Unfortunately, due to the war between Israel and Palestine and Iran getting involved, tourism in Jordan has dropped dramatically - so much my accommodation in Petra is shutting down for three months due to a lack of visitors. So now is a great time to visit Jordan if you want less traffic, people in the major tourist sites like Petra.
Hiring a car and driving is the best way to see Jordan, in my opinion - the highway roads are great. Just be careful driving in the cities as drivers are unpredictable and don’t indicate or stay in lanes. Also pay attention to the roadside signs for speed bumps - they’re not immediately visible or obvious and this took me by surprise once - learnt my lesson.
I drove: Amman Airport to Petra, Petra to Wadi Rum, Wadi Rum to Aqaba, Aqaba to Dead Sea, Dead Sea to Amman. The longest of these drives was Aqaba to Dead Sea which was around 3hrs.
Petra is truly astonishing! To think that today we travel by plane, train, and car, but ~2000 years ago, they were travelling by foot and horse (if you were lucky and had status). How they built these amazing sites astonishing. It’s a short walk (15min) from the entrance to The Treasury but it’s a 2.5hr walk to the Monastery site - and 2.5hrs back. A fast and fit person can do it in less time but if you want to be present or take photos like me, allow yourself 5-6hrs.
If you are doing a jeep safari in Wadi Rum, carry water with you – many of the camps where they sell trinkets, coffee, and tea do not have bottles of water. I feel like this is a missed revenue/profit opportunity. Wadi Rum is so quiet and peaceful, I extended my stay by an extra night.
Just had a great chat with a waiter at a bar in Aqaba - he’s of Palestinian descent, born in Jordan. They don’t panic when they see rockets overhead from Iran to Israel - for them it’s “free fireworks”. Hah!
Floating in the Dead Sea is quite an experience - there is so much salt in the water, it’s impossible to sink. I stayed at the Crown Plaza hotel for 121 JOD (breakfast included, access to the private beach on the Dead Sea, gym, sauna).
Some of my recommendations for places to eat in Jordan: https://maps.app.goo.gl/8NQ9C6PAmpUxH4117
