In September 2025 we did a 9-day roadtrip through the western part of Jordan, visiting quite a few of the highlights that Jordan has to offer.
20 September 2025
Hotel – Al Qasr Metropole Hotel
Car Rental company – 7 Wonders Car Rental
Once outside the airport in Amman our contact from 7 Wonders Car Rental came to bring us to our hotel. The car that he was driving us in, would turn out to be our rental car for the rest of the trip. Very handy! This meant that we wouldn’t have to get up early the next day to collect the car.
The hotel staff was very friendly and immediately available for check-in despite the later hour of our arrival (close to midnight). The room itself was decent. Nothing too special but more than good enough after a flight.
21 September 2025
The next morning we had some breakfast in our hotel. Options were OK. Pretty basic but had everything we needed.
After breakfast we first went to fetch some cash from a bank. Google Maps wasn’t always accurate since it sometimes pointed us to an ATM where there wasn’t one. Eventually we were able to withdraw some cash at the Jordan Islamic Bank. I think all in all for the 9 days, we managed to get by with 350 JOD, mainly used for some of the entrance fees, tips at restaurants and tips for our private guides. We were able to pay for gas everywhere with our credit card.
Now it was time to head to our first stop of the trip: the ancient city of Jerash!
By the way, a tip from the guy from 7 Wonders was to mainly use Google Maps for navigation. Since a few years, it sometimes happens that your phone thinks you’re in an entirely different part of Jordan or even another country when you’re entering certain areas. So take care to always verify and save your route beforehand if possible! We mainly had these issues between Wadi Mujib and Petra so beware.
This ancient city was once called Gerasa and was once under Roman rule. There is free parking available here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/pi2fHaunkf4WVnL66 Do not drive to the visitor centre since there wasn’t any parking available there for visitors, or at least not when we were there.
Right after entering the site, we were immediately greeted by people trying to sell their wares. They were already waiting for us with their headscarfs to wrap around our heads and then shove us inside their store to take a look in the mirror. They tried to sell us different kinds of headscarfs, with different colours and shapes. We didn’t buy any of them since we already got two of them for free from the travel agency we booked the trip with, Middenoostenreizen. They weren’t too happy with us but oh well. We didn’t have any need for four headscarfs. 😅
On the way to the entrance of the city and also in the ancient city itself, we were approached by so many people trying to sell their wares, this will become a recurring phenomenon in Jordan.
Entrance was 12 JOD per person if I remember correctly. We payed this one in cash.
Before starting the walk around the city, we did go back to the car to retrieve our UV-caps which turned out to be a great idea. We saw some beautiful things in Jerash but heavens, it was HOT! So much sun and heat, and not enough wind. So unfortunately we had to skip some parts since it became unbearable after a while. It’s definitely worth visiting but make sure you dress appropriately, wear sunscreen and a UV cap and take enough water with you.
More info about the ancient city can be found here: https://international.visitjordan.com/Wheretogo/Jerash
From Jerash we went straight to our hotel at the Dead Sea, even skipping some other sites because of the heat.
Our next hotel was the Dead Sea Spa Resort hotel.
First thing we did after arrival was of course head on down towards the Dead Sea which was easily reachable on foot from the hotel. Every few meters there’s a sign which indicates what the water level of the Dead Sea was at that time. Very interesting to see!
Swimming in the Dead Sea was a whole new experience! It’s so bizarre having to do no effort at all to keep floating. Your body actually struggles when you’re trying to put your legs underneath your upper body in the water since it really just wants to push every part of you towards the surface! Very weird and cool feeling!
Also a tip that I heard on some podcast: before swimming in the Dead Sea, make sure that you haven’t shaved any part of your body for the last two days or so! Any type of small wound WILL hurt.
There’s also some mud available if you want to cover yourself a bit before heading into the water.
After spending some time there, we took a shower (there are showers available at the beach) and headed back to relax by the pool.
The hotel provided a buffet dinner which was more than plentiful. So many delicious options and the staff was very friendly as well. The total amount was put on our hotel room and we were able to easily pay for it by credit card when checking out the next morning.
22 September 2025
After checking out, we first headed to Mount Nebo. That’s the place where Moses once regarded the Promised Land which has a beautiful view over the surrounding area. Entrance was 3 JOD per person. Also paid this in cash.
