The main route in Jordan is the Desert Highway, which connects Aqaba, Ma'an, Amman and continues all the way to Damascus in neighboring Syria.

The Desert Highway is a much faster alternative traveling through central Jordan than the King's Highway, but has none of the spectacular scenery or ancient historical places to stop en route.

The drive feels longer staring at expansive flat deserts with nothing to look at and nowhere interesting to stop. The Desert Highway is the main and fastest transport route for goods and freight between Amman and Aqaba and therefore highly frequented by trucks, buses and taxis.

The landscape around the Desert Highway is, as one might expect, stark and sterile; almost eighty percent of Jordan is barren desert.

Between Aqaba and the exit to Wadi Rum, the Desert Highway climbs up more than 1,000 metres over sea level and passes phosphate mining sites.

Source: various