Route in Jordan for a one week by car

Route in Jordan for a one week: Petra, the Dead Sea and the Wadi Rum Desert, car rental and hotels in the desert, travel expenses.

Our travel itinerary in 2022 in Jordan by car: Petra, the Dead Sea, and the Wadi Rum Desert, car rental and hotels in the desert. How much do tickets cost, hotels, and meals in cafes and restaurants?

In January 2022, we traveled around Jordan for a week. We saw all the changes in the weather seasons – from frost and snowstorms in the mountains to bright summer sunshine and the warm Red Sea.
I like Jordan very much: it’s vibrant, with a deep history and very friendly people country.

Jordan is generally safe, there are most locals speak English. The Jordanians make money from tourists, and no one is intrusive – services are offered with dignity, without causing rejection.

The last time I had such a vivid experience was when we traveled by car in Morocco. I strongly recommend going to Jordan in winter because you can see Petra and Wadi Rum avoided a lot of tourists like in high season.

I recommend to read: TOP 10 to see in Jordan during the week’s travel

Visa to Jordan

You can check if you need a visa to Jordan and other additional documents – you can do it on the IATA official site.

Without visa:

Passport holders from about ten countries, including those in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), can enter Jordan without a visa for up to three months within six months.
Citizens of Lebanon can enter Jordan visa-free with a national card.
Citizens of Yemen, Syria, and Libya are also allowed visa-free entry if they have a residence permit for at least six months in the United States, Canada, and Australia, Japan, Switzerland.
Members country of the GCC or the European Economic Area.

Who needs a visa to enter Jordan?

Most visitors from non-Arab countries will need a visa and passport with six months validity to enter Jordan. Some travelers need to obtain a visa from an embassy before leaving their country. However visitors from 115 countries can obtain a single entry visa on arrival for 40 Jordan dinars. Check the list of approved countries to see which group you belong to. Rules are subject to change, so call the Jordanian embassy or consulate in your country to confirm.

How to get Jordan and don’t pay for visa?

Travelers from more than 130 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, can purchase a Jordan Pass , which includes the cost of a visa to enter Jordan.

If you are a non-Arab national and plan to visit Petra and stay in Jordan for at least three nights, check to see if you qualify. The ticket can be purchased online before departure. After you purchase a Jordan Pass, you will receive an email with a QR code. Just show it to the immigration officers upon arrival to get your visa on the spot.

The Jordan Pass also includes entrance to Petra, Wadi Rum, and about 40 additional attractions. Be sure to keep the QR code on your phone and a hard copy handy when traveling in and around Jordan.

In short:

You can get a visa at the airport, both for a fee and for free.

If you buy Jordan Pass for 3 days minimum in Jordan – you can get visa at the airport for free.

In addition, before traveling, you need to register on the state website www.visitjordan.gov.jo/form and to gen QR-code.

How to get to Jordan

You can fly to Jordan on Turkish Airlines flights.
But it is much more profitable to fly with low-cost airlines – Wizz Air or Ryanair
We caught promotional tickets Odesa-Budapest-Akaba and back for $35 per person. And $45 for one Priority suitcase – we needed warm clothes for the transfer in Budapest.

A taxi from the airport to Aqaba and back costs 10 JOD – $14.
Uber and other online taxis are not available in Aqaba either. And in the airport are no buses – green city taxis are the only means of transportation to the city center.
The exception is a rental car – you can order a car at the airport in advance on the aggregator Rentalcars.com.

Season – when to go to Jordan

high The best time for adventure in Jordan is spring and autumn. It is the perfect time to go to Jordan. But it is the high season in this country. In March-April and October-November, it’s not too hot during the day, and there are no frosts in the desert at night.

On summer is too hot for visiting of Jordan. Especially to see desert and Petra.

We went to Jordan in the winter, which is a good time to travel around the country on your own, as there are very few tourists. Millions of people came to Jordan because of the popularity of the Wadi Rum desert. It was featured in many films, including The Martian and Lawrence of Arabia. In addition, one of the seven newest wonders of the world is located here – Petra, as popular as Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal. In winter all these sites are more empty than in spring and autumn.

But you have to be prepared for the winter temperature to drop to +15°C if strong winds blow. The Red Sea is swimmable in early December and by mid-March.

