The King’s Highway in Jordan: A Road Trip Guide

Driving the ancient King’s Highway in Jordan is a fantastic road trip through the country. If you have the time, it is the perfect way to drive from Madaba or Amman to Wadi Musa. Consider it the scenic route and plan to stop for detours along the way. You will not only see the natural wonders of the country but also historical sites such as ancient Roman ruins and Crusader castles.

Renting a Car

The easiest way to maximize your time in Jordan is to rent a car. If renting a car or driving is not for you, there are tour companies that offer a similar itinerary to what I will outline in this travel guide. We personally like the freedom that renting a car offers and opted to do a self-guided road trip.

Most major car rental companies operate in Jordan. We rented our car through Hertz directly from the airport in Amman. We had made a rental reservation ahead of time and had no problems at the time of pick-up. We opted to do a one-way rental and dropped the car off at a rental office in Aqaba at the end of our stay in Jordan.

What is Driving in Jordan Like?

Driving in Jordan is relatively easy. The rules of the road are the same as what we were used to in North America except that lanes are used a little more “loosely” and the horn can double as a signal light as well! Signage is in both Arabic and English script so it is easy to navigate. We used Google Maps for navigation and it worked well. Everything I have just said applies to everywhere EXCEPT Amman. We did not brave driving in the city!

The King’s Highway

There are three parallel highways that run from north to south through the country of Jordan. The Dead Sea Highway skirts the shore of the Dead Sea in the west while the Desert Highway runs through the desert in the eastern part of the country. The Desert Highway is new, well maintained and fast, so if you are pressed for time, this is the highway to take.

The King’s Highway runs between these two highways, down the spine of Jordan’s central highlands and is bisected by the mighty canyon of Wadi Mujib. This is an ancient roadway dating back 3,000 years. It was traversed by the Israelite looking for the Promised Land, the Nabataens on the way to the sacred city of Petra, the Romans on trading routes, the early Christians on pilgrimages to visit Mt. Nebo, the Crusaders marching to their castle fortifications and by Muslim pilgrims heading to Mecca. Due to its long history, the King’s Highway is dotted with ancient sites along its path as it winds through tiny towns and villages.

Keep in mind that this is definitely the scenic route! The highway goes through the middle of every town along the way and it is littered with speed bumps that can sometimes come out of nowhere! That being said, there are lots of places to stop along the way for food and bathroom breaks. One thing to note is that there are not a lot of petrol stations, so if you see one, make sure you stop!

Things to See Along the King’s Highway

We began our road trip in Madaba bright and early as we wanted to make the most of the winter daylight hours in order to reach Wadi Musa before dark. Our entire day including stops totaled 10 hours and in the end we drove the last portion of the drive in the dark. But it was worth it! We made three stops along the way including:

• Umm ar-Rasas: Ancient Roman garrison city and UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Wadi Mujib: The Grand Canyon of Jordan
• Karak Castle: Crusader Castle turned Mamluk Fortress

Umm ar-Rasas

Our first stop on our King’s Highway road-trip through Jordan was the ancient Roman city of Umm ar Rasas. The ancient city is located approximately 32 km south of Madaba and approximately 15km off of the King’s Highway. The turn off for the site is clearly marked just before leaving the town of Dhiban. The road is paved the whole way and signs to the entrance are clearly marked once you reach the small village of Jumayyil.

Umm ar-Rasas is an example of a simple Roman garison town clomplete with several ruined Byzantine churches filled with beautiful mosaics. We quite literally had the place to ourselves and the kids loved running freely through the city imagining life as a Roman! For details on everything there is to see at this archaeological site visit our Guide to Visiting Umm ar-Rasas here.

Wadi Mujib

Once back on the road, we made our way back to the town of Dhiban where we were ready for a falafel break! Feeling refreshed we drove south for approximately 4km to Wadi Mujib. This vast canyon stretches 70km from the Dead Sea to the Desert Highway and is often called “The Grand Canyon of Jordan.” The canyon measures 1km deep and 4km wide but it takes the King’s Highway 18km to switchback its way first down and then back up the other side.

Before you begin your decent down into the canyon, make sure to stop at the tea stall situated on the rim of the canyon for breathtaking and sweeping views of the chasm. It truly is gorgeous!

Karak Castle

Our third stop on our King’s Highway in Jordan road-trip was Karak Castle. It is 53 km from Wadi Mujib to Karak Castle but beware, the road twists and turns and goes through various small villages and towns with speed bumps scattered throughout. It took us almost 2 hours to make the drive.

Karak Castle sits atop a hill on the west side of the city of Karak. The access road to the castle is a giant switchback that takes you up to the top where the castle sits with glorious views across the valley. Parking is free outside of the castle and there are many shops and stalls outside the site if you need a break for tea.

Karak Castle is one of the most famous Crusader Castles. It was the scene of epic battles between the Crusader armies and the Islamic armies of Saladin. The movie The Kingdom of Heaven was based on these epic battles and Hollywood did a great job of bringing the castle to life. There was something magical about Karak Castle that captured our imaginations! For a complete guide on what to see at Karak Castle, visit our guide here.

The town of Karak itself is quite large and has a wide range of services available including petrol stations. It is a good place to stop for fuel if you need it before continuing on to Wadi Musa.

Wadi Musa

It is 135km from Karak Castle to Wadi Musa and the ancient site of Petra. There are other stops that you could choose to make along the way including Shoubak Castle, another classic Crusader castle. We chose to make Karak Castle our final stop of the day as we were all tired and ready to check in to our hotel in Wadi Musa. At this point you have two options: you can stay on the King’s Highway and wind your way down the scenic route to Wadi Musa or you can cut across east to the Desert Highway to continue on at a quicker speed. We chose to cut across to the Desert Highway at this point as we were already chasing daylight hours. Even though it was a further distance, it took us less time to complete the distance. Either would be a good choice and completely depends on your needs for the day.

Driving the King’s Highway in Jordan makes for an easy way to see a large portion of the country and its fantastic landscapes. Although it may be the long way down, the scenery and the historic sites along the way make this road trip completely worth it in our eyes!

Looking for more Jordan Travel Guides?

For more information about vising Jordan check out our Essential Guide to Petra for everything you need to know before you go and our companion 2 Day Hiking Guide to Petra to get you off the beaten path during your visit. If you are planning a trip to Wadi Rum, check out our Hiking Wadi Rum: 2 Day Bedouin Tour post for all of the details.

Pin it for Later!