Private Jerash, Ajloun Castle or Umm Qais Day Tour from Amman

Jerash, the Roman city of Gerasa

Jerash, ancient Gerasa, lies about an hour north of Amman and is among the best-preserved Roman provincial cities in the Middle East. It flourished as part of the Decapolis, a league of trading cities, and expanded under Roman rule, leaving a remarkable ensemble of streets, temples, theatres and gates. Many visitors ask whether Jerash is worth visiting from Amman: it is the main reason most travellers choose a day trip to northern Jordan.

A private Jerash tour from Amman lets you arrive early, before the tour groups. You enter through the Arch of Hadrian, built to honour the emperor's visit, and walk past the Hippodrome towards the South Gate. Allow two to three hours for the site. Opening hours are generally from morning to late afternoon, with shorter hours in winter, and the entry fee can be added to your booking.

The Oval Plaza, Cardo and theatres of Jerash

Inside the walls, the Oval Plaza opens into the Cardo, the great colonnaded street that still shows the grooves worn by chariot wheels. Side streets lead to the Temple of Zeus, the South Theatre with its excellent acoustics, the Temple of Artemis on its terrace and the Cathedral and churches of the later Byzantine period. Many columns stand to their full height, so the scale of the city is easy to imagine.

If you take a local guide, the stories behind the carved inscriptions, the mosaic floors and the engineering of the water system bring the stones to life. Without one, your driver can point you towards the main sights and the best photo spots. Wear a hat and comfortable shoes because there is little shade on the paving, especially at midday in summer.

Ajloun Castle

Ajloun Castle, Qal'at al-Rabad, stands on a mountain peak among oak and pine woods about forty minutes from Jerash. It was built in the late twelfth century by the Ayyubids to guard the iron mines and to watch for Crusader movements, and it formed part of a chain of fortresses linked by beacons and messenger pigeons. The castle stands at a height from which you can see across the Jordan Valley on a clear day.

A visit takes about an hour: you cross the entrance, walk through vaulted passages and stairways, climb to the upper terrace and look out over the surrounding hills. Opening hours run from morning until late afternoon. It is a cooler stop in summer, and the surrounding countryside is greener than the desert south of Amman, which makes the route a pleasant change of scenery.

Umm Qais, ancient Gadara

Umm Qais, ancient Gadara, is another Decapolis city on this route and sits on a ridge in the far north-west of Jordan. The ruins are built of black basalt, which gives the theatre, the colonnaded street and the old Ottoman village houses a dark, dramatic look. From the terrace the view reaches the Sea of Galilee, the Yarmouk Valley and the hills beyond, and sunset can be magnificent.

The drive from Ajloun takes about an hour and a quarter, and from Umm Qais back to Amman roughly two hours. Allow an hour to an hour and a half at the site, which is compact and easy to walk. If you ask for the best time to visit Umm Qais, late afternoon is ideal, when the light is soft and the heat has eased.

Choosing your route and options from Amman

The default option on this page covers all three sites in about nine hours, with pickup between 07:00 and 09:30. If you prefer a shorter day, there are private options for Jerash and Umm Qais in about eight hours, Jerash and Ajloun Castle in about seven hours, or Jerash only in about five hours. Each uses the same private vehicle and driver.

Entry fees, lunch and a local guide are not included in the base price but can be added when you book. Choose the guide if you want the history explained at Jerash. Because the vehicle is only for your party, you can pause for photographs, take longer at the sites you enjoy and skip what you do not need. Message us on WhatsApp if you would like help choosing.