Independent traveller to Jordan/Petra end of September

Solo female travelling to Jordan for a week primarily to Petra but also want to visit Jaresh, dead sea & Wadi Rum. Any advice / tips / recommendations would be greatly appreciated especially relating to transport options etc.

Cheers

welcome to Jordan and to TT forum
As a solo traveller it is best to stay at an hotel or hostel in downtown Amman.these places are ideal for solo travellers.You meet others like mided people to share trips and tours of Jordan where you split cost amongst you and have great fun.Of course you will enjoy the downtown Amman the local Jordanian experience .
amman is cetrally located in the middle of Jordan .From Amman you can head for day trips to
North to Jerash,Ajloun and may be Um Qais.
East to visit the Desert Castles Loop.
West to visit Madaba,Nebo,wadi Mujib,Dead Sea and Baptisim site.and Kerak castle.
South to visit Petra and Wadi Rum and so on.
Most of these places mentined above can also be reached by public transport from Amman bus terminals if you choose to go on public transport.It is safe to so for a solo traveller too.
I hope others can give you more specific details to help you plan your trip to Jordan.
cheers

Further to what Marco wrote above, I do not believe either Petra or Wadi Rum are day trips from Amman. They are easily reached from Amman, but not as day trips; especially Wadi Rum where a big part of the experience is spending the night in a Bedouin camp.

Good luck.

Thanks marcopoloo for the information especially regarding downtown Amman. Laketraveller I agree that its probably best not to try to do Petra/Wadi Rum as day trips as these are places that I really want to explore and spend some quality time. Thanks both your tips are appreciated.

It is almost impossible to do Petra and Wadi Rum in a day trip from Amman I would never advise that.I think i did not make my post clear first time.
Many visitors to Jordan with only few days and want to visit as much as possible including most significnt sites like Petra do take day trips to Petra.Bur never to include Wadi Rum on that day trip.
cheers

afrochick!
I don´t know when you are arriving in Jordan in the morning in the middle of the night? I don’t know, If you are arriving by plane, car or bus? However many flights to Jordan is arriving in the middle of the night, at least my flight arrived in the middle of the night!

I suggest the following travel plan
Day 1. Prebook a room at Mariam hotel in Madaba and book a taxi from the airport (using Mariam hotels excellent discounts).

Day 2. Next morning ask the receptionist to book a rental car also ask them to book two nights at Wadi Mujib nature reserve at Dead Sea RSCN . Drive to Mount Nebo the place there Moses died, drive to Dead Sea Panorama, Drive to Mukawir to see the ruin of Herod’s temple and the place there Herode’s the Great beheaded John the Baptist. Visit Ma’in Spa a thermal spring one of the few sources of water actually running out into Dead Sea. See to that you arrive at Wadi Mujib at about 16:00 in the afternoon to install in the Chalet and dip in Dead Sea before dinner at the restaurant 20:00. Order a lunch box for the next day.

Day 3. Next day walk up to Visitor center and walk the Siq trail in Wadi Mujib. Late afternoon go for a swim in Dead Sea.

Day 4. Start early and drive south along the Dead Sea until the Karak Junction. Turn left to Karak in Karak take King Highway to Petra (if time allows) otherwise choose desert highway.

Day 5. Petra

Day 6. Drive back to Madaba Mariam hotel leave car

Day 7. Walk around Madaba if times allow.

Best regards from
Swebackpacker

Edited by: SWEBackpacker

Edited by: ethelfleda

SWEBackpacker thanks for all the tips. Luckily I dont arrive in the middle of the night although the flight does get in quite late in the evening so will definitely pre-book hotel etc.

This is also good info for me, because I want to spend a couple of days in Jordan in October. My flight arrives in Amman at 8pm. I was going to hire a car and drive down to Wadi Musa the same night, but don't feel comfortable about driving in a strange country at night - I'm sure to get very lost! The primary purpose of my visit is to see Petra; I know I don't have long, but it's better than nothing. Should I make the Mariam Hotel my base and travel from there to Petra, or should I attempt the drive from the airport direct to Wadi Musa? What will the weather be like in mid October? I have read info on the Smart Traveller website and it says: "Women should avoid travelling alone, particularly at night. Serious assaults by taxi drivers on lone female passengers have been reported. Where possible, women should avoid sitting in the front seat of a taxi. You should pay attention to your immediate surroundings and exercise judgement." Do I need to worry about this?

#7 Stay overnight at Mariam hotel in Madaba you can just turn up but I recommend Pre-booking the room. Ask the hotel receptionist to call a car rental company and arrange for a car early in the morning (or ask them to do so in your email when pre-booking the room).

Start early next morning and drive down to Wadi Musa. King Highway is the most beautiful way and Desert highway the fastest.

If you arrive at 8pm it will take at least one maybe two hour to change money, get Visa, the luggage and a rental car. You will start driving at 10pm in a country you are not familiar with on dark roads with road signs in Arabic and speed bumps in every road crossing. If you drive the Desert Highway down to Petra you need to find the exit to Petra since the last bit of the road is King Highway into Wadi Musa. You can do it in maybe four hours (I am guessing). If you take the King Highway down to Wadi Musa it will take far longer maybe five to six hours.

Expect to drive in 60 to 70 km/h and 10 to 20 km/h in the cities on the King Highway. On Desert Highway the speed can be up to 100 km/h.