🇯🇴 Jordan

Solo Travel

Canada advises avoiding travelling alone, especially in remote areas, and FCDO says to take care when walking or travelling alone. Neither describes a pattern of crime aimed at solo travellers, but help is far away in the desert and you should tell someone your plans.

Solo Women

Canada says women travelling alone may face harassment and verbal abuse and that sexual harassment and assaults have occurred. Germany reports isolated sexual offences, mostly verbal and physical harassment by individuals or groups of young men, and tells women alone to take particular care and, where possible, to be accompanied by trusted people. You should dress conservatively, travel in daylight, sit in the back seat of taxis, not accept lifts from strangers and use Uber or Careem rather than yellow taxis, as FCDO advises.

Nighttime Movement

Germany and Canada both tell you to avoid driving after dark. Potholes, speed bumps, stray livestock and poorly lit vehicles make night driving dangerous, and many overland roads are unlit.

Tourist Areas

Petty crime is concentrated at tourist sites and in crowds. Germany names the Dead Sea and Wadi Mujib areas for thefts from parked vehicles, and FCDO notes that begging can be aggressive near foreigners. Keep valuables and documents with you and do not leave anything in an unattended car. Tourists have been locked in Petra overnight, so check the opening hours.

LGBTIQ+ Travelers

Same-sex sexual acts between consenting adults are not criminalised in Jordan, and FCDO says you could still be arrested under other laws, for example over public affection. ILGA documents police entrapment and extortion of people they suspect of being gay, sex workers or gender diverse, including through dating apps, and says trans women and feminine-presenting people are de facto targeted under a law on dressing as the opposite gender. Detentions of activists by the intelligence service and the closure of advocacy groups are also reported, and a 2021 religious ruling declared homosexuality illegal under Islamic law, although it is not legally binding. The risk is not the same for every traveller. A discreet visitor staying in tourist areas faces less risk than a Jordanian resident, a visibly gender non-conforming person, or someone who arranges meetings through dating apps. You should avoid public affection and be careful with strangers you meet online.

Flash Floods

The rainy season runs from November to March. Heavy rain can cause large, sometimes deadly flash floods in dry riverbeds and canyons known as wadis, and on roads and highways, and floods can also occur outside the rainy season. Germany reports repeated serious accidents and says many travellers had to be evacuated from the gorge at Petra in 2025. Check the forecast, do not enter a wadi for at least a day after heavy rain, and if you are caught in a flood, go to high ground and do not try to cross the water.

Earthquakes

Canada places Jordan in an active seismic zone, and Germany says the whole of western Jordan lies in one. Earthquakes may occur, and strong aftershocks can follow for up to a week.

Dust Storms, Snow and Heat

Sand and dust storms occur, and you should stay indoors with doors and windows closed. Snow is infrequent but can close roads and disrupt services. In the desert, bring enough food, water and appropriate clothing for extreme temperatures.

Jordan has no malaria and no yellow fever. The everyday health risks are food and water illnesses, so wash your hands, drink bottled or safe water and eat food that is freshly and thoroughly cooked. Hepatitis A is the main one, and typhoid fever is known or presumed to occur.

Rabies is a risk. CDC says rabid dogs are commonly found, TravelHealthPro says it has been reported in domestic animals, and the German STIKO-DTG table calls dogs largely free of rabies, so the sources disagree. Avoid contact with animals and seek care at once after any bite or scratch. CDC says post-exposure vaccines are typically available throughout most of the country.

Measles is assessed as a higher risk than in the UK, so be sure your MMR vaccination is up to date. MERS is a camel-linked respiratory virus: Canada says cases have been reported in Jordan, but ECDC's overview shows the only cases in 2026 were in Saudi Arabia. Avoid unpasteurised camel milk and contact with camels, and keep away from sick people. CDC also lists leishmaniasis, spread by sand flies, and leptospirosis, spread through contact with floodwater and animal urine, so avoid insect bites and flood water. Medical facilities outside the major cities are generally basic (New Zealand), so make sure your insurance covers medical evacuation.

Entry Requirements

Yellow fever does not occur in Jordan. CDC says a vaccination certificate is required for travellers aged one year or older arriving from, or spending more than 12 hours in transit through, a country with yellow fever risk. TravelHealthPro and the German STIKO-DTG table list no certificate requirement under the International Health Regulations, so the sources disagree. If you are coming from a yellow fever country, check with the Jordanian authorities or your airline before you travel.

Recommended Before You Go

Make sure routine vaccinations, including MMR, are up to date. Hepatitis A vaccine is recommended for unvaccinated travellers. Typhoid, hepatitis B and rabies vaccines are worth considering depending on your trip: CDC recommends typhoid vaccine for most travellers and hepatitis B for those under 60, while TravelHealthPro and the German table limit them to people at increased risk, such as those eating outside major hotels, having unprotected sex, working in healthcare or spending long periods in rural areas.

Governments agree on the direction of travel: Jordan is treated as a country affected by the regional conflict in 2026, the governments that publish detail expect flight and airspace disruption, and every government that names specific areas singles out the borders with Syria and Iraq. They disagree on how far to go for the rest of the country.

Strictest positions

• Germany: strongly advises against travel to the Syrian border area, the north-east and the Iraqi border region, and advises against non-essential travel to the rest of Jordan (valid since 27 August 2026). Its open-data feed carries no formal warning, so the position sits in the page text.
• Canada: avoid non-essential travel (updated 17 September 2026), and avoid all travel within 5 km of the Iraqi and Syrian borders and east of Ruwaished. It says missile and drone attacks have resumed and struck targets in Jordan.
• New Zealand: avoid non-essential travel (updated 20 July 2026), citing strikes and reprisal attacks including in Jordan and a credible threat against Aqaba airport and seaport on 19 July.

Middle positions

• United States: reconsider travel, the third of four tiers (updated 28 August 2026), because of terrorism and armed conflict. It names areas not to travel to, including the borders with Syria and Iraq, Ruwayshid, Rusayfah and the Baqa'a neighbourhood of Ayn Basha, and says Zarqa City and parts of Ma'an Governorate carry heightened risk of terrorism and crime.
• Australia: reconsider your need to travel, again the third of four tiers (updated 2 September 2026), for the whole country and for the Syrian and Iraqi border regions.
• Japan: refrain from non-essential and non-urgent travel, the second of four tiers, for the whole country (updated 25 June 2026). It lowered Mafraq and Zarqa to that tier after the US and Iran memorandum.
• Hong Kong: an amber outbound travel alert, "Signs of threat" (updated 23 March 2026). Singapore: defer all travel to the Middle East region (1 March 2026).

Lightest position

• United Kingdom: advises against all travel only to within 3km of the border with Syria, and publishes a regional-tensions warning for the rest of the country. It notes that Iran has struck locations in Jordan since 8 July, with renewed attacks and interceptions in and around Aqaba in early September, and says to expect flight cancellations and airspace closures.

The gap between the UK and Germany or Canada is the biggest disagreement, so treat the security picture as uncertain. Several governments have changed their position more than once this year, so check their pages again close to your departure date. On everyday safety they agree closely: crime is low, driving is dangerous, flash floods are a real danger and local laws are strict.