10 Day Self Driving Jordan Trip

Jordan is a small country but surprisingly packed with incredible places to see. I recommend giving Jordan the time it deserves for a rewarding visit and self-driving is a fantastic option to get the most out of your trip. Many people thought, as a female, I was crazy for deciding to self-drive on a solo trip to Jordan. However, I couldn’t have been happier about my decision. In another post, I discuss safety tips for females traveling solo in Jordan and driving safety tips as well. Here, I will talk about the fun part, which is all the amazing sights to see in Jordan. This is my 10 Day self-driving Jordan trip, but if you have slightly more or less time it is easy to adjust.

General Information

Language

Arabic is the official language. English is fairly common. I had no problem whatsoever communicating and my Arabic is terrible (I’m half Arabic and very ashamed of this). A few words to learn that locals will love to hear you speak.

Hello Marhaba or as-salām ‘alaykum (this is more formal and typically a Muslim greeting although everyone is welcome to use it. Translates to “peace be upon you”

Good Morning Sabah Al-Khayr

Good Night tiṣbuḥ ala khayr

Thank you Shukran (shook-ron)

Please or Excuse Me min faḍlak/ik (m/f)

Yes na’am

No La

No thank you La Shukran

Good Bye ma’a as-salāmah (ma-sa-la-may)

Welcome ahlan wa sahlan

Currency

Jordanian Dinar (JD) 1JD = 1.4 USD (Jordan is expensive). ATMs are relatively easy to find in Amman and at the airport so I would get your cash there while you can. You can generally use a credit card (stick with Visa or Mastercard) at hotels and some restaurants but cash is necessary for street vendors, tipping, some tour guides and taxis.

Religion/Culture

96% Muslim 4% Christian. This subject is rather complicated for the scope of this post but just know that although Jordan is a predominantly Muslim nation, you will see all manner of dress among women, especially in the city with many women wearing modern attire without a head covering. Tourists are not required to wear any sort of specific clothing except when entering holy sites such as mosques. However, to be respectful I suggest looking towards some local customs as a guide. For example, shorts are not typically worn by men or women. Female tourists should cover shoulders, cleavage and knees and other than that, just wear what is necessary for the weather and the situation. I wore jeans or a long skirt and various shirts with a scarf or jean jacket when it was cooler.

Getting Around

This whole post is about a self-driving road trip but you could also book a driver. While in Amman you can use taxis or Uber. There is a public bus system but I really cannot speak about this since I never used it.

Car Rental Tips in Jordan

Your first step in planning (after booking the flight) is to rent a car! I do not recommend self-driving in Jordan if it is your first time driving in a foreign country…just saying. As for choosing a rental company, I feel more comfortable with the brands I use frequently. The only exception is when I’m in a more remote place and get a recommendation from a trusted source for a local company. All the usual suspects (Hertz, Enterprise, Budget) are available here plus smaller budget brands which I don’t recommend. I used Sixt which is sort of my go-to as a first choice. I find that I get less overall haggling and BS with them and their prices are pretty reasonable. Invest in the GPS option if you don’t have reliable cell phone service because getting lost is really a downer and a time suck. Some cars have built-in wifi, but I have never tried it. I will say that the time it took to pick up and return the car at the Amman airport was…on “middle east time,” so don’t be in a hurry when you’re here. (I need to take this advice…most impatient person on the planet here)

Read More: Safety Tips for Solo Female Travel in Jordan and Driving Safety Tips

Pick a car that is within your budget but also a decent enough size so that you are comfortable. Note that automatic is considerably more expensive than manual so if you are comfortable driving manual, you win! You also want to be safe, so a car that is of a decent make will serve you well. Always read the fine print regarding insurance policies (whether or not you are covered with your own policy and choose to waive the rental company’s) and find out what you should do in the case of an accident. Are you expected to file a police report or simply call the rental company? This changes from place to place.

Driving Distances Between Popular Jordan Sites

• Amman to the Dead Sea 45 minutes
• Amman to Jerash 45 minutes
• Amman to Petra 3 hours
• Amman to Wadi Rum 4 hours
• Dead Sea to Petra 3 hr 15min. Can take any of the three highways depending on if you want to stop and see Kerak on the way.
• Wadi Rum to Petra 2 hrs
• Wadi Rum to Feynan Ecolodge 3 hr 30 min by way of Aqaba. If you go to the regular entrance of Dana Biosphere it is only 2 hr 15 min on the King’s Highway.

