What To Wear When Traveling To Jordan?

You’ve been counting down the days until you embark on your epic Jordan tour. The time has finally arrived that many dread…it’s time to pack. You are only visiting for a week and you want to maximize your packing space.  We hear you; it’s not an easy task.  The question rolling around in your head is, “What is appropriate to wear in an Islamic, Middle Eastern country?”

Not to fear, we have some tips for you.

Guidelines to keep in mind:

While Jordan is a progressive Muslim country, it is still conservative at heart.  The general rule of thumb, for women, is the less skin showing the less attention you will draw to yourself (it really is for your benefit). Tightness, on the other hand, is not as much of a faux pas as showing skin in this culture.

Also consider the nature of your travel. While it’s not extreme adventure tourism, you will be doing quite a lot of walking, hiking and possibly some climbing depending on your itinerary and daring spirit.  Other possible scenarios include mounting and dismounting camels or donkeys, sleeping in goat hair tents, and getting your hands dirty as you harvest olives or tomatoes alongside locals.

 

Tips for women:

Jordanian women dress very fashionably in urban parts of the country.  It is common to see covered women wearing tight skirts and dresses over leggings.  By contrast, in small villages or conservative areas, many women wear a long coat/dress which covers any hint of their figure. 

Pack a few thin cotton long-sleeve shirts.  It’s ok for tourists to wear short-sleeves, but you may feel more comfortable covering most of your arms and it shows respect for the local culture.

Avoid shirts that reveal too much of your chest or back.  Cleavage is a big no-no here.  Tuck a scarf in your purse or backpack in case you end up in a more conservative area of town and want to throw it around your shoulders. If you plan on entering a mosque at anytime during your stay a scarf may come in handy as you might be required to cover your head.

As mentioned above, it is always best to opt for long pants.  In the hot summer months go for a thin cotton blend instead of jeans.

If your itinerary includes a beach you’ll want to bring a swimsuit.  At a resort anything goes, but at a public beach you may want to choose a modest suit.  The more skin showing the more looks you will get, in which case some women may be more comfortable wearing a t-shirt and shorts over their suit. Local ladies who swim will be fully covered.

 

Tips for men:

It’s a little less tricky for you.  T-shirts and a couple pairs of long pants should be just fine.  In the recent years young men and boys have begun to wear shorts, however most men still wear long pants. Depending on the time of year you may want to throw in a hat to keep the sun away, or just buy a traditional Bedouin head scarf when you arrive.

Both ladies & gentlemen:

It’s a great idea to pack layers. During the fall and winter seasons it can go from hot to cold in an instant if you find yourself in the shade as well as in the evenings.

Bring a good pair of walking shoes if not two.  The streets of Jordan are dustier and slightly dirtier than you are probably used to.  In addition, you will be off the asphalt path in most of the places you are walking.  In the spring and summer months, many tourists like to walk around in open toed shoes or sandals, however, it is advised to wear something closed toed.

 

Recommended clothing:

Lightweight cottons and linens are advised during the summer between May and September while travelling to Jordan. Warm clothes are necessary for winter and cool summer evenings. Rainwear may be needed from November to April. It is important to remember that Jordan is primarily a Muslim country, albeit not a very conservative one. Revealing clothing is not appropriate outside tourist towns/sites and conservative clothing is advisable for both men and women in downtown Amman and in rural areas. Evenings can be cool in summer, so a sweater or a shawl is advisable. Make sure you bring with you comfortable walking shoes, a hat and sun block.

 

What is the weather like in Jordan?

You are able to check the weather forecast for your time in Jordan at the following sites and enter in the different locations you will be visiting in Jordan :

www.accuweather.com

http://en.arabiaweather.com

Jordan Climate Information

Before travelling to Jordan, it is prudent to take into consideration the expected climate conditions to allow you to dress appropriately for the weather. Jordan is characterized by dry, hot summers with cool evenings. The Jordan Valley, 400 meters below sea level is warm during winter and very hot in summer. Aqaba has a drier and hotter climate than the rest of the country (with temperatures on average 10 degrees Celsius above those of Amman). Rain falls between November and April (mostly in the central and northern mountain ranges), while the coldest weather conditions occur in December / January.