Strolled around here for about half an hour. There are also some (literal) milestones from the Roman era with inscriptions present on the site among various other items of historic importance. If you have some time left, worth a quick visit.
After visiting Mount Nebo, we headed on further towards the Wadi Mujib entrance which is located here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/74WZdDQa4szBKxGJ6. Searching on Google Maps doesn’t always return the correct results. This link directs you to the entrance where you can start the trail.
In this part of the Wadi Mujib river, it’s possible to do some canyoning. We did the “siq trail” which was the only available trail at this time of year. This trail meant following the first 600 meters of the Wadi Mujib up until a certain waterfall and then return.
At some of the spots you really had to crawl over some large rocks or take ladders that were placed right in the middle of a smaller waterfall. That was so much fun to do! You couldn’t really see anything while climbing up or down those ladders with all the water falling on your head but it was great!
There were also some small fish in the water that started sucking on your ankles when you stood still for too long. Very weird feeling but just happy that they didn’t bite at least!
This was really a wonderful experience! Amazing to spend some time in the shade of the beautiful canyon. I think this activity is only available for adults so if you’re traveling with (older) children, best to verify in advance.
Our next hotel was the Petra Canyon Hotel for two nights to be able to visit the ancient city of Petra during our full day there.
We had a gorgeous view over the canyon from our bedroom since we received a free upgrade to a junior suite during check-in. Not bad!
During the first evening there, we had dinner at the buffet restaurant below the hotel which had plenty of options.
23 September 2025
Today it was finally time to visit the ancient city of Petra!
We met up with our guide (Mamoon) at 7.30 AM in the lobby of the Petra Moon Hotel. Normally we were supposed to do the backdoor hike which means entering Petra from the back after hiking through the mountains. So we would normally first see the Monastery and then head down to the rest of Petra. In this case you would avoid having to walk the 800+ steps upwards and then down again.
However, Mamoon advised against it since he would only stay with us for the hike through the mountains and up until the Monastery and then we would be on our own for the rest of Petra. So we chose to do Petra the “normal” way together with Mamoon who stayed with us until the steps up to the Monastery. In the end we were very happy we did it this way because having a personal guide in Petra has such added value! Some other tourists were also listening in while Mamoon was explaining some things since there is otherwise not a lot of information available.
All in all we hiked 18 kilometers from the parking lot through the Siq, the city itself and up to the Monastery and back.
The first view of Petra when coming out of the Siq is of the Treasury, one of those typical images when you search for Petra on the internet. From there we explored the city a bit more in detail and passed by burial chambers, the amphitheater, water storage locations, what is presumed to be the city hall, etc. Also some kind of botanical garden with what they assume was an extensive irrigation system.
After buying some additional water, we said goodbye to Mamoon and started our ascent towards the Monastery.
The more than 800 steps were more than feisty in that heat. Had to stop regularly to cool down a bit and catch a breath. There were lots of shops along the way offering drinks, souvenirs and clothes.
There were also loads of mules present to carry people up and down the steps. I was definitely surprised on how many people actually took those rides.
After finally reaching the Monastery, there is also a large restaurant right across from it where we bought some drinks and hung out a bit to cool down and rest a bit after the long way up. After a while we also walked a bit further where you have a beautiful view on the surrounding mountains behind Petra.
Aaaaand then the long way back to the hotel started. About halfway we stopped again for some cool drinks and sat a bit in the shade. That heat really cannot be underestimated, make sure you’re prepared!
We also stopped at the Treasury again on our way back since it had gotten a whole different colour in the meantime due to the angle of the shade. From there we went straight to the car and our hotel.
During the second evening in Petra, we first went out to look at the sunset near the Marriott hotel (recommended by Mamoon) after which we went to the Elan restaurant in the centre of Petra.
Had some delicious food there, it was great! My husband ordered the national “Mansaf” dish which looked and tasted amazing! It’s not too far from the Turkish “kuzu tandir” dish which is slowly cooked lamb with rice. I ordered a vegetarian “Samaye”, a dish with potatoes, tomatoes, onions and eggplant.
