Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Guides (JD20) are available at the ticket checkpoint in front of the South Gate - they can
do wonders in bringing the ruins to life.
Getting There & Away
Jerash is located approximately 50km north of Amman, and the roads are well signed
from the capital, especially from 8th Circle. If you're driving, be advised that this route
can get extremely congested during the morning and afternoon rush hours.
From the North Bus Station (Tabarbour) in Amman, public buses and minibuses (800
fils, 1ΒΌ hours) leave regularly for Jerash, though they can take up to an hour to fill up.
Leave early for a quick getaway, especially if you are planning a day trip.
Jerash's bus and service-taxi station is a 15-minute walk southwest of the ruins, at the
second set of traffic lights, behind the big white building. You can pick up a minibus to
the station from outside the visitor centre for a few fils. From here, there are also plenty of
minibuses travelling regularly to Irbid (JD1, 45 minutes) and Ajloun (600 fils, 30 minutes)
until around 4pm. You can normally flag down the bus to Amman from the main junction
in front of the site to save the trek to the bus station.
Transport drops off significantly after 5pm. Service taxis sometimes leave up to around
8pm (later during Jerash Festival) from the bus station, but it's not guaranteed.
A private taxi between Amman and Jerash should cost around JD18 to JD25 each way,
with a bit of determined bargaining. From Jerash, a taxi to Irbid costs around JD14 to
JD20.
Dibeen Forest Reserve
Established in 2004, this small area (around 8 sq km) of Aleppo pine and oak forest is a
naturereserve
( 02-6370017; year-round)
. Managed by the Royal Society for the
Conservation of Nature (RSCN), Dibeen is representative of the wild forests that once
covered much of the country's northern frontiers but which now account for only 1% of
Jordan's land area. Despite its small size, Dibeen is recognised as a national biodiversity
hotspot, and protects 17 endangered animals (including the Persian squirrel) and several
rare orchids.
As Dibeen is still very much a work in progress, facilities are currently limited com-
pared with other RSCN reserves. There are some short marked (but unmapped)
hiking
trails
through the park. In March and April carpets of red crown anemones fill the mead-
