Traveling Jordan: How to Get Around In Jordan

Traveling around Jordan for an independent traveler is quite easy. It is safe to rent a car in Jordan, or take a taxi, bus or hire a private driver. I am a fan of driving in Jordan if possible, as it allows you to stop when you want, rather than adhere to a bus schedule. If you are planing on traveling Jordan, this guide will help you navigate the country.

Highways in Jordan

The major North – South highway in the Hashemite Kingdon of Jordan is known as the Desert Highway. As it runs through Amman, it is known as Airport Road and North of the Capital City, it is known as the Northern Highway. It connects the Arabian gulf with Eastern Europe and continues through Syria and Turkey.

Visitors to Jordan often wonder how to get from Amman to Petra, or Amman to Wadi Rum, or Petra to Aqaba, or even Amman to the Dead Sea. Fortunately, there are plenty of options to ensure you can tick off your Jordan Bucket list during your visit.

The Desert Highway

The Desert Highway, A seemingly inhospitable landscape, yet not uninhabited. Shepherds are seen with their herds of goats or sheep grazing the bits of green grasses and shrubs along the side of the highway. Literally on the side of the highway. The shepherd’s watchful eye ensuring a goat does not stray onto the road. A stick or cane waved from their hands keeps the goats back if they stray onto the pavement.

Trucks outnumber cars two to one. Either flat bed container trucks moving goods from the port in Aqaba or trucks carrying massive pieces of limestone or other materials are plentiful. Cars and busses make up the rest of the traffic, you do not see mopeds, motorcycles or bicycles along the roadways in Jordan.

Shreds of rubber litter the sides of the highway, and tire shops are plentiful, easily identified by their stack of tires on the side of the roadway. The shredded mess of rubber shows that the desert highway claims many tires and we even passed by the black smoke of a burning tire just off the side of the road.

Coffee shops boast large drawings of teapots, with neon lights to attract eyes of late night drivers. They offer turkish coffee or tea and sometimes snacks. I was able to order “shay ma sukar” (tea with sugar) from a local, but had no idea how much he wanted me to pay. I suspect it was a half dinar (50 piastres) but I had no small change and gave him 1 dinar.

Armed police vehicles escort a white truck carrying high value prisoners from the Swaqa prison to court appearances. 4×4 trucks with high powered machine guns on top, manned by police, follow the truck to deter any would-be hijackers. Police checkpoints emerge in the middle of no where, their small stop sign indicating to pull over and provide your driver’s license. While I was stopped 4 times on my drive south on the Desert Highway, I was quickly waved on my way, without having to show any ID. Others were also quickly checked, while some detained for a few minutes. Some checkpoints even crossed the road, checking each vehicle, whether car, truck or bus. The checkpoints are not intimidating, police friendly and polite. Sometimes a quick look at a driver license and you are on your way, other times, they will take it to their vehicle and run your name.

Roadkill, impossible to not look at, was prolific on the sides of the highway, discarded among the plastic bags and garbage caught up in the weeds.

The Desert Highway runs through Wadi Rum, its red sand and “moonlike” landscape looks like no other place on Earth. Wadi Rum has become popular in movies as of late, being used to film portions of the Martian and the most recent Star Wars film, Rogue One. It is well worth turning off and driving deep into the desert, visiting the visitors centre and taking a 4×4 tour of the sandy desert.

Wadi Rum was one of our favourite parts of Jordan, and it is quite reasonable to spend a night camping in the desert. You can read all about Choosing a Wadi Rum Camp by clicking the link.

Highly recommended is Hasan Zawaideh Camp, where Mahmoud will take good care of you during your stay. You will not find a better price for luxury in Wadi Rum

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Back along the highway, silhouette of a village sign and a speed bump ahead sign indicate you are entering a town or village and cars slow from 110km/h to ride over the speed bumps and then resume their highway speed. Raised pedestrian sidewalks have been built over the highway for pedestrians,in most towns, but people still cross the highway, even ducking through vandalized fences, that have been put in place for their protection. Small children are seen running along the side of the road, their street sense taught at a young age.

The Desert Highway sounds terrible. It is not all bad. It travels through small towns, up and down hills, green with grass from the spring rain, past castles and ruins. You will see phosphate mines in the distance, Jordan’s main export commodity. The road is decently maintained, two lanes eachway, It is the main access point to Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba. I am still getting used to seeing the trash everywhere and even the mess of discarded concrete. It is much easier to ignore in the spring, as the centre median and sides of the highway are green with spring grass, but in the hot summer and fall,a the garbage sticks out in the barren land.

Along the Desert Highway you will see the Ottoman Railway, built in the 1800s, connecting Turkey with Saudia Arabia. The railway’s purpose was to make it easier for the pilgrims to travel to Saudia Arabia. The Jordan stretch now carries phosphate, from the desert, to Aqaba.

Another well known route in Jordan is called the Kings Highway. Kids and Compass has a great post on it here.

Ways to get Around in Jordan:

Guided Tours, Car Rental, Taxi, Uber

There are many ways of traveling Jordan. Many tourists opt for a fully guided tour where everything is taken care of. Hotels are often pre chosen, meals can be included and a guide and driver will follow an itinerary outlined in advance.

Other tourists arrive and decide to navigate Jordan on their own. If this is you, keep reading, as I share my tips for getting around Jordan.

