A 2 day budget trip to Jordan

Jordan has two of the world’s most incredible places to see. One is the lost city of Petra that is also one of the new 7 wonders of the world. The other is the dead sea where you can float as if you are in outer space. Jordan isn’t an exactly cheap destination since its currency, the Jordanian Dinar (JOD) is more expensive than US dollar (1 JOD = $1.41). As a budget traveler, I decided to make a short trip of just 2 days to explore these two spectacular spots on a tight budget. 

Here is a quick summary of the 2 day Jordan trip:

Day 1                                                                                                                          Day 2

Petra, Jordan (one of the 7 wonders of the world)                                            Swimming in the dead sea                        
(Used the 3 hour JETT bus                                                                                Amman citadel
from Amman to Petra and back)                                                                        Traditional Jordanian food in Amman

Day 0: Arriving in Amman, Jordan’s capital

I landed in Amman at around 6 PM. There were ATM and SIM card options at the airport. I always withdraw cash at the ATM with a debit card that has no ATM transaction fee worldwide. I bought an Umniah sim card giving me 3 GB of data for 10 JOD. When you exit the airport, you can head straight to the official taxi counter as opposed to listening to local taxi drivers who would ask you to ride with them. You can tell your destination at the taxi counter and they would take the payment & generate a receipt right there. The airport is about an hour drive from the Amman city centre, and thus the taxi ride to my hotel in the city cost about JOD 23. There is also an airport bus which can be a cheaper option, but it drops you off at some specific locations in the city. You can call an Uber (cash only) to then reach your hotel from those spots. There was a mall near my hotel and the price for a decent meal was about 12 JOD. After dinner, I was fast asleep since I had an early morning start next day to visit one of the 7 new wonders of the world, Petra. 

Day 1: Visiting Petra, Jordan

Petra is about a 3 hour drive from Amman. There is a government bus called JETT bus that runs a day trip from Amman to Petra. This bus can be booked online only in Jordan (unless you have a Jordan VPN). On the night of my arrival in Jordan, I quickly booked the bus trip using my hotel wifi. The round trip costs 20 JOD/person. The bus leaves Amman at 7 AM, reaching Petra around 10:30 AM. The return trip leaves Petra at 4:30 PM and drops you off in Amma at 7:30 PM. The bus is air-conditioned and very comfortable. I boarded the bus at the Amman 7th circle JETT office. The bus journey involves a scenic route through the Jordan countryside and includes a rest stop for some light snacks, souvenirs, and a bathroom break.

The bus drops you off in front of the Petra ticket office. I purchased a 1 day Petra ticket that cost me 50 JOD. If you have Jordan pass, you can show that and get entry. Petra is often called the lost city, and it really is a huge sprawling ancient city complex. If you want to see everything, it would involve a lot of walking. If you are not in a mood to walk, there are horses available for a fee. I wanted to walk though. You can get a map with your ticket, but with so many tourists and such a well-maintained obvious path, you won’t get lost. The main trail is 4 km long and goes from the visitor center to the Great temple. The treasury, which is the most popular picture spot of Petra, is about halfway on this trail. There are tons of things to see and learn on the path, and the way is breathtakingly beautiful. It is a trail that goes through huge canyon-like rocks and various features carved into the stone by the ancient city dwellers. Take your time to walk and use your map to learn what you are seeing. You would surely take tons of pictures. There are many options for snacks and drinks sold by locals on the way. Although a guide might be helpful in telling you nice stories and the history, a lot can be learned using the names on the map and our dear friend, the internet. 

Getting a great picture of the Petra treasury

The Petra treasury is where you get the money shot that is all over the internet once you search Jordan. It is a mesmerizing sight with its size and grandeur. However, it is almost guaranteed to be full of people, especially at the time when the bus drops you off. You would be approached by guides who would tell you that they can get you to climb the rocks and help you get a picture from a nice vantage point with fewer people. It is worth going to these higher points. You have two options: go to the lower spot which is a 5 min climb and costs 10 JOD/person or go to a higher spot which is a 15 min climb and costs 20 JOD/person. You are not allowed to climb on your own so you have to pay a guide. I took the higher spot and there was literally no one except me. It is a bit of a challenging climb though. If you are not comfortable, you can always opt for the lower spot. Expect some people there and a waiting time in line for a picture.

I then walked further to the Great temple, read a lot about the city on the internet, took tons of pictures and headed back in time for my return bus at 4:30 PM. If you want to explore more, (there is a lot more to explore) consider spending a night at Petra. Near the visitor center, there is a nice museum to further learn about the fascinating history of Petra. The bus dropped us off at Amman at 8:00 PM. I was super tired from all the walking. I grabbed dinner near the bus stop and took an Uber back to the hotel.

