Jordan is an Arab country situated in Western Asia, at the crossroads of Asia, Europe and Africa. It is a relatively small country, but in order to see all its amazing attractions, you need to travel from one place to another and the best way to do it by car. They have no trains in Jordan for public transportation and if you choose to use the buses, you need to follow the tight schedule which will make you lose precious time.
This is why we decided to rent a car for the whole holiday and we picked it up directly from the airport. After searching the internet for the best prices, we decided to choose Monte Carlo Rent a Car Amman which is the most famous local car rental company and also the cheapest we could find.
Their office is situated at 10 minutes away from the airport, but they offer to wait for you at arrival hall and transport you to the car. The same procedure applies at your departure. They only charge 10 JOD for this service and the total amount was still cheaper than any other rent a car company we found on the internet.
Monte Carlo Rent a Car Amman offers cars starting at 20 JOD/day, obviously depending on your preferences. The good news is that they also have the lowest deposit – they just blocked 100 JOD on our credit card.
PS: The deposit might be higher for some countries and depending on the number of the days for the rental car. The best way to be sure is by asking before renting the car so you will have all the required information.
We were a bit afraid to drive in a new country with no information whatsoever about the conditions of the roads. You will be happy to know the roads were actually almost empty and we had no problems at all. We managed to easily check everything on our list and we saved a lot of time by making our own schedule. The car was safely returned before heading to the airport and it only lasted 5 minutes. We were transferred immediately after leaving the car to the departures hall by a representative of Monte Carlo Rent a Car Amman.
PS 1: We easily found free parking places everywhere around Jordan!
PS 2: Monte Carlo Rent a Car Amman offers you a WIFI device to have internet all over Jordan at 15 JOD for the whole rental period. It was really helpful for us and we had internet everywhere except Wadi Rum when we slept in the middle of the desert.
2. Jordan felt like a very safe country
This was the question you guys asked us the most and, to be honest, I haven’t really read about this subject before arriving in Jordan so I was kinda nervous to discover it on our own.
I have one conclusion: Jordan is a very safe country and I am telling this with all my heart.
On our first day, from the airport we went directly to the Dead Sea to float and enjoy our first sunset in this country. We didn’t realize it was getting late because everything was so beautiful and we didn’t want to leave, but the truth is that we had to drive by night to arrive to our accommodation in Petra. We were almost alone on the streets, but felt safe all the way. The Desert Highway from Amman to Petra must have been more crowded, but since we wanted to visit the Dead Sea, it was all peace and quiet and dark (almost inexistent lights on the way).
More than that, we even decided to stop and eat along the way in some small village, probably, we have no idea where it was, but we were starving.
There we were, 2 Europeans among locals trying to eat something with no JOD, only Euros and credit cards. The truth is we couldn’t pay by card where we ate because it was a small local restaurant, but we found an ATM just around the corner and fixed the problem.
One last thing: the food was delicious and it only cost 5 JOD for two persons with water included and the owner was so friendly and caring, asking us many times if everything is ok, if we like the food and if we need anything else. At the end, we even chatted for a few minutes and we were surprised that he knew about Nadia Comaneci, a famous gymnast from Romania, our home country! We were so proud about that and left the place with a big smile on our face!
3. Jordan is not only about Petra, as many tourists think
Tourists and travelers, in general, tend to think Petra is the only place worth visiting in Jordan, but this is far from the truth. I obviously won’t deny the beauty of Petra which stole my heart in a second. Let’s not forget we are talking about one wonder of the world!
But Jordan offers other amazing places and we wish we had more time at our disposal to explore more! Be sure to add the Dead Sea and Wadi Rum Desert on the list because they offered us unforgettable memories. We will never forget the night we spent in the desert, sleeping under the stars.
We have read great things about Amman, Jerash and Wadi Mujib, but unfortunately we couldn’t visit this time. This is a very good reason to travel to Jordan one more time.
I was surprised to see once we arrived that not many people know about Jordan Pass which is a sightseeing package that has been especially tailor-made for visitors to the country. It gives pass holders the ability to make the most out of their trip visiting top sights and attractions whilst saving time, money and efforts.
To be more precise, it gives you free access to over 40 tourist attractions around Jordan, including the most expensive one which is Petra. Other famous attractions included are: Amman Citadel, Jerash, Wadi Rum, Aqaba Museum and many more.
Basically, you will not need to buy any other tickets and you can see everything there is. The only tourist attraction that is not included in the package and we had to buy tickets for was Petra by Night.