They also do some live cooking in the restaurant for some desserts. We were able to see how they make the dessert “Knafeh”, a dessert with goat cheese and sirop. It was really good! The goat cheese wasn’t too strong.
Eventually we took some Baklava with us since we were already very full at that point and we wanted to take a dessert with us to the hotel that we could eat cold later in the evening.
24 September 2025
We agreed to meet with our guide Awad at noon at the Rahayeb Desert Camp parking. A colleague / friend of his showed up to collect us (forgot his name 😢) and brought us to a large tent where we were given some delicious tea until we were able to start our tour.
Once we started the tour we also met up with Awad at our first stop who was driving around 2 Canadian tourists.
After a few stops at points of interest we also stopped for lunch which was provided and cooked by Awad and our guide. The food in Jordan always seemed to be delicious! Right up my alley. Lots of veggies, hummus and naan bread.
The rest of the day we spent visiting loads of different spots in Wadi Rum, mainly with our own guide and without the others. We did some walks, were able to feed some camels, washing our hands with a certain plant, etc.
Around 5.45 PM we drove towards a great lookout spot to watch the beautiful sunset.
After this it was time to settle down where we would have our dinner and sleep later. Our guide first made a small fire to prepare some of that delicious tea again and Awad arrived a bit later together with his daughter to provide us with dinner. It was a big pan with potatoes, chicken and eggplant with delicious spices, a salad, some naan bread and yogurt. They also provided Cola for drinks.
After dinner Awad and his daughter left again. My husband and I slept on thick mats that were placed upon a blanket. Our guide slept in the vehicle on the back seat. We also each received a pillow and two very warm blankets. The temperature wasn’t too bad at night. It was a bit chilly when the wind passed by but all in all it was a very pleasant night.
After some star gazing and a very busy day, we fell asleep around 10.30 PM, ready to get up early the next morning.
25 September 2025
The alarm clock was set for 4.30 AM to head out to the hot air balloon ride. After cleaning up we were brought to a gas station by our guide where there were other trucks waiting to collect people and take us all to the hot air balloon site.
The hot air balloon ride was luckily able to continue, the weather looked good! Our pilot was Bill from Balloons over Rum. There were also two Germans, a French person, 2 Australians and 8 Mexicans.
After the beautiful hot air balloon ride we were brought back to a certain spot where our guide was waiting again. He took us to a quiet place in the desert where we had our breakfast together.
After breakfast we did one more point of interest (of Lawrence of Arabia) and afterwards it was time for us to be brought back to our car and say goodbye to our guide. Since we spent nearly 24 hours with our guide who took really good care of us, we gave him a tip of 70 USD.
After leaving the Rahayeb Desert Camp Parking we entered the next destination in Google Maps, being the Bubble Luxotel in Wadi Rum. This Google Maps link was available in our trip app so we used it to drive directly towards our hotel.
But apparently, you’re not supposed to drive towards the hotel yourself, or at least not in a regular vehicle (no 4×4). Driving on sandy roads was quite OK as long as the ground below it was still firm but after a few kilometers we encountered a small sandy hill as well and we had to turn back. Got stuck on our way up but were able to reverse out of the situation and we returned back to the main road. Reception wasn’t great there so had to look for certain spots with reception before being able to send a message to our contact person again.
She asked us to return to a certain gas station not far from the parking lot that we left not long before. A guide would be waiting for us there which turned out to be Awad and a friend / colleague of his. They explained that there is a special parking lot next to the gas station where we could leave our car and then take a shuttle towards the Bubble Luxotel. Well that wasn’t clear at all, but at least it was a bit of an adventure!
So we parked our car and took some of our essentials with us. Waited for about an hour in the lobby for the shuttle and then headed to the hotel.
The “hotel” itself was great! Our jacuzzi was a bit dirty but everything else was wonderful. The bed was AMAZING and the food was delicious! Again plenty of options at the buffet which was included in the price.
26 September 2025
Because the bubbles were uncovered, we were also up quite early. After some relaxing and having breakfast, we were able to take the shuttle at 11 AM that brought us back to our car.