Money and prices in Jordan

Jordan’s currency is the Jordanian dinar. The exchange rate to the dollar is 1JOD=1.4$.
Converted to UAH, 1 JOD = 40 UAH.

Cash and card payments – you can pay by card almost everywhere. But some places will charge an additional % for card payments. For example, for tickets to Petra.

Paying for gasoline – at most gas stations you can pay with a card. The same rules for hotels and restaurants. We needed cash only in the Wadi Rum desert and in some restaurants.

Prices vary, but they are not so high, so traveling in Jordan is particularly budget-friendly.

Hotels in Jordan

An average hotel price from $40-60 per day. We paid this much for a city hotel in Aqaba and in Petra, and the hotel in Petra was much better.
If you want to stay for the rest in the hotel near the Dead Sea, it costs about $100-150 per night. The same rates are for beach hotels in Aqaba.
Hotels in Petra, located near the entrance to the attraction, also start from $120 and up.

We looked for hotels traditionally on Booking.com.

Restaurants

The average price tag for two people to eat meat and appetizers (without alcohol) starts at $30.

Breakfast costs from $15, depending on the location of the restaurant or cafe.
A full dinner starts at $35-50 for two people.

Alcohol is sold in liquor stores in Aqaba. It is not allowed to drink alcohol on the street, and hotels have signs at the reception desk that prohibit bringing and drinking alcohol.
Coffee and tea cost from 1 JOD to $1.4 and more, depending on where it is poured.

Tickets to museums and attractions

This is a separate and perhaps one of the biggest expenses on such a trip. The state is uncompromisingly making money from tourists. Just compare the prices of tickets to Petra:

for locals and residents – 1JOD – 1.4$ per day of stay
for tourists 50JOD – $70 and this is provided that you spend at least two days in Jordan.
If you come from Israel (or Sharm el-Sheikh) for a one-day excursion, the ticket costs 90 JOD – $126. Does it sound impressive?

Tourists can purchase Jordan Pass – a single ticket to the main sights of Jordan, which also exempts from visa fees (if arriving in Amman). In this case, you must stay in the country for at least 3 nights. Jordan Pass costs $70/75/80 JOD or $99/106/113 for a 1/2/3 day stay in Petra. In addition to Petra, 40 other sights are included. Keep in mind that it is not profitable for children under 12 to buy Jordan Pass. And adults benefit from it!

You can and should bargain where there is no fixed price. For example, at the market, when buying souvenirs. We asked for a discount at a glamping site in the Wadi Rum desert and ended up getting dinner for two for free (20JOD – $28).

In general, if you are planning a week-long trip to Jordan, you should budget at least $1500-2000 for two people. And that’s not counting flights during low season, such as winter.

Rent a car in Jordan

If you love adventure and want to get the most out of Jordan, you need to rent a car and drive route in Jordan around the country.

Traditionally we looking for a car on an aggregator Rentalcars.com – where all the car rental companies in Aqaba are represented. Sixt, a rental company, received good reviews and a favorable price. A week’s rent cost us $160, plus gasoline – the cost of a liter of 90th grade 0.85 JOD is $1.2. We used about one tank (50 liters) for the entire trip.

You can read more about car rental and the specifics of car travel here:
Rent a car in Jordan – prices, features, personal experience

What to see in Jordan in a week and travel itinerary

Our route for a one week in Jordan:

Aqaba – Petra – Madaba – Dead Sea and hot springs – Wadi Rum Desert – Aqaba

We didn’t make it to Jerash because of the sharp deterioration in the weather. It was snowing in the morning, and we were driving from Petra in fog and blizzard, with a speed of 20-30 km per hour. The weather was just disgusting and we replaced Jerash with Madaba to get to the Dead Sea in the morning.

Petra – how much does it cost and how many days to plan a trip

We started our trip from Aqaba, and the next day traveled to Petra/ Here we spent two full days to see the majestic ruins, which are more than 2,000 years old.

Temples and tombs carved in the sandstone, the remains of a once-powerful city, a stunningly beautiful canyon of natural stone walls – one of the seven newest wonders of the world stuns and amazes with its monumentality.

I spent two nights and a two days on Petra. We saw almost all the main points, but did not go through all the routes. A ticket to visit Petra for 1/2/3 days costs 50/55/60 JOD, which is 70/78/85 USD in terms of dollars.

When you pay by card for tickets in the cash desk you spend an additional +2% commission!
I have never seen such expensive tickets to an open-air museum in my practice.