10 Day Self-Driving Jordan Trip

Here is a sample itinerary in case you need some ideas. I’ve included arrival and departure days in this itinerary. The distances between the various places are short enough that you can have in essence a full day at the destination, even on a “travel” day.

• Day 1 Arrive at Airport and drive to Dead Sea

• Day 2 & 3 Petra

• Day 4 Wadi Rum

• Day 5 Dana Biosphere Reserve (see Shobak castle on the way)

• Day 6 Kerak Castle on way to Amman

• Day 7 & 8 Amman

• Day 9 Jerash

• Day 10 Departure

Also note that you can easily change the order of this if, for example, the lodging you desire isn’t available at a certain time. I switched around the order of Petra and Wadi Rum because of this. You can do Amman and Jerash at the beginning and then the rest. It’s all up to you! The airport is very close to both Amman and the Dead Sea so you can factor this into your plan.

It makes more sense if you look up the map of Jordan. Oh hey, I’ll link it here with my route.

There are 3 major highways. The King’s Highway or Route 35 along which most of the popular sites are accessed. The Jordan Valley Highway or Route 65 runs along the Dead Sea and the west of the country. Both are parallel to each other running north and south and ending in Aqaba. There’s also the Desert Highway or route 45 which goes to the airport. This is roughly parallel to King’s Highway and to the east.

Amman

Amman is a very cool city and I wish I had allotted more time here. I think 3 days would be perfect. There is really a good bit to do. One could write an entire post on this but here are a few highlights:

Things to Do and See in Amman

• The Roman Theater This isn’t widely known but some of the best-preserved Roman ruins from all of the empire are in the middle-east.
• Amman Citadel The ruins here are impressive. They are high on a hill with incredible 360 degree views of Amman. The Umayyad Mosque and Palace ruins are here as well as an Ayyubid Medieval watchtower. You are strolling through multiple significant historical periods here so the history nerd in your soul will be delighted.

• Night Walking Tour I thoroughly enjoyed this tour with a local female lawyer named Diana Sarhan (DianaSarhan88 on IG). I found her through Airbnb experiences. On this tour, we visited the blue-domed King Abdullah I Mosque which was stunning at night, visited the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, walked around a cool artsy party of town, ate delicious food and stopped in some fun artisan shops.
• We Farm A local organic juice and health food shop where I seriously wanted to try everything.

• Wild Jordan Center This place promotes ecotourism and sells items made by local artisans inspired by nautre. They raise money for nature and wildlife reserves in Jordan. There is a cafe with a great view and good food! Think about coming for sunset.

• Rainbow Street This in one of the few pedestrian friendly areas in Amman. This street starts at the 1st circle and is lined with restaurants, cafes and shops and is great for people watching. There is a famous place here to grab a falafel sandwich called Al Quds. Apparently King Abdullah and his father before him have both eaten here. Rainbow Street is also the place to go for nightlife.
• Take a Cooking Lesson I also found this on Airbnb experiences and ended up going to the home of a young lady who was born in Syria and has the same first name as me. This was a truly memorable evening.

Places to Eat in Amman

• Hashem Restaurant Downtown aka “the Old Falafel Place”. The falafel here is legendary and all the food is good. I recommend the hummus, fettah and multabar as well as falafel and pita bread. This is classic levant middle eastern food at its best and I would know! As a half Syrian I grew up eating this stuff. I went here with the night walking tour I mentioned above.

• Habibah Sweets You haven’t lived until you had Kanefeh here. Kanefeh is a classic regional dessert with warm melted cheese, a flaky pastry, honey or syrup and pistachios. It is divine and unlike anything else.

Where to Stay in Amman

I stayed in the House Boutique Suites in the Jabal Amman part of the city and absolutely loved it. It was well located and I could walk easily to the downtown area and many other popular sites. I also spent the last night at a different place that wasn’t as fancy but very cozy and nice called the Gallery Guest House

Jerash, Umm Quais and Ajloun

Jerash is known as the Pompeii of the East and is truly fantastic. The ruins are incredibly preserved and my inner history nerd was ecstatic.

Ajloun is a sort of “anti-crusader” castle surrounded by beautiful olive groves and hills covered in pine trees. Umm Qais is a traditional village in the extreme northwest of the country, near Jordan’s borders with Syria and Israel, and is known for panoramic views and the archaeological site of Gadara.

