As many travelers plan their trips to Israel, they may find themselves looking into its neighboring country as well. Jordan is home to Petra, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, which makes it a very appealing addition to Israel travel itineraries.
However, going from one country to another is not always the easiest process. Despite the appeal of Petra, with border crossings, new currencies, and a whole new culture, the idea of visiting Jordan can often become overwhelming for travelers. Luckily, there’s a way you can combine the two countries with very little stress: by joining a tour! Here’s why you should take a tour from Israel to Jordan.
Jordan is beautiful and different from Israel
You’d think that a country right next to Israel wouldn’t offer much in the way of new scenery. This is not true at all. Jordan is much more mountainous than Israel. In addition, the desert looks completely different. Going into Jordan is like stepping into a whole different world.
Enjoying the sites in Wadi Rum Desert, Jordan
Transportation from site to site
One of the best and most convenient parts, when you take a tour from Israel to Jordan, is that you don’t have to worry about any of your transportation. Sometimes trying to figure out how to get from Point A to Point B in a whole new country can be a bit daunting. With a tour, you just have to know what times to get on the tour bus, and the rest is someone else’s problem.
Minimize chances of getting scammed
Unfortunately, one of the downsides to traveling is that it seems to increase your likelihood of being scammed. These scams happen all over the world and you usually don’t realize it’s happening until it’s already happened. Traveling to Jordan with a tour group and an experienced, local tour guide can help you minimize your chances of getting scammed.
When we visited Petra, our guide let us know that many of the vendors inside are not actually authentic Bedouin people, but Gypsies who live in the area and want to make money off of tourists. Our guide told us to be careful making purchases as many times things can be inauthentic or heavily over-priced. This extra bit of information made me feel more confident in Petra, and more skeptical about how I spent my money there.
Souvenirs in Petra
Lift the language barrier
Of course, traveling to another country can sometimes mean a change in language. In Israel, you’ll hear mostly Hebrew spoken, with some Arabic and English every now and then. But in Jordan, you pretty much only hear Arabic. If you’re not familiar with this language it can really help to have that local tour guide on your side.
Some signs have English, but people mostly only speak Arabic in Jordan
Learn more about the country
When you take a tour from Israel to Jordan, you have access to a local who knows everything there is to know about life in Jordan. If you have questions about history, customs, culture or daily life, you can just ask your guide! You can learn so much more during your tour than you would if you tried to tackle your first time in Jordan unaccompanied. When you have a guide to explain the history and significance, visiting the sites in Jordan is so much more exciting.
Looking over the ancient city of Jerash in Jordan
Learn more about Petra
We all know the biggest reason to take a tour from Israel to Jordan is to see the ancient city of Petra. Plenty of people visit this site on their own, but they miss out on so much information by doing this. As our tour walked through the Siq (the main entrance to the city) we stopped multiple times to discover ancient carvings, water channels, and even the location where animal sacrifices were made to the gods. I was absorbing so much information and we weren’t even to the real main event yet!
Carvings in Petra’s Siq
On top of that, once we reached the Treasury (the main facade you see in pictures of Petra) our guide took several minutes and explained every last detail of the facade to us. Most people just take some pictures and move on. But with a tour, you really learn and take the time to see the smallest details. This makes the trip to Petra so much more impactful.
So much detail in the facade of the Treasury!
Increased sense of safety
There’s something about traveling in a group that makes me feel just a little bit safer. Not only that, but during my tour in Jordan, our group was accompanied by a member of the Jordanian Tourist Police. He rode the bus with us and visited the sites with us. I never felt like his presence was necessarily needed, but it was nice to know he was there.
Make new friends and meet awesome people
Traveling without a tour, you don’t always get the chance to meet people from around the world who enjoy the same style of adventure as you. But when you travel with the same group of people for multiple days, you are bound to make some great connections! The group I traveled with was just awesome. We had a diverse range of nationalities and ages, but we all got along really well and had a ton of fun together.
Some of my group on a tour in the desert!
If you are visiting Israel and are thinking about going over to Jordan for a few days, I definitely recommend joining a tour. I went on a 3-day Jordan tour with Tourist Israel and enjoyed my time. Going on a tour really saved me time and the headache of having to plan the logistics of a Jordan trip. As much as I love travel planning, it was nice to have someone else do all the work for a change. I also really liked that Tourist Israel had multiple Jordan tours to choose from, so I could pick one that best fit my schedule and my travel goals for the country.
You can find more about how to take a tour from Israel to Jordan with Tourist Israel on their website.
Note: Thanks to Tourist Israel for offering a discounted price on their 3-day Jordan tour. As always, all opinions expressed are 100% my own.
Follow me on Facebook and Twitter to get updates on my adventures! Or check out my Instagram for pretty pictures!
You might also like
38 Comments
The Jordan tour with Tourist Israel looks like the way to go. I wouldn’t love to visit Jordan and Israel and go on this tour. Having the sense of security and a guide to help teach you sounds like the best way to go! I can’t wait to visit Petra someday! Thanks for this reccomendation!
I’ve been dreaming about Israel lately! Now I guess I’ll have to expand that ssomeday-trip to include Jordan.
I’m glad to know that there’s an easy way to travel between Israel and Jordan! I haven’t been to either yet, but I’ll remember this whenever I do make it over there.
This is a bucket list trip for me. If more people across the world took a trip like this I think the region would be better understood and we would have fewer problems over there.
This is a really interesting post thanks for sharing. I traveled to Petra 7 years ago and it is absolutely breathtaking and I vowed to go back one day. Getting there from Israel seems like a great way to do it. Thanks for the possible scams section as well!!!