Don’t spare money for the nightly show at Petra (it’s paid for separately, plus 17 JOD or $24, cash only). You will see the night Petra in the flicker of candles. You can hear Bedouin legends to the meditative sounds of the Bedouin flute. You will get a completely different and more powerful impression of this place.

Housing in Petra:

All hotels are located in the village of Wadi Musa, located around the entrance to Petra. In the low season, accommodation prices are quite affordable. You can stay in a good city hotel in Petra for $40-60 per day for two people. Chain hotels such as Hilton or Marriott are usually more expensive – from $150 per day for a double room.

Keep in mind that there is no central heating in Jordan. It is heated only by air conditioning, and the floor is always icy. And if you don’t suffer from this in Aqaba, then in Petra, in cities in the north of Jordan, or the desert, it is very noticeable.

If you want to stay closer to the entrance to Petra, choose the following hotels:

La Maison Hotel ⋙ – The location is good, near the tourist center. There are many restaurants and mini markets nearby. It’s easy to exchange money. Great strategic location for hiking in Petra.
Mövenpick Resort Petra ⋙ – the hotel is stunning, it has a gym, a great pool and spa, a great terrace and a rooftop restaurant where you can watch the sunsets over Petra. The location is the best for Petra in Wadi Musa as the hotel is located near the entrance.
Petra Main Gate ⋙ – Just perfect location near the entrance to the Petra museum. There are no problems with parking – you can park your car right next to the street or in a private parking lot.

We lived in the Hotel Moses Residence – great hotel, attentive host, great beds, hot shower without interruption, air conditioning heating. The hotel is located in the center of Wadi Musa, 1.5 km from the entrance to Petra – we arrived by car. This part of the city has many good restaurants, a bank, and shops where you can buy everything you need.

Petra – instructions for use: routes, tickets and features of visiting

Dead Sea in Jordan

Then we went to the Dead Sea, another wonder of the world, half owned by Jordan. At an altitude of minus 430 meters below sea level. There is a lake whose water is so salty that it is impossible to drown in it.

The water temperature in the Dead Sea allows you to swim even in winter. And the air temperature in the valley formed by the sea between two mountain ranges does not drop below +14 degrees even in winter.

The main thing is to find a suitable beach where you can rinse off with fresh water after swimming in salt water. As a rule, such beaches in Jordan belong to luxury hotels which have prices of about $100 per day even in winter.
Wild beaches don’t have such facilities, so locals bring fresh water with them and swim to their heart’s content without having to spend the night in an expensive hotel.

Hotels on the Dead Sea:

Most hotels on the Dead Sea in Jordan are concentrated near the town of Swaymeh. Most have their beaches and heated pools:

Mayin hot springs

Not far from the Dead Sea, in the Ma’in mountain gorge, there are unique thermal waterfalls. Near them are SPA resort and public baths – Ma’in Hot Springs. Streams of hot water burst from the high cliffs, bursting out of the bowels of the earth. Due to the life-giving hot moisture, a real oasis was formed in the gorge.

Here you can stay overnight at the Ma’in Hot Springs. It has its own waterfalls and hot water pools.
The water in the springs is above +60 °C, but the hotel has a system that cools the pool water to a more comfortable +38°C.

Public baths

If you don’t want to stay at the hotel, you can visit public baths. The entrance fee is 15 JOD ($21 ) per person. It is nice to sit in hot springs with a temperature of +45°C in the company of locals and tourists. Or in a kind of natural sauna, which was formed in a cave with a waterfall flowing down from a mountain about 30 meters high.

The water temperature in it is more than +60°C. A natural cave was formed behind the waterfall, where it is hot and humid – a natural sauna.

But you have to take into account that the bath complex is quite simple. There are toilets and locker rooms, but there is no other infrastructure, everything is quite primitive, although they charge a lot of money for admission.

But as a unique experience, swimming in natural hot waterfalls was quite interesting. Besides, we were there on a weekday at noon, no one was there, we were alone.

Madaba – ancient mosaics and Mount Moses

If you don’t plan to spend the night on the Dead Sea, I recommend spending the night in the small town of Madaba. This city is located 30 km from Amman and 20 km from the Dead Sea.

The hotels here are quite inexpensive, so you can even plan an overnight stay after visiting the Dead Sea. We stayed at the hotel Black Iris Hotel – the price was $30 with breakfast.

