Travel into and within Jordan
Most travellers fly into Queen Alia International Airport, located ~30kms from Amman city center. I had hired a car for the duration of my stay in Jordan. Otherwise, it is best to take the airport taxi which offers fixed rates(~JOD 22) and takes ~45minutes. You can also take a pre-booked shuttle that costs one-third the taxi fare. You can also rent a car at the airport.
Taxis in Amman may not always ply by meter. Do agree a price before getting in. I think it is best to hire a car either through your hotel or a tour operator.
My itinerary
I arrived in Amman late in the morning and drove straight to the Dead sea resort, stopping at Madaba and Mount Nebo on the way. Petra was a day trip from Dead sea resort and on the final day, drove to Amman for some sightseeing before heading to the airport to catch the flight later in the afternoon.
Dead sea resorts are 1 to 1.5 hours drive from Amman. Petra is a 3 to 3.5 hours drive from Dead sea.
You can also do day trips from Amman to Dead sea and Petra. But if you intend to spend more than a day at Petra, better to stay in hotels nearby Petra for one night.
Travel within Jordan is by road only but Aqaba has an airport with scheduled flights.
You can check this official website – https://visitjordan.com or https://in.visitjordan.com
For my itinerary, 3-4 days was enough. If you are not planning to spend over a week, I think it is best to combine a trip to Jordan with another country, say UAE. From India, best to travel via Dubai as Dubai is well connected to several cities in India.
Accomodation
In Jordan, the taxes add additional ~20-25% to the room rent. Overall, expect to pay over INR 10k for a couple per night for 4/5 star property. Also remember that at Dead sea resort, there are no restaurants nearby and you have to eat dinner in the hotel itself.
Vegetarian food
Most restaurants/hotels serve vegetarian fare. But you will surely have a problem eating at restaurants outside hotels if you are fussy and can’t stand the smell of non-vegetarian items or lack of separate cooking vessels. Better to pack something from the hotel on day long trips.
Do try the local delicacies. A popular concept is called ‘mezze’ which essentially means a number of small dishes or appetizers before the main course. Includes salads, falafel (Egyptian origin though), hummus, variety of bread including pita bread, grilled eggplant, olives and so on. Many of these items were available as part of breakfast buffet.
Like the Japanese tea ceremony, there is also a Bedouin coffee ceremony! You don’t need sit with Bedouins to enjoy local coffee-you can experience this in cafes in Amman/Madaba.
Best time to visit Jordan
Summers can get extremely hot with temperatures topping 45 degrees Celsius. And it can get very cold in the winters, especially in the evenings. Few areas even receive snowfall occassionally. If you are visiting both Dead sea and Petra, best to go in March , April, October or November. December too is good for Petra but the water in the dead sea can be a bit cold, making it that much more inconvenient to float for long.
Currency
Jordanian Dinar is the currency and trades at ~100 INR=1 JOD. Credit cards may not be accepted everywhere so do carry adequate cash. Remember Jordan is not exactly a ‘cheap’ destination for a tourist.
Language
Though Arabic is the official language, English is spoken/understood at all tourist places.
Visa
There is Visa on arrival facility for Indian passport holders.
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