Jordan Pass: Is It Worth It?
Are you planning your travels to Jordan? Then you should definitely check out the Jordan Pass. In this blog post, we share with you information on how much does the Jordan Pass cost, what is included in the Jordan Pass, how having Jordan Pass affects your visas, and we will also answer the question if the Jordan Pass is worth buying.
Jordan was the first country we had ever visited in the Middle East region, and we possibly could not get a better introduction as this small kingdom quickly became one of our favorite countries we've ever been to.
Traveling around Jordan is quite easy (when you rent a car), locals go the extra mile to make sure tourists feel welcomed (we heard words welcome to Jordan like thousand times in only one week), the food is great, and the country is very safe to travel around.
The only turning point for people thinking on traveling to Jordan might be the cost of visas and entrance fees to the top attractions such as Lost City of Petra or Wadi Rum desert. But for all of you, who can get visas on arrival, we have great news, there is a way how to make this process easier and cheaper.
As we always look for ways how to save money when traveling, we were positively surprised when we found out that something like Jordan Pass exists.
In short, Jordan Pass is a feature developed by Jordan Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, which aims to make the process of entering the country for foreigners much easier, and by purchasing the Jordan Pass, travelers can save quite a lot of money on entrance fees and visas as well.
We are big fans of simplifying efforts like this, and we had decided to purchase the Jordan Pass before our journey.
If you are looking only for a short answer to the question if it is worth it to buy the Jordan Pass, we can only encourage you to do so as our personal experience was absolutely great.
Jordan Pass definitely made our stay and getting around the country much easier, and thanks to it we felt in the country welcomed.
If you want to know more about it, keep on reading.
In the paragraphs below, we will break down information on how to buy the Jordan Pass, how much does it cost, and what attractions are included.
Basically we will share with you everything we think you should know before visiting Jordan and before purchasing the Jordan Pass.
WHAT IS THE JORDAN PASS
Jordan Pass is quite a new initiative (since 2015) of Jordan Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, which covers visa fees (for most of the countries), and also doubles as a ticket for around 40 major tourist attractions in the country.
Although Jordan Pass is not free, it saves travelers a lot of money.
And if your Jordan travel itinerary includes Petra (which we hope it does), there is actually not much you should think about as purchasing the Jordan Pass will basically waive the entrance fee to this New Wonder of the World.
WHERE TO BUY THE JORDAN PASS
Buying Jordan Pass is very easy and there is no reason to purchase it on a different website than on the official site.
The page is well-arranged, it is translated into English, and the whole process is very straightforward. You will have to pay for the Jordan Pass straight away, so have your credit card handy.
Once you buy the ticket you will receive the confirmation via email in a couple of seconds.
We recommend you to print it out to have a confirmation in hand when waiting for your passport stamp on borders, and it is also better to have it in written form when entering the attractions.
Before our visit, we had read several bad reviews complaining about the payment process.
Apparently, for some travelers the page went down during the payment, so they tried it again only to find out they've been charged multiple times. We did not experience any issue and think this is not the case anymore since the service has improved.
But to prevent any troubles, make sure your internet connection is strong and stable when making the purchase.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE PURCHASING THE JORDAN PASS
First, you should know that the Jordan Pass is designed for people who intend to stay in Jordan at least for three consecutive nights.
Only this way purchasing the Jordan Pass will waive the fees.
If you purchase the Jordan Pass but won't stay in the country that long, the visa fee will be charged to you upon departure. Also, Jordan Pass is for people who can get visas on arrival - at the airport, there is even a special queue for people with the Jordan Pass.
Travelers from most of the western countries are allowed to get visas on arrival but to make sure that your nationality is on the list.
Although we think that for most of the people having the Jordan Pass makes sense, there are some exemptions.
A small number of nationalities do not have to pay visa fees (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Vatican), so if you hold one of these passports, paying for the Jordan Pass won't be necessary.
Also, people with Arabic nationalities usually have a discount when buying entrance fees to major sites.
This information can always change, so check the official websites before your visit!
Once you buy the Jordan Pass, you have 12 months to plan your travels and validate the pass, so both people who plan their vacation well ahead and last-minute travelers have a chance to purchase the pass.
Once you enter the country, the Jordan Pass is valid for 2 weeks, which we think is a reasonable amount of time to see most of the must-visit places when you take into account Jordan is quite a small and compact country.