Madaba is called the city of mosaics – there is a lot to see in half a day. For example, the Orthodox St. George’s Church has a unique mosaic map panel depicting the oldest map of the Holy Land, from the Levant in the north to the Nile Delta in the south.

Near Madaba stands Mount Nebo, where Moses is buried, and at its foot are the springs of Moses. In general, if you are interested in how two different religions coexist in a Muslim country, how well pilgrims are received here, and how reverent they are to history, you should definitely spend at least half a day in Madaba.

Wadi Rum Desert – Martian landscapes and glamping

We visited the Wadi Rum desert at the end of the our trip. So that the most vivid pictures and impressions remain as a memory. Wadi Rum is the second most popular attraction in Jordan after Petra.

The best season to visit the Wadi Rum desert is from March to May and from October to mid-December.

The Wadi Rum Desert is unique. It was formed on the site of the ancient sea bed, with rock formations and red sands forming a cosmic landscape. At sunset, everything is lit up in red – it looks like you’re on Mars. And the winter temperature confirms the feeling that you are not on Earth but in space. It’s quite warm during the day, sometimes it gets hot, especially when you’re climbing rocks. As soon as the sun goes down, the temperature drops and you want to hide in the warmth.

Recommend for reading: Wadi Rum Desert – a branch of Mars in Jordan

What to do in the desert?

Buy a jeep safari (from 65 JOD = $92 for a car that can accommodate 4-6 people) and drive around the iconic places of Wadi Rum. That’s what we did – we shared the cost of the safari with two tourists from our glamping group. We saw many interesting sights on the safari:

A huge natural stone bridge that you can climb on top of, though it’s a bit scary – there are a lot of cracks and it seems like it’s about to collapse.
The remains of the dwelling of Lawrence of Arabia, the man who actually created Jordan, managing to unite scattered desert tribes and repel Ottoman troops. Now he is a legend and a symbol of Jordan – his monuments and bas-reliefs can be seen all over Jordan.
We saw rock paintings in the form of a map and a mushroom rock that reminded me more of a cobra’s head.
We walked along the sand dunes and saw off the sun in the locations where The Martian was filmed.
An old steam locomotive was found on the Damascus-Mecca railroad line, which was built in the days of the Ottoman Empire. The steam locomotive with wagons is still in operation, and it rides group tourists through the desert. There is one first-class car and two second-class cars.

Where to stay overnight in the Wadi Rum desert?

There are a lot of options: you can spend the night in Bedouin tents of different comfort levels (prices range from $15 to $70 for double occupancy with breakfast)/

Or in super-popular glamping sites or bobble hotels – the price depends on the level of luxury and distance from the nearest villages. The deeper into the desert, the more expensive it is. In low season, the price ranges from $70 to $150 per day for a double dome, including breakfast. In high season, it’s 2 times more expensive.

We just spent two nights in one of these camps – the Orbit camp. In fact, it is a stretched dome with all the amenities: a bed, shower and toilet, air conditioning and a gorgeous view of the desert from the window. In the morning, you can watch the sunrise color the nearby rocks and dunes from your bed, and at night you can stargaze.

Other glamping in Wadi Rum desert that I can recommend:

Aqaba – a resort and duty-free zone on the Red Sea coast

The day before our return flight, we returned to Aqaba to bask in the sun and the beaches. The weather was not swimming weather, but local children were frolicking on the city beach in Aqaba, where tourists staying in city hotels (from $30 per day) mostly sunbathe. The beach is not very good, but you can sunbathe and swim here.

For those who like to dive into the underwater world, you should definitely go to the southern beaches. Tala Bay, one of the best beaches and also a resort, is located south of Aqaba, a 15-minute drive away.

Beach hotels line the two-kilometer-long sandy strip. It’s quiet, the water is clean, and there’s a sandy entrance to the water. Even those who choose to vacation in the city of Aqaba come to swim here.

There are about 30 dive sites in the resort, which are easily accessible by boat. Many of the reefs near the southern beaches are accessible from the shore, so you can enjoy the underwater world with just a mask and snorkel.

Hotels and resorts in Aqaba on the Red Sea:

Useful links to prepare for travel:

Car rental – cheap car rental options in Ukraine Rentalcars.com
Hotels – traditionally booked through Booking.com

Road trip in Jordan – route, main sights and costs of the trip