Practical Information

Passport

Jordan passport information

It is essential that we have your full passport details at least two weeks before the start of your trip (or at the time of booking for late bookings). This is required for the free visa (see below for eligibility details) and additionally, has to be supplied in advance to the tourism police, hotels and sights we’ll be visiting. If we are not provided with accurate passport information in advance, problems may be encountered during the trip and you may incur extra costs.

Visa

Jordan

Visas are required by most nationalities and can be obtained at the border or Amman airport.

We will arrange a free visa (usually 40 Jordanian dinars) for travellers booking a tour and any pre-tour arrangements through us, provided we receive full passport and flight details at least two weeks before arrival.

You will need to pay for the visa if we do not have these details two weeks before arrival or you are making your own pre-tour arrangements (ie extra nights before the tour that are not booked through Exodus).

Our airport representative will meet and assist you with obtaining the free visa on arrival in Jordan at Customs & Immigration. They will be carrying an Exodus sign.

Vaccinations and Health

Jordan

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies and typhoid. Please confirm all requirements with your doctor or travel clinic.

Local Time

Jordan's time zone: Asia/Amman (UTC +03:00)

Electricity

Jordan's electricity: Plug types C (two round pins, European standard), D (three round pins), F (two round pins), G (three rectangular pins, UK standard), and J (three round pins) – 230V, 50Hz

Money

Jordan's currency: Jordanian dinar (JOD)

ATM Availability

You can choose to either change your money in advance or on arrival at Amman airport. Here you will find both ATMs and exchange desks. There are also ATMs in the major towns and cities, such as Madaba, Petra, Aqaba and Amman. However, ATMs do not take every card type, so please bring some cash to change if possible. Your leader can advise you on changing money and ATMs. Larger shops in the cities may take credit cards, but do not rely on this.

Extra Expenses & Spending Money

To cover any additional costs, including meals not covered in the itinerary, we recommend a spending budget of approximately 250 Jordanian dinars (US$352). Allow more if you want to purchase alcoholic drinks when available.

Tipping

Our local staff are paid fairly for their work. However, tipping is part of the culture in Jordan. We have given guidance in US dollars below, but tipping is best done in the local currency (Jordanian dinars).

For tipping your driver, hotel staff and other local staff, we recommend the use of a tipping kitty. Your leader can advise on the amount, but as a guide, expect it to be around US$60 for this trip. This kitty can be placed in the hands of one of the group members to look after and the leader will advise where it is appropriate to tip. If preferred, however, the leader can manage this for the group. The kitty is there to ease confusion and embarrassment by not knowing how much or how little to tip.

Most clients also wish to tip their Tour Leader and as a guide we suggest US$40 per person for this trip. Most groups prefer to present the money to the leader at the end of the week in an envelope. The amount is at your discretion and our suggested amount is to be used as a guideline only.

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that improve life for the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Find out more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here, and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

In Jordan, we are very proud to work with a local partner who received the Travelife Partner award in July 2021. Travelife is a certification system dedicated to achieving sustainable practices in the global tourism industry. To receive the award, our Jordanian partner had to comply with more than 100 criteria related to corporate social responsibility. The Travelife standard is formally recognised for full compliance with the UN Sustainable Tourism Criteria.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• The use of a local guide means our customers will be well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels and restaurants, the emphasis on eating locally produced food and support of other local enterprise.
• The hotels we stay in are dedicated to hiring local staff, this benefits the surrounding community by providing employment opportunities and income alternatives where they may be otherwise hard to come by.
• In Wadi Rum, we do a jeep safari run by Bedouin families. This provides a source of income for these families and is a wonderful opportunity to interact with local people.
• This tour encourages travellers to visit local cafes and restaurants and use markets to purchase traditional crafts.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels.
• By travelling in a small group, led by a local guide, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• On this trip we visit eight national heritage sites and the entrance fees included generates income used to upkeep and develop these important monuments and nature parks.
• Our trips adhere to ABTA’s industry-leading animal welfare guidelines to ensure the best possible practices with regard to working animals and wildlife viewing. Our animal welfare policy can be found here.
• In Petra, we do not recommend riding horses or mules as we are not convinced their treatment is in line with industry-leading animal-welfare guidelines.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively eliminate or reduce waste, for example eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles and instead providing refills for reusable bottles.
• It is standard practice in Jordan to distribute leftover restaurant food to people in need.
• Where possible on this trip, paper bags are used as an alternative to single-use plastics.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.
• Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
• This trip favours locally owned and run accommodation.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish behind in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, we’d ask you to consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: Please bring your own reusable water bottle on this trip; filtered water will be provided where tap water is not drinkable.

Cultural respect:

• Some Jordanians, especially women and the elderly, object to being photographed so please ask first.
• Jordanians are very proud of their country and can be offended if you take pictures of anything ‘negative’ or suggestive of poverty. Photography in military zones and strategic areas like public buildings is prohibited.
• Handshaking is only between members of the same sex.
• It’s polite to use only your right hand when eating something without cutlery and when handing money and small objects to someone else.
• It is common practice to remove one’s shoes before entering a mosque or someone’s home and you should tuck them under if sitting on the floor. It is respectful for women to cover their heads with a scarf when entering a mosque. Please note many mosques are not open for tourist visits.
• Generally, clothing should cover shoulders and be on or below the knee.
• During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and smoking during daylight hours. Even chewing gum is considered haram (forbidden). Although foreigners are not expected to follow these practices, it is respectful to be discrete and not eat, drink or smoke in general public.
• Making the effort to fit in is invariably appreciated so being aware of these aspects of cultural respect will assist you during your travels in Jordan.

Important Information

Water safety

This trip includes time by a lake, river or sea, where there may be opportunities to swim. You should always seek local advice before deciding whether to swim. Open-water or wild swim spots should be treated with extreme caution. Information on how to keep yourself safe while swimming is shown here.