10

Scenic Road Trips in Jordan with Never Ending Surprises

The distance between Amman and Dana is 197 km. Since most of the domestic and international flights land at Amman, this would be an excellent place to begin your road trip. Furthermore, it is covered with lavish guest houses to stay at in case you are jet-lagged. After visiting the Roman Theatre, Downtown, Rainbow Street, and Citadel, you can rent a bike or a car and visit King’s Highway, Madaba, and Kerak Castle, which is en route and would take an hour or two to reach.

The area is filled with sandscapes and dusty pathways, which will have you swathed in their rustic appeal.Then comes Dana, renowned for its hiking trips. The biosphere of Dana is interspersed with hillocks and plateaus worth the trek.

- The distance from Amman to Dana is 197 km.

- The time required to cover this distance is two and a half hours.

- You can spend a night hiking at Dana.

If you want to cover the robust lands from Amman to Petra, two major routes are connecting the cities; The Desert Highway 15, and King’s Highway. The path is flanked with UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Crusader sites of Shobak Castle and Kerak Castle, and Umm-ar Rasas.

The King’s Highway commences at Irbid, a town situated in northern Jordan, and continues on the north-south highway leading to Wadi Musa in Petra.After emerging into Wadi Musa, the King’s Highway further leads to Aqaba via the Highway 47 route. The surrounding valleys and hills make for a site to be cherished, especially if you are going on a night trip. The night sky is mesmerizing en route.

- The distance from Amman to Petra is 60 km.

- The time required to cover this distance is almost an hour.

Jerash is interspersed with ancient heritage sites of Roman ruins, after visiting which you can go en route Amman. However, many prefer to travel the other way round due to the shorter duration of time required to travel within cities, and mostly because Amman has better accommodation facilities.

When traveling from Amman to Jerash, if you do not have bike rentals as an option in your itinerary, then the next best options are buses from the North Terminal Raghadan Station situated in Downtown. The fees for locals is fixed on these buses, but tourists need to pay around 1 JOD per person.

However, car rentals to this route are usually the most convenient way to get by. There are multiple car rental agencies situated outside the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, so picking one should not be a problem.

- The distance between Jerash and Amman is 45 km.

- The time required to cover this distance is an hour.

- Preferably, visit Jerash from Amman and then back as Amman has better accommodation and cultural diversity for exploration.

Wadi Rum is surrounded by rock bridges, rustic dunes, and ancient sites. The silence and beauty of the place are bound to cast a ruminating spell on you. After visiting the impressive landscapes, cliffs, canyons, and ruined rock glyphs of Wadi Rum, you can rent a bike and go to the rose-red city of Petra.

The ride is around a half-hour long, and you can cover the archaeological ruins as old as the 6th century BC. You can exit from the Visitor’s Center to Amman, which is situated about two and a half hours from Petra. Amman is renowned for Downtown, Rainbow Street, and the Citadel.

- The distance covered during the entire trip should be 230 km.

- It is best to seek accommodation in Amman, which is the hub of tourist activity in Jordan.

Off-roading at Wadi Rum, the largest wadi of Jordan, is one of the most adventurous tourist activities to be experienced in the robust escapades that Jordan offers. The area is occupied by nomads or Bedouins who have settled around the place in recent years.

There are narrow and thin rock bridges and dunes. Many prefer off-roading to the Israeli borders. You will need to drive at an appropriate speed as the roads do not permit going any fast.

- You can cover Wadi Rum in one day, and find a hostel at Eilat to crash for the night.

- There are no food stalls or cafes along the way, so do carry your food.

Amman to Jerash is often the most frequent trip undertaken. You can easily get cars and bikes from rentals situated outside Queen Alia International Airport in Amman. Another way to commute is via buses. There are buses available on the North Terminal Raghadan Station located in Downtown in Amman, which will drop you directly at Jordan.

You can explore the plazas, bathhouses, and streets of Jerash and move towards your next destination.However, before that, between Umm Qais and Jerash lies the Aljun Castle, which is a prominent attraction of Jordan.

After exploring the magnificent architecture here, you can go en route to Umm Qais, the Greco – Roman city of Jordan. It is known to be one of ten cities of the Roman Decapolis city. After visiting Umm Qais, you can explore Lake Tiberias, Arab-Islamic military architecture from the ancient times, and mausoleums and theatres.

- The distance to be covered from Amman to Jerash is 45 km, while that from Jerash to Umm Qais is 35 km.

- It is best to hire guides at various historic sites for in-depth and comprehensive exposure to the historicity of Jordan.

Petra and Aqaba are two extreme worlds harboring the culture of Petra in a traditional yet modern utopia. With the help of over a hundred car rentals in Aqaba, the road trip to Petra has become all the more convenient. Aqaba Airport has an abundant rental to make exploration more accessible.

Cars here usually cost around 25 - 30 JOD with proper air-conditioning and insurance, thus making the process a hassle-free mechanism.The car ride covers picturesque landscapes, hovering dunes, and ancient ruins of the city of Jordan.

- The car ride from Aqaba to Petra would take about 50 minutes.

- At the entrance of Petra, there is a free car parking facility available, opposite to the Petra Moon Hotel.

It’s all about the journey, not the destination. The same is true for a road trip from Petra to Madaba. The route is an exciting venture having robust paths and sandscapes that will steal your glances every once in a while.

After starting your journey from Petra, you will reach the Dana Biosphere Reserve, which is filled with camels, and overlooking hills of Jordan. Then, you can continue en route to see the Karak Castle, the entrance to which will cost 3 JOD per person.

Then follows to Wadi Al Mujib viewpoint, one of the most mesmerizing places in Jordan. Followed by Madaba, the town beside the Dead Sea.

- The distance between Petra and Madaba is 233 km.

- Take this trip and spend two of your days on the roads, and crash at one of the hostels.

After spending the day off-roading at the cliffs and rocks of Wadi Rum, the largest Wadi in Jordan, you can go on a road trip to Madaba. If you can not arrange for a bike rental, then you can take a bus from Wadi Rum to Aqaba, and then another one from Aqaba to Madaba Junction.

There are a lot of taxis and private vehicles that travel from Aqaba to Madaba at a minimal fee of 10 JOD per person.

- The distance between Wadi Rum and Madaba is 50 km.

- The buses depart at an interval of 45 minutes apart, starting from Wadi Rum.

You can explore the scenic beauty of Jordan on a road trip from Wadi Rum to the Dead Sea. After off-roading and spending a starry night at Wadi Rum, you can rent a car or a bike and leave for Dead Sea. The route is robust and staggering with ancient sites of Roman architecture.

When at the Dead Sea, you can go canyoning, river rafting, and exploring.

- The distance between Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea is 60 km.

- If you plan on canyoning at Wadi Rum, remember to carry waterproof bags as at times, the water rises as high as up to your waist.