If you don’t have a car, seeing all three of these places as a day trip is not quite as easy but still doable by bus. I would inquire at your hotel for the bus information. I opted for a private tour. I found a man named Faris via a local woman I met on Instagram. He is her cousin, an engineer who does tours as a side hustle. I actually had coffee with her and she swore her cousin was a gentleman. And he was. I had a great day with Faris and now consider both of them friends. If you don’t feel comfortable making these sorts of connections I can suggest a tour with Get Your Guide. This one looks to be around $57 USD which is reasonable.

The Dead Sea

I found one day here sufficient unless you really want to lay by a pool or the sea for a long time. I arrived early enough to enjoy “beach time” and the requisite “floating” in the famous high salt content sea, and then enjoyed a lovely evening at the hotel Christmas Tree lighting party. So random, right? I happened to have been there in early December. It was actually a fun party with free drinks and food, a Santa and singers. Well done Marriott! I spent the night and was on my way to Petra early the next morning.

Petra

I had fully intended to arrive in Petra early and spend at least a half-day at the archaeological site but I was jet-lagged AND had tripod drama (as a solo traveler this is a catastrophe) so instead decided to go into the town of Petra and shop for a new tripod. I succeeded in acquiring a new tripod but my nerves were shot after driving in this steep hilled little town. I can’t lie, driving here was terrifying. I made it to my hotel, another Marriott. Yes, sometimes I’m a basic American B and choose Marriott because I like hotel points. This place had killer views and good food. I treated myself to a nice evening with several glasses of wine.

The following day I was up VERY early and was practically first in line when Petra opened at 6 am. I was able to get many lovely photos unimpeded by scores of bodies. I did a TON of walking and stayed until well after dark and therefore saw much of what I wanted to see…more than some people probably see in two days. However, I had already bought a 2-day Jordan pass and therefore I came again the next morning, spent a few hours and was on my way to Wadi Rum before noon.

This area has been inhabited from as early as 7000 BC. Petra, meaning “rock” in Ancient Greek was the capital city of the Nabataean kingdom dating back to the 4th century BC. The Nabataeans were nomadic Arabs who established Petra as a major regional trading hub for incense.

Petra is another place that deserves its own dedicated post but some highlights and tips.

Tips for Visiting Petra

• Get the Jordan Pass.
  • Once you’ve bought a Jordan Pass you’ve already basically prepaid for over 40 attractions. Everything I saw was included. Simply show your ticket at the entrance of any attraction covered by the Pass where it’ll be scanned.
  • Tourist visa fees are waived if you purchase the Jordan Pass before arrival to Jordan and stay a minimum of three nights (4 days)
  • There are three levels of Jordan Pass, The Wanderer, The Explorer and The Expert ranging from 70 JD (99 USD) to 80 JD(113 USD). The only difference is how many days you wish to spend in Petra: 1, 2 or 3 days.
  • If you DO NOT have a Jordan Pass, the visa cost for less than 3 nights is 40 JD. One day at Petra is 50 JD. This is a total of 90 JD and the Jordan Wanderer is 70 JD.
  • The Jordan Pass is valid for use within 12 months following date of purchase. But it will automatically expire after 2 weeks of the first time it is scanned in the first touristic attraction.
• Definitely arrive early. By 8 am the Treasury building is surrounded with people.
• Be ready to WALK! The walking is extreme so wear very comfortable shoes and dress in layers. I was there in winter which was actually perfect.
• Bring Snacks and Water. Especially if like me you skipped breakfast to get there super early.

Al Khazneh (The Treasury)

The walk from the ticket booth to the Siq is called Bab As-Siq. You can see the Obelisk Tomb here. From the ticket booth to the Treasury takes about 40 minutes. Access to the city is through a 1.2-kilometre-long (³⁄₄ mi) gorge called the Siq, which is a gorge that leads directly to Al Khazneh. This famous structure is actually a tomb built for the Nabatean King Aretas III. There are horse carriages for the disabled and horse rides for anyone else who wants them. More about that below. Once you get to the Siq, you walk through and marvel at the majesty of it all. This canyon is full of things to see but honestly, I sort of rushed through and figured I’d look more closely on the way out. My strategy was to beat most of the tourists to the famous Treasury building. Note for many tourists this is all they see because people who can’t walk well can’t take a horse or carriage any further. Therefore this is always the most crowded part of Petra. Arriving at Al Khazneh is a marvelous and memorable moment.