You can travel to Jordan any time of the year as Jordan has eight generous months of sunshine. On your tour of Jordan, in 40min you can be on a mountain over 1000m above sea and travel to a valley to under 400m below sea level. In 40min, on your Jordan holiday, you may experience a 15 degree Celsius change in temperature.

 

Jordan Weather Overview

Jordan is a relatively small country with a total land area of 96000 sq km. Although mostly desert, within its compact area, there are 3 distinct climatic zones; the Jordan valley, Mountain Heights Plateau and the Desert or Badia region, which constitutes 75% of the total land area of Jordan.

As the majority of the country is desert the country has predominantly long, dry, hot summers with chilly nights and cold, crisp winters. Rain in the desert regions is sparse, falling in short, intense bursts during the winter and spring. The most fertile part of Jordan is the hilly region in the northwest which experiences high rainfall between November and March when weather fronts blow in from the Mediterranean.

To the west of the hills lies the long valley where the River Jordan flows into the Dead Sea, which is 400m (1,300ft) below sea level. This valley has very hot summers, warm winters and little rain. Expect sun throughout the year in Jordan.

Jordan has 4 Seasons

Jordan's weather truly consists of 4 seasons: Autumn, winter, spring, and summer. Most of Jordan's tourist attractions lie in the mountain heights Plateau, strip which runs along the western edge of the country, and the Jordan Valley, which lies next to the Dead Sea; the lowest point on the surface of earth.

310 Days of Sunshine

Jordan is a very sunny country, with over 310 days of sunshine a year. The weather is almost exclusively dry and sunny from May to October, where there is barely any rainfall. Summers are hot but relatively pleasant due to the low humidity in the mountain heights with daytime temperatures frequently exceeding 36°C and averaging about 32°C, while nights are almost exclusively cool and pleasant. In the Jordan valley, summers can be very hot with temperatures reaching into the low forties on occasions, while Aqaba's weather in the south is similar to the Jordan valley’s but with less rainfall.

It can get "cold" in Jordan and it even snows.

Most of Jordan's desert receives less than 120 mm of rain a year, while the average rainfall in the mountain heights ranges between 300 and 600 mm a year. The rainy season begins at the end of November and continues till the end of March. Nonetheless, rainfall is sporadic even then. Chance of rain drops substantially from April onwards. The coldest months of the year are December and January, where temperatures average about 13 degrees Celsius but can drop to around 5 degrees. In areas with an altitude of 1000 meters and above, there is a chance of snowfall in winter, and some lucky few have even had the chance to see Petra (1200 meters above sea level) in the snow.

 

In Brief

The Jordan Valley below sea level is warm during winter and very hot in summer, Aqaba has a drier climate than the Dead Sea (with temperatures on average 10 degrees Celsius above those of Amman). Rain falls between November and April (mostly in the central and northern mountain ranges), while colder weather conditions occur in December / January.

Local daytime temperatures range as follows for the year (°C):

January (4-13°C)

February (4-13°C)

March (6-17°C)

April (10-23°C)

May (15-28°C)

June (17-31°C)

July (20-32°C)

August (19-32°C)

September (18-30°C)

October (14-26°C)

November (9-20°C)

December ( 5-14°C)

 

Your Driver is not a guide

You will be accompanied on your tour by an English Speaking Driver. Whist not an official licensed Ministry of Tourism guide, your driver is extremely knowledgeable about the area and its history, and is able to point out sites of interest and provide you with information as you travel. Your driver will assist you during your tour but is unable to enter the sites with you. At the sites that we haven't included a guide there are local guides available should you want to hire one at your own expense. The sites that we haven't included a spot guide are easy to explore by yourself.

Please ask us if you would prefer to be accompanied for your entire tour by a licensed tour guide.

