Hi all!
I love trip reports here, and I use them a lot to prepare my trips so here's mine! Feel free to ask me any questions you may have!
Background: I'm F35, traveling solo, with more interest in old stones than nature. I'll start with my general opinion and budget, then the full recap for the more curious (and motivated).
Overall opinion: - If you read the full review below you'll see that I may sound a bit bitter, but the people really got me down. On the plane back I could hear the others saying how nice they found the people, so I don't know, maybe it was because I was all alone. For me, on the other hand, it's really the country I've visited with the least friendly interactions. Absolutely everything revolves around money.
It's never happened to me to this extent (not even in Egypt or Tunisia, which are famous for it). You constantly have the impression that you're being ripped off on absolutely everything (and it's not an impression, by the way), and that you're being despised by everyone. Also, I'm not the thrifty type: I've eaten in real tourist traps when that's what's easiest for me, and I've slept in apartments (via Booking) rather than hostels or more out-of-the-way accommodation. But the prices and people's attitudes were a real pain for me. Even if my solo travels aren't about making friends, I've always had great interactions with people I've met elsewhere. Lots of laughter, shared moments and impromptu discussions. None of that here.
The second point is that this was my first road trip where I drove myself, and I clearly underestimated the route. The times on Maps are distorted because of the small mountain roads with no visibility (or low sides). Between the hundreds of kilometers of road per day + the kilometers of walking for the visits, I was exhausted. And the heat didn't help.
This trip was my 5th to the Middle East (it's my favorite travel destination), after Egypt, Israel, the West Bank and Iraq. Although Jordan is my least favorite of the five, it's still an excellent destination. And an excellent choice for a first visit to the Middle East, because the people speak pretty good English, and the infrastructure is adapted and clean. It's an easy and safe country.
Putting the less good thing aside, I really enjoyed this trip. I saw a lot of beautiful things, and even if it's not a country I've fallen in love with (I don't necessarily want to go back there), I'm really glad I made this trip. The drive through the desert is a never-ending moment of magic, the sites are full of history, the mosaics are phenomenal in both their beauty and state of preservation, the light is beautiful, the Dead Sea is incredible, the museums are cool... The destination is clearly worth it, and it's extremely safe. I haven't mentioned it, but I've walked around by myself in the evenings, both in Amman and on unlit roadsides, and really no worries. No veils, no remarks or sideways glances.
General advice: - Take cash. I went without too much cash following a post where someone told me it wasn't worth it... Well, it is. None of the hotels except 2 took the card. Same in many other places: restaurants, stores, gas stations. Same for airport transfers. So yes, take cash, and exchange it locally. Also, in many places you pay less if you use cash rather than card. Given the prices charged, it's well worth it.
In Amman, download the Careem travel app. It's well worth it, as it's not expensive and saves you the hassle of constantly climbing up and down. Customer service is also very responsive. I found I'd paid too much for my first trip (the driver had, let's say, taken the scenic route...). They immediately refunded my money and gave me a large credit note for my next trips. The app works like Uber, it's in English, it's super easy to use. Don't hesitate to tell your driver to piss off if he asks you if you're paying in cash: I've done it three times. Just say no, you've already paid via the app. Given the number of times this has happened, I guess it must work regularly on tourists, who end up paying twice.
Stock up on water. You'll really need it for visiting the big sites, where bottles will obviously be overpriced, and also for the evening in your accommodation.
Always try to visit sites when they open, if possible (but this advice applies to all countries, in fact). You'll avoid the heat a little. Most sites open at 8 a.m., and you'll probably already have been awake for a while with the call to prayer anyway, so you might as well make the most of it!
Go to the Dead Sea. It's so worth it. Smear yourself with mud (you can put it all over your face, don't worry), leave it on for 10 or 20 minutes and then, out with the water! Be careful not to get water in your eyes.
