Jordan (Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan)

Languages: Arabic

Currencies: JOD · Jordanian dinar (د.ا)

Capitol: Amman

Continents: Asia

Borders: Israel, Syria, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Iraq

More useful information

Area: 89,342km2

Population: 10,203,140

Traffic/driving side: right

Landlocked country: No

Independent country: Yes

United Nations member: Yes

IDD Prefix: +962

Timezones: UTC+03:00

Last updated on July 14, 2023

Getting to Petra from Jordan’s border

Road to Aqaba – the nearest city on the Jordan’s site, is 3 km long and you won’t be allowed to walk it, as they claim it’s a military road. In my opinion it’s only to make you take a taxi and pay – 15 JD (Jordan Dinars). The price is for a taxi not per person (normally it’s a fare for 50 km in Jordan). Tell taxi driver to take you to local mini bus station in Aqaba. There’s lot’s of mini buses – also going to Wadi Rum. It is possible to get to Petra from Aqaba by bus (December 2018).

from Aqaba to Petra

Use a bus from Aqaba to Petra...

Mini bus to Petra leaves at 1pm. But the bus must be full, otherwise does not go – no point in asking a driver if it leaves for sure. They will tell you YES. The bus leaves in 1 or 2 hours, but if there’s not gonna be enough travelers, the bus won’t go. 

In December 2018 the bus did not have a problem to fill. It’s mostly ocupated by locals and the driver smokes in the bus! Disgusting!

The road to Petra takes 2.5h. and it’s up to 1400 m above see level. It’s important as I was diving a lot and got very scared when the bus was going up, as you are not allowed to change altitude within next 24h. 

…or take a cab

If you don’t find a mini bus in Aqaba going to Petra you can always take a taxi for 50JD. Agree the price first before you get into the cab. And NEVER pay in advance! Also NEVER take a taxi to Petra from the border! They want much more than from Aqaba. Even if you have to take a taxi alone to Aqaba and then negotiate taxi price to Petra it will be much cheaper. 

I don’t like to say it but honestly the drivers were owefull! They cheated an Asian guy and did not want to give him money back. Then we paid a lot more than locals. Don’t get me wrong, Jordan people are very nice, but they will use a single occasion rip you off! 

A local driver gave me a lift in Petra – which is very common and took 5JD, only because he saw me with a backpack, which means I have just arrived and have no clue about the prices. So, just to give you an idea, the distance through the whole city is 2-3 JD by taxi. So he cheated on me triple price.

Sassari Sardinia

Hey - I'm Eva!

Hiker, adventurous traveler and the author of this blog. My biggest joy is mountaineering and writing reportage travel stories here on this blog, to help you create a unique travel experience. Traveling is freedom, allows you seeing the world truly, meet communities, grow. Taste it!
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