Jordan: Getting there & around

Amman has an international airport, with flights from Beirut, Cairo, Damascus and further afield. Departure tax is JD5.00 for foreign travellers departing by land, air or sea. Buses travel between Amman and Damascus (about four hours unless there is considerable delay at the border), Baghdad (14 hours), Jeddah, Dammam and Riyadh (about 24 hours). There are indirect buses to Jerusalem; for Eilat you'll need to hire a taxi from Aquaba ( JD5.00 ). You can also catch service taxis from Jordan to Syria and Iraq, or a train from Amman to Damascus (Monday and Thursday). A ferry/bus service runs from Amman to Cairo, or you can get a fast boat between Aqaba and Nuweiba in Sinai.

The only domestic air route is between Amman and Aqaba. JETT bus company runs from Amman to Aqaba, the King Hussein Bridge, Petra and Hammamat Ma'in. Private buses run from Amman to Irbid and Aqaba. Minibuses travel between the smaller towns on an irregular service - usually they leave when they're full. Service taxis cover much the same routes. They're more expensive than minibuses, but a lot faster.