Middle East

Jordan in August

Same as July. If this is your window, structure everything around dawn and dusk and sleep in air conditioning, not a tent.

Think twiceVery hot, Petra highs near 91F (33C)

The Monastery at Petra, Jordan — JordanPhoto: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0

The straight answer

August is a month to think twice about visiting Jordan. Same as July. If this is your window, structure everything around dawn and dusk and sleep in air conditioning, not a tent.

Weather: Very hot, Petra highs near 91F (33C)
Crowds: 2 of 5
Prices: 1 of 5

What August is like in Jordan

August is just as hot as July. Petra highs are near 91F (33C), with even higher temperatures in Wadi Rum and at the Dead Sea. Crowds are light and prices low, but shade-free trails are tough anywhere near midday. The Jerash Festival usually runs in summer and may fall in August.

This is another month to avoid if you have a choice. Travelers locked into August should plan everything around dawn and dusk and sleep in air conditioning, not a tent. The better alternatives are late September and October, when the heat breaks and the light turns golden.

Make the most of August

What is especially good about Jordan this month.

Evenings at Jerash

If the summer festival is on, evening shows among the Roman ruins are a fine way to escape the day's heat.

Warmest Red Sea

Aqaba's water is warm and the reefs are clear. Snorkeling is the most comfortable activity of the month.

Near-empty sites at dawn

Low crowds mean a sunrise Petra visit feels private.

What to pack for August

Strong sunscreen and lip balm with SPF
Breathable long sleeves and pants
A hat with a neck flap
A large water bottle and electrolytes

Our timing tip

Enter Petra right at 6am and leave by 11am; come back after 4pm for the Monastery if you have a two-day ticket.

Book Jordan for August.

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Hotels. Expedia
Hotels in Jordan
Opens a hotel search for Jordan in August, dates filled in. Book early for the best months: the good rooms go first.
Hotels for August
Vacation rentals. Vrbo
Vacation rentals in Jordan
Whole homes, condos and villas. Usually the better deal for families and groups, with a kitchen and room to spread out.
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Tours and tickets. Expedia
Tours and tickets in Jordan
Timed-entry tickets, day trips and guided tours in Jordan for August. Popular slots sell out in the best months.
Tours and tickets

What's on in August

Petra by Night

Several evenings a week, year-round, weather permitting

The siq and Treasury plaza lit by candles, with Bedouin music. Touristy and worth it once; check the current schedule locally as nights can change.

Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts

Usually in summer

Music and performance staged among the Roman ruins of Jerash, one of the region's longest-running cultural festivals.

Ramadan in Jordan

Dates shift about 11 days earlier each year; check the current window

Petra, Rum, and hotels operate normally and tourist restaurants stay open, but many local eateries close until sunset, some site hours shorten, and evenings turn festive. The Eid holidays that follow bring busy domestic travel.

Things to do in Jordan

Full guide

Petra, over two days

One day barely covers the siq, Treasury, and city center. A two-day ticket costs little more and buys you the Monastery climb and the high places without racing. Start at opening, 6am, to walk the siq nearly alone.

Official site ↗Tickets and tours →

The Monastery trail at Petra

About 800 rock-cut steps up from the city center to Petra's biggest facade. Go mid afternoon when the sun swings onto the facade and the day-trip crowds have drained.

Official site ↗Tickets and tours →

Wadi Rum by 4x4, then a night in camp

A sunset jeep tour into the protected area, dinner in a Bedouin camp, and a night under the stars. Staying over is the whole point; day trips miss the silence.

Tickets and tours →

Floating in the Dead Sea

Use a resort or managed beach for showers, you will want them, and keep the water out of your eyes. Mornings are calmest; mud on, float, rinse, repeat.

Tickets and tours →

Jerash

One of the best-preserved Roman provincial cities anywhere, an hour north of Amman: colonnaded streets, theatres, and a hippodrome, usually gloriously uncrowded.

Tickets and tours →

Amman's citadel and downtown

The citadel's Temple of Hercules overlooks a Roman theatre and the downtown souk. Finish with knafeh, the local dessert obsession, at a downtown sweets house.

Tickets and tours →

Beat the crowds

Enter Petra at 6am. The tour-bus wave from Amman and the cruise ports arrives mid morning; walking the siq at dawn, and reaching the Treasury with a handful of people, is a different experience from the same walk at 11am.
Sleep in Wadi Musa two nights and buy the two-day Petra ticket: day-trippers see the front of the site, you get the Monastery, the high places, and the quiet hours at both ends of the day.
Do the Monastery climb after 3pm, when the light hits the facade and the midday crowd has gone; do the Treasury and siq at dawn. Opposite ends of the day, opposite ends of the site.
Book Wadi Rum camps directly and stay two nights if you can: sunset and sunrise in the protected area happen after the day-trip jeeps leave.

Know before you go

Petra is open every day of the year, but heavy winter rain can close the siq on short notice for flash-flood safety, and rare snow occasionally shuts the site entirely for a day or two. Between November and March, keep one flexible day in the plan.
Wadi Rum camps run year-round, but winter nights drop near freezing and the cheaper camps are canvas-and-blanket affairs: from December through February, book a camp with heating or serious bedding, or expect a cold night.
During Ramadan, the headline sites and tourist services all operate, though some hours compress and many local restaurants outside tourist zones close until sunset. Alcohol service is reduced. Dates shift about 11 days earlier each year.
Petra by Night runs only on certain evenings each week and cancels in bad weather; if it is on your list, arrange your Wadi Musa nights around the current schedule rather than assuming any given evening.

Jordan in August, quick answers

Is August a good time to visit Jordan?

August is a month to think twice about visiting Jordan. Same as July. If this is your window, structure everything around dawn and dusk and sleep in air conditioning, not a tent.

What is the weather like in Jordan in August?

Very hot, Petra highs near 91F (33C).

Is Jordan crowded in August?

August is one of the quieter months in Jordan; most sights can be done without long waits.

What is happening in Jordan in August?

Petra by Night (several evenings a week, year-round, weather permitting); Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts (usually in summer); Ramadan in Jordan (dates shift about 11 days earlier each year; check the current window).