vibhav

We are two adults and one child (6 years) planning to travel to Jordan for 7-8 days... We can either go at the end of Dec around 21st Dec - end of the year... Or we can go early in Jan around 2nd Jan - 10th Jan... Need to understand what will be the pros and cons? Too cold? Are all hotels, restaurants, sights, tours open for these dates? Does it rain? Please help us decide if either of these is a good time to be in Jordan...

moremiles

I was in Jordan for the month of Jan. this year and it does rain and get cold but on the days it was sunny, the weather was perfect for touring and the sites were uncrowded. I don't mind a bit of rain myself as it's easier than high heat and crowds, just be prepared and flexible. It will be too cold for a dip in the Dead Sea and nights can be very cold so it's up to you and your traveling style. Dec. might be a drier time to go and if you only have a week, weather is a consideration. It will also be quite cold to spend a night in Wadi Rum if you are interested in that but you can visit during the day only as it's not to be missed and is quite spectacular and close to Petra.
Nov. and March are probably a better time weather-wise so if you are working around a school calendar, maybe spring break?

PRLCH

We were in Jordan for the first week of January this year. It was winter, but not freezing, and crowds were low. We had a little rain one day, but it did not stop us doing anything. We swam in the Dead Sea - surprised at how warm it was. We would not hesitate to travel at that time again.

Here is a link to our trip report.
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...ly-holiday.cfm

vibhav

Thanks to both moremiles and PRLCH for your responses... I apologize for the late response, have been traveling for work so had to drop this research for a bit...

Based on your responses, I feel good about the timing of our trip... We have decided to go with December from 21 - 29th... Looking forward to it...

PRLCH, I will read your trip report in detail... Will also be posting our itinerary here shortly for feedback... But at a high level we are planning to do the following - Jerash, Madaba, Dead Sea, Petra, Wadi Rum, Aqaba... Am I missin anything big? Anything else that is off the beaten path but an absolute gem and not to be missed? I am an avid photographer and always looking for lesser known gems that can be a photographer's delight...

dutyfree

Our family went to Egypt and Jordan during the last two weeks of December three years ago and found the weather perfect-60's,sunshine and no rain.We were in short sleeve t shirts everyday with capris and cotton pants with just a windbreaker/sweater for the evenings.
We absolutely loved Jordan and the combination of the people,culture and scenery is amazing! Bring lots of memory cards and you will be shooting lots of pictures.
Two really great reads for going to Jordan for me were:Queen Noor and the book Married to a Bedouin. The Bedouin book was written by a western girl who went on vacation to Petra and fell in love and ended up living there. Her husband has since died but she still runs a shop there and it gives great insight into their lifestyle.