Tourist Scams in Jordan

In bars and nightlife venues around Shmeisani and Abdoun, an attractive local strikes up a conversation and begins ordering drinks for the table without showing a menu. Each drink is priced at 40–70 JOD, and a cover or table reservation fee of 100–200 JOD is added to the bill at the end. The person ordering works for the establishment. Multiple travelers on TripAdvisor forums have reported bills exceeding 500 JOD for what appeared to be a casual evening out.

How to avoid: Ask for a printed menu with prices before any drinks are ordered. If a companion is ordering on your behalf, insist on seeing the menu yourself. Prepay or set a spending limit upfront, and leave any venue that refuses to show prices.

Locals positioned at cliff ledges overlooking the Treasury claim tourists must pay an unofficial "entry fee" of 5–20 JD to access the viewpoint, even though no such fee exists.

How to avoid: All areas within the Petra Archaeological Park are included in your entry ticket. Refuse firmly and report to the tourist police.

At the main entrance to the Siq, Bedouin handlers offer horse rides described as "included with your ticket" or quoted at a low fixed price to reach the Treasury. Once the ride is underway or upon arrival, the handler demands a much larger sum — often claiming the initial price was only a "tip" or that the return journey was not included. Refusal to pay can result in aggressive confrontation in an isolated area of the site. The horses are sometimes in poor condition and the handlers are not official Petra employees.

How to avoid: Understand that the short horse ride from the visitor center to the Siq entrance is technically included in your ticket, but tips are aggressively solicited. Arrange any longer horse or donkey rides through the official Petra visitor center and insist on a written price that includes the full round trip. Do not accept verbal-only agreements and carry small denomination Jordanian dinars for any tips you choose to give.

Taxi drivers in Amman frequently refuse to use the meter with tourists and instead quote flat rates that are three to five times the actual metered fare. Drivers claim the meter is broken or that fixed rates apply for tourist destinations such as the Citadel or downtown.

How to avoid: Insist the driver uses the meter (the Arabic word is "addad"). If they refuse, exit and find another cab. Alternatively, use the Careem app for fixed-fare rides. Agree on a price in advance for longer journeys.

In the narrow, crowded lanes of Downtown Amman — particularly around the Al-Husseini Mosque souk, the gold market on King Talal Street, and the produce markets near the Roman Amphitheatre — pickpockets and bag-snatchers work the dense crowds. The US State Department and multiple travel advisories specifically flag the older parts of Amman city center as the primary location for theft targeting foreign nationals. Thieves often work in pairs, with one creating a distraction while the other takes wallets, phones, or camera bags.

How to avoid: Keep phones and wallets in front pockets or a buttoned bag worn across the chest. Avoid having your camera dangling loosely. Be especially alert when crowds thicken around market stalls or when someone bumps into you unexpectedly.

Budget tour operators selling day trips to Petra from Amman advertise very low prices that exclude the Petra entry fee (50 JOD for non-Jordan Pass holders), transport beyond the visitor center, horse rides, and guide tips. The actual cost ends up far higher than quoted.

How to avoid: Always ask for a complete breakdown of what is included. Consider purchasing the Jordan Pass before arrival, which includes the Petra entry fee and is better value for multi-site visitors. Read recent reviews on TripAdvisor.

Jeep tour operators agree to a full-day or half-day route covering specific sites — Lawrence's Spring, Khazali Canyon, Um Fruth rock bridge — then skip sites or shorten the tour due to "fuel costs" or "time constraints," delivering 60-70% of the agreed itinerary without refund.

How to avoid: Get the complete site list and tour duration in writing before departure. Pay only after the tour is complete, or pay 50% upfront and 50% on return. Note which sites you were taken to during the tour.

A significant number of Wadi Rum camp websites are either outdated, misrepresent facilities, or belong to touts rather than the actual camp operators. Travelers book and pay deposits for "luxury bubble tent" or "traditional Bedouin experience" camps through unofficial sites or social media pages, then arrive to find unrelated budget camps, no reservation on record, or a completely different location to what was photographed.

How to avoid: Book camps only through platforms with verified reviews, such as Booking.com, or directly through the Wadi Rum Protected Area visitor centre recommendation list. Video-call the camp host before paying a deposit. Cross-check GPS coordinates with the camp's advertised location in the protected area.