Solo travel in Jordan
Amman + Day trips
Amman is the capital of Jordan and often the starting point of your trip to Jordan. Amman has some great things to see in the city but is also a great place to base yourself and do day trips from.
Roman Theatre
The Roman Theatre in Amman is a well preserved (restored) theatre cut into the side of a hill, still used today for some performances. It's included in your Jordan Pass (a must for visiting Jordan - see more info below) and not far from the Amman Citadel so a great combo visit. In fact, from the Citadel, you get a fantastic view of the Theatre. There are two museums to the side of the theatre which are worth checking out.
Amman Citadel
After seeing the Roman Theatre, make your way up the hill to the Amman Citadel. It's not only a great place to visit, but also has fantastic views over the city. It's a historic site that contains temples, palaces, churches, and has a great museum with lots of interesting artefacts. It takes a few hours to see it all but is well worth it. Tip: head there later in the afternoon to see golden hour light over the Temple of Hercules and a beautiful sunset over the city.
Rainbow Street
Rainbow Street is a funky, well-known street in Amman with a great range of restaurants and cafes. As you can guess, its lined with brightly coloured decorations which makes it a fun place to visit and stop for a meal.
Downtown Amman
The downtown area of Amman is a great place to visit, especially at night when the streets come to life with lots of people, great lights and decorations. The famous Habibah sweet shop is here, as well as Hashem restaurant - an experience in itself.
Places to stay:
For a great place to meet other solo travelers, I'd highly recommend Battuta Hostel. They put on daily social events, can organise day trips for you, and have a great group chat to coordinate these trips with other travellers. The hostel itself is clean and comfortable, with great communal spaces including a rooftop, and a kitchen so you can cook yourself to keep costs down.
Another good hostel is Nomads Hotel, it's close to the Citadel and has great facilities. I stayed at the Nomads Hotel in Petra, which was great, so I'd expect the one in Amman to be just as good.
If you're after something a bit more private, Nu Fifty Two has apartments with great views overlooking Amman and is in the most central location - walking distance to downtown Amman and Rainbow Street!
Day trips from Amman:
Amman is a great place to base yourself and do a few day trips. If you're staying in a hostel, you'll likely find others who want to do similar day trips so find a crew to team up with and split the costs. You can book these through your hostel or do it yourself - find a taxi driver (ask a few for the best price) and book them for the day. This is great as you have complete flexibility of where to go. Here are a few great options for day trips:
Jerash
Jerash is an ancient city with large and well-preserved roman and byzantine ruins. There is so much to see here so it's worth dedicating a day to exploring all the different parts of Jerash. It's about an hour away from Amman on the bus. You can just show up to the bus stop, they'll leave when the bus is full so with luck you can be on your way pretty quickly but allow time in case you're waiting a while. Also, on the way back, be mindful that the last bus leaves at 5pm so make sure you're at the bus before then.
Dead Sea
Wadi Mujib
Wadi Mujib was my absolute favourite day trip from Amman. This is close to the dead sea so you could easily combine these trips. Wadi Mujib is a canyon which you can walk up through the water, climb up rocks and waterfalls to a final waterfall and pool, before floating and sliding your way back down. It is stunningly beautiful and loads of fun. Keep in mind its only available during summer when the water level is low enough to walk through.
Petra/Wadi Musa
After spending a few days in Amman, most people's next stop would be Petra. I would highly recommend staying in Wadi Musa, the town where Petra is located, rather than doing a day trip from Amman. I spent three full days in Petra and still didn't get to see everything. It is well worth doing this, but if you're short on time and can only allocate a day to Petra, try to stay in Wadi Musa so you can start your day early.
You'll start your Petra adventure by walking through the Siq, a 1.2km long canyon lined by incredibly beautiful red stone walls. You'll come out the end of this at the Treasury, arguably the most famous part of Petra. This massive structure was carved out of the stone with incredible skill and detail. It's truly impressive. You will find a small store/cafe next to it and lots of people trying to sell you camel rides, photos, and guided hikes to different viewpoints. This spot gets packed, so it's best to try and get there early to avoid the crowds, however, its magical to watch the treasury start to get hit by sunlight, which can be late morning depending on time of year. There are some viewpoints you can go to with a guide who will also serve as your personal photographer. These are Instagram hotspots so depending on your style, you may jump at these, or want to avoid them. Be aware that the guide/photographer will expect a tip for their service.
Beyond the Treasury you will find a main pathway leading right through Petra with many options to turn off and look at different sites. If you have time, try to do as many of these as possible. The hike to the High Place of Sacrifice was a highlight - few people but incredible sites and viewpoints. If you only have a day in Petra, stay on the main road but go to the different detours that are just off the main path, such as the Theatre, Royal Tombs, and Great Temple.
