Plane: Aqaba has the second largest airport in Jordan. It is very close to the city and has
flights mainly to Amman
Own car: We make the trip with a rental car, which we believe is the most comfortable
option to move around Jordan by far. Getting to Aqaba is very easy, as it is the end of the
King’s Highway. From Amman, it’s just over 4 comfortable hours in a straight line. From
Wadi Rum is less than 1 hour and from Petra just under 2 hours.
Private bus: There are private companies like JETT or Trust that offer daily departures. The
price is around 7.5 JOD and the journey takes 4 hours. You will have air conditioning and
more comfortable seats than in the public option.
Public Bus: Public buses depart from Aqaba Bus Station and arrive at Amman South Station.
The price is 5.5 JOD and the journey is 5 hours.
Where to sleep in Aqaba
Aqaba is a large modern city, with a multitude of hotels for all budgets.
You will find luxury hotels such as the InterContinental Hotel, the Mövenpick Resort Hotel
or the Hilton with rooms of at least 130 JOD per night and even what you want to spend.
You will also find a mid-range with hotels like Al-Cazar Hotel or Dweik Hotel, in which
prices are around 50-70 JOD per night and that offer very very good quality. We stayed at
Dweik Hotel and we were surprised: 65 JOD triple room with spectacular buffet breakfast
and one of the best hotels we stayed in on our trip.
You will also find numerous cheaper hotels such as Moon Beach Hotel, Al-Amer Hotel. The
best, of course, is to search through one of the famous search engines such as booking, Expedia
or TripAdvisor, especially if you travel in high season.
We recommend choosing the mid-range since we are talking about hotels that, for an
affordable price, offer very good quality.
The city of Aqaba on the Red Sea
The city of Aqaba is the second-largest city in Jordan. Its location in the middle of the desert
and on the shores of the Red Sea, make it have a pleasant temperature throughout the year. If
you also add that it has one of the most crystalline seas in the world … the combination is
explosive. For this reason, it has become one of the biggest tourist spots in Jordan. You can
find large hotel chains, a multitude of restaurants of very high quality, a highly developed
infrastructure, …
Until the 20th century, Aqaba was a rich city, a commercial meeting point thanks to the many
routes that passed through here. Copper minerals from Wadi Araba, pottery from China and
Ethiopian coins passed through the city. Until the year 1068, it was a prosperous town with
great wealth. But then a great earthquake shook the city and the trade routes were displaced,
causing the city to fall into oblivion until the 20th century when the British used the city as a
supply center to support the assault on Damascus.
Today the city does not have exceptional points of interest and its greatest tourist attraction is
the beaches of the expensive hotels and especially diving. The Red Sea has established itself
as one of the most important locations in the world for diving, thanks to its transparent
waters, its more than 1000 species of invertebrates, 1100 species of fish, and 250 different
species of coral.
Diving in the Red Sea
The Red Sea is a gulf of the Indian Ocean that is more than 2000 km long from north to south
and reaches a depth of 2000 meters. It has great world fame and the Dead Sea is known as
one of the 7 Wonders of the Underwater World. Jordan has barely 24 km of Red Sea
coastline, but in them, we can discover a great recital of beautiful corals, colorful fish, and
wrecks that amaze.
Cedar Pride
This old ship was sunk in 1986 on purpose to create a coral reef. Access is not very difficult
since it is shallow and not far from the coast, so even without having a diving course you can
visit it. The marine flora has already colonized its decks and it is impossible not to think
about the Titanic if it is the first wreck you visit.
Power Station
A wall of coral that you can see at a depth of 20 meters and that dips to more than 200
meters. You can see how the coral plunges into an abyss that seems infinite. You will be
amazed by its colors and you can swim along the wall until the tank runs out.
7 Sisters and M40 tank
This reef has 7 coral pinnacles that contain interesting animal and invertebrate life. To
complete the dive you will see this M40 tank in which the coral grows abundantly. It is just 5
meters deep and if you carry a water camera, you will get some envious photos.
Japanese garden
It is a beautiful coral forest with a multitude of colors. You will certainly enjoy it. There are
also many other tourist spots such as Gogone I, Gorgone II, Black Rock, Moon Valley,
Yellowstone Reef … We leave you a diving map of the area, where you can see exactly its
location, although without a doubt they will advise you perfectly at the diving agency that
you choose.
