July 2024: the numbers
We checked the Jordanian Meteorological Department data for this week. Petra: 42°C at 2pm. Wadi Rum: 44°C. Dead Sea surface: 47°C air temperature. Aqaba: 38°C, sea temperature 28°C.
These are not anomalous. July in Jordan regularly hits 40°C, and 2024 has been one of the hotter recent summers, with several days touching 45-46°C in the south.
Here is the honest truth about summer Jordan travel: it is difficult. It is also entirely possible, and in some ways revelatory — the landscape empties out, prices drop, and the experience of Petra at 6am in silence and golden light is one of the most beautiful things we have ever witnessed.
This guide is for people who have already decided to go in summer, or who cannot reschedule. We will tell you exactly what to do.
The cardinal rule: 10am to 4pm is dead time
In Petra and Wadi Rum, operate on a split-day schedule. Full stop.
5am to 9:30am: Active time. Visit sites, do your hiking, see everything you want to see.
10am to 4pm: Rest. Hotel, hostel, camp — anywhere with shade and ideally air conditioning. Sleep, read, drink water, don’t push it.
4pm to sunset: Active time again. The light is extraordinary in these hours and the temperature begins to drop — not dramatically, but from 44°C to 38°C is a meaningful difference when you’re outdoors.
Tourists who try to push through midday in Petra in July inevitably regret it. Heat exhaustion is genuinely dangerous and it sneaks up on you — you feel fine, then suddenly you feel very not fine, often faster than you have time to get back to shade.
Petra in summer: the logistics
Timing your visit
Petra opens at 6am. Be there at 6am.
The Siq in the early morning is a completely different experience from the Siq at 11am. You will hear the birds. The light filters differently. And most importantly, you will not be cooking alive.
Walk the Siq to the Treasury, then continue to the basin and the Colonnaded Street, then begin climbing to either the High Place of Sacrifice or the Monastery. Aim to be at your highest point by 9am and descending by 10am.
Yes, this means you will have visited some of the world’s most extraordinary archaeology in a four-hour window. But you will have seen it properly and you will not be ill.
What to wear
This is counterintuitive: wear more, not less.
Loose, long-sleeved linen or moisture-wicking fabric protects from sun exposure and — with good airflow — actually feels cooler than bare arms in direct sun. A broad-brimmed hat is not optional. UV-protective sunglasses.
Apply sunscreen before you leave your accommodation. The limestone of the Siq reflects UV.
Water
Three liters minimum per person per day in summer Jordan. Not a recommendation — a minimum. Many visitors aim for two liters and are hospitalized by 11am.
Buy large water bottles at the Wadi Musa supermarkets (cheaper than Petra’s internal vendors). Carry them from the start. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty.
Where to be at midday
The tourist facilities at the Petra basin (the area near the Petra Kitchen restaurant and the museum) have shade and relatively good airflow. If you’re determined to push through midday, this is the least bad place to be.
Most experienced visitors don’t push through. They walk back through the Siq, return to Wadi Musa, shower, eat lunch in an air-conditioned restaurant, and nap until 4pm.
Wadi Rum in summer
Wadi Rum in summer is, paradoxically, somewhat more manageable than Petra — if you structure it right.
The reason: camp culture is already oriented toward dawn and dusk activity. Nobody in Wadi Rum is trying to do a full jeep tour at noon in July. The local guides know this. Your tour will naturally front-load and back-load the day.
Dawn in Wadi Rum in summer (around 5:30-6am) is spectacular. The air temperature is 25-28°C. The light is warm and horizontal. The silence is complete. This is the moment for photography, for quiet, for the experience of being in a vast desert space.
By 10am, retreat to camp. Good camps in Wadi Rum have shaded areas, fans or basic cooling, and Bedouin-style communal spaces designed for resting through the midday heat. This is not a failure of your itinerary — it is the correct way to experience Wadi Rum.
Sunset jeep tours (departing around 4pm) are perfectly comfortable and see the dunes at their most photogenic.
Stargazing: Summer is arguably the best season for Wadi Rum stars. Clear skies, no winter clouds, and the Milky Way is high overhead. If you’re there for astrophotography or simply for the experience of lying on a mat looking up at uncountable stars, summer is your moment.
Stars & Sand: Wadi Rum jeep, overnight and stargazingThe Dead Sea paradox
The Dead Sea air temperature in July exceeds 45°C. The water temperature is around 32°C. These are both extreme numbers, and yet the experience of floating in the Dead Sea in summer is — we are not joking — genuinely pleasant.