This is what I am looking for. As Ryan Air is flying to Tel Aviv soon. This would be perfect to do and see both!!
Petra has long been on my wish list and I love tours. You have enough to think about on travel that it’s sometimes nice to have somebody solve all of the logistics for you. It’s a huge bonus if they are a competent local guide as well.
Jordan looks stunning! I’d love to travel to both Israel and Jordan. Great post 🙂
This is really interesting post and covers so many important informations . Thanks for sharing
I’d heard it isn’t easy to plan a trip that goes from Israel to Jordan, but it’s good to know that if you take a tour they deal with everything!
Thanks for the tips! Petra is definitely on the top of my list and I’ve just started looking into tackling both of these destination as once. Bookmarking this for when I’m ready to plan, thank you!
Great tips on using a tour to enter Jordan. I definitely have it on my bucket list to visit Petra, the Petraglyphs in Wadi Rum, and the old Roman ruins throughout the country. However, I too wonder how to do it as I hear people constantly being hustled in the tourist areas. Thus going with an organized tour group sounds perfect so you can enjoy all of the great sights without the pressure of the hustle.
The tour is always a great option. We have taken yours in many countries and feel more at ease and learn so much more. I think that would be especially helpful when crossing borders.
The Jordan tour with Tourist Israel looks like the way to go. I wouldn’t love to visit Jordan and Israel and go on this tour.
I entirely get what you say about the extra information that you get on a tour. And it sticks with you for the longest time; I recall being told something about the chandeliers in a palace that has stuck for more than 40 years! And Jordan’s definitely a magical country; a friend has family working there, and her pictures are absolutely incredible, as is her respect for and love of the people she’s met while visiting.
I have a friend in Israel, I’m going to visit soon. And maybe we will go to Jordan, since I’ve read your post 😉 Thanks for the great tips!
I have yet to visit this part of the world. It sounds like a tour would take some complications out of getting to Jordan. Thanks for sharing this!
Sounds like a great idea to use a tour! I love having guides to help explain things as we go. You’re right that you learn so much more that way! And the helpful tip about the inauthentic souvenirs…so good to know!
Dreaming about Jordan, I would love to explore Petra. It’s really good idea to combine both countries in one trip.
I’ve been seeing so many photos of Jordan lately, I’m really considering visiting. I think a tour would be great idea, thanks for the tips.
Normally I am all for flying solo and not booking a tour but I think you bring up valid points on why its better to travel with a tour in some locations – language barriers and scamming being a few. That desert looks incredible, too! Think I need to add it to my list!
Taking a tour is a great way to avoid a whole load of hassle! Plus it is a lovely way to make new friends. Thanks for sharing 🙂
This is definitely on my bucket list. I really want to visit Israel and I wouldn’t go without taking a side trip to Jordan. I would love to see Petra. I’m glad to know that your guide made you feel safe and taught you a lot.
This is a really useful article for me; my boyfriend really wants to visit Israel and Jordan, and I’m more than happy to do the same! 😀 So I’ll be keeping this guide handy – it sounds like it was a really worthwhile tour, and that your guide was fantastic!
This tour looks like a great option! I love when you can hear about the area from a local!
Yes, a tricky region to negotiate. I wouldn’t go without a tour either. Its such an interesting area but the politics and variety of religious groups make it challenging. Well worth it I’m sure though. Ian @ Resfeber
This would be the coolest experience!! We love history and exploring ancient cities. Definitely adding this to our bucket list.
Jordan is at the top of my bucket list and I’m so glad I ran across this post. Definitely gonna look into Tourist Israel and thanks for these awesome tips!
Jordan looks like a beautiful place! Definitely on our bucket list, especially Petra. Also curious to try their cuisine, as we haven’t tried Jordanian food yet.
I’ve always wanted to visit Jordan, and especially go see Petra for myself. I didn’t even consider doing a tour, but you bring up some good points about how helpful a tour might actually be, especially given the language barrier.
This is a great idea! I love to combine trips, it’s a good way to take advantage of one flight ticket lol I’m planning to start my Middle East tour soon, and Jordan is on top of my list, can’t wait to visit Petra
This are kind of journeys I love to do one day! Thanks for your great informations – hopefully I can do this tour soon. Have a nice day, Martina
Such an amazing adventure you had in Jordan! I love this post, thanks for sharing this is so informative and will really help every travelers. I love all of the photos, they are all perfectly captured and for that, Petra is such a beauty, incredible carvings! I should visit here someday.
As a tour guide myself I always find one of the best ways to experience the place you’re visiting is to take a tour. I learn so much more from a tour guide than from a guide book and there’ll always be information not in those books that you could get from a live interpreter. When questions pop up it’s easy to ask the guide. I hope to visit Israel and Jordan some day 😊
Amazing Blog. about Jordan Tours. it like Jordan tours also. i visited i Jordan 6 month ago from India. I really lied Jordan. its very Beautiful Country.
This is a fantastic tip sheet, thank you for putting it together! I didn’t take the chance to visit Jordan when I was in Israel, and I’m thinking it would have been well worth a few extra days. Completely coincidentally, my parents ended up going to Jordan a few months later (without heading into Israel), and you’re right – it’s amazing how different they are, even though they’re so close and share so much history! Our experiences were completely different. Thank you again!
Jordan has been super high on my list. Have been dreaming to visit it for long. Your post just increased my wanderlust more.
Looks fantastic!! I’m actually looking at visiting that area now and definitely love your suggestions – super helpful and makes me feel more excited to go. Great pictures, too!