The driving is good, but probably not for everyone, I think. If you're a stressed or uncomfortable driver, either in town or in the mountains, it might be a bit tricky for you. Follow the flow in town, and pay close attention. Take it easy on mountain switchbacks where there's no visibility and no safety railings. And above all, watch out for those fucking speed bumps. They're EVERYWHERE, and they're the exact same color as the road, so you can't see them coming. Also, stay alert on highways in the desert. It doesn't take long to lose your guard, but be careful, because there may be people crossing the road. There are quite a few of them.
Now, let's do the math! When I can, I leave the amounts in JOD (with conversion into euros). - Jordan pass: €109 (including visit to Bethany). An absolute must. - Car rental: 205€ - Hotels: 8 nights in 6 different apartments for 274 JOD (345€) + 1 night in a 4-star hotel in the Dead Sea (154€). - Meals (there's a mix of everything here: restaurant meals, shawarma from roadside stalls, very expensive hotel meals, shopping including bottled water, drinks at tourist sites): 189 JOD (238€) - Gas (not necessarily very reliable, as I filled up on the last day when I could have returned the car with the level of the pick-up, i.e. 2 bars): 104 JOD (131€) - Souvenirs: 114 JOD (143€) - Non-Jordan Pass tours: Mount Nebo (3 JOD), Nymphaeum (5 JOD), King Abdullah I Mosque (2 JOD), Jordan Museum (5 JOD), i.e. 15 JOD (€19) - Transfer and cab: one return trip between airport and hotel (50 JOD) and one day of cabs via Careem in Amman (9 JOD), i.e. 59 JOD (74€).
And finally, the (very? too?) detailed report.
Day 1 Arriving the night before at 10pm, I booked a local hotel with a free airport transfer. In the morning, I rented a car (the rental guy picked me up free of charge at the hotel). I got to grips with the car (I'm not used to driving an automatic!) and headed for Qasr al-Mushatta. Nice stop, but nothing unforgettable.
Next, Um er-Rasas. Up a level! The site isn't very big, but it's full of cool ruins, and the highlight: a hangar that doesn't look like much at first glance, but which actually contains entire floors of splendid, superbly preserved mosaics.
A (somewhat arduous) drive to Al-Karak. Very large site, very cluttered, full of underground passages, nooks and crannies, pleasant to visit. An amazing view from the top, with the call to prayer being carried by the wind from the various mosques in the vicinity, very beautiful.
Then it all goes wrong: huge thunderstorm. I don't know if you've heard about it, but it was a big thing (1,800 people had to be evacuated from Petra and two tourists died). I waited a bit and went back: mistake. In the end, I caught up with the storm. So I went down the mountainside on a road that literally disappeared under the waterspouts that carried rocks and small boulders. No one seemed to know how to drive anymore, there was panic, no lighting, invisible road markings, and no space next to the road. It was downright scary.
Once I got out of there and into the desert, I drove into an impressive layer of fog (I couldn't see the end of my hood). And finally, a nice little sandstorm. It took me about 3 hours to get to the hotel, where my hands were shaking so badly I couldn't turn off the ignition. Showered and in bed without eating, I was just exhausted.
Total distance covered today: 331 kilometers.
Day 2 Up at 5.15am and off to Petra. We were maybe 5 person on site so it was great. I only went as far as the Tomb of the Urn (I'm not in great physical shape, and too exhausted from the day before anyway). What I liked best: all the different colors of the rock, and the Roman theater (I don't know why, but I liked it better than the Treasury). A really nice 3-hour walk.
Back north with a stop at Shobak. Lovely, again very high, with special mention for the extremely well-preserved soap factory.
On the road again, with a French-style lunch (coffee + cigarette) on the side of the road. Drive to Madaba, and discover the state of the roads on the outskirts and in the towns.
Once parked, visit the very nice archaeological park (once again, beautiful mosaics) and the church of Saint George, with the oldest representation of the Middle East (mosaic map, very interesting). Note that this is not included in the Jordan Pass and costs 3 JOD.