Day 2: Dead Sea

On my second day, I visited the dead sea in the morning. Dead sea is about a 1 hour drive from Amman. Although there are some public buses that can drop you close to the Dead sea area, the final section would need a taxi. There are Ubers in Jordan but getting an Uber on the highway near dead sea wouldn’t be a guarantee. I decided to use a private taxi for 55 JOD (round trip) from my hotel. I feel this is probably the most comfortable option, and if there are more people with you, the cost sharing can make it a very attractive option. 

There are roughly two ways to swim in the dead sea. The first one is free. For this you have to go to a specific spot on the coast of Dead sea. On google maps, you just need to search ‘Dead sea free swimming’. You would drive through Wadi Mujib which has some stunning rock formations. When you get to the spot, you can park on the side of the highway here and then you need to descend down to the coast. There is a makeshift stall there which supplies fresh water to bathe after a dip in the dead sea (very important), dead sea mud and snacks. You would most likely find people enjoying a swim here and then showering at the stall. While the spot (and the highway leading to it) is absolutely stunning, there are lots of flies here and it can be a bit uncomfortable. For a nicer experience, consider swimming via one of the dead sea resorts. 

The dead sea coast has a bunch of nice hotels and resorts which includes the Hiltons and Marriotts. I chose to visit the ‘Dead sea spa resort’. They have a day pass that costs 35 JOD which includes access to nice hot showers, changing rooms, swimming pools and lunch. They also have free dead sea black mud that you can apply at the beach for free!  I think it is a great deal and you get access to nice clean dead sea beach area with top notch facilities. Swimming in the dead sea is an out of the world experience. Its salt content is 10 times more than the average ocean. This higher density of water makes you float automatically. That feeling of floating while you are comfortably lying on your back is indescribable. You can legit read a book while floating in the dead sea and get a cool picture. It is a really fun and unforgettable experience.

Even though I visited in winter in January, the dead sea area is always at a nice comfortable temperature of about 25 C (77 F). There is really only one main precaution while swimming in the dead sea. Just make sure you don’t put your face inside the water since your eyes would burn with all that salt. Fortunately, the resort has fresh-water showers right at the beach. So when it inevitably happened to me a couple times, I could run and wash my eyes in the shower. Other than that, float for as long as you can and enjoy the experience. I showered, took a dip in the resort pools, ate lunch and left for Amman.

Exploring Amman city and finishing the trip

I had a return flight on the same night at 9 PM. I got back to my hotel from dead sea at around 1 PM. I had a few hours to explore Amman before heading to the airport. I first wanted to try their famous dish ‘mansaf’ and the dessert ‘kunafa’. I took an Uber to the Amman city center for just JOD 3. Ubers only take cash, so always carry some cash. I had mansaf at the Al Quds restaurant. It is a rice and meat dish served with a yogurt based sauce. From al quds, it is a 5 min walk to the famous habibah sweets for kunafa. There was a long line of people waiting to buy the kunafa. After the heavenly kunafa, I decided to check out the Amman citadel. It is a Roman era citadel that is on top of a hill and offers spectacular views of the Amman city. From this area, it was a 20 min uphill walk. I decided to walk to the citadel and fortunately, 70% of the walking path had sidewalks which felt pretty safe.

There is an entrance fee of 3 JOD (cash only) for the citadel and it closes at 5 PM. My favorite part of the Amman citadel was the sweeping views of the Amman city I got. I sat there watching the city with the evening Azaan playing throughout the city mosques. It was a really peaceful experience. You can also see the huge Roman amphitheater from the citadel if you aren’t visiting it separately. There are tons of Roman ruins on the site to explore. After spending an hour and a half at the citadel, I decided to finish my exploration and headed back to the airport. I walked downhill to the commercial area of the city and took an Uber back to the airport. The airport is outside the city and the Uber cost me 18 JOD. The airport wasn’t too crowded and checking in + security barely took me 30 mins. I spent the rest of the time before my flight in a nice lounge.

I found that people around me back home had a feeling that maybe Jordan is not that safe or not suitable for travel. In my experience, Jordan was completely safe and an amazing place to visit. It gets a lot of tourists so it’s not really an empty offbeat destination either. There are Ubers in the city, nice hotels and helpful people in the country. Don’t hesitate to travel to this awesome place and explore one of the new wonders of the world. There is much more to see in Jordan. I barely scratched the surface.

Happy exploring!