 

Tours Guides in languages other than English

Tours guides are available in Jordan who speak Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Japanese, Russian and other some other languages. Please note that these guides, either for the full tour, or as a spot guide in Petra (and some other sites) are limited and subject to availability. In peak season it is recommended to book in advance if you wish to have a guide who speaks a language other than English.

For Wadi Rum there isn’t the option to have a Bedouin driver who speaks a language other than English or Arabic.

 

Why are there rooms available to book online but you have advised me that the hotel is fully booked?

Hotels have contracts with the online booking platforms to provide a certain amount of rooms. This can mean there are times when there are rooms available online to book, but we as travel agents are unable to book a room at the hotel due to the allocation for direct bookings and travel agencies being full. If you choose to book through an online platform we can only deduct the rate which is as per our contract with the hotel and not the rate that you book the room at online.

 

If I book the hotel online will you deduct the rate offered online from my tour rate?

We have contracts with all the hotels that we offer for overnight stays. These contracts provide us with an agents rate which is fixed. Our rates will differ to the rates that you can find through online booking platforms. The rates for the online booking platforms are set by the hotels and vary according to season and supply and demand.

There are times when the online rates are cheaper than our contracted rates due to specials that the hotels will offer. We cannot match any rates offered through online booking platforms and recommend that if you find a cheaper rate that you book the hotel yourself. We will deduct the contract rate of the overnight stay from your tour rate.

In times of peak demand it can mean that the rates offered online are more expensive than the rates we offer. If we have advised you that the hotel is fully booked for the travel agents allocation and there is rooms available online and you decide to book at the more expensive rate we will only deduct the contract rate for the overnight stay from your tour rate.

 

What is the Single Room Supplement?

A single supplement is an additional sum of money that a hotel charges for one person to stay in a room meant for two people.

The rates that we quote for our tours are valid for Double/Twin/Triple Occupancy. For a single traveler or people wanting to have single occupancy in a room a single supplement will be added to cover the cost of the single room.

Please ask us to advise the single room supplement if you would like this. 

 

What currencies are the Tour Rates quoted in and what currencies do you accept for payment?

All prices for our tours are advised in United States Dollars (USD) or Jordan Dinar (JOD). They are based on tariffs at the time of printing. Jordan Horizons Torus (JHT) reserves the right to vary the cost of the tour if necessary by reason of currency fluctuation or cost increase. Once full payment has been received by Jordan Horizons Torus (JHT) no surcharges in respect to currency fluctuations will be applied.

We accept payment in $USD, JOD, Euro and British Pounds. The rate for currencies other than $USD or JOD are subject to the exchange rate on the date/day of payment converted from $USD. The $USD is fixed against the JOD at an exchange rate of 1JD = 0.708$USD.

 

Can I use foreign currencies in Jordan or where can I exchange money?

$USD are accepted everywhere in Jordan at a fixed rate of 1JD = $0.70USD. Euros are accepted im ,any places subject to the daily exchange rate.

There are money exchange offices in all the major towns and cities. You can exchange at the banks if you show your passport. Hotels will exchange most common currencies.

There are ATMs available at the borders and airports and all over Jordan, except for in Wadi Rum

 

What power plugs/outlets are used in Jordan?

In Jordan the power plugs and sockets are of type C, D, F, G and J. You will find various combinations of power plugs/outlets in each room. Check out the following pictures.

 Jordan_Tour_Trip_Holiday_to_Petra_Wadi_Rum_Dead_Sea_Jerash.JPG

Type C: also known as the standard "Euro" plug. This socket also works with plug E and plug F.

Type D: mainly used in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and some African countries. This socket only works with plug D.

Type F: also known as "Schuko". This socket also works with plug C and plug E.

Type G: this type is of British origin. This socket only works with plug G.

Type J: mainly used in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. This socket also works with plug C. But plug N will NOT work.

 

Where can I purchase a SIM card in Jordan?

You are able to purchase a SIM card from outlets at the airports and border crossings. Or you can ask your driver to assist you with the purchase of a SIM card.

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