Hitching is very easy in Jordan especially along local roadways and the old King's Highway. People are very friendly and will almost always stop to pick someone up for a ride even if they are only going 5 minutes down the road. Outside of the very hospitable local residents their are also quite a number of tourists who rent cars out of Amman and drive to Petra and other tourist sites who are also quite willing to pick up hitchhikers. Along the Desert Highway (the dual carriageway from Amman to Aqaba) it's a bit tougher to thumb a ride as vehicles move faster and are less inclined to stop for hitchhikers but there are a number of minibuses that take this route who stop to pick people up. These buses usually only cost JOD1. Bring water as much of Jordan is a desert and can get quite hot during the day.

 

Much of Jordan's more dramatic scenery requires 4x4 vehicles with drivers or guides familiar with the territory. Most people visiting Jordan opt for organised tours, although it is possible to use local guides from the various visitors' centres at Jordan's eco-nature reserves. These include Wadi Rum, the Dana Reserve and Iben Hamam. The majority of tourists crossing into Jordan from Israel are on one-day Petra tours or in organised tour groups. They make up a significant percent of the daily visitors in Petra and Jordan's natural attractions.

 

The Archaeological Ruins at Petra are Jordan's biggest tourist draw and a must-see for anyone travelling in Jordan.

One should also visit Dead Sea to experience floating without fear of drowning.

 

• The Bedouin Meditation Camp, Wadi Rum, Located in Wadi Rum World Heritage Area. It is a great place to sleep in the Red Desert and see the White Desert. You get to experience Bedouin Culture. In addition its a great place to watch the Sunset.

• Sharhabil Bin Hassneh EcoPark, Northern Jordan Valley (4-6JD taxi ride from Sheikh Hussein border crossing),  Started by Friends of the Earth Middle East, the SHE EcoPark is a natural retreat for locals and tourists alike. The beautiful landscape of the rehabilitated park includes walking trails, bike rentals, shaded picnic areas, a campsite, air-conditioned cabins, the Ziqlab dam and lake, and a play area. It’s worth the travel from Amman for an authentic and affordable taste of Jordan. The cabins are a great place to rest overnight after crossing the Sheikh Hussein border.

• Wadi Rum Protected Area, Wadi Rum (Begin in Rum Village 6km past the visitor center)

 

 

Jordanian cuisine is quite similar to fare served elsewhere in the region. The daily staple being khobez, a large, flat bread sold in bakeries across the country for a few hundred fils. Delicious when freshly baked.

For breakfast, the traditional breakfast is usually fried eggs, labaneh, cheese, zaatar and olive oil along with bread and a cup of tea. Falafel and hummus are eaten on the weekends by some and more often by others. There's no convention for when you should or should not eat any type of food. It's up to you. This is the most popular breakfast. Manousheh and pastries come in as the second most popular breakfast item. All of the hotels offer American breakfast.

The national dish of Jordan is the mansaf, prepared with jameed, a sun-dried yogurt. Grumpygourmet.com describes the mansaf as "an enormous platter layered with crêpe-like traditional "shraak" bread, mounds of glistening rice and chunks of lamb that have been cooked in a unique sauce made from reconstituted jameed and spices, sprinkled with golden pine nuts." In actuality more people use fried almonds instead of pine nuts because of the cheaper price tag. While mansaf is the national dish, most people in urban areas eat it on special occasions and not every day. Other popular dishes include Maklouba, stuffed vegetables, freekeh.

The most popular place to eat cheap Mansaf is the Jerusalem restaurant in downtown Amman.

Levantine-style mezza are served in "Lebanese-style" -which is typical to Jordaian style- restaurants around the country, and you can easily find international fast food chains including McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Burger King.

 

The legal drinking/purchasing age of alcoholic beverages is 18. Muslims are allowed to consume alcohol.

Alcohol is widely available in Jordan, however it is expensive. By law, any Muslim is NOT allowed inside bars or liquor stores, and they must be owned and ran by Christians. During Ramadan, all bars and liquor stores remain closed, even after sunset, unless they have a specific tourist license. But these are typically higher end places that can afford to stay open during Ramadan.

 

Jordan is very safe. The army controls areas adjacent to the Iraqi, Syrian and Israeli/Palestinian areas so it would be best to have your passport with you when visiting such areas.

A police officer will accompany any organized tour of 10 or more people, for extra security.

Jordan is one of the most liberal nations in the region. Western fashions are popular among young Jordanian women. However, modest clothing should be worn in religious sites and when visiting more conservative rural or urban areas. Even in more liberal urban areas, sexual harassment is a very real problem, although it rarely goes beyond leers and catcalls. Keep in mind Jordan is a Muslim nation and some Western norms, such as public displays of affection, may be considered crass or offensive, even by Jordan's western educated elite. Jordan is not a place where homosexuality is flaunted as openly as it would be in the West, although it is not illegal in Jordan unlike the case in most other Arab nations. Consensual sex between unmarried couples is not illegal in Jordan as long as both parties are over the age of consent (18 years), again it would be wise to be discreet about this in order not to offend local sensibilities.

Despite the fact that Jordan is a popular place for sex tourism, prostitution is illegal as in many other middle eastern countries, and isn't recommended.

 

 

Homosexuality is legal in Jordan, and there is a small, discreet LGBT scene in Amman, mostly clustered around liberal areas like Rainbow Street. Most Jordanians adopt a "don't ask, don't tell" approach to queer lifestyles, and Jordan is still a culturally conservative country. Public displays of affection are absolutely off-limits (this is true for straight couples too), and may draw nasty remarks.

 

Jordan is a very hospitable country to tourists and foreigners will be happy to help you if asked. Jordanians in turn will respect you and your culture if you respect theirs. Respect Islam, the dominant religion, and the King of Jordan.

 

Wear modest clothing to important religious sites. Respect the Jordanian monarchy which has strong backing by the people. The Jordanian monarchy is very pro-Western and very open to reform, as are the Jordanian people.

Eating in public during Ramadan is not prohibited, but you should not eat in order to support the majority of (Muslim) community. During Ramadan, there are almost empty streets around the sunset, for all people get home in order to eat. Shops, malls, restaurants etc open later (in the summer, generally after 21:00). This does not affect major restaurants near tourist destinations, however. Also, during Eid al-Fitr it is impossible to get a servees (minibus) in the late afternoon or evening in many parts of the country. Plan in advance if you are taking a servees to an outlying area; you may need to get a taxi back. However, JETT and Trust International Transport usually add more buses to their schedules during this time period, especially those going from Amman to Aqaba.

 

Jordanians have a notable issue with standing in line-ups for service, however this does not affect major tourist destinations like Petra (where most people standing for a ticket are foreigners).

All hotels have active screening devices, however the process is much more relaxed than in neighbouring countries like Egypt.

 

Although Jordan is a very hospitable country to foreigners, the fact that there's a lot of tourism and that the nation is very much westernized has rendered natives somewhat indifferent to tourists. Although this is an Arabic country, in practice you will feel (especially in Amman) like it is Europe. Natives are friendly, however do not expect the overwhelming welcome you might see in Egypt, Yemen or Oman.

 

Throughout Jordan there are a wealth of beautiful archeological sights to experience. We recommend anyone planning on travel to Jordan to do a thorough research so as not to miss a thing.