Flights and travel guide to Jordan

Jordan is a country in the Middle East. Almost completely land-locked (save for a small outlet on the Red Sea in the Gulf of Aqaba and a frontage on the Dead Sea), Jordan is bordered by Israel and the West Bank (Palestinian Territories) to the west, by Syria to the north, by Iraq to the east and by Saudi Arabia to the south.

• Amman — capital of the kingdom
• Zarqa — second largest city in the kingdom
• Irbid — third largest city in the north of the kingdom
• Aqaba — located on the Gulf of Aqaba / Eilat, with links to the Sinai and the Red Sea
• Salt — ancient town which was once the capital of Jordan

Visitors to Jordan from non-Arab countries will need a visa, easily obtainable on arrival at most border points. One key exception is the crossing from the West Bank at the King Hussein ("Allenby") Bridge. Visas are available at all other land crossings into Jordan, including the two crossings from Israel at Eilat/Aqaba and the Sheik Hussein Bridge near Irbid. Previously notoriously complex (and expensive), visa prices have finally been standardized for non-Arabs at JD 10 for single entry, JD 20 for multiple entry, though you can receive a free, one month, ASEZA visa if you arrive in Aqaba with no visa. If you receive an ASEZA visa, you will still theoretically have to pay the visa fee if you leave the Aqaba economic zone, paid either with your departure tax, or on reentry to the Aqaba zone.

If you stay longer than one month (previously two weeks) you will have to register your passport at a police station. Most 4/5 star hotels will take care of this formality on behalf of their guests, but the process is generally quick and painless. If you fail to register, you will have to pay a 1 JD/day penalty for each day over 30 on your departure. Not expensive, but allow an extra half hour at the airport to complete the process, which will involve standing in a number of different queues.

Airline tickets for foreigners now usually include the 5 JD departure tax in the ticket price. Check with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the latest situation.

By plane

There are plenty of airlines offering flights to Jordan from major UK airports including London Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester, Aberdeen, Belfast, Glasgow, Cardiff, New Castle, London Gatwick. Jordan’s national airline is Royal Jordanian Airlines . In addition, Jordan is served by a number of foreign carriers including British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Egypt Air, Emirates and Delta Airlines. Low-cost airlines Sama and Air Arabia fly between Jordan and destinations all over the Middle East.

Queen Alia International Airport is the country’s main airport. It is 35km south of Amman (on the main route to Aqaba). You should allow 45 minutes to reach the airport from the downtown Amman, approximately 30 minutes from West Amman. Transport into Amman is provided by the Royal Jordanian bus service to the city terminal near the 7th circle, or by taxi (30 JD).

In addition to Queen Alia, Jordan has two other international airports:

• Marka International Airport in East Amman (serving routes to nearby Middle Eastern countries, as well as internal flights to Aqaba).
• King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba.

NOTE.We only had one bad experience, which was with a taxi driver from Aqaba, who took us from Wadi Rum to Petra. We’d agreed in advance a fare only on arrival in Petra for him to tell us the fare was a higher price. It all got a bit nasty - he reported us to the police saying we hadn’t paid him any fare at all, etc, etc - the police fortunately didn’t follow up his claims. Anyway the hotel manager in Petra told us that it is always the same story - that if travellers ever have problems in Jordan it is invariably with taxi drivers from Aqaba.

if you want to get good taxi price call any hotel in petra they will send you rent a car with driver with full insurance because the normal taxi the dont have insurance at all.

The national language of Jordan is Arabic. Most Jordanians speak English, especially in urban area such as Amman. French and German are the second and third most popular languages after English. You might encounter some Cauacasian and Armenian languages because of the vast number of Caucasian immigrants that arrived during the early 1900s.

Jordan is very safe. There is virtually no unsafe part of Jordan except at the Iraqi border. Although the rural parts of Jordan have limited infrastructures, the fellahin (or village people) will be happy to assist you.

Jordan is one of the most liberal nations in the region. Women may wear regular clothing without harassment in any part of Jordan. Western fashions are popular among young Jordanian women. However, modest clothing should be worn in religious and old historical sites. Keep in mind Jordan is a Muslim nation and western norms may not be accepted even by Jordan’s western educated elite, such as public displays of affection. Jordan is not a place where homosexuality is taken as lightly as in the West.

As in all urban areas in the world, Jordan’s cities have some health concerns but also keep in mind that Jordan is a center for medical treatment in the Middle East and its world-class hospitals are respected in every part of the world. Just remember to have caution with buying food from vendors, the vendors aren’t trying to hurt you but the food might be unclean. Just think of hot-dog stands in the US when you think of buying food from a vendor. Hospitals in Jordan, especially Amman, are abundant. Jordan is and has always been a hub for medical tourism.

Also, the biggest risk to your health in Jordan is being involved in a road traffic accident.

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 is the Jordanian people.

Standing in Lines : Jordanians have a notable issue with standing in line-ups for service. Often those near the rear of a line will try to sidle forwards and pass those in front of them. The line members being passed, rather than object to this tactic, will often instead start to employ this same trick themselves, on the line members in front of them. The end result is often a raucous crowd jostling for service at the kiosk in question.

No one, including the person manning the kiosk, is happy when this situation develops and often tensions in the jostling crowd seem high enough that violent disagreements feel moments away. However, this commentator never witnessed any violence and the sense was that Jordanians recognized common distinct limits as to what was reasonable in line jostling.

Nonetheless, due to this common Jordanian phenomenon, several strategies are suggested.

1. Arrive early, allow for time, and be patient. Since a degenerate line-up is rarely an efficient line-up, allow in your travel plans for the fact that it will invariably take longer than expected to deal with any service booth arrangements, whether that means Customs, buying tickets, waiting to get on a bus, etc.
2. Don’t get upset about the line-up yourself, or get caught up in the emotions of the crowd. You will keep moving forward, even if a few people sneak in front of you. No one in the ‘line crowd’ is entirely unreasonable, and you won’t keep getting pushed back indefinitely. Often, at most, you will end up being served at the kiosk 3 or 4 turns later than expected. Just try to relax and take it in stride.
3. Avoid the line-up entirely when possible. Often kiosks handle groups in bursts, such as a Customs kiosk that deals with a bus load of people at a time. In these cases, if you don’t start already at the front of the line, find a comfortable spot away from the crowd and just wait for the rest of the group to make their fractious way through before you. Then make your way up to the kiosk once it’s clear. The advantage of being last is that often the kiosk attendant will appreciate your patience and be happy to deal with you, now that they don’t have a clamoring crowd jostling for their attention.

Note also that during Ramadan and particularly on the Eid al-Fitr holiday, schedules will change. Many restaurants, particularly those outside Amman, are closed during the daylight hours of Ramadan, only opening at sunset. 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.

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