If you plan to visit Jordan on a guided tour, you will be exempt from having to purchase a visa on arrival at Queen Alia Airport (JD40). If you are coming in without a tour, I suggest purchasing a Jordan Pass for JD70-80.  You get the visa and entrance to 12 sites in Jordan. Petra is JD50 for just one day, so you get you money’s worth for sure if Petra is in your plans.…  The only thing I do not like about the Jordan Pass is that it is only valid for one week upon activation. While I am sure this is fine for most visitors, with our extended stay, it meant we had to plan smartly.

Jordan Pass can be bought here.

If you are visiting Israel and curious about taking a tour to Jordan, check out this post: Why you should take a tour from Israel to Jordan

How to get around in Jordan?

Local Bus in Jordan

local busses are available and go throughout the country. They do not have a set timetable and sometimes will not leave a stop until full. When driving the highway you will often see people standing on the side of the highway at non-existent bus stops. These are a bit tough to navigate if you do not have a local to help you, but they are the cheapest way around the country.

JETT Bus In Jordan

Similar to greyhound, JETT offers tour bus transportation to cities and major tourist sites. Short for Jordan Express Tourist Transportation, I found it full of locals and only a few tourists. Some busses have bathroom and food and drink on board.

A one way ticket from from Amman to Petra costs JD10 per adult and leaves at 6:30am. A return trip to Amman leaves from Petra in the afternoon for those who do not want to spend the night in Wadi Musa.

A one way trip from Amman to Aqaba costs JD8 and runs several times per day

If a Petra day trip is what you want to do, but want a private ride instead of the JETT bus, I would suggest this one. … < —– CLICK THE LINK

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Taxis in Jordan

Taxis are quite cheap to get around in and there are a LOT of them. A 20 minute taxi ride costs less than USD 5.00. Note that meters are calculated in pilasters, not dinars and if you mistake the two, the driver will not likely correct you. If you find yourself paying more than 2 or 3 dinars for a taxi ride inside Amman, double check the meter.

You can also hire a taxi to take you from city to city, often at a set rate. We took a taxi from Aqaba to Amman for about JD50

Private Vehicle Driver

These are drivers offering an alternative to a taxi. However, be careful with your choices as these drivers are not licensed Tour Guides. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is the only body to certify Tour Guides, who have extensive training and knowledge of Jordan. They wear a badge from the ministry with their name and photo. Be careful of others who call themselves “tour guides.”

Another note on guides: Most of the sites in Jordan will have local guides inside the sites, who will show you around for a fee. You can inquire at the entrance if you would like a guide. The Citadel, Jerash and Petra are examples of sites that have local guides available to hire inside the sites.

We had to be at the airport at 4:30am for our departure from Jordan, so I hired a private driver instead of trying to walk a few blocks with all of our luggage and two sleepy kids while it was still dark! It would have been impossible to carry two suitcases, our carry-ons, our booster seats, and try and make a 5 and 3 year old walk in the early morning! This took the stress out of our departure and the price was super reasonable! You can click here for rates for private drivers in Jordan.

Rental Cars in Jordan

I was quite surprised when I arrived in Jordan as I found rental cars expensive. About JD25 per day. This is because insurance is not optional and included in the price. I was asked if it was safe to rent a car in Jordan and I have never had a problem. Accidents are rare, and if they do happen … you should contact the police for a report.

Uber and Careem: Ride Hailing App

Uber and its Arabic competition, Careem, operate in Jordan. I have used them once, after trying to tell an Arabic speaking taxi driver where I wanted to go (It was the Amman Citadel, but it is known as Jabel Al-Qaia to locals, so until I showed him a photo, he was unsure of where to take me). The service with Careem was quick, and probably cost about 1 JD more than a taxi would have, but they picked me up outside my door and took me right where I wanted to go. The car was clean and new and I would not hesitate to use them again.

Driving in Amman

Driving in Amman is a hodge-podge of crazy, as traffic rules around lanes and merging are up for interpretation. Streets are narrow, winding and steep in and around Amman, but the highways are easy to navigate with clearly written signs in English and Arabic. The traffic circles in Amman can be characterized as “crazy” as I cannot come up with another word for it, but overall, I found driving in Jordan to be predictable. There were a few lane changes where I said “WHOOOOA” but otherwise, other drivers often indicated when they wanted to cut you off! Unusual, Yes, But not impossible to get through.

While driving in Amman feels like being in a sea of ants heading towards an anthill, it is mostly predictable. Everyone is paying attention to the road, and while the cars do not always stay in the lanes, getting around in Amman is quite straight forward.

Cars do not yield to pedestrians, even in crosswalks, and pedestrians act as such. They walk as if they are a vehicle, and you yield to them or they yield to you.

Major Car Rental companies like Avis and Budget are available in Jordan. If you are looking to book a car, Click the links below to check prices for these rental agencies.

[su_button url=”http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-7855664-12899548″ target=”blank” style=”glass”]Avis Prices In Jordan[/su_button] [su_button url=”http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-7855664-10430066″ target=”blank” style=”glass”]Budget Prices in Jordan[/su_button]

Want more on Jordan?

Click here so receive our Ultimate Arrival Guide and Essential Jordan tips for anyone planning a visit!

Read more of my Jordan posts here:

What to Pack for a Jordan Vacation

Dead Sea Tips

Top Things to do in Amman

Is Jordan Safe?

Eco Tourism in Jordan

How to Renew a One Month Visitor Visa in Jordan

Our Favourite Guides to Jordan and Inspiration on Jordan Travel. Click on the Photos to Check them out!

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