our Jordan Itinerary 10 days
Day 1 : Arrive in Amman
We boarded our flight from Nairobi, Kenya via Cairo, Egypt and landed in Jordan by late evening. So basically after checking-in finished our last meal in the hotel itself and dozed off for the day as we were dead tired after those long hours of travelling.
And since this is your first day in Jordan, we recommend taking it easy too.
Where to stay in Amman: Sulaf Luxury Hotel
Day 2: Explore the city of Amman and take a day trip to Jerash City
Visit the Citadel and Roman Theatre
We were so excited for the trip to begin! Finished our breakfast by 8:30am and was already out from the hotel by 9am. We started our morning with a trip to the Amman Citadel that stands towering the highest hill of Amman which is situated 850 meters above sea level and gives you the wonderful panoramic view of this old city.
In this historic site you can witness a 1700 meter wall that dates back to the Bronze Age, the ruins of the iconic Temple of Hercules, and the Umayyad Palace moving further uphill.
With so many significant landmarks located inside one site, the Amman Citadel is arguably one of the best places to visit in Amman. We had spend almost 2hrs inside the citadel itself wandering around the place which really left us astounded. Entry charge for the Citadel is 3 JD per person and free with Jordan pass.
So once we were done with the citadel, drove for another 5 min down town and reached the Roman Theatre. This Roman Theatre is from the 2nd century dating back to the Roman period when the city was known as Philadelphia. This theatre back then could accommodate 6000 spectators, but after multiple devastating earthquakes it can now only hold 500-600 people at max. Entry charge for the Roman Theatre is 2 JD per person and free with Jordan pass.
Day trip to Jerash from Amman
From Amman we nearly drove for an hour (48kms) and reached the city of Jerash which has been inhabited since the Bronze Age. You would see that Jerash is one of the best preserved Greco-Roman cities, and also one of the most visited sites in Jordan. It is also considered as one of the largest and most well-maintained sites of Roman architecture till date.
Every step we took inside this broken city left us in awe seeing the ruins of the Corinthian columns and all the stunning artifacts dating back to 8th century BC. Its jaw dropping!
Entry charges for Jerash is 10 JD per person. We sat by the bench holding hands and watched the sun going down and that moment felt magical seeing the city turning orange with the sun beam, and later we marked our way back to the hotel in Amman.
Note: you need to cover the entire Jerash ruins on foot, so make sure you put on comfortable shoes.
Day 3: Day trip to Mount Nebo, Madaba and Al Karak and Petra by Night
Finally checked out from Amman on 3rd day and we drove for another 40 min arriving at Mount Nebo. Entry charges here are 3 JD per person and not free with Jordan pass.
Mount Nebo is a high ridge which is approximately 710 metres above sea level from where the city of Jerusalem is usually visible from the summit, on a very clear day. We just had a glimpse and it wasn’t that clear as expected.
You would also come across a beautiful Byzantine church there in Mount Nebo which was discovered in 1933 and inside the church lies the remains of mosaic covered floors from 5th century AD, its really beautiful and definitely worth visiting.
Located 30 kilometers south-west of Amman, and from Mount Nebo, Madaba is just 15min of drive, which is also known as the city of mosaics dating back to the Bronze age too. Here we visited the Greek Orthodox Basilica of Saint George church where you see the worlds oldest and largest handmade mosaic map also called the ‘church of the map’. This map holds two million pieces of coloured sand stones which depicts all the major biblical sites of middle east from Egypt to Palestine. Entry charges are 1 JD per person and not free with Jordan pass.
Al Karak Castle
From Madaba we directly headed towards Al Karak city which was a drive of almost 1hr 40min. There is nothing much to do and see around this city apart visiting the Al Karak castle which is the crusader castle, so definitely you can take out some time for that. Entry charges are 2 JD per person and free
with Jordan pass.
So from Al Karak we directly drove to Petra which took nearly 2hrs. We would recommend building your itinerary around Petra on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays where you can witness the stunning Petra by night.
So it was a Monday evening when we checked into our hotel in Petra and right after our last meal, geared up for Petra by night, its an occasion you truly can’t afford to miss.
We entered from the main gate and walked till the treasury (almost 1hr). That was one magical night we will never forget in our lifetime. The entire gorge was lit up with 1500 candles and on reaching we quietly sat there for almost 2 hours gazing at the illuminated stars and the treasury ruins with a different perspective altogether.
