When hearing that we had just come back from two years on the road, everyone’s favourite question is naturally “which country did you like best?” Whilst a few countries are in our favourites list, Jordan is always the one that pops out our mouths first. It gives me little shivers just thinking about how magnificent it was.
It is, however, one of the most expensive trips we have ever taken, and can be fraught with mistakes. Jordan is a true bucket list destination and, when you get there, you want to make sure you don’t waste any time making easy mistakes.
We spent a month in Jordan and have covered all the mistakes we came across to make sure your dream trip goes off without a hitch.
Mistakes to avoid in Jordan before you go
Thinking that it is not safe
Within the country, Jordan is known as the ‘Switzerland of the Middle East’, but outside the country, many foreigners believe it is not safe. We’ve lost count of how many times we’ve been asked if it is safe to visit or not. We drove round the country without a guide and to some off the beaten track places, and we never felt unsafe.
Of course, you can’t say that any country in the world is completely safe, but Jordan is both politically stable and has a low crime rate. Incidents of terror are incredibly rare and, indeed, much more uncommon than cities like London and Paris, which tourists still flock to in droves.
You’ll see security around all the major tourist sites and big hotels, but this should hopefully give peace of mind more than a reason to worry.
The magnificent Wadi Rum desert
Thinking that “it’s in the desert, so it must be hot all year round”
Generally when you think of the Middle East you think hot, right? And a lot of the time it is. But Jordan can have pretty cold winters, and even snow!
Loads of Jordanians showed us their snowy Petra pictures when we visited, laughing at the contrast, as our trip was in June and totally scorching!
If you like cool weather, this isn’t a problem. But if you’re visiting between December and March, you will want to pack some warm clothes! Places like Aqaba stay warm for the majority of the year, but the desert areas, mountainous areas and Amman can get really chilly.
Flash floods can also occur, which makes canyons incredibly dangerous. Petra has even been evacuated for this reason.
The winter is definitely not a bad time to visit, but you do have to be aware of the weather.
Thinking you can buy the Jordan Pass at the airport
The Jordan Pass saves visitors a lot of money as it waives the visa fee, as well as combining entry to Petra with 40 other attractions in Jordan.
The mistake we made was assuming that you can buy it at the airport. Well we found out that you can’t!
This means you have to pay the visa fee, which in turns makes buying the pass - which you can buy later outside the airport - not worth it.
Make sure you buy it before you arrive, because otherwise you’ll end up spending money you don’t have to!
One of the locals
Avoiding Ramadan
We were pretty worried about visiting Jordan during Ramadan. I’d done some research online, but there was very little information on what it would be like. It turned out to be the best decision we could have made. In fact, I’d actively recommend it.
Not only was it a really festive atmosphere each evening, when the sun was close to setting and people were preparing to break the fast, but it also meant that tourist numbers were way down.
On the whole, we didn’t find the eating or drinking situation during the day to be a problem (though we tried to avoid eating in front of anyone. However, this is Jordan and their hospitality is unrivalled, so they often insisted that you must eat, even if they couldn’t).
You can read everything you need to know about visiting Jordan during Ramadan in this post.
Not realising just how expensive the country is
Whilst it is possible to backpack on the cheap in Jordan, if you want to stay somewhere other than hostels and eat street food, it is going to cost you. For mid-range travel, Jordan is one of the most expensive countries we have ever been to.
It’s worth every penny of course - and we’d go back in a heartbeat - but the cost was definitely a shocker. It’s up there with Australia and New Zealand. Amman is by far the cheapest area we visited in the country, but outside of that you are hit quite hard with tourist prices.
You can use our guide (linked above) to give an indicator as to how much spending money you need to bring for this once in a lifetime trip.
The gorgeous town of Dana
Mistakes to avoid in Petra
Allocating just one day for Petra
Petra is one of the greatest travel experiences on earth, and unless you have boundless energy and can hike from dawn until dusk, you are going to miss so much of it if you only visit for one day.
Unless you are going to ride one of the camels or donkeys (which we don’t recommend because we saw very dubious treatment) then you will be walking….. A lot.
We’re talking miles and miles and up steep hills too! If you give yourself more time, you can enjoy Petra at a leisurely pace and have a chance to head back to the hotel to relax in between. This is especially important if you’re travelling in summer when it is baking hot!
Even if you are really fit, we’d still recommend allowing more time because this area is incredibly special - you will not regret having a second day here. With more time, you can visit areas beyond the Treasury and the Royal Tombs. You can also take the backdoor route into Petra along the Little Petra to Petra walk, which is an absolute delight.
We spent four days exploring this wonder of the world (ok we admit it, we were a little obsessed) and we’ve put together a full guide on how to plan the perfect trip to Petra.
Bonding with Whiskey the camel
Believing that those horse rides in Petra are free
We personally didn’t take one of these horse rides because we weren’t convinced the animals in Petra were well treated and we also like walking. However, that didn’t stop us from seeing more than a few incidents with people offering horse rides during our four days in Petra.
The start of the 1.2km Siq canyon that leads you to the Treasury is around a 10-15 minute walk from the visitor centre. You will be met by people with horses who will tell you that the ride to the start of the canyon is included in your ticket, you read the signs and low and behold it is! But, what you don’t realise is that they will expect a hefty tip from you at the end.
