Destinations in Jordan

How Jordan fits together

Jordan is about the size of Portugal or the US state of Indiana, and most of what visitors come for lies on a north–south line of about 400 km from Umm Qais to Aqaba. Two roads run that length: the fast Desert Highway in the east and the slow, scenic King's Highway along the edge of the rift. Below them to the west lies the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea and Wadi Araba.

Think of the country in three zones. The north around Amman is green and hilly, with Roman Jerash, Ajloun's castle and forests, and the basalt ruins of Umm Qais; east of Amman the flat Badia holds the Umayyad desert castles. The centre is the dramatic drop to the Dead Sea with Madaba, Mount Nebo and the Baptism Site on its rim, the gorges of Wadi Mujib, and the castles and canyons of the King's Highway down to Dana. The south is the Jordan of the posters: Petra, the desert of Wadi Rum and the Red Sea at Aqaba.

Amman and the north

Amman is where most trips begin and where Jordan feels most modern: a hilly capital of four million with a Roman theatre in its downtown, a citadel crowned by a temple of Hercules, excellent street food and a café culture on Rainbow Street and in Weibdeh. It is the natural base for day trips.

An hour north, Jerash is one of the best-preserved Roman provincial cities anywhere. Beyond it, the green hills of Ajloun and Umm Qais hold a Saladin-era castle, oak forests run by the RSCN and the basalt ruins of Gadara overlooking the Sea of Galilee. East of Amman, the desert castles — Qusayr Amra with its Umayyad frescoes, fortress-like Kharana and basalt Azraq — make an unusual full-day loop.

The Dead Sea and the King's Highway

West of Amman the land drops more than a kilometre into the Rift Valley. The Dead Sea resorts lie under an hour from the capital; above them on the plateau are Madaba, Mount Nebo and the Baptism Site, with the finest Byzantine mosaics in the region. Wadi Mujib cuts a spectacular canyon to the Dead Sea — wade up its Siq Trail in summer.

South of Madaba, the King's Highway threads the edge of the rift past Karak and Shobak, two great Crusader castles, and the stone village of Dana, gateway to Jordan's largest nature reserve and the trail down to Feynan.

Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba

The south is why most people come. Petra needs two days: the Siq and Treasury, the Royal Tombs, the climb to the Monastery and the viewpoints above. Two hours further, Wadi Rum is a desert of red sand and towering sandstone where you sleep in Bedouin camps under brilliant stars. An hour beyond, Aqaba sits on the Red Sea, with reefs and wrecks a short swim from the shore and winter sun when the highlands are cold.

Combining destinations

A first trip of a week usually links Amman (or Madaba), the Dead Sea, Petra and Wadi Rum. With ten days, add Jerash and the King's Highway with a night in Dana, and finish in Aqaba. Two weeks lets you see nearly everything on this page. Our itineraries give day-by-day plans, and getting around explains cars, drivers and buses.

North, centre and south: how they differ

The north — Amman, Jerash, Ajloun, Umm Qais and the desert castles to the east — is Jordan at its greenest and most urban. Here you find the capital's food scene, the best-preserved Roman city in the region, Crusader-era and Ayyubid castles in pine forests, and olive groves that turn silver in autumn. Distances are short, so one base in Amman covers most of it with day trips.

The centre is where the land falls away into the Rift Valley: the Dead Sea at about 430 m below sea level, the Baptism Site on the Jordan River, Madaba's mosaics and Mount Nebo on the plateau above, the canyon of Wadi Mujib, the castles of Karak and Shobak and the Dana Biosphere Reserve along the King's Highway. It is the region for road trips and short hikes, and Madaba is its most convenient base.

The south holds the big three: Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba on the Red Sea. Here the landscapes become desert and sandstone, the distances between sights grow, and overnight stays matter — in Wadi Musa for Petra, in a camp for Wadi Rum, and on the coast for Aqaba's reefs.

Destinations by traveller type

Travel times between the main destinations

How long to spend in each region

On a week-long trip, plan roughly two days for Amman and the north (with Jerash as a day trip), one or two for the Dead Sea and Madaba, and three or four for the south — two in Petra, one in Wadi Rum and, if you can, one in Aqaba. On ten days, add the King's Highway with a night in Dana or Karak. On two weeks, add Ajloun and Umm Qais, the desert castles, a second desert night and more hiking. Distances are short by most standards — Amman to Aqaba is about four hours — but the best experiences in Jordan, from Petra's early mornings to Wadi Rum's nights, need you to stay overnight.

Which destinations for your trip?