Seasons
Travelling in Ramadan, and what changes for a visitor
In 2027 Ramadan falls in February and March, the best months for touring Jordan and much of the Middle East. Travelling during it is entirely possible, and can be rewarding, as long as you know what changes.
By Walter Pellow2 November 20264 min read
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, the month of fasting, when observant Muslims eat and drink nothing, and do not smoke, from dawn until sunset. It is a month of prayer, charity and family, and in countries where most people are Muslim it changes the rhythm of daily life completely. The days are quieter and slower; the evenings, after sunset, are sociable, festive and late.
For a visitor, that raises questions. Will anything be open? Can I eat? Is it a bad time to go? The short answers are: most things, yes, and not necessarily. The longer answers are below.
When it falls in 2027
The Islamic calendar is lunar, so Ramadan moves about eleven days earlier each year against the calendar used in Britain. In 2027 it is expected to begin on or around 8 February and to end with the festival of Eid al-Fitr on or around 9 March. The exact days depend on the sighting of the new crescent moon, and can differ by a day between countries, so they are not confirmed until the time.
That puts Ramadan squarely in the spring touring season for Jordan, Egypt and the region, when the weather is mild and the walking good. Anyone planning a February or early March trip should know it is coming.
What changes by day
During the day, a country in Ramadan is quieter. Many people work shorter hours, and offices, banks and some shops close earlier than usual. Traffic can be lighter in the middle of the day and heavier in the hour before sunset, when everyone is hurrying home. Some restaurants and cafés, particularly those mostly used by locals, close until evening.
In Jordan, as in several countries in the region, eating, drinking and smoking in public during the hours of the fast is not only impolite but can be against the law. Visitors are not expected to fast, and hotels and restaurants used to tourists generally go on serving food during the day, discreetly, often in a room away from the street. The rule for a visitor is simple: eat and drink out of sight, carry water but drink it discreetly, and do not smoke in the street. Out in the countryside, away from towns and villages, a quiet lunch troubles nobody.
Alcohol is harder to find during Ramadan. In Jordan, shops that sell it generally close for the month, and drinks are usually served only in hotels to non-Muslim guests.
Sites such as Petra stay open, but opening hours can change during the month, sometimes closing earlier so that staff can be home for the evening meal. Check them close to the time.
What changes after sunset
At sunset, the fast is broken with the evening meal, iftar. The call to prayer sounds, the streets empty in a moment as people sit down to eat, traditionally starting with dates and water, and then the evening begins. Cafés and restaurants fill up, families go out, sweet shops do a roaring trade and the streets are busy and cheerful late into the night. In the hours before dawn there is another meal, suhoor, before the fast begins again.
For a visitor this can be the best part of the month. Many hotels and restaurants put on an iftar buffet, and some open Ramadan tents in the evenings, with food, tea and music. If you are invited to share an iftar with a family, accept. It is a meal about hospitality, and a guest at it is genuinely welcome.
The streets empty in a moment as people sit down to eat, and then the evening begins.
Trips in the Ramadan months
Explore's eight-night Cycle Jordan departs in March, among other months, and rides from Madaba and Mount Nebo to the Dead Sea, Shobak, Petra and Wadi Musa, Little Petra and El Beidha, then Wadi Rum, Aqaba and Amman. Its seven-night Walking Jordan's Spice Trails also has March departures, with Amman, Wadi Rum, Petra, Wadi Shamassat, Little Petra, Kerak, Madaba, Mount Nebo, the Dead Sea and Jerash in its list.
Explore's fourteen-night Jordan and Egypt - Petra to the Pyramids departs in February, among other months, and goes from Amman, Jerash and Madaba to the Dead Sea, Kerak, Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba, then crosses to Taba in Egypt, Dahab, St Catherine's Monastery and Mount Sinai. In Egypt the rhythm of Ramadan is much the same, and Sinai's resorts are used to visitors of every kind.
A March departure may fall after Eid, and a February one in the middle of the month. Check the year's dates against the departure you choose, and then decide which you would prefer.
If you want everything to run exactly as normal, choose dates outside Ramadan. If you can be flexible, travelling during it has real advantages. The big sites can be quieter during the day, and the evenings are some of the most sociable of the year. Dress modestly, which is good manners in the region at any time, be patient with shorter hours, and be discreet with your water bottle. In return you will see a side of the region that most visitors never do: a whole country sitting down to dinner at the same moment, and the night that follows.
The end of the month is celebrated with Eid al-Fitr, a holiday of several days, when many people travel to see family and some businesses close. It is a joyful time, but a busy one for transport, and worth knowing about when you book.
By Walter Pellow, the name Atlas & Passage’s editorial team writes under. Prices and dates in the trips below come from the operators and can change.