Good meal in the evening and an hour-long chat with the owner, who then took me to change my euros. The discussion revolved mainly around the cost of living and money, which was the subject of all my interactions in Jordan...
I didn't love Madaba, very tourist trap atmosphere.
Total distance covered today: 223 kilometers.
Day 3 The castles! Qasr al-Harranah : 15-minute visit with the guide who opened the castle and led me around. He also sang me a song. Funny on the side of the freeway like that, but not a must-see.
Quseir Amra. 20-minute guided tour. Incredible architecture. It was a hammam. Mosaics, but you'd never expect them in the middle of nowhere. Animal-turned wheel, underground pipes. Well-preserved baths. Must see!
Qasr Azraq. 30-minute visit. Remarkable black stone (basalt). Not at all safe, stairs, holes in roofs, loose stones... Be careful where you step.
Hammam As Sarah. 10/15 minute visit. Very funny, looks like Star Wars.
Then the endless road, I thought Maps had lost its way, or that I'd taken a wrong turn and ended up on Mars.
But finally, I arrived in Umm Qays. This was by far my favorite part of the whole trip. The site is magical, the contrast between the black of the basalt and the white of the limestone is splendid. I started my visit in the small museum, and was treated to an absolutely insane "magic trick" by the keeper on a Byzantine ring - you won't believe it. But the real highlight is the CRAZY view from the top of the site. You can see Damascus, the Golan Heights, Lake Tiberias... Everything is peaceful. I stayed up there for over an hour, unable to take my eyes off the view.
Total distance covered today: 305 kilometers.
Day 4 Road fatigue combined with sightseeing starts to take its toll.
Visit to Ajloun, cute. Lots of school groups, with little girls screaming like I was a rock star when I told them I was French. I was having the time of my life until I saw myself in a mirror a little further on: let's call myself a rock star from Wish, with the added bonus of liters of sunscreen mixed with sweat and a hat pulled down over my ears. Happy to represent my country in a glamorous way. Also saw a Japanese woman touring in stilettos (I think she really was from Mars, or at least had titanium feet). Not a must-see, but a nice stop off the road. For the motivated, there's a 7-kilometre trail where you can apparently see some local wildlife, which looks very nice.
Next, the magnificent site of Jerash. Don't forget your water. 2h30 of touring under a blazing sun, with no shade anywhere. The large colonnaded square is splendid.
Tip: don't go off-roading like I did. I thought I saw a shortcut down, but in fact I ended up in something impassable, with huge deep holes in the ground and a small 10-centimeter strip next to it to avoid it. No fun. But I did spend a quarter of an hour with a centipede, which was fun (it's likely that the sun had reached my brain by then).
Second tip: don't buy souvenirs there thinking they're local, unless of course you see something that catches your eye. As I was leaving, I took a back door and came face to face with the souvenir delivery truck: everything is made in China (but to be honest, almost all the souvenirs in the country are the same).
Total distance covered today: 124 kilometers.
Day 5 Visit to Bethany. I was in exactly the same place but on the Israel side a few years ago, fun to see the other side. It's still a border, so you can't visit on your own, you have to join a group. I didn't have to wait long, but the group was quite complicated (a few isolated people, a group of ultra-religious Americans who were a bit scary, and a group of young Americans who talked very, very loudly about guns in front of the soldiers). After 4 days almost entirely alone, almost entirely in the desert, the transition wasn't easy for me.
The tour lasts about 1h30, but it's still a lot of fun. One of the guys in the group had a huge dizzy spell, I don't know if it was because of Jesus or the sun.
Arrival at my hotel on the shores of the Dead Sea. Lunch, a well-deserved siesta and a dip in paradise (with mud wrap). I had loved the Dead Sea in Israel and it was a big reason why I chose Jordan. It hasn't waned, I love it. However, the heat made me back away to the pool, then to the "show" restaurant at the hotel.