Here is why: floating in 32°C water when the air is 47°C is cooling. You are going from a very hot place to a less hot place. The water is extremely dense (you cannot sink), so you are mostly horizontal and the water covers your body. The effect is oddly refreshing.
The caveats: get in and out in the morning. The stretch of beach in direct midday sun is punishing. Stay in the water or in the shade of your resort umbrella. Drink constantly (the Dead Sea minerals are not something you want to be dehydrated around). Do not let the water touch your eyes or mouth — it will be immediately apparent why.
The major Dead Sea resorts (Kempinski Ishtar, Mövenpick, Marriott) have excellent pool facilities. The pool, crucially, is fresh water and not extremely salty. Many visitors alternate: float in the Dead Sea for 20 minutes, shower off, float in the pool for an hour.
Day trips from Amman are a good Dead Sea summer format — you don’t need to stay overnight to get the experience.
Amman: Dead Sea day tour with optional entry fees and lunchAqaba: the summer sweet spot
Here is the honest surprise of summer Jordan: Aqaba works.
While Petra and Wadi Rum are genuinely harsh in July-August, Aqaba sits on the Red Sea at a latitude that tempers the worst extremes. Air temperature is typically 35-38°C — still hot, but not the 45°C of the desert. And the sea temperature is 28°C, which is warm by European standards but is refreshing when you step in from the beach.
The snorkeling and diving scene in Aqaba runs year-round, and summer is peak underwater visibility. The coral reefs of the Aqaba Marine Park are extraordinary, and the warm water makes extended snorkeling sessions comfortable.
For summer visitors, Aqaba’s split-day logic is gentler. You can snorkel from 7am to 10am, shelter through noon, snorkel again from 4pm to 6pm, eat dinner in the warm evening. This is, honestly, a very pleasant way to spend several days.
Aqaba: Red Sea snorkeling boat trip with buffet lunchAmman in summer
Amman sits at 900-1000m elevation, which gives it a genuinely more moderate summer climate than the Jordan Valley or the south. Typical July temperatures in Amman are 30-32°C — warm but not dangerous.
The city’s café culture (Rainbow Street, Abdali Boulevard, Jabal al-Weibdeh) operates comfortably through summer. Outdoor terraces are used through the evening. The indoor cultural sites — the National Museum, the Jordan Museum, the Citadel Museum — are air-conditioned and a refuge from the heat.
If summer is the only time you can come, consider spending more time in Amman and the north (Jerash hits 32-35°C in summer, which is manageable with early starts) and fewer days in the Petra/Wadi Rum corridor.
Hotels with pools: a practical list
Pool access in summer Jordan is not a luxury — it is infrastructure. Book hotels with pools.
- Wadi Musa (near Petra): Movenpick Petra, Petra Guest House (outdoor pool), Rocky Mountain Hotel (rooftop pool, basic)
- Wadi Rum: Six Senses Wadi Rum has an extraordinary pool; several mid-range camps have splash pools
- Dead Sea: All major resorts (Kempinski, Mövenpick, Marriott) have large pool facilities
- Aqaba: Kempinski Aqaba, InterContinental Aqaba, Mövenpick Aqaba all have seafront pools
- Amman: Four Seasons Amman, Rotana Amman, Grand Hyatt have good pools
For budget travelers: some Amman hostels have rooftop pools or access to roof terraces with misting systems. Ask before booking.
The honest verdict on summer Jordan travel
Summer Jordan is harder work than spring or autumn Jordan. There is no point pretending otherwise.
But it is also genuinely beautiful — the landscape at dawn, the empty sites, the extraordinary stars, the warmth of Aqaba’s sea. The 5am Petra experience is something you simply cannot have in October when the site opens at 6am to queues already forming.
If you go in summer, go disciplined. Respect the heat. Use the split-day structure. Drink more water than you think you need. Stay in hotels with pools. And allow yourself to be surprised by how much of Jordan remains fully accessible even in its most extreme season.
FAQ
Is Jordan worth visiting in summer?
Yes, with adjustments. Aqaba and the Dead Sea are perfectly manageable. Petra and Wadi Rum require very early starts and midday rest. Amman is entirely comfortable at 900m elevation.
What temperature does Petra reach in July?
Typically 38-44°C at peak midday. The Siq itself can feel like a furnace once the sun is high. Visit between 5am and 10am.
Which Jordanian city is coolest in summer?
Amman, at 900m elevation, reaches 30-32°C in July — warm but not extreme. The northern highlands (Ajloun, Salt) are similarly moderate.
How much water should I drink visiting Petra in summer?
At least 3 liters per day, ideally 4. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty — drink proactively.