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: Jordanian dinar (JOD)

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 find both ATMs and exchange desks. There are also ATMs in the major towns and cities, such as Madaba, Petra, Aqaba and Amman. However, not all ATMs take all cards, so please bring some cash to change if possible. Your leader can advise on changing money and ATMs.

Larger shops in the cities may take credit cards, but do not rely on this. We suggest taking some money in cash (British pounds, euros or US dollars), with a mix of denominations.

Small-denomination cash dollars are useful for times when you want to change a small amount of money outside the major towns or cities.

Tipping

Our local staff are paid fairly for their work. However, tipping is part of the culture in Jordan and generally expected within tourism and many other areas of Jordanian life. Tipping is best done in 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 45 dinars (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. As a guide, we suggest 30 dinars (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 by supporting other local enterprises.
• The hotels we stay in are dedicated to hiring local staff, this helps to benefit the surrounding community by providing employment opportunities and income alternatives where they may be otherwise hard to come by.
• This trip stays one night in the Wadi Rum desert at the Exodus private camp, which is owned and managed by a local Bedouin family. This not only provides a source of income for the family but is a wonderful opportunity for our guests to interact with local people and share aspects of their traditions.
• In Wadi Rum, we also do a 4×4 safari which provides another source of income for local people.
• This tour encourages guests 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.
• We visit eight national heritage sites and the entrance fees generate 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 that guests ride horses or mules as we are not convinced their treatment is in line with industry-leading guidelines on animal welfare.
• 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.
• The Exodus private camp in Wadi Rum uses solar power.
• 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

• Family plays a central role in Jordanian culture so they will be very pleased to welcome your family to their country.
• 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.

Family trips

Our staff and leaders are there to ensure the trip runs as smoothly as possible. However, company policy states they cannot take care of children; it is your responsibility to look after your young ones throughout the trip. During free time or if you decide to opt out of part of the itinerary, you are responsible for your family and any arrangements that need to be made, though your leader will be happy to make recommendations.

This trip goes near an area deemed unsafe to visit by the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whose advice we follow when operating our trips. While our itinerary doesn’t go to these areas, you should familiarise yourself with your local government’s advice if you are planning any pre- or post-trip travel. Any independent travel to areas currently against your local government advice is entirely at your own risk and unlikely to be covered by your travel insurance.