Review: Desert Castles ★★★★★
Scattered throughout Jordan there are a number of desert castles. If you are a history enthusiast, religious devotee, an architectural aficionado, or just a castle fanatic, you will find something to satisfy your desires.
The castles are spread out of the country, so visiting them will take a bit of pre-planning on your part. If you do it right, you will be able to take in a lot of unique landscape and natural beauty that Jordan has to offer. As mentioned in our other reviews for Jordan, having your own car will be necessary. Outside of Amman, driving through Jordan is effortless.
Adventure on the King’s Highway: Desert Castles
You can arrange your visits however your schedule dictates. The list below is by no means a recommendation of order.
Umm ar-Rasas
Located about 30km southeast of Amman/Madaba, this desert fortress is worthy stop if you’re coming to or from Wadi Rum. The sight boasts one of the largest and best preserved mosaic floors in all of Jordan. You can cover all the highlight in 30 minutes, making this a quick stop.
Price: 3JD (Covered with the Jordan Pass)
Hours: Daily 8am – 6:30pm
Website: None
Location: Google
Kerak Castle
Located in the town of al-Karak, this was the most difficult castle to get to. The roads are narrow though the town and parking is a dubious feat here. We were directed to park in front of the King’s restaurant and then continue the rest of the way on foot. It’s not that far, but it seems that owns of the restaurant are using this as a way to strong arm tourists into their restaurant. Be on your guard here.
The castle itself is nice. It’s on a hilltop, so there are some nice views of the city. The walls are in fine shape and a good deal of the castle is still intact. I can’t say for sure, but I feel this was largest of all the castles we visited. There are also tunnels running under the castle, which are interesting to see. You will need to bring your own flashlight.
Price: 2JD (Covered with the Jordan Pass)
Hours: Daily 8am – 7pm
Website: None
Location: Google
Shobak Castle
Out of all the desert castles we visited, we liked this one the best. It’s just in the middle of nowhere, perched up on a barren hill, giving way to scenic vistas 360 degrees.
Like many of the desert castles, it was empty of tourists, giving the area a tranquility and pleasant quietness. This is a great place to have a small picnic at. You can perch yourself up on the rock walls and take a break from it all.
There is also the secret tunnel, which you need a light for.
Price: 1JD (Covered with the Jordan Pass)
Hours: Daily 8am – 8pm
Website: None
Location: Google
Ajloun Castle
Nestled up in the northwest of the country, near the Syrian boarder, this castle is quite a bit out of the way. That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it. The landscape gets a bit green as you head to the north of Jordan. It’s a welcomed changed if you have spent a lot of time driving through the desert.
The town of Ajloun makes for a nice day trip from Jerash. You can also do what we did, which is drive the west side of the country to see the Dead Sea and then in cut in towards Ajloun on your way to Jerash.
Price: 3JD (Covered with the Jordan Pass)
Hours: Daily 8am – 5pm
Website: None
Location: Google
Umm al-Jimal
More a pile of rocks than a structure now, Umm al-Jimal resembles little of what it looked like when it was constructed. I can’t say for sure what kind of plans they have for the sight, as when we arrived there was no staff to ask. No tourist, no staff, no caretakers overseeing the sight.
There are a few walls and doorways standing, which were nice to see. Without a guide here, there isn’t much you can get out of it. If you are doing an east desert castle tour, like we did, it’s an ok stop. I was our least favorite sight in Jordan.
Price: 2JD (Covered with the Jordan Pass)
Hours: Daily 8am – 6pm
Website: None
Location: Google
Qasr al-Hallabat / Hammam al-Sarah
Qasr al-Hallabat is located in the east desert. This is about as far east as we ventured from Jerash on our desert castle day trip. The country juts out another 300km east towards Iraq, but there isn’t much but sand out there.
The outer walls of the castle are in great condition, but there is no roof on the structure. There are some nice stone archways in the structure. Don’t expect to see any other tourists here. Same with the staff, which may or may not be there. If the office is empty, don’t let that stop you from seeing this castle. If you have a Jordan Pass, you have already paid for it anyway.
Hammam al-Sarah is the bathhouse section of Qasr al-Hallabat. The domed structure looks like something out “Star Wars: A New Hope” and it’s a scant half a kilometer away the main structure of Qasr al-Hallabat. On it’s own, it isn’t much, but worth a quick 5 minute stop if you’re seeing Qasr al-Hallabat.
The whole of the area can been in seen in under 20 minutes, which I admit is a long way to come for such a short stop. Keep in minding that venturing out this way is more about seeing a part of the country the few tourists come to. It’s about enjoying the beauty of the desert. The castles are just a means to the end.
Price: 2JD (Covered with the Jordan Pass)
Hours: Daily 8am – 5pm
Website: None
Location: Google
Just Getting Started with Desert Castles
The desert castles listed above aren’t the only ones you can visit. There are probably about a half dozen other castles we never made it to. Off the top of my head there’s Qasr al-Kharana, Qasr al-Mshatta (which is next to the Ammon international airport), Qusayr Amra, and Qasr al-Azraq. You can pick and choose the ones that look most interesting and/or fit your travel plans best.
The best way to see everything is by renting a car and doing it on your own. If that’s not for you, you can hire a private tour guide with car in Amman. This will cost significantly more; expect around at least $100 per person.
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.
Contact & General Information
All the maps, hours, and price are listed above under each specific castle. If you are planning to see a few of the castles, than you should get the Jordan Pass to make life hassle-free.
Take all the opening times with a big grain of salt. Sights might unstaffed or under renovation.
