Journey Across Jordan: From Aqaba to Petra and Amman

June 24, 2024December 2, 2025 Koen 0 Comments

This trip report covers my travels across Jordan from Aqaba to the Wadi Rum Desert, Petra, and Amman.

A trip to Jordan

Among all the countries in the Middle East, Jordan is one of the most fascinating travel destinations.

With sights like the rock-hewn tombs of Petra, the lively capital city of Amman, the Dead Sea, the Greco-Roman ruins of Jerash, the Wadi Rum Desert, and the Red Sea coast of Aqaba, there is much to see and do in Jordan.

I visited Jordan once before in 2009 as part of an epic overland trip from Turkey to Israel, a journey that is sadly no longer possible due to ongoing security risks in Syria.

Since that trip more than a decade ago, I’ve always wanted to return to the region, so when I came across some cheap flights to Jordan, I knew I had to go for it.

camels treasury petra jordan trip report travel — *Camels in front of the Treasury, the most famous of all rock-cut monuments of Petra. ©Paliparan*

Cheap Jordan flights

Jordan has always been one of the most accessible countries to visit in the Middle East, thanks to its peaceful nature and well-developed tourist infrastructure.

However, flying to the country has not always been cheap.

When I last visited the country in 2009, national flag carrier Royal Jordanian operated the bulk of the flights to the country along with a handful of other European and Middle Eastern airlines.

As flight prices were relatively high back in those days, visiting Jordan still required some effort.

With the arrival of low-cost airlines like Ryanair and Wizz Air, things have changed dramatically, and flying to Jordanian airports such as Amman and Aqaba is now affordable.

It’s not uncommon to find flights from various European airports to Jordan for less than €25 one-way.

This increased flight connectivity and the cheap tickets from low-cost airlines have boosted Jordan’s popularity as a tourist destination, making it as easy to visit from Europe as it is to take a city break in Barcelona or Berlin.

royal jordanian plane amman international airport — *Royal Jordanian plane at Amman International Airport. ©Paliparan*

Booking my flights

Compared to some of my other trips, for which I usually book rather complicated flight itineraries to get the cheapest prices, earn the most frequent flyer miles, or fly in maximum comfort, arranging my trip to Jordan was immensely easy.

In early March, I found some cheap tickets to fly to Jordan for a trip just two weeks later in mid-March – which is an excellent time to visit the country.

For the outbound journey, I booked a direct Wizz Air flight from Bucharest to Aqaba, for which I paid only 69 RON (€14).

Instead of booking a direct flight for my return journey from Amman to Bucharest, I decided to spice things up by booking a flight from Amman to Paphos in Cyprus, followed by another Ryanair flight from Paphos to Bucharest.

After all, spending some time by the seaside in Cyprus sounded like an excellent idea after a few intensive days filled with outdoor activities and sightseeing in Jordan.

For my Amman-Paphos flight, I paid €21, while the flight from Paphos to Bucharest two days later only cost me €13.

As I’m travelling with a small rucksack only on relatively short trips like these, I didn’t need to pay any extra fees for hold luggage or to take a trolley bag on board.

flight map — *The flights I will take to get to Jordan (OTP-AQJ) and to travel back home (AMM-PFO-OTP). ©Great Circle Mapper*

Deciding on my itinerary

With my flights booked, it was equally straightforward to decide on my Jordan itinerary.

Most of the important sights in Jordan are situated along a north-south axis running from Amman in the north to Aqaba in the far south.

Arriving at the southernmost point of the country in Aqaba, I would thus gradually make my way north, first heading to the Wadi Rum Desert, followed by Wadi Musa, the town next to the archaeological site of Petra.

From Petra, I would head to Amman, and during my stay in the Jordanian capital, I would make a day trip to Jerash, the northernmost destination in the country that I would visit.

As there are currently no passenger trains operating in Jordan, your choice of transport is limited to taking a bus or hiring a car.

For my trip across Jordan, I would rely solely on the bus system and perhaps use a taxi here and there.

Before setting off on my trip, I also bought a Jordan Pass, which waives the visa-on-arrival fee and provides free access to sights like Petra, resulting in substantial savings.

itinerary map jordan — *The planned itinerary of my travels in Jordan as shown on a map. ©OpenStreetMap/Paliparan*

Highlights

In this ‘Journey Across Jordan: From Aqaba to Petra and Amman’ trip report, you can look forward to the following highlights:

– Enjoying some seaside R&R and delicious seafood in Aqaba.
– Following in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia by traversing the Wadi Rum Desert on horseback.
– Channelling my inner Indiana Jones by exploring the fabulous temples of ancient Petra.
– Savouring the historic sights and modern urban delights of Amman.