Jordan
Visa: Visa on arrival for most nationalities (JOD 40, cash only) or Jordan Pass which includes your visa fee and entry to Petra and other sites. Free Visa Check
Language: Arabic. English is widely spoken in tourist areas and by younger generations.
Currency: Jordanian Dinar (JOD). Credit cards accepted in hotels and larger restaurants. Carry cash for taxis, street food, and smaller shops. ATMs are available in Amman, Petra, and Aqaba.
Transportation:
Rental car: Renting a car is the best way to explore Jordan at your own pace. Roads are generally good and signs are in both Arabic and English.
Bus: JETT Bus runs comfortable coaches between Amman, Petra, Aqaba, and the Dead Sea. Book online in advance during peak season.
Taxi: Yellow taxis are cheap in Amman. Insist on the meter or agree on a price before getting in. Uber and Careem also operate in Amman.
What To Expect
Jordan is the Middle Eastern country that surprises everyone. It is safe, welcoming, and compact enough that you can see its greatest hits in a week without feeling rushed. The star attraction, quite literally, is Petra: the Treasury carved into rose-red sandstone, revealed at the end of a narrow canyon called the Siq at dawn. It is every bit as breathtaking as the photos suggest.
But Jordan does not stop there. Wadi Rum is a Martian landscape of red dunes and towering rock formations where you sleep in a Bedouin camp under a sky so thick with stars it feels fake. The Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, lets you float effortlessly while reading a newspaper. And Jerash preserves one of the best Roman cities outside Italy, with colonnaded streets you can still walk.
The people are the real highlight. Jordanian hospitality is legendary. You will be offered tea by a shopkeeper you just met, invited for a meal by someone you asked for directions, and treated with a warmth that feels increasingly rare in the world.