There were almost no tourists there at 715 am when I arrived. Just a few camels and their handlers. I took photos and quickly moved on to hike up a rocky area to get to a viewpoint looking down onto the Treasury. There were several. The most popular is the easiest to get too and there is a pretty blanket just waiting for people to perch on and have their photo taken. Be sure to tip the nice bedouin man who maintains this area. He sometimes serves drinks to people waiting. There is always a kitty or puppy hanging around too.

From here you can continue hiking up the Al Khutba trail to the next viewpoint. I didn’t find this hiking terribly difficult and I would say I’m in average condition.

After getting your fill of the Treasury and all the views, be sure to spend some time at the stunning Theatre, The Great Temple, The Colonnaded Street and the Royal Tombs. These are just a few of the many incredible structures here.

If you still have energy, finish your day with the grueling walk up the 800 stairs to the Monastery (Al-Deir) Many people don’t do this part. It is tiring but not THAT bad. There is a small restaurant here where you can unwind with a fresh pomegranate juice. The light right before sunset was gorgeous here. The main trail from the visitor center (8 km) will lead you to the Ad Deir trail (2.5 km) so you are looking at 10 + kilometers each way. The Ad-Deir trail starts right behind the Basin Restaurant. It wouldn’t be the worst idea to save this for your second day in Petra if you have two days. There is also a less grueling back route from Little Petra that you can do if you have another day. You need a licensed guide for this trail which you can find at the Visitor Center.

I was knackered after doing all of this in one day. My body was barely functional the next morning.

I highly recommend having a drink in the Cave Bar right outside the entrance to Petra to celebrate the end a successful day at one of the most famous places in the world.

Regarding the animals in Petra

You all know me by now and know that I will never shut up about animal abuse and exploitation, especially at popular tourist attractions. Petra is infamous for animal abuse. The Jordanian government is aware and “supposedly” cracking down on this and actually encourages visitors to photograph, film and tag them if they see something.

Here are some of my observations. There are horses that can take visitors back and forth from the entrance, through the Siq, to the Treasury. This is an easy but longish walk. It’s about 40 minutes at a quick walking speed. The horses seemed reasonably well taken care of but I’ve heard nightmares from other guests about negotiating pay with the horse wranglers. There is no official pay system. You negotiate directly with the men. Just truly be careful. I at first was like “no f-ing way” will I do this but on my 2nd day in Petra on the way out, my bad knee was swollen and killing me and one of the horse men started talking to me and was a very nice guy. I had a long conversation with him about the treatment of the horses and finally decided to support him. So I rode the horse which appeared healthy and well treated. He told me that they are too poor to build stables and adequate housing for the horses and the government won’t help them. I found this to be an atrocious lack of resource allotment by the government considering Petra is one of the most expensive tourist sites in the world.

Once you are inside, the horses cannot continue. When you arrive at the first famous structure, the Treasury you will notice several camels. They seemed healthy looking and I didn’t see any obvious abuse but I chose not to ride because I don’t see the point. The animals that are definitely the most abused are the poor donkeys. They look absolutely miserable and starved. They mostly have little boys taking care of them and I use the term “care” loosely. I fed these donkeys whenever I had the chance. I saw them eating out of trash cans and never saw anyone give them water. They mostly seemed to be used to cart tourists up the 800 steps to the Monastery. I highly disapprove of using donkeys in this manner, especially when I saw young capable people who simply didn’t want to walk up the steps using the poor donkeys.

Harassment of Women in Petra

If you google this, you will find many horror stories and I personally know people who experienced harassment by local men in Petra and Wadi Rum. I’m not going to go into all the cultural reasons why this is happening but I do know that male harassment is a problem around the world for female travelers. To be safe in Petra you must stick to well-traveled tourist paths and don’t wander out of the main areas alone with a man, even if he is a tour guide. Don’t go to any tents or caves alone with men. I have a whole post about safety for female tourists in Jordan. Say no to cave invites ladies!

I don’t want anyone to be too frightened to talk to locals because the vast majority of people are lovely and hospitable. Having tea in a bedouin tent is part of the culture and I encourage you to do this, but in a more mainstream area. I thoroughly enjoyed stopping for tea and snacks in the bedouin tents along the paths in Petra. My favorite one was on a hilltop, up from the Monastery with incredible sunset views across the valley. Rami and Fahad (pictured above) were the two men who were here serving tea and playing music. They were both very cool. A few other tourists and I stayed and watched the sunset there. Unfortunately, we had a long hike down the stairs and all the way through Petra to get to the exit at nighttime which was kind of challenging. Cell phone lights definitely helped.