But more than that, Jordan Pass is great because it offers waiving of tourist entry visa fees if you purchase the pass before your arrival to Jordan and stay a minimum of three nights (4 days).
That being said, after doing the math, we saved money by buying Jordan Pass just by visiting Petra by day, Wadi Rum and not paying the visa fee.
You can find everything you need to know about this subject HERE.
5. You can visit Jordan on a budget too
The first thing I have read about Jordan, after Petra (obviously), was that the country is extremely expensive and there are high costs to visit it.
After coming back home and doing the math, we can say Jordan can be visited on a budget too. We won’t compare it with South East Asia, of course, but I will write a whole article about this subject where you will find a few things to consider and examples of prices for the main necessities.
6. You can float in the Dead Sea without staying at a luxury resort
Before visiting Jordan, I have read online and also I had people telling me that you can only swim in the Dead Sea if you stay in a resort in the area. To be honest, we were actually planning to do this because floating in the salty water was on our bucketlist, but we had little time at our disposal and we wanted to get to Petra as soon as possible and be ready to explore that wonder of the world.
After landing and getting the rental car, we drove directly to the Dead Sea where we spent the whole afternoon floating and we left to Wadi Musa immediately after sunset.
I was lucky to find one travel blog – www.voyagefox.net that taught me everything I need to know about finding the coolest places at the Dead Sea with no costs and no one around which was perfect.
I don’t have an exact location, but I will show you the place on the map and you can easily identify it when you are there as we did.
I recommend heading there for sunset, I think it makes the experience even more magical!
PS: It would be a good idea to wear proper beach shoes because the salty dunes may cause scratches and even injuries.
7. Jordanian food is absolutely delicious
I started writing all the details about our culinary experience in Jordan and I decided to actually post a new travel guide on this subject, because it was way too long to include it here.
All in all, we found delicious food all around the country, from the smallest local restaurant to the most famous ones and even in the middle of the desert.
If you are a meat lover, you will surely be happy in Jordan. If you are vegan or vegetarian, things may be a little more complicated, but there are many salads to choose from, delicious appetizers such a hummus, moutable, tabbouleh, and sides: mixed vegetable cooked in different ways, rice and fries.
In my next article, I will tell you everything we ate in Jordan with pictures & prices included.
8. Be prepared to walk a lot
I should have started with this one because it felt like we walked enough for weeks in this holiday. The hardest part was at Petra, as you can assume. I think there are around 7-8 km from the entrance to the Monastery, including 850 steps.
Yes, after discovering the Siq, the Treasury and the Lower Street of Petra, if you are not too tired and hot, you can climb around 850 steps to discover the Monastery.
I won’t lie and tell you it is going to be easy, but it is totally worth it.
I will give you all the tips regarding Petra in a new travel blog because there are some important details that you need to know before visiting.
We also had to walk at the Dead Sea. You leave the car on the side of the road (you have enough place to do it) and you start walking in order to find the salty dunes. We went a little further because we wanted the place to be special and with no one around.
Sleeping under the stars was one of the most magical experiences of my life and I am so happy we were able to do it. This is why I have already written one long travel blog on this subject telling you the place where we chose to stay – Wadi Rum Starlight Camp, showing you our Full Stars Tent and our Jeep Adventure. Click HERE and read all about it.
10. You will frequently feel like you are on another planet
Last, but not least, Jordan feels like another planet from the moment you start driving around the country.
As I said, directly from the airport, we rushed to the Dead Sea, but the scenery we saw along the way made us feel like we have arrived on Mars. Crazy rock formations on one side, the Dead Sea on the other side. Just Wow!
The second and the third day were even more amazing at Petra. Seeing the Siq for the first time was so impressive. It is the main entrance to the ancient Nabatean city of Petra, a split rock with a length of about 1200m and a width of 3 to 12m, and height up to about 80m. Most of the rock is natural and another part was sculptured by the Nabataeans. Imagine just how beautiful that place is. I will, of course, continue with the Treasury, the Monastery and all the other amazing places at Petra.
Let’s not forget about the red orange sand and the crazy rock formations in Wadi Rum.
Believe me, Jordan is mind blowing and I was so happy to see tourists from all around the world eager to visit the beauty that lies in this country.
It was supposed to be a short article, but apparently I have too many things to say about our Jordanian getaway. I hope you made it to the end and stay tuned because I still have information to share with you!
Love,
Blonde around the World
