Customer Reviews

The Rough Guide to Jordan - 3rd Edition (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

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3 star:		(1)
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At the end of 2007, the Rough Guide (published January 2006) and the Lonely Planet (published April 2006) are the only guides to Jordan in English being somehow up to date (the April 2007 insight guide is more a picture book than a guide). We traveled independently in Jordan using a car, and had both. Very soon it became clear to us that the Rough Guide is more detailed and more accurate than the Lonely Planet. It was the one guide we took with us as a default at each stop we made. In Petra, each monument is described in enough detail, without being too long. The Petra chapter in the Lonely Planet is inadequate. The same goes for the famous Madaba map. Nevertheless, in the large Crusader castle of Karak, the Lonely Planet gave a map and devised a detailed tour plan, whereas the Rough Guide had an inadequate description. Also, whereas the Amman restaurants chapter in the Rough Guide is much easier to use, only the Lonely Planet mentions the popular, high quality and good value restaurant of "Al Tawaheen". For other sites (like the Shobak castle or for hiking), neither guide was good enough. For the multiple hiking possibilities through the gorges descending from the mountains we liked best the older guide (2000) by Itai Haviv (Amazon.com calls him incorrectly Ita) - "Trekking and Canyoning in the Jordanian Dead Sea Rift". In conclusion - if one buys only a single guide - we suggest the Rough guide, but getting also the other two we mentioned can improve any trip to Jordan.

I bought this guidebook for a March 2008 trip of two weeks of independant travel because Rough Guide is my usual preference--historical information, little towns, etc are as usual, better than the competitors.

In the practical information, however, I encountered problem after problem. For example, the public beach on the Dead Sea that they suggest is suitable for foreigners to swim in, is in fact suitable for foreign MEN to swim in, but they don't mention that women only go in wearing the full black tent. I went to a particular hotel in Aqaba because they said it had a shuttle to a private beach complex--instead, there was a shuttle to a private pool NEXT TO an ordinary public beach. The author (male) was constantly making suggestions of situations single women would find themselves comfortable in that I found I simply didn't agree with. And I'm pretty intrepid.

Also, the usual Rough Guide problem of restaurants and sites being marked incorrectly on maps was common--however, in a place like Amman where there are no real addresses to follow, if you turn up at the intersection where the map shows a restaurant to be and it isn't there, the vague description of it's location it not sufficient to find it. Normally the pervasive RG map problems don't bother me too much, but when there's no official address, you really need the map to be super-accurate.

There's a new edition coming out in August. They may have done a serious update and all will be well. Usually, though, they just check that the businesses they recommend are still in business and update the prices, so I won't hold my breath. From what people say who used LP as well, it's probably not that great, so I suppose I would still use the RG--but be on your guard and keep your sense of humor! I was tearing my hair out through the whole trip...

This book is phenomenal! I live in Jordan, and have found this guide indispensable for everything from planning a vacation to Wadi Rum and Petra to learning the ins and outs of daily life in Amman. This book covers everything and is unfailingly accurate. When it says, for example, that the little shawarma stand at Third Circle serves the best shawarma in Amman, believe it - that's exactly what the locals will tell you (and it's true!). Directions are minutely detailed and always precise, reviews of restaurants and hotels are spot on, and the depth of historical detail, which far surpasses anything available at the sights themselves, is exceptional. The recommended reading section at the back is an added delight. We carried this book with us on every hike and wander and never regretted the extra weight. Your trip to Jordan will be deeply enriched by this guide.

(It's also far better than the Jordan Lonely Planet, which is not especially impressive.)

The only thing to keep in mind when using this guide is that prices have increased a lot in Jordan in the past couple of years - expect to pay much more on hotels and restaurants than is listed here. Significant inflation, coupled with a 16% service tax, makes travel here far pricier than most Westerners would expect (unless you stick to shawarma and funky hotels). But it's a wonderful country which a huge variety of great tourist sites, and once you've been welcomed with the legendary Jordanian hospitality, there's no way you'll regret your visit.

I am planning a trip to Jordan in the fall and bought The Rough Guide to begin planning. It contains a lot of very useful information, as well as a nice photo section at the beginning to get you excited about your visit. I regularly use both Lonely Planet and The Rough Guide as I find they have a lot of the same information but different pluses and minuses (for example, I find I have to flip around a bit more in The Rough Guide to get prices and other details but they often have some better background information). Anyway, since I haven't traveled yet, I cannot comment on the accuracy of the information but it has certainly been useful in my planning.

I used this guide for an independent tour to Jordan. The information was mostly accurate but sometimes I was a little confuse by some maps (specially the ones from Petra) besides that its a very good guide.

I ordered this guide based on the reviews and no regrets! I was in Jordan with my daughter and the book was fantastic! We followed the recommended tour in Petra and it was great. I like to be prepared before my trips and if you are planning to go to Jordan with this book you can't go wrong. Great guides great recommendations pefect travel mate!

I am planning a trip to Jordan in 2008 and bought the book. It is a great guide. It is very detailed with all the information that anyone would want. I love maps with topography and this guide has several.