Jerash · Where to stay

A handful of small hotels within reach of the gate. The point of being here is walking in at opening, before the Amman coaches; the cost is an evening in a provincial town that closes early.

Twenty-five kilometres west, up in oak woodland. The RSCN's cabins are the good option, cooler than the valley and with marked trails from the door; economy cabins run 45 JD for Jordanians up to 75 JD for foreign visitors, single.

The default, and not a bad one: Jerash is an hour away, the buses go from Tabarbour, and Amman is where the food and the onward transport are. You will see the site at eleven with everyone else.

Two nights based in Jerash or Ajloun opens up Umm Qais, Pella and the northern section of the Jordan Trail. Day-trippers from Amman only ever see the colonnaded street and the drive back.