HOW MUCH DOES THE JORDAN PASS COST
Once you see the cost of the Jordan Pass, which covers your visa fees (40 JD), and the cost of tickets to Petra which is included in the pass (50 JD for one day), you will realize that having the Jordan Pass is a great deal.
In general, there are three types of Jordan Pass, and how much you will pay depends basically on how many days you plan on spending in Petra.
Jordan Wanderer
The Jordan Pass with one day in Petra costs 70 JD (this is the option we went for, the cheapest version is called Jordan Wanderer).
Jordan Explorer
The pass with two days in Petra costs 75 JD (Jordan Explorer).
Jordan Expert
Those of you who plan on staying in Petra for three days should buy the most expensive option for 80 JD called Jordan Expert, which is still a great deal.
Discount
When you go to check out, the website will also offer you a discount for one of the top baptism sites in Jordan, Bethany Beyond the Jordan.
This site is not included, but when you buy the ticket in advance, you will pay for the visit only 8 JD instead od 10 JD.
Processing Fee
Also, please note, that you will be charged a small processing fee when paying for the pass online, but it is nothing that should affect your decision since there is no other way how to buy the pass anyway.
WHAT CAN YOU SEE WITH THE JORDAN PASS
We will not bore you here with every single attraction you can see in Jordan thanks to the Jordan Pass 'for free'. Yyou can find the full updated list on the official websites.
But we will mention at least some of them we think you should not miss out on your journey around Jordan.
The most important sites we think are worth visiting which are included in the Jordan Pass are Petra (we cannot fail to mention again as this site was definitely a highlight of our trip), and Wadi Rum, tying with Petra at the first place.
But there are much more amazing places included in the Jordan Pass such as Jerash Ruins, Karak Castle, Amman Citadel, many archeological sites in Madaba and along the King's Highway (for example Umm ar-Rasas).
Jordan Pass is also valid for desert castles on the Desert Castle Loop, and you can enjoy Qusayr Amra, Azraq Castle and Qasr Kharana for ‘free’.
These are some of must-visit places in Jordan, so you can clearly see, that Jordan Pass offers unbeatable value for money.
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE JORDAN PASS
Even though many attractions and museums are included in the Jordan Pass, there are still a few which are not, so expect that from time to time you will have to pay for the entrance.
For instance, Mount Nebo, Mukawir, Wadi Mujib, or a program Petra by Night are not incorporated in the pass, and for those, you will have to buy a separate ticket.
READ MORE:
HOW THE JORDAN PASS WORKS
After you buy the Jordan Pass, print it out. We know that often it is enough to have it on your mobile phone. But this is the information from the official website, and you never know who will be behind the counter.
Once you safely land in Jordan, have your passport and the Jordan Pass ready, queue in a line for Jordan Pass holders, and wait a bit.
Then show your passport and the pass to the officer, who will give you a stamp and scan the pass.
From this time the Jordan Pass is valid for the next two weeks.
We recommend you to keep the pass all the time with you in your backpack as you will need it quite a lot during your travels.
It is the truth that most of the times we were only asked if we have the Jordan Pass and no one wanted to see it.
But at the most famous places such as Wadi Rum, Petra or Roman Theatre in Amman we always had to show the pass to a person behind the counter and got a stamp as it is possible to visit each site only once with the pass.
IS THE JORDAN PASS WORTH IT?
Even though we have already answered the question at the beginning of the post, we can only repeat that buying the Jordan Pass is definitely worth it.
It is a hassle-free way to enter the country, plus it saves quite a lot of money, which is always welcomed.
If you are an independent traveler eligible for visas on arrival, purchasing the Jordan Pass should be the first thing you do after making the final decision to travel in Jordan.
From our visit, we had a feeling that Jordan is a very tourist-friendly country, and this initiative even enhanced this feeling, and we wished more countries had systems like this.
It is hard to tell you exactly how much money you will save by purchasing the Jordan Pass as it depends on the version you will choose and on how many attractions you will decide to visit.
Our rough guess would be something between 30 - 50 JD per person.
Travel Insurance
We never leave home without travel insurance that was designed to cover our expenses if something goes wrong during the trip.
Travel insurance protects against theft, flight delays, injury, illness, cancellations, and much more.
World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers to cover their trip essentials, including sports and adventure activities.
SafetyWing is affordable travel insurance for backpackers, long-term travelers, and digital nomads.
Travel smarter and safer!
Travel Resources
Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.
Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.
Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.
We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.
Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.
Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.
Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.