At the end of the main pathway, you'll find a few restaurants to stop at for refreshments. Beyond these, is the pathway to the Monastery. This is well worth the walk but be aware there are a lot of steps! What you find at the end is truly breath-taking. The Monastery is a larger structure than the treasure and there are some fantastic viewpoints from which you can truly appreciate how it has been carved out of the existing mountains.
A final note on Petra, you will find many people trying to sell you donkey or camel rides to save you walking yourself. I have a blanket rule against riding any animal in the name of tourism. Take care to note how these animals are treated before you take up the opportunity, do they have food and water, do they have adequate shelter from the sun and time to rest.
Where to stay?
Nomads Hostel Petra is a popular hostel with amazing views over the Petra area. You will have a great view of sunset and the Petra air balloon from the balcony. Rooms and facilities are good, and they do packed lunches for your day in Petra.
For something a bit more upscale, the H Luxury hotel is in a great location, good views, and breakfast included.
Wadi Rum
A few things to be aware of in Wadi Rum. First, if you go in summer, choose a camp that has aircon. I love hot weather, but it was almost unbearable without any AC, and even the water from the tap comes out hot. Make sure you bring snacks and plenty of drinking water - you're out in the middle of nowhere so there aren't any shops available. The camp will have refrigerated drinking water to purchase but this will be expensive, so plan accordingly.
Aqaba
The southernmost stop on your Jordan trip is Aqaba, a coastal town on the Red Sea. Aqaba has some great sites to see, a fab waterfront area to walk through and, of course, incredible snorkeling or diving. A lot of the tourism here is based on water sports. In addition to snorkeling and diving you can do glass bottom boat tours and parasailing. There are some interesting sites to see out on the water including a sunken tank! When you walk down the waterfront areas, you'll find people trying to sell these tours to you, make sure you shop around and negotiate the best price. There is also lots of shopping and it's a great place to do a guided walking tour through the markets to get the local knowledge! The food in Aqaba is incredible. There are a couple of restaurants by the yacht club which were some of my fav in all of Jordan, check out Kashoka below. As-Saadeh Street is a popular restaurant street that has lots of different food options too.
Where to stay?
Aqaba Coast Hotel is a modern hotel, with great views over the sea. The staff are truly wonderful, they were able to accommodate my early check in after an overnight flight and the breakfast included was fantastic. It's also in a great location, walking distance to the main part of town.
For something a bit more upmarket, the Lacosta Hotel is a popular one, in a great location with breakfast included and an onsite restaurant for your convenience.
Tips for travelling Jordan
Weather
Jordan's weather changes dramatically depending on the season and where in the country you are. I travelled here in August which is the hottest part of the year. It was regularly in the high 30's, early 40's (Celsius). I'm a hot weather type of person, but even for me, this was a bit much. If you do visit Jordan at this time, make sure to plan accordingly, for example, I chose to spend 3 days exploring Petra rather than squeezing it into one or two days. This meant I could go in early and retreat back to my air-conditioned hostel during the heat of the afternoon. It's also worth noting that some hiking trips don't run during the heat of summer.
Contrarily, January in Jordan can get cold, down to around 5 degrees Celsius and snow isn't unheard of. Still, if you don't mind the cold, this can be a great time to visit with fewer crowds around. The best time to visit Jordan for the weather, is Spring (March - May) or Autumn (September - November), however, you will get more crowds during this time too.
Safety
I get asked a lot if it's safe to travel as a solo female in Jordan. Absolutely, it is. I would rate it as safer than some places in Europe I've travelled to. Saying that, I would always recommend women take precautions when they are travelling solo, and Jordan is no exception.
It is a conservative country, so you do need to dress with your shoulders and knees covered. I did see a lot of tourists not following this dress code, and they were likely fine, but would gain just a bit more attention. I still don't think they would have been unsafe.
I would recommend always sitting in the back seat of a taxi, fairly normal in most countries so it's not an issue. Walking at night is really safe too. It's a predominantly Muslim country so most people don't drink alcohol, and those who do don't tend to drink much because it's so expensive, so it's pretty safe at night.
Jordanian people are some of the friendliest people I've ever met, and being invited for a cup of tea is a common occurrence, whether it's as a cafe, or a shop, or a tent on a mountain in Petra. I found that my western point of view always made me slightly suspicious of this, waiting for the catch. But honestly, it's just the way of life there. Sure, they'd like you to have a look at the items they're trying to sell, but no hard feelings if you don't buy anything. Embrace the hospitality.
Jordan Pass
The Jordan Pass is a pre purchased voucher that gives you entry to loads of different attractions, including Petra, and waives your tourist entry fee if you stay more than 3 nights. It's well worth the money, as your tourist entry fee and Petra entrance fee already almost equal the cost of the pass. You can choose between 3 different passes depending on the length of Petra entry you want (1, 2, or 3 days) which will depend on how long you have in Jordan. I would highly recommend purchasing the pass before you arrive in Jordan to take full advantage of its offerings.
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