Wadi Rum

After a morning in Petra, I had a pleasant 2-hour drive to Wadi Rum. I arrived at the Wadi Rum visitor center where a driver from my hotel was waiting. You can’t go much further into the desert without a 4 wheel drive vehicle. Mohammed was my driver and guide and took me to the hotel to check in and then out on a 2-hour desert tour that ended at sunset. I booked this tour through my desert camp called Memories Aicha Luxury Camp. The desert here is breathtaking. There are many fun dunes and rocks to climb. Many famous movies have used this desert as a backdrop including the latest Star Wars and the Martian. My driver Mohammed was proud to have been a driver for the cast of the Star Wars movie.

I enjoyed a fun dinner back at the desert camp followed by star watching, The next morning I was on my way to the next destination.

Dana Biosphere Reserve

Dana is Jordan’s largest nature reserve and covers over 320 square kilometers of desert and mountain. So far, a total of 700 plant species, 190 bird species, 37 mammal species, and 36 reptile species have been recorded in the Reserve, of which 25 are known to be endangered. It is believed that the Dana village area has been occupied since 4000 BC. Much of this village had fallen to disrepair but thanks to local fundraising efforts, many traditional stone homes have been restored. I stayed in the Feynan part of the Reserve. While research is still in progress, it can be said Feynan has one of the longest sequences of human settlement in the world. I had received recommendations to visit the Feynan Ecolodge, a 26 room lodge in a native bedouin area surrounded by pristine nature. Considered one of the best 25 ecolodges in the world by National Geographic Traveler Magazine, Feynan is solar-powered and is a wonderful place to spend a couple of days. I only had enough time for one night here but thoroughly enjoyed it. I would recommend 2 nights here if you have the time. There are great hikes and cultural activities to enjoy.

Kerak Castle (Al-Karak)

On my last day on the way back to Amman, I stopped at Kerak Crusader Castle on the way and spent about 1 hour here. This is one of the largest crusader castles in the Levant. Construction began here in the early 12th century. The legendary Islamic hero, Saladin, besieged this castle but never took it. His nephew finally took the castle in 1188 and then under the Ayyubid Dynasty it became the administrative center for all the regions in Jordan. It went on to be under the control of the Mamluks and then the Ottomans before its final period under the current Jordanian state. Kerak Castle is an example of one of the first castles built by the Franks that used a fortified tower structure and is a notable example of Crusader architecture, a mixture of west European, Byzantine, and Arab designs. I really enjoyed seeing Al-Karak. I giggled at the fact that it was sometimes referred to as “Krak of the Desert”.

Options with this Itinerary

Once you map this out, you will see you have many options for how to set up your itinerary are endless. You could go straight to the Dead Sea from the airport, which is south of Amman and only 1 hour away, spend the day and head south the next day. You could have Amman and Jerash at the end of your trip instead. From the Dead Sea instead of going to Petra first as I did, you can stop at Kerak Castle and then continue to the Dana Biosphere Reserve. I chose to do Dana Biosphere last, on the way back from Wadi Rum, since that was my furthest point south and I wanted to break up the trip. Depending on what part of the Dana Biosphere you stay in, your route may change (there are different entrances on different highways).

I would recommend trying to fit in another Crusader castle, Shobak. It looks very impressive. It is along the King’s Highway and situated in between Petra and Dana so it could be a stop either coming or going depending on your route. If you had a full 2 weeks I think that would be perfect and you could do everything plus have more time in some places. I would have liked 2 days in Wadi Rum and 2 days in Dana.

If you choose to add Aqaba on the Red Sea to your itinerary, this may change your entire itinerary. Have fun and choose the places that most appeal to you. I would say the absolute MUSTS are Petra and Wadi Rum. The rest is personal preferences. I skipped Aqaba because I was going to scuba dive in the Maldives on this same trip but if you are a scuba diver, Aqaba on the Red Sea is a gem. I definitely plan to return and go there someday!

I can’t recommend Jordan enough! I was blown away by the natural beauty and in awe of the incredible history here.

Would you take a self-driving Jordan trip? If you’ve been to Jordan what was your favorite part?