Comparison of temperatures
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Paris | 6 | 7 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 15 | 8 | 4 |
| London | 6 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 7 |
General note:
Below is an information overview. The conditions of entry, as well as the political and health situation, can change anywhere in the world at any time. We therefore recommend checking before your trip. Please check the website of the Foreign Office (www.gov.uk/) before your departure.
Geography:
Jordan borders Israel and the Palestinian autonomous territories in the West Bank to the west, Syria to the north, Iraq to the north-east and Saudi Arabia to the south and south-east. To the north-west lies the Dead Sea and to the south-west the Red Sea. The capital Amman is 800 m above sea level, and the Dead Sea is the lowest lake in the world (400 m below sea level). The River Jordan connects the Dead Sea with the Sea of Galilee in Israel. About 80% of the country is desert.
Form of government:
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with constitutional hereditary monarchy under the Head of State King Abdullah II. Ibn Al-Hussein (since 07.02.1999).
Capital:
Amman (approx. 4 million residents)
Religion:
92% Islam, 6% Christian, 2% others.
Language:
Arabic
Climate:
The eastern and southern parts of the country have a desert climate. The Jordan Valley, which lies below sea level, is warm in winter and very hot in summer and has a subtropical climate like the Red Sea coast. Mediterranean climate on the edge of the Jordan Rift Valley. Most rainfall occurs between November and March, no rainfall from May to September, cooler in December/January.
Electricity:
230 Volt AC, 50 Hz. An adapter will be required.
Local time:
Jordan uses Arabia Standard Time. Daylight saving time is observed. The time difference to the UK is therefore +3 hours all year round.
Making telephone calls:
The prefix for calls from the UK to Jordan is 00962. For telephone calls from Jordan to the UK, dial 0044 first. Omit the first 0 of the area code.
Country and people:
Behaviour and customs: For Jordanians, Arab culture and hospitality are of great importance. Islam plays an important role in social life. Arabic coffee is often and abundantly offered at social events. If you do not hold the cup slightly tilted to the side when returning it, it will be refilled automatically. Small gifts for guests are gladly accepted.
Clothing: Women should dress modestly. Swimwear belongs on the private beach or by the pool. Jordanian women go swimming fully clothed. Photography: You should ask permission before photographing someone. In some places, photography is generally not allowed.
Tips: An extra tip is at the discretion of the guest, but waiters and other service providers are happy to receive a tip of around 10%. In a taxi, you usually round up to the nearest 100 Fils.
Smoking: In Jordan, smoking is prohibited in all restaurants, hospitals, schools, cinemas, theatres, museums, public transport, airports and indoor shopping centres.
Entry requirements for British citizens:
Travel documents must be valid for at least 6 months at the time of entry. Visa: British citizens require a visa for entry. The visa can also be applied for on arrival. The visa fee of currently 40 JOD must be paid immediately at the airports in Jordanian Dinars (exchange offices/ ATM available). It is also possible to obtain a free group visa on arrival after you have successfully submitted passport details to RSD. You will receive all relevant information in time before your trip. Legal information and/or information outside the scope of these notes regarding entry requirements can only be obtained directly from the embassy or one of your destination country‘s general consulates. Citizens of other countries are advised to enquire about the applicable entry requirements from their respective embassy. You are solely responsible for applying for, and presenting, any visa that may be required. RSD assumes no liability if you fail to do this. Please note that entry is dependent upon the approval of the immigration authorities.
Tour guides:
Your expert tour guides will be able to provideyou with detailed information about the country, people, history, culture, etc., and offer advice and assistance for organising your trip. They can also help with room allocation and look forward to welcoming you with initial information. Here you will find out all you need to know and useful information about the trip. We have put together a varied programme including numerous highlights, enabling you to experience the culture and diversity of landscape that Jordan has to offer, and learn all about the country and its people.
Additional packages:
Although your trip already includes a comprehensive package, you also have the option of choosing added extras. We recommend booking the following packages:
Half board: The package includes 6x delicious buffet every evening with international specialties and a snack in the room on the day of arrival: only £119* per person.
Explorer package: The package includes the 3 excursions “Ancient Jerash“, “Petra (UNESCO World Heritage site)“ and “Bethany (World Heritage)“: only £169* per person.
* Package prices may vary when booking on site.
Currency/Banks/Credit cards:
The currency unit is the Jordanian dinar (JD/JOD). 1 Dinar = 1000 Fils. Exchange rate (as at December 2023): 1 GBP = 0.90 JOD; 1 JOD = 1.12 GBP.