After driving for about an hour, we arrived in our hotel in Aqaba, which was the DoubleTree by Hilton. It was a very pleasant drive towards Aqaba, with also a customs/passport checkpoint when entering the city. We were too early to be able to check in so we left our luggage in the luggage storage and spent some time relaxing by the pool.
At 2.30 PM we eventually checked into our hotel room and left for the beach at around 3.30 PM. Walking to the local beach was definitely NOT a good idea in my beach dress. So many people staring and calling out. Both male and female. The local beach was also filled with local (?) people without any other Western tourists in sight. Felt very uncomfortable because of all the staring. Decided to return back to the hotel and stayed by the pool there. Wore my beach dress while swimming in the pool because also didn’t feel very comfortable just wearing my bikini anywhere in Aqaba. While it was mentioned to us that Aqaba was very touristy and shouldn’t pose any problems with a bikini. That was very incorrect. Although Aqaba really was the only city where I experienced any discomfort not wearing long trousers. Was able to wear my shorts en t-shirt without an issue anywhere else.
In the evening, decided to wear my husband’s linen trousers which fit me perfectly. We went out for a walk at the Yacht Club, lots of restaurants available there so went to check out the options. Then went to a certain street that was recommended to us by Mamoon and eventually had dinner at Route 65, a burger place also recommended by Mamoon. The food was delicious! I had a Creamy Mushroom Chicken burger and my husband a big Mix Cheese burger.
After dinner we bought some drinks and snacks in a little store nearby and spent the rest of the evening in our hotel room relaxing.
27 September 2025
Drove to the free parking near the Japanese Garden snorkeling location. Of course did some snorkeling then at the site, already saw some beautiful fish! There was a very strong current in the water so it was difficult sometimes to not bump into the coral.
After some snorkeling here, we walked some 15 minutes farther to a place where there should be a plane wreck in the water (Seven Sisters diving site). We weren’t able to find that plane wreck, but a crew member on a boat was able to help us find the tank. The coral here was also much prettier than at the Japanese Garden location. Much more colourful.
Eventually we spent around 2 hours at the beach after which we went back to the hotel to jump into the swimming pool and chill there.
Note that everywhere we went snorkeling I wore a t-shirt over my bikini.
Our last evening in Jordan we spent at “Meraya”, which is a lounge bar at the seventh floor of the hotel. Were able to view the sunset from there, and also had dinner there (nachos and a cheese platter). It was the perfect weather and very much enjoyed our last evening! Went to bed around 8.30 PM since we had to get up very early at 3.30 AM to leave for the airport.
Should I ever go back, I wouldn’t choose this hotel again but it really depends on how comfortable you want to feel as a female tourist. I understand having to adjust based on the local customs but in that case you would be expected to wear a full-body covering bathing suit in order not to get stared. Even a regular bathing suit drew many eyes I saw with other guests at the pool. When doing research on where I would feel comfortable going snorkeling, we stumbled upon the following resort: https://maps.app.goo.gl/RM2Wc2pRvj1TgYnV6. This is a bit further down south and male-only groups aren’t allowed. There are probably some other places just like it, so this is just to give you an idea. Reflecting on it, I think I would just skip Aqaba city in the future and remain in a resort near the beach to focus on snorkeling / diving activities in the Red Sea.
28 September 2025
The drive towards the airport in Amman was smooth and took us about 3,5 hours. Were able to catch our last Jordan sunrise during the drive!
Arrived at the airport around 7.35 AM and the guy from 7 Wonders was already waiting for us. Very smooth transfer of car and keys, very happy with how everything was organised!
All in all our Jordan trip was a great success and we very much enjoyed it! We thought that Petra would be the highlight of the trip but Jordan has so much more to offer, cannot recommend the country enough! We also felt very safe and didn’t have to worry about the closeness of the war in Gaza at all. You notice that there’s definitely an impact on tourism there but there wasn’t any reason for it.
Key takeaways
- If you’re able to, make sure Wadi Mujib is in your itinerary, it was so much fun to do
- Stock up on water when in Jerash and Petra
- Having a guide in Petra was worth the cost
- Wearing a bikini was fine at the Dead Sea but definitely not in Aqaba
- Make sure in Aqaba you’re also wearing long trousers when strolling around
- Use Google Maps for navigation but beware that your GPS might malfunction in some areas
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