You can buy a ticket to visit the Treasury at night from the information centre which is just nearby the main gate. Entry charges for Petra by night are 17JD per person and not included in Jordan pass.
Where to stay in Petra: Petra Guest House
Day 4: Explore full day in Petra
We spent two amazing nights in Petra and was the best decision we ever made, and would highly recommend you to do the same to explore the gems of this hidden city. Want to know about Petra in details – check out our Ultimate Petra Travel Guide here.
The next day we wondered in the wonderland of this ancient civilization. With so much of history and architectures around the lost city of Petra it is one of the seven wonders of the world, and today it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site too which is 6 km long.
This city remained hidden until 1812 as it has been rediscovered 200 years ago as it remained buried due to the effects of multiple and massive earthquakes. Its very interesting to know that till date 85% of Petra is buried
and remain undiscovered.
So start your day early morning when the crowd would be lesser. The gate opens at 6am-6pm. We walked across the Siq trails and reached the Treasury again in the daylight, while the first rays of the sun made it look extremely dramatic.
From the Treasury we explored the valley and hiked for almost 1.5 hour to reach the Monastery, almost clearing 900 uncut stair steps. Phew that was really tiring so come prepared with good shoes and water. You can even opt for a donkey ride if you want till the Monastery to and fro, but walk if you can and spare the animals.
Note: free donkey rides are available with the entry fee itself, but the riders still would charge you with anything that fits. So negotiate.
We hired a guide to explore this city, however its not impossible to go around without one. He is the best guide we can recommend- Sakher(+962798002248) and tell we said hello if you meet him!
Don’t worry about getting food and water supplies once you are inside, because there are multiple local food joints available. We were back to the hotel right after the sunset and called it day.
Entry charges at Petra for one day is 50JD per person for two days its 55JD and for three days its 60JD and free with Jordan pass.
Where to stay in Petra: Petra Guest House
Day 5: Visit Little Petra and drive to Wadi Rum
We checked out from our hotel at Petra and directly headed towards Little Petra also known as Siq al-Barid which took less than 20 min.
As its name suggests it is a much smaller Nabataean site which was excavated in the year 1957-1983, with buildings on both sides carved into the walls of the sandstone canyon. There is no entry charges for Little Petra.
Saying good bye to Petra was the hardest. So after a quick photo session we drove for almost 2 hours from Petra and reached Wadi Rum by afternoon crossing some scenic highways.
In Wadi Rum we decided to stay at Bubble Luxotel and that was the highlight of our trip. On arrival we collected our entry ticket from the ticket counter which was 5JD per person and free with Jordan Pass. Since our car wasn’t a 4WD someone from the hotel came to pick us up from a designated pick up point.
Once we entered the Wadi Rum desert it felt that we are standing right in middle of a movie scene from Mission to Mars, which was actually shot here. Wadi Rum is also called the valley of moons which is a very famous
destination to witness the barren red rock formations, stunning mountains, and desert adventures too.
Today enjoy your stay at the Bubble Hotel with the most amazing sunset from within the hotel and soak in the heated Jacuzzi watching the clouds. We glared at the stars and the moon right from our bed and kissed….what a fantastic night to cherish forever.
We would definitely recommend this property for your stay and have the best ever experience. Post dinner you can also go for star gazing if you are interested which would cost around 15 JD per person and the hotel would
arrange that for you on request.
Where to stay in Wadi Rum : Bubble Luxotel
Day 6: Wadi Rum
Post breakfast today bid goodbye to the dream bubble tent and check in to a Bedouin camp right in the heart of the desert and know the Bedouin culture closely and enjoy local food & drinks. As we already had that experience of the same in Dubai so skipped it here. We stayed in the bubble tent for 2 nights only.
Post checking in, head out to explore the massive deserted landscape with a jeep tour for 2/3/4 hours(Click the link to book your preferred tour). If you miss booking online you can directly enquire for the same with the hotel/tent where you are checking in. If you are staying in Wadi Rum for 2 days we recommend booking half day sunset tour with Bedouin lunch.
We went for a 2hr Sunset desert safari which costed us 30 JD per jeep and would charge 50 JD if you
wish to go for 3 hours.