An absolutely insane view from my room, with the added bonus of a splendid sunset over the sea.
Total distance covered today: 61 kilometers.
Day 6 Sick breakfast for about 8 people, and off to the Dead Sea. Mud, swimming, mud, swimming... Then back for a good shower before returning the room at midday. My biggest regret of the trip was not taking two nights.
Then it was off to Mount Nebo. I hadn't filled up the day before, as there are filling stations all along the road. Everywhere? Well no, not on the way to the mountain. Stress that mounted as the gas gauge went down (and with only 30°+ hills, that goes down fast). Stress when the little "you're in the desert and you've run out of petrol" alarm started. When I reached the top of the hill, I went right past it to find a station 5 kilometers further on, right on the edge of the limit. Phew!
Back to Mount Nebo (not in the Jordan Pass, 3 JOD) for a great little visit. Very pleasant and quiet.
On the way down, I picked up an old man hitchhiking because I couldn't imagine him walking down this stupid road in the sun. He didn't speak a word of English, so he let me know he was inviting me to tea, but that was a no for me (unlikely house in the middle of absolutely nowhere, we're not going to push our luck). After a shared smoke, off I went to Macheronte.
And the road killed me, it's frankly the worst I've done so far. And endless with it. So I got to the top, exhausted, 40 degrees. You can't get to the site by car, you have to go up and up and up... And I simply gave up. Too tired, too hot, too everything, I just wasn't feeling it. Sometimes it's okay to listen to yourself and let it go! Back to the airport to return the car, a little grocery shopping on the way and a transfer to my apartment in Amman.
Total distance covered today: 121 kilometers. Bye car!
Day 7 On my way to visit the Roman Theatre, I passed the pretty Husseini Mosque. The theater is impressive, but my favorite part was the two small museums included in the tour (Folklore museum and museum of popular tradition). A really great visit!
Then the nymphaeum, where I was fooled like a real pigeon. The gate was closed when I arrived. The keeper quickly came and opened the gate, explaining that he was closing it to prevent young people coming there to eat, etc. He went on to show me things, was unstoppable and gave me a great tour of the site. And at the end he asks me for 10 JOD. I don't blame him, but I was just fed up. So I had a bit of a row with the guard before dropping a 5 JOD bill and leaving in a huff.
After a nap, climb up to Rainbow street. No kidding, it's a steep climb. I passed a group of young tourists in heels (they gave up, I saw them later getting out of a cab) and a guy who was having a hard time. The street's cute, but it's no big deal.
Everything is obviously overpriced. I bought a few souvenirs and had a good chat with the store manager, who got me involved in the mosaic he was working on. It was the nicest interaction I'd had on the whole trip (if you put aside the centipede in Jerash), but the conversation inevitably turned to the subject of money, once again.
Day 8 Downloaded the Careem app and did everything by cab this day. Just fed up with climbing. The cabbies were the epitome of antipathy: they ask you to pay when you've already paid via the app and insult you afterwards, snap their fingers like you're a dog when they want to tell you something... Very nice.
Visit to the Jabal al-Qal'a citadel, very nice tour (Umayyad palace, Temple of Hercules, and really cool archaeological museum). Very quiet too, I really liked it.
Next, King Abdullah I Mosque (not in the Jordan Pass, 2 JOD). Not really worth it. The nicest thing was the contrast with the church just across the street. At the end, you have to go through the store: try to get out as quickly as possible, the harassment is heavy.
And finally, a visit to the Jordan museum. It's tiny but I loved it! It's well done, interactive, fun, and worth it just for the room with the Qumran scrolls and the two-headed bust of Ain Ghazal.
Back to the apartment, and the next day it was off for the 11-hour journey home.
If you've made it this far, congratulations; your reading probably took as long as my journey.
Here are a few photos to wash your eyes! https://imgur.com/a/LUrEStO