JO Jordan: how to get around

Combining this with local (mini) buses (which ever comes first) is an efficient and inexpensive way to discover and experience Jordan, and meet interesting and friendly locals.

The JETT bus company has services connecting Amman to Aqaba, the King Hussein Bridge (to cross into Israel), and Hammamat Ma'in. Private buses (mainly operated by the Hijazi company) run from Amman to Irbid and Aqaba. Minibus services connect smaller towns on a much more irregular service basis – usually they leave once they're full.

The Abdali transport station near Downtown Amman served as a bus/taxi hub to locations throughout Jordan, but many of its services (especially microbus and service taxi) have been relocated to the new Northern bus station (also called Tarbarboor, or Tareq). Here you can find buses into Israel,1 JD bus to Jerash/Dead sea and a 3.50 JD bus to Queen Alia airport.

Be aware that drivers at the Northern bus station can lie about ticket price, so pay together with other people - buses are departing as soon as they are getting full and special man will collect money from everyone before departure.

Service taxis or so called servees cover much the same routes as buses. They are definitely more expensive than minibuses, but a lot faster and more convenient.

Servees only leave when full so there is no set timetable. You may also be approached by private cars operating as service taxis. If you use one of these, it is important to agree the price in advance.

Servees are generally white or cream in colour. They can sometimes be persuaded to deviate from their standard route if they are not already carrying passengers. It is quite likely that you would be asked to wait for a yellow taxi though.

Regular taxis are abundant in most cities. They are bright yellow and are generally in good condition. A 10 km trip should cost around 2 JD.

All yellow taxis should be metered, however most drivers outside Amman do not use them. If you do get picked up by such or even unmetered taxi, make sure you agree on the price before departing – per drive and not per person! If you do not agree on a price, you will most likely pay double the going rate. Using the meter is almost always cheaper than negotiating a price. So, it is best to insist that the driver uses it before you depart. Keep your luggage with you – it's not uncommon for unmetered taxis to charge a ridiculous rate (30 JD for a 10-min ride) and then refuse to open the trunk to give you your bags back until you pay up.

Standardised but inflated taxi prices from the Eilat/Aqaba border crossing are:

• Wadi Rum (one way) 39 JD
• Wadi Rum (round trip including waiting time) 55 JD
• Petra (one way) 55 JD
• Petra (round trip including waiting time) 88 JD
• Amman (and suburbs) 109 JD
• Dead Sea 99 JD

Although, it might be a better idea to take a taxi into Aqaba and from there take a different taxi and renegotiate the price.

Day rates for taxis can be negotiated. These are usually through specific taxi drivers that have offered the service to friends or colleagues before. If you are staying at a hotel, the reception desk should be able to find you a reliable driver. It is also quite common in quiet times to be approached (politely) by taxi drivers on the street looking for business. There are plenty of good English speakers so it pays to wait until you find one you like. Do not use taxi drivers as guides, though — see #Touting & Guides below.

A full-day taxi fare should cost around 20-25 JD. An afternoon taxi fare would be around 15 JD. For this price the taxi driver will drop you off at local shopping areas and wait for you to return. You can then go to the next shopping location. You can leave your purchases in the vehicle as the driver will remain in the taxi at all times, but it is not recommended to do so.

If you are planning a trip outside of Amman, the day rates will increase to offset the fuel costs. For day trips within 1–3 hours of Amman, a taxi is by far the easiest method of transport. A trip to Petra in a taxi would cost approximately 75 JD for 3 people. This would get you there and back with about 6 hours to look around and see the sights.

If travelling a long way, try to use buses or coaches rather than taxis. Some taxi drivers are not averse to driving people into the middle of the desert and threatening to leave them there unless they hand over all their money. This is very unlikely if you stick to recommended drivers however. Jordan is generally very protective of its tourists and while overcharging is common (if not agreed in advance), threats and cheating are rare.

You can easily reach major cities by car in Jordan.

Jordan's highways are generally in very good shape, but the same cannot be said about its drivers or its vehicles. Many trucks and buses drive with worn or defective tires and brakes and in the southern and more rural parts of the country there is the tendency for some people to drive at night without headlights (in the belief that they can see better and that this is therefore safer!).

Avoid driving outside the capital, Amman, after dark.

Renting a car should be inexpensive and not too time-consuming. Fuel prices are all fixed by the government, so don't bother looking for cheaper gas stations. Expect to pay around 0.825 JD per litre (unleaded 90 octane), 1 JD per litre (unleaded 95 octane), of 0.625 JD for diesel (Oct 2018). They're reviewed on a monthly basis to reflect international gas prices on the local prices.

The main route is the Desert Highway, which connects Aqaba, Ma'an and Amman and then continues all the way to Damascus in neighbouring Syria. Radar speed traps are plentiful and well positioned to catch drivers who do not heed the frequently changing speed limits. Traffic Police are stationed regularly at turns and curves, well hidden, with speed guns. If you are even 10% over the speed limit, you will be stopped and made to pay a steep fine.

One particular stretch, where the road rapidly descends from the highlands of Amman to the valley that leads into Aqaba through a series of steep hairpin curves, is infamous for the number of badly maintained oil trucks that lose their brakes and careen off the road into the ravine, destroying all in their path. This stretch of the road has been made into a dual carriageway and is now a little safer. However, exercise caution on this stretch of the road.

The other route of interest to travellers is the King's Highway, a meandering track to the west of the Desert Highway that starts south of Amman and links Kerak, Madaba, Wadi Mujib and Petra before joining the Desert Highway south of Ma'an.

Uber is available in Amman.

Considering there are only two airports in the country, there's only one domestic air route: Amman to Aqaba and back.

A flight to Aqaba from Amman will take about 50-55 minutes.

Much of Jordan's more dramatic scenery (Wadi Rum, the Dana Reserve and Iben Hamam) is best seen on 4x4 vehicles with drivers or guides familiar with the territory.

Most people visiting Jordan opt for organised tours, although it is possible to use local guides from the various visitors' centres at Jordan's eco-nature reserves. The majority of tourists crossing into Jordan from Israel are on one-day Petra tours or in organised tour groups. They make up a significant percent of the daily visitors in Petra and Jordan's natural attractions.

The Jordan Hejaz Railway is the only rail line operating passenger services. It is mostly a tourist attraction and not a means of practical transportation. In the 2010s Jordan has made some noise towards building new rail lines and neighboring Israel has built numerous new rail lines in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s and has announced an intention to cooperate with Jordanian and/or Palestinian partners for cross-border services but as of 2018 nothing concrete has come of this.