We started at 3pm and drove past top attractions like the Red Sand Dunes, Burdah Arch, Jabel Khazali and more. In the mean time we stopped at a Bedouin tent where we were offered tea and some local music entertained us. The trip ended right after the sunset which we saw sitting at one of the gigantic mountain rock, absolutely stunning!
Post dinner you can enjoy Bedouin Music and Shisha and close the night.
Budget stay option : Wadi Rum Bedouin Camp
Day 7: Drive to Aqaba
Post breakfast we checked out from our amazing bubble hotel at Wadi Rum, while our car picked us from the same pick and drop point. So another hour of driving and we could see the coast far away from the road itself and could sense leisure!
Aqaba is known for its world-class diving and snorkeling sites and gorgeous coral reefs. After all the city hustle and long walks and hike its time to relax by the beach and do nothing, or may be you can just read a book and eat some good food and seriously do nothing…hahahaha
We stayed at Grand Tala Bay Hotel and had the best time relaxing, trust us. The beaches were pristine, while we rested on the loungers held some wine and sunbathed for the rest of the day. However we could not touch our feet to the water as the temperature was freezing, so we decided lets skip that part.
Where to stay in Aqaba: Grand Tala Bay Hotel
Day 8: Enjoy watersports & marine life in Aqaba
Red Sea is famous for its Coral Reef, so if you are a water baby go for Scuba/Snorkeling/deep sea or just enjoy going for glass bottom boat tour for coral reef viewing. Book your packages here.
Where to stay in Aqaba: Grand Tala Bay Hotel
Day 9: Dead Sea via Wadi Mujib
How about spending a night and ending this amazing trip sitting at the lowest point on earth which is 400 meters below sea level? Sounds fun right even we were so excited.
We passed through Wadi Mujib, which is basically a river canyon in the dead sea popular for hiking between the rock formations. Unfortunately we could not go for the hiking trials as we went in the month of February which are the winter months and due to rainfall those trails remain closed. The Siq Trail at Wadi Mujib is generally open from April to October from 8am -3pm. We are sure it would definitely be a unique experience, do let us know if you get a chance to hike through the trail.
From Aqaba we drove for nearly 3 hours to the northernmost point and definitely one cannot exit from Jordan without floating at The Dead Sea. It is definitely an experience of a kind so don’t miss this for anything.
We checked-in at Holiday Inn which is a enormous and beautiful beach property, would definitely recommend this hotel for an amazing stay, we had spent 2 lovely days here.
We would highly recommend staying at one of the 5-star resorts in this area which has private access to the Dead Sea.
If you don’t want to stay in those resorts and wish for a budget stay, you can still go to any one of the public beaches that can charge 20 JD per person(some are free too) and avail the same experience. But if you are planning to stay for an entire day in the dead sea, then booking a good resort might be a wise decision.
Right before the sunset we went to the dead sea which was just 5 min walk from our resort and went for a float that evening.
Finished our sumptuous dinner and called it a night.
Where to stay in Dead Sea: Holiday Inn
Day 10: Enjoy mud-bath in Dead Sea and board your flight back home
Next morning the sun shined bright, post breakfast we were all set to mud musk ourselves from face to toe and extract all its skincare benefits.
Here are some of our tips and what you can expect at the dead sea:
- Please note that the water from the dead sea is 10 times more saltier than
other oceanic and sea water, because of its high mineral content. - Be careful while floating in the sea as the water can severely burn your eyes
and mouth if it gets in. - Don’t forget to pack your water shoes.
- It is not recommended to spend more than 20 min inside the dead sea,
because too much of salt is not good for the skin and hair. - Immediately take a shower once you are out from the Dead Sea.
- Don’t even dare to think of swimming or go for diving in the Dead sea water,
trust us that would be the worst decision of your life.
Now this is surely the worst part we assume, bidding goodbye. Finally the trip has come to an end while we drove from Dead sea to Amman for an hour to board the flight back to our home country.
Envisioning the lovely end to this amazing time at Jordan. So guys hope you find this blog helpful planning yours, and if you have any queries please write it down in the comment section below. We would try to help with the best of our knowledge.
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Planning to club Egypt with Jordan? Egypt is a great option to travel with Jordan with flight distance between Amman and Cairo is only 1.30hr Check out our Egypt Itinerary here.
