Travel Guide to Jordan in 6 Days under SGD$1,200

Dream about visiting one of the new 7 Wonders of the World?  Look no further than Jordan, the kingdom which is home to the iconic ancient city of Petra.

I will be covering on general travel within Jordan such as application of VISA, transportation options , getting around the kingdom and food. In this post, you can uncover the secret of travelling,  planning itinerary and make it wallet friendly for your trip to Jordan, to make it even a greater one!

Budget :

The Middle East region, or at least if I could mention in particular Jordan is rather an expensive country to begin with. In particular, selecting the type of service in terms of food, transportation & accommodation is key without safety and service level being compromise. Let’s dive into it!

Do note that I spend 2 days out of the entire 10 days trip in Israel. Below is the breakdown of cost over 10 days in both Israel & Jordan.  Prices are all in Singapore Dollars (SGD$).

Hotel:  SGD$275.00

Transportation: SGD$292.40

Sightseeing / Attractions: SGD$382.50

Food:SGD$122.10

Miscellaneous (Travel insurance, SIM Cards): SGD$76.00

TOTAL: SGD$1148.00 per person (10 Days of Jordan & Israel, exclude flight)

Just to put it into perspective, I flew on Saudi Arabia national carrier: Saudia Airline. I had to transit at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia before catching my flight onwards to the capital of Jordan, Amman.

The cost of return flight (2 way) from Singapore to Amman and back to Singapore cost me SGD$935.00

So if you were to include it in, that would be around SGD$2,083 per person.

Airline to Use:

Amman is the capital of Jordan and also likely to be the international point of entry and exit for most travellers. If you are intending to fly from Asia, do note the Amman airport are being served mostly by  regional airlines which mean airlines in the Middle East region are the best bet. You are likely require to do a transit and no direct flights to Amman.

Having said that, I choose to fly with Saudi Arabia national carrier (Saudia) as they offer one of the lowest fare with reasonable amount of transit time, only 3 hours in Jeddah airport on the way from Singapore to Amman route. In fact, when I flew back from Amman to Singapore, the transit time at Jeddah is just 90 minutes, making it an ideal connection. A good point to note is that flights on Saudia usually depart on time!   

Food : 

Mansaf– National dish of Jordan. Consists of lamb slowly cooked in fermented dried goat’s yoghurt. This is a must try dish and it taste superb!

Kunafa — Middle East desert, commonly found in the region. A must have too to finish off the meal. At time, restaurant will offer you free of charge after your meal. So a tip is not to order dessert first.

Accommodation: 

Most budget friendly hotels meaning 2 & 3 stars hotel are located in the area known as “Downtown Amman”. The downtown area is also where most of Amman tourist spots such as Citadel, Jordan Archaeological Museum, Rainbow Street & Roman Theatre are located. Since you are likely to spend most of the time away from your hotel room, finding a hotel located in Downtown Amman should be the ideal choice.

Do note the rooms are not too bad for a 2 star standard, only issue is that the noise from the crowded streets nearby might be a small issue in getting quality sleep in the night at time. My first night in Amman:

Not to worry thou, I managed to secure a hotel within downtown of Amman that is located just outside the busy street, yet it is fairly walkable within 10 minutes to reach the central Amman downtown. The hotel name: “City Citadel Hotel” .

Address: 53 King Hussein Street Opposite of the central bank of Jordan, 11101 Amman, Jordan

This hotel is owned by Ahmad , a rather young entrepreneur as seen in above picture. As he mentioned, book the hotel on your prefer platform and quote “TheGuyTravel reader” and he will offer additional 20% discount.

If you are looking for better quality international hotel chains such as Sheraton, Crowne Plaza, Hilton,  they are mostly located at prestigious site in the 6th Circle of Amman, where one is close to corporations and trendy malls. This area is also rather known as “The New City area”.

Season- When to go? 

In general, there are two distinct season namely Summer and Winter.  The best time to visit Jordan is during spring (March to May) or autumn (September to November), also seen as the peak season. Low season is in summer time due to the known fact that Middle East can get really hot, with temperature up to 48 Degree Celsius!

Like I always said, the best time to explore a country is during the shoulder season (during low season but closer to the end or start of peak season). This simply mean  the month of August (if you do not mind a few days of desert like temperature, personally experienced a high of 41 degree for 2 days out of 10 days in August period). Alternatively, head to Jordan during winter shoulder season in the month of January! To me, that would be the best time to see Jordan in cooler, bearable temperature yet having less crowd to jostle with.

Jordan Pass :

The Jordan Pass provides you with hassle-free entry to over 40 of Jordan’s tourist attractions including Petra, Jerash, Wadi Rum, and much more.

The Pass also includes the cost of the tourist entry visa, which otherwise one will have to pay the relevant tourist visa application fees at the embassy or port of entry. Once you have paid the relevant fees, one will receive the Jordan Pass via email in PDF format in your inbox.