American Express, Visa, MasterCard and Diners Club are accepted in some places. Details should be obtained from the issuer of the credit card concerned. Cards with the Cirrus or Maestro symbol are accepted throughout Europe and worldwide, in Jordan in a few shops and at ATMs in the larger cities.
Customs regulations:
You are allowed to bring cash into the country up to an equivalent of JOD 15,000. You must notify Jordanian customs of any amounts in excess of this. You are allowed to import travel equipment, including laptops and cameras, duty-free, but you must export them again. You are allowed to bring in up to one litre of alcohol, and 200 cigarettes and 200g of tobacco are also duty-free. The import of weapons, radios, narcotics and pornographic written material is prohibited. The export of antiques and corals is also prohibited. Further customs information regarding the import of goods can be obtained from the embassy of your destination country. This is the only place from which to obtain legally correct and binding information.
Important: If you’re travelling to Great Britain from outside the UK, your personal allowances mean you can bring in a certain amount of goods without paying tax or duty. If you go over your allowances you must declare all your goods and pay tax and duty on all the goods in that category. Please inform yourself about the current customs regulations: www.gov.uk/bringing-goods-into-uk-personal-use/arriving-in-Great-Britain.
Country-specific safety and security:
Due to repeated incidents at the borders with Syria and Iraq, travel to the Syrian-Jordanian border area as well as to the north-eastern part of the country in the border region with Iraq is strongly discouraged. It should also be noted that both the Syrian-Jordanian and Iraqi-Jordanian border areas are restricted military areas where special regulations apply. In Jordan, demonstrations and protests can occur regularly both in Amman and in other cities and towns in the country, especially on weekends after Friday prayers, in which different groups of the population give voice to their economic, social and political demands. These rallies are not primarily directed against foreigners and have so far remained peaceful for the most part. It is recommended to generally pay attention, follow media coverage, stay away from crowds, do not photograph them and follow the instructions of security forces. Also due to the geographical proximity to the neighbouring states of Syria and Iraq, further developments on the ground should always be closely monitored. Border crossings to Iraq and Syria are closed. Irrespective of this, the Foreign Office strongly warns against travelling to Iraq and Syria. Especially at night, the risk of accidents on the roads outside Amman increases due to unlit vehicles and animals and people on the roads. It is therefore advised not to plan any overland travel outside Amman after dark, if possible.
Special criminal law provisions:
Offences against the Narcotics Act are punishable by long prison sentences (up to life imprisonment) even for the smallest quantities and for any type of drug. The prison conditions are harsher than in the UK. Jordanian criminal law includes the death penalty, which continues to be carried out. There is a strict ban on photographing military installations and facilities. Likewise, lèse majesté is a punishable offence. If involved in legal proceedings in Jordan, you should expect the Jordanian authorities to withhold travel documents until the proceedings are concluded or to impose an exit ban for the duration of the proceedings
Medical information:
At least 8 weeks before your trip, check the latest country-specific health advice from the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) on the TravelHealthPro website (https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/countries).
Each countryspecific page has information on vaccine recommendations, any current health risks or outbreaks, and factsheets with information on staying healthy abroad. Diarrhoeal illnesses: Most diarrhoeal illnesses can be avoided by adopting appropriate food and drinking water hygiene.
- Only drink water from a known safe source, e.g. bottled water, never tap water.
- In an emergency, use filtered, disinfected and boiled water.
- While out on the road, use drinking water wherever possible to wash dishes and clean teeth.
- With food, cook or peel it yourself and keep flies away from the food.
- Wash your hands as often as you can with soap, but always after going to the toilet and always before preparing and eating food.
- Disinfect your hands where appropriate.
- Use disposable towels.
Infectious diseases: Some infectious diseases transmitted by mosquitoes or ticks do occur but are quite rare (e.g. Leishmaniasis, West Nile fever, sandfly fever). Observe insect protection (e.g. repellents, mosquito net, long-sleeved clothing).
Medical care:
The level of care in Amman is very good. The two large private hospitals – the Al-Khalidi Medical Centre and Arab Medical Centre – are particularly worth mentioning here. Outside the capital, significant restrictions are to be expected, especially with regard to the rescue service in case of accidents. International health insurance with a repatriation option in case of emergency is recommended. If you have a pre-existing condition, you should get some advice from a clinic or doctor specialised in tropical and travel medicine. Customers must ensure that they are physically and mentally well enough to undertake their chosen trip. They should find out for themselves the physical mobility levels and mental capacity required for this trip.
Please observe that the excursions are accessible by foot only and that the buses used for the roundtrip are not customised to transport wheelchairs or similar devices.
All information is subject to change/Last updated: January 2024
Travel highlights
Europe
Asia
America
Africa