We saw people refuse and it got nasty (not physically but verbally). Jordanians are some of the friendliest, most welcoming people on earth, but for some reason those that aren’t flock to Petra. It’s the only place we encountered anything other than fantastic people.
Thinking Petra by Night is on every day
In our opinion Petra by Night is a must. Yes it’s set up for tourists, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a magical experience. For example, we decided to leave our walk down to the Treasury until the last minute and therefore walked along the entire 1.2km canyon lit by candles completely alone.
That in itself was worth the money, but we also really enjoyed the singing and music played at the Treasury. It was incredible that we could sit among the lanterns whilst looking up at Petra’s most famous sight and it was one of my most treasured memories of Jordan.
The key here is that it is only on three days a week. At the time of writing that’s Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. We met people who gave themselves just one day in Petra and were devastated that they missed the only 3 days Petra By Night was on. They were gutted.
We’ve written a guide on how to get the most out of Petra by Night, as well as tips for photographing the scene in low light.
Petra by Night is magical
Trusting that the guide to the Treasury Viewpoint will also take you back
We’re not picking on Petra but…….. the guides that take you up to that famous Treasury overlook are pretty crooked.
We heard the same sort of stories from so many people. Basically they ask for an exorbitant fee to take you on the short walk up to the viewpoint. It’s at the top that they tell you that the fee was only one-way. They then refuse to guide you down unless you pay double.
Now chances are you could remember the way back yourself, but if you aren’t confident this leaves you in a bit of a bind. Make sure in your negotiation (before you head up there) that you are paying the fee for both ways.
Visiting Petra but not visiting the Monastery
Everybody visits the Treasury, but not everybody visits the Monastery, and this is pretty much a crime in our eyes. It’s largely because the Monastery is much further away from the entrance to Petra, and requires a lengthy walk and a whole lot of stairs to climb (there is no road access).
All we can say is that you won’t regret one single step when you get there and see a sight that is almost as good, if not as good as the Treasury, but with a fraction of the crowds.
We loved the Monastery area, and a little wander in the hills behind the Monastery saw us immediately invited for some Bedouin tea with the locals (for any sceptics out there it was free of charge, such is Jordanian hospitality).
If you take on the Little Petra to Petra walk, you’ll enter Petra via the Monastery which is the best way to see it as you don’t have to walk back the same way you came.
The glorious Petra Monastery
Mistakes to avoid in the rest of the country
Shaving before you get in the Dead Sea
Yikes. This is one mistake you do not want to make. The Dead Sea is famous for it’s high salt content, and a float in it is a true bucket list moment. It’s every bit as fun as you might imagine.
That is unless you have just shaved or - God forbid - you get some water in your eyes or mouth. The salt reeeeally stings, and it is advised not to shave for at least two days before you hop in.
Not realising that Wadi Mujib is shut for almost half the year
We’ve lost count of the amount of people that have sent us emails asking if it is true that Wadi Mujib is shut when they have already booked their trips to Jordan. We always hate having to say that yes, due to flash floods Wadi Mujib is shut for safety reasons - generally between November and March.
For many people Wadi Mujib is one of the experiences they wanted to have most in Jordan and it’s not hard to see why when you see the Siq trail.
If Wadi Mujib is a must for you, avoid these winter months.
One of my all time favourite things to do in Jordan
Booking the Dana Hotel
We rarely single out places that are duds, but this one was really on another level, and we don’t want you to book it too!
We booked the Dana Hotel in advance and arrived to find there was no one there to show us our room for a good hour. At this point the owner turned up and took us to a room that in no way resembled the pictures online. It was filthy, falling apart and generally looked like it has been uninhabited and left to ruin for the last 20 years.
We didn’t stay, but we still had to pay for the first night, which incidentally was really expensive!
Not doing your research properly before booking a Wadi Rum tour
Unfortunately I did do my research, and I still ended up missing out on the kind of experience I was hoping for at Wadi Rum. There are lots of different guides who will take you around the desert, and some are much better than others.
My issue was actually not with our guide - who was lovely - but that I paid more for a hiking trip, only to find that the hiking involved us walking along the desert while the jeep tailed us….. where were all the hiking trails I’d read up about in the Lonely Planet?! Well they’re there, but our guide was not licensed to take us on them.
We also didn’t have the traditional Zarb dinner which I had been dreaming about - this one was my fault as I forgot to ask about it.
Camps are of varying standards, and the stops you make on a trip vary, so if you have certain experiences in mind, you must go through them in fine detail before you book a trip. Wadi Rum tours are really expensive and you don’t want to end up disappointed.
We’ve written an entire guide on everything that you could ever want to know about mistakes that can be made and how to make sure they don’t happen to you.
Scenery like no other at Wadi Rum
Thinking Amman is the closest town to the airport
Amman is only 35km from the airport, but the traffic means that this journey usually takes an hour. Jordan’s capital city is well worth a visit in its own right - and we loved it - but many people visit at the beginning of their trip and then again at the end as a base for heading back to the airport.
If you don’t want to return to Amman, you can use Madaba as an airport base instead. This chilled out town has a few things to do, and is 22km from the main Amman airport. It might not sound like much difference, but we did both journeys, and the one from Madaba does not suffer from insane traffic like Amman.
We also think it’s nicer to see both places if you have the chance as well as being a less stressful airport journey experience.
You can see the best things to do in Madaba in our Jordan itinerary blog.
Does anything on this list surprise you? Have you visited and have anything to add to our list? Let us know in the comments below.
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