Miscellaneous Adventures For Completionists
If you’ve made the effort to get to Jordan to see Petra and the Dead Sea, why not hang around for a few extra days and get off the beaten path for some miscellaneous adventures. Jordan has some amazing hidden gems that are almost entirely ignored by most tourists. Even better, once you get out of Amman you will have the roads mostly to yourself. The relatively small size of the country means you can get anywhere or do anything as a day trip.
If you plan things right, you can hit up a lot of places on your way to and from Wadi Rum and Petra, which is exactly what we did.
Planning Out Your Miscellaneous Adventures
Here’s the good, bad, and ugly of doing the rest of Jordan…
Let’s start with the ugly; there is really no public transportation, meaning you’re going to have to drive yourself. This is going to be a deal breaker for some of you out there. You can also find a private tour guide to drive you around, but this will cost you. Beauty is the eye of beholder, and once you get over the hump that you are going to drive yourself around, it’s quite liberating.
The bad; it’s going to fall all on you for making the seclude work. People tend overestimate how much resolve they have while underestimating distances. Take into account your age, driving skill, and how many sights you want to see in a period.
The good; you’re the boss. You have so much more freedom to explore on your own. Jordan has so many worth sights that out-of-reach for tourists trying to do it by public transport. You’ll end up having my sights to yourself because of this. It’s really a win-win situation.
Some good parameters to start for a full day of exploring with would be 200km and 4 sights. This is a starting point, which you can add or subtract based on other factors.
Miscellaneous Adventures on the King’s Highway
Take a trip down or up the biblical King’s Highway. It far slower than the actual highway that’s to the east, but you don’t take the King’s Highway for speed. It’s a scenic drive, where you can take in many vistas and small towns. Driving this route is mostly dependent on you having your own transportation. See above.
Some highlights include Wadi Mujib, which is Jordan’s Grand Canyon (pictured above), the view points from Ras an-Naqab, and some desert castles.
You can read more about Desert Castles here.
Fitting the King’s Highway in your plans is fairly straight forward, as makes for a great route between Amman and Wadi Rum or Petra.
Jerash; Jewel of the North
If you planned on skipping Jerash, the city an hour north of Amman, then you’ve made a terrible miscalculation. Jerash is an undiscovered gem, and while it doesn’t as many sights as Amman, it deserves at least a day trip.
The highlight of Jerash is the incredible Roman ruins, which are some of best preserved ruins as well as being one of the largest in the world. This should be a major draw, but surprisingly few tourists bother. There is little else to see beyond that, but much in the same way as Madaba, Jerash offers a calmer environment than Amman.
You can read more about the Jerash Roman Ruins here.
It also works a far better base for organizing trips around the North and East than Amman, largely due to the fact you won’t’ have to fight the same level of traffic coming and going. That will end up saving you hours of hair pulling.
Your best hotel and food options will be around the ruins. We couch surfed, so not much to offer in the ways of reviews. Mostly I would say not to expect too much. Average stays and average food.
Your best hotel and food options will be around the ruins. We couch surfed, so unfortunately we don’t have much to offer in the ways of reviews. I would caution you not to expect too much. Average stays and average food. Set your expectations correctly and you won’t be disappointed.
Doing the Dead Sea
It might not be a popular opinion, but the Dead Sea is super overrated. For starters, the area is environment devastated from over-tourism and over-reliance by on the water for local inhabitants in Jordan and Israel. The air around the sea is hazy and water is dark and polluted. Lastly, all the hotels lining the shore are just gouging people silly. Even if you just want to take a dip in the water, expect to fork over $20. It’s crazy.
There are one or two highlight in the area, if you decide to drive. The first is the Lowest Place on Earth Museum & Lot’s Cave. It’s nothing earth shattering, but does give you a chance to use your Jordan Pass and save 2JD on the entrance fee. You shouldn’t need any more than a half hour to see everything here.
The other standout in the area is the fetching rock formations. As biblical legend tells it, Lot’s wife turned back to watch the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, against the command of God. As punishment, God turned her to salt. The rock pillar is up on a hill and can be viewed from the road that hugs the Dead Sea right HERE.
Eating, Drinking, & Sleeping
There are no shortages of places to stay in any of the cities around the country. There might not be any luxury accommodations, but finding a clean bed and a hot meal should be fairly straight forward.
You will also find plenty of small eateries serving Middle East food everywhere you go. Do note that these places will typically close early. To be on the safe side, carry lots of extra water and snacks in the car. They will certainly come in handy.
How Long For Miscellaneous Adventures?
If you have things well planned, four days will give you enough time to explore Jerash, some of the desert castles, driving the King’s Highway, and stopping by the Dead Sea. Any less than than and you will have to start eliminating sights to see. If you want to move at a slower pace, you should add a day. Spending at least one night in Jerash is recommended.
Scams, Dangers, & Annoyances
There shouldn’t be too much to bother you while exploring the North and East of Jordan. The only danger I found was with some people driving insanely fast on the highways with total disregard to other people on the road. When I say fast, I mean 180km per hour. It’s best to let yahoo like this pass and get as far away from you as possible. At their speeds, it’s not really an issue. Beyond that, there really shouldn’t be much that will bother you out on the opened road.
The roadside trash and general disregard for the environment is also a major annoyance, and does spoil the enjoyment of being out off the beaten path in Jordan.
Need more information about Jordan?
Check out our full write up on Amman HERE.
See our full write up on Wadi Rum HERE.
Read our full write up on Petra HERE.
