Jordan

The population is generally hospitable, friendly and interested (adults).

Children can be annoying, they sit on your bike (bags), and sometimes throw stones. You are regularly (but less often than in Turkey and Syria) offered something to drink, for example in restaurants, shops or along the road by truck drivers.

Willy: "After saying Salaam Aleikum, the astonished teenagers no longer throw stones. In some villages they throw tomatoes, handy for dinner."

Most nationalities need a visa to enter Jordan.

Source: Wikipedia.

You can cycle quietly and easily everywhere. Avoid the border with Iraq. Children sometimes throw stones at cyclists.

Robin: "In Jordan the boys between 6 and 18 have a hobby that I do not appreciate; throwing stones, spitting, yelling, trying to pull things off your bike. From other I heard the same, they warn each other about difficult parts, especially on the Kings Highway."

Supermarkers

Every self-respecting village has a supermarket with biscuits, bread and drinks. You never really have long distances in Jordan.

Restaurants

The food is delicious: kebab, chicken sandwich, baklava, say the traditional Arabic dishes. All very tasty. Bread, water and soft drinks are available everywhere, sometimes at tourist prices (5x normal price), sometimes for free. Vegetarians don't have to complain either: stuffed eggplant, falaffel, etc.

Drinkable water

The tap water can be unreliable. You will find tea and strong coffee everywhere.

If you come from a yellow fever area, yellow fever vaccination is mandatory. A DTP vaccination is recommended, as is protection against Hepatitis A.

To see and do

Note from Cycle Planet: If someone would like to add these bullet points as markers on the map, be our guest. In that case, you can also remove this note ;)

• Wadi Rum (Beautiful !. You can cycle to the village (asphalt). Then it becomes loose sand and you have to take a jeep excursion. You can spend the night in the desert)
• Petra (UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the Seven Wonders of the World according to tourists)
• King's Highway: beautiful cycle route, old Jordan trade route
• Madaba: church of the beheading of St John
• Jerash: ancient Roman city of Gerasa (After Rome, the best preserved archaeological site from the Roman period).
• Castles of Shoubak and Kerak. History and strategic location.
• Dana Nature Reserve for its different bio-geographic zones, variety in wildlife, geology and landscape.
• Bethany: Baptism site (20 km north of the Dead Sea) along the Jordan / Israel border river. It is a place of pilgrimage for many religious movements within Christianity, as evidenced by the many different churches on the complex.
• Dead Sea; experience it!
• Madaba: visit the church "Shine of the beheading of John Baptist". You can climb the tower (free) with a nice view

Nice routes

Peter: "I cycled the King's Highway from Madaba via Karak and Petra to Aqaba and then via the Desert Highway to the Dead Sea, Ajlun and Jerash. There are no hotels on the way from Aqaba to the Dead Sea, so you have to rely on wild camping or the benevolence of the (few) local population. I thought the Desert Highway was a bit boring. The total route is very nice and interesting because of all the sights, the history, the Biblical places and the different nature reserves. Very fascinating to see what was and happened there thousands of years ago, in terms of civilization and historiography."

Best time to cycle

Seasons

The best times are spring and autumn: no precipitation, temperatures between 10 and 35 degrees. Spring: everything is then in bloom and it is not too hot. In the summer it is too hot, in the winter it is too cold.

Willy: "I had rain in February and snow in the higher regions, so bring warm clothes."

Wind

On the King's Highway, the predominant wind direction is a westerly wind (also visible in the direction in which the trees grow). In April 2009 this wind was quite strong for a few days.

Spare parts

26 and 28 inch tires are available. Inner tubes (26 inch) with Dunlop valve (DV) are hardly available in Jordan. On the other hand, the inner tubes (26 inch) with Auto Valve (AV) are for sale in small towns at bicycle and moped repair shops.

Bicycle and moped repair shops can be found in small towns. Inquire with the residents of the city. Bicycle shops can be found in Amman. There are hardly any bicycle shops outside the capital. Shops were found in Madaba that also sell bicycles. Otherwise, post a message on Cycling Jordan's Facebook page. They can provide you with more information.

Tips

• Long legs and sleeves are recommended in connection with religion. Freek: "Women please wear covered clothing (long pants, long sleeves). Men can cycle / walk quietly in shorts. They are used to tourists. Women can also walk around less covered in tourist areas." Willy: "In the south around Wadi Rum it is advisable to dress long as a man, the Bedouin women feel uncomfortable otherwise." Peter (2014): "I had no problems cycling in shorts."
• Jordan can be combined very well with a tour of Israel.
• If you are using Amman airport for arrival / departure, use Madaba as your base instead of Amman. Amman and Madaba are about the same distance from the airport. The sights in Amman (especially amphitheater and citadel) can also be done in a day trip from Madaba. Amman is a large, cluttered city with chaotic, bicycle-unfriendly city traffic and (possibly) smog, while Madaba is much quieter and more bicycle-friendly.