Practical Information for visiting Jordan

The currency is the Jordanian dinar (JOD), pegged to the US dollar at around 0.71 to one — which makes it a strong currency and Jordan more expensive than visitors expect. It divides into 1,000 fils, and prices are sometimes quoted in piastres, so confirm which unit.

Cards are accepted in hotels, better restaurants and shops in Amman and Aqaba. Cash is needed for taxis, small restaurants, markets, Bedouin camps and guides.

ATMs are widespread in the cities and towns and scarce in the desert; draw before heading to Wadi Rum or Dana.

Exchange offices in Amman give better rates than the airport or hotels.

Tipping is expected: around ten per cent in restaurants where no service charge is added, a dinar or two for porters and drivers, and rounding up taxi fares. Guides at Petra and in Wadi Rum should be tipped properly.

Coverage for mobile networks is good in the populated west of the country, with 4G in the cities and along the main roads from Zain, Orange and Umniah. Coverage in Wadi Rum is patchy and depends where you are among the rock formations; in the eastern desert it is thin.

A local tourist SIM is cheap and sold at the airport and in phone shops; a passport is needed to register.

Wi-Fi is standard in hotels, cafes and many restaurants, and works on the JETT coaches. Desert camps often have none at all, which is usually presented as a feature and is genuinely one.

If you are walking the Jordan Trail or heading into the badia, download offline maps and tell someone your route.

Jordan is stable and safe for visitors, with low violent crime and a state that takes the security of its tourism industry seriously. The realistic hazards are environmental and vehicular.

• Flash floods are the most serious natural risk. Canyons fill within minutes from rain falling kilometres away, and there have been fatalities including at Petra and Wadi Mujib. Check the forecast, obey closures, and never enter a wadi when rain is forecast upstream.
• Heat and dehydration at Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea in summer. Start early, carry more water than you think, and do not attempt the Monastery steps in the middle of the day.
• Driving. Roads are good but standards are assertive, and unlit vehicles, animals and sudden speed bumps on rural roads are common. Avoid driving at night outside the cities.
• Border areas with Syria and Iraq carry restrictions; check current advice before going anywhere near them.
• Persistent selling at Petra can be wearing but is not threatening. A firm, friendly refusal works.

Demonstrations occur occasionally, usually peacefully; avoid them regardless.

Medical care is good by regional standards and Jordan is a long-established destination for medical tourism, with private hospitals in Amman meeting international standards and English-speaking staff.

Visitors pay privately; costs are moderate, but insurance is sensible and should cover the activities you plan — canyoning, diving and desert driving are often excluded by default.

Vaccinations: routine cover plus hepatitis A and typhoid for most visitors.

Heat is the commonest problem. At Petra in summer, visitors are treated for heat exhaustion daily. Drink continuously and start at opening time.

The Dead Sea requires care: do not shave beforehand, keep the water out of your eyes and mouth, never swim face down, limit immersion to around twenty minutes, and rinse thoroughly afterwards.

Stomach upsets are the usual minor complaint. Tap water is treated but most people drink bottled; be sensible with salads and ice outside good restaurants.

Pharmacies are widespread and well stocked, and pharmacists can advise directly.

Dress modestly. Shoulders and knees covered for both men and women away from beach resorts; women should carry a scarf for mosques. Amman’s western districts are relaxed; smaller towns and the desert are not.

Right hand for eating, giving and receiving. At a mansaf, eat with the right hand only, standing, from the communal tray.

Accept hospitality. Coffee and tea offered to a guest should be taken; refusing outright is a genuine slight. Shaking the small coffee cup means you have had enough.

Alcohol is legal and available in hotels, licensed restaurants and shops, but drinking in public or being visibly drunk is not acceptable, and during Ramadan it is far more restricted.

Ramadan. Do not eat, drink or smoke in public during daylight hours.

Photography. Ask before photographing people, particularly women. Do not photograph military sites, border areas or airports.

Public affection between couples is frowned on. Homosexuality is not criminalised, unusually for the region, but attitudes are conservative and discretion is advisable.

Emergency numbers: 911 covers police, ambulance and fire nationally, and operators generally speak English. The Tourist Police, on 196, are stationed at Petra, Wadi Rum, Jerash and the main sites and are used to helping visitors.

Medical. Private hospitals in Amman — among them the Jordan Hospital, the Arab Medical Center and King Hussein Medical Center — are the best option and treat foreign patients routinely. Aqaba and Wadi Musa have smaller facilities; anything serious is transferred to Amman.

Diving. Aqaba has a recompression chamber, which is worth knowing before booking dives.

Desert and canyon. Wadi Rum camps and guides handle their own evacuations and know the terrain; do not go into the desert independently. For the Jordan Trail, leave your route with someone and carry a means of communication.

Keep offline copies of your passport, Jordan Pass and insurance, and note your embassy — most are in Abdoun and Jabal Amman.