Remember to purchase the Jordan Pass online before your arrival to Jordan, so that one can benefit from the entry visa fees exemption if you stay a minimum of three nights. Website to purchase: https://www.jordanpass.jo/Default.aspx

Remember to also have it printed out in hard copy as you are likely to need it to show at the point of entry into Jordan (airport) and at inclusive attraction entry points each time.

Purchase of SIM Cards :

Do note that there are 3 mobile internet operators, each have a store in the Amman airport arrival hall that operates 24hours daily. Choose Telcom: Orange booth located at the most left side out of the 3 booths. Reason being it has the best network coverage and price within acceptable range as compare to other Telcos.

Transportation within Jordan : 

If you are looking for comfortable and budget friendly bus ride for travel within major tourist cities in Jordan, look no further than booking a seat on Jett Bus! The one and prefer trustable bus operator for your free & easy holiday in Jordan! The buses depart on time, so be there early to secure last minute bus tickets (if it is still available). Otherwise, log on to their website for quick purchase before trip: https://www.jett.com.jo/en/

Attractions to visit :

In this post, I will briefly cover on the tourist spots in Jordan. I will be composing another more detailed post on tips and how to better enjoy each attractions in Jordan.

#1: Petra

Petra is filled with spectacular tombs, monuments, and houses that were carved into the sandstone cliffs. In 2007 it was named one of the new seven wonders of the world.

#2: Roman Theatre in Amman 

A famous landmark in the Jordanian capital, it dates back to the Roman period. It is located opposite the Amman Citadel.

#3: Amman Rainbow Street in Amman

Perched atop Jebel Amman , the area is lined with a huge number of places to dine, drink, shop and people-watch. One can hop from cafes to souvenir shops, restaurants to rooftop bars.

 #4: Wadi Rum Desert 

The must go attraction, located in the South of Jordan. The desert is home to many movie films setting and known to be the place which looks similar to the planet of Mars , surrounded with unique beauty cliffs in the desert background.

#5: Dead Sea (This can be done either in Israel or Jordan) 

Landlocked salt lake between Israel and Jordan, The Dead Sea has the lowest elevation and is the lowest body of water on the surface of Earth. Experience the art of floating in the sea and get to indulge in mud spa session. I had applied the mud on my body for just a mere of 5 minutes and when I washed it off, I could literally feel my skin being so smooth. You got to try it first hand!

Border Crossing (between Jordan & Israel) :

Now, this is a bit complicated when crossing border between these 2 countries, esspecially so at Jordanian side. There are 3 border crossings between Jordan and Israel:

• King Hussein/ Allenby Bridge: Located close to Jordan’s capital Amman and Jerusalem in Israel. Do note this is the only direct border crossing between the Palestinian Territories and Jordan.
  
• Wadi Araba / Yitzhak Rabin Crossing: Located close to the Red Sea, between Aqaba and Eilat.
• Sheikh Hussein/ Jordan River Crossing: Located in the North of Jordan, approximately between the Jordanian city Irbid and the Israeli town Beit She’an.

Do note there are opening hours on different days of the week for different check points. Do check update regularly for this. Here is a quick travel tip: If you intend to use the Jordan Pass as the Visa into Jordan, plan to cross border from Jordan into Israel and back into Jordan, the King Hussein/ Allenby Bridge is the only checkpoint that allow one to do so.

Crossing from Jordan to Israel. Factor in at least 3 hours for border crossing.  In Jordanian custom, there are a few steps to follow when you arrive at King Hussein Bridge

Step 1: Make sure you go to the Tourist Terminal

Step 2: After entering the terminal, have your bags scan and head over to the counter to fill up the form.

 Step 3: Queue up to have the exit tax pay, collect receipt.

Step 4: Show the paid exit tax receipt together with your passport. Officers will collect your passport.

Step 5: Wait at the seating area till the officer/ bus driver inform you to board the bus.

Step 6: Wait on the bus, this might take up to 1 hour. Officers will board the bus with tonnes of passports in their hand and distribute back to you.

Step 7: Pay for the bus fare (5 kilometres ride) that will transport you across the bridge from Jordan border to Israeli check point.

Step 8: At Israeli Terminal, drop large items of luggage at one of the counters outside the terminal. One will get a sticker on your passport, indicating how many items you checked in.

Step 9: Go into custom terminal, queue up to have your passport assess  if how dangerous you most likely are to the Israeli state. Receive an initial assessment and another sticker of different colour code indicating the level of risk this visitor pose to the state.

Step 10: After the immigration kiosks there is another passport check control. Collect your luggage, and continue past the customs counters and out of the Terminal.

Itinerary :

As I had included touring Israel for 2 days within the entire Jordan trip, there are 2 days that you could see I made the land border crossing from Jordan into Israel and back.

For a copy of how the itinerary looks like, please refer to link here.

Categories: Middle East Region