In a world where flashy 15-second Insta and Tiktok videos (which really give me a brain hernia 😂) are the norm, I'm taking a different tack. This is Jordan from the air, filmed with a drone. It is best if you view the images in 4K on a large screen.
- Videos by: https://wereldreizigers.nl
- Drone: DJI Mavic Air II
- Music: Agnes Obel – Familiar
Be enchanted by a fairytale world during a holiday in Jordan. From the beautiful, mysterious and deserted Wadi Rum desert to the Magnificent desert city of Petra.
But also the lively center of Amman, majestic ruins and the impressive underwater world of the Red Sea.
- Unique destination
- Beautiful nature and culture
- Very affordable
- Individually or with a group
Problems with Customs
But this article contains more than just the beautiful travel video. Making these images in 2019 got me into trouble. I was detained at the airport in Jordan. These were very tense moments when my passport was confiscated and there was a lot of panic about my drone.
You are not allowed to just take a drone with a camera into the country. I only put the images online 4 years later, so for a good reason. You can read exactly how that went below.
Are drones legal in Jordan?
When I look back on my tour through Jordan I realize how beautiful the country really is and how lucky I was. I went to Jordan in 2019 without any preparation and ultra last minute. It just kept raining Riga, where I was at the time for a Bitcoin conference. In Riga I went to the airport to see where I could go to the sun cheaply. It became Jordan for +- 30 euros. At the airport I quickly looked up whether I could take one with me drone is legal in Jordan.
After one Google search I had an answer: it is 'legal' so I booked my flight. I arranged one upon arrival in Jordan at the airport rental car and I went out with my drone to capture the most beautiful places in the country. To the extent that…
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Dutchman with drone in Egypt was in prison
Do you know the story of the Dutchman who spent weeks in Egypt? was in prison because he let his drone take off on the Tahrir Square in Cairo? That was a few weeks before I arrived in Jordan. It didn't matter if the same thing happened to me...
For us Dutch, flying a drone seems harmless, but in many countries drones are seen as aircraft (for example in... Thailand) or even worse, a threat to the government out of fear of possible terrorism. This is especially in the Middle East to be discussed.
Drones in Jordan, the CARC and customs
After flying around with the drone undisturbed in the Jordan desert for more than a week and taking the rules into account did not to fly in cities such as Amman en PetraAt the end of my trip, I arrived back at Customs at the airport to leave the country.
My drone went through the scanner and of course I was picked out. The best man at Customs reacted quite shocked and immediately called in a few extra men. '"Camera! Camera!"he shouted. Suddenly I felt a little warm. What is going on?
Mind you, this is 2019, when drones were still new, expensive and relatively unknown.
In broken English I was suddenly bombarded with questions. “This, camera yes!?” I tried to reassure him by saying that it is a very small camera. But it did not help…
I had to hand in my passport and was led into the Customs booth. There were six men standing around me, saying all kinds of things in Arabic and they were slightly panicking, so I was too. What's going on?
Chris the drone terrorist
“Why Camera?? What you do!!”
Someone said to me in a not-so-friendly tone. Not something you like to hear when you're at an unknown airport Middle East and your flight leaves in 2 hours. I said with conviction: “no no, i am a tourist! I love Jordan country yes yes."
I started sweating and thought back to my Google search; It was legal here, right? I started to doubt everything!
De DJI Mini 4 Pro is an impressively compact and foldable drone with numerous advanced features. It super compact size and weight in combination with sharp 4K images makes this the ultimate drone to take with you when traveling.
- Compact drone of < 249 grams
- HDR video in 4K/60fps
- Camera can be rotated for social media
Delete all images as quickly as possible
They left me alone in the booth with the drone and my phone, but they did take my passport. I scan the room to see if there are any cameras anywhere. I didn't see anything so I grabbed my phone and tried to delete everything from my phone as quickly as possible. I almost felt like James Bond, what an adventure.
I quickly looked up all the photos and videos from the drone on my phone and chose delete ALL. I quickly made it SD card from the drone and I also wiped that out as quickly as possible. All evidence of flying was gone, that was priority 1, so they can no longer say anything about it. I wouldn't have lost everything yet, because I had already made a backup in the cloud.
Tip:: Read the blog – 5 useful tips for making photo backups while traveling.
Drones in Jordan, is it allowed or not?
I was still in the Customs booth. In the meantime, I continued Googling. Are you allowed to take a drone to Jordan or not? I ended up on a Jordanian government website, in Arabic. Google translate helped me further. I tried to read the small print.
I read: Yes, a drone is legal in Jordan. You can take one with you. But what is not allowed is taking it without permission Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission (CARC) and let alone filming in certain places. Filming or photographing government buildings is seen as a crime threat of terrorism. They are terrified that neighboring countries like Syrie flying in with drones to take photos of government buildings, for example. Photos that could potentially help them organize rocket attacks later.
Remark: Now in 2024 I realize that this is a real danger for Jordan. This became apparent again last week, when one drone attack took place in the border area of Jordan which left three American soldiers dead.
Phew, the story suddenly took a different turn at that moment. I understood the fear and their concerns. But for me this could be annoying. The Customs men walked in and out of the booth, always with my passport in their hands. It all started to take a very long time and it looked like I was going to miss my flight. All the horror scenarios went through my mind. “What will happen to me if I miss my flight and don't get my passport back? Only 30 minutes left! I'm fucked!", I thought.
Threatening with the Dutch embassy
I thought I had to do something to get out of here. I kept asking what was going on, I was just a tourist after all. I didn't get any answers so I started calling the number Dutch embassy in Jordan to Google. I now had the telephone number under the call button and told the customs men that I was going to call the Dutch embassy, because they are not allowed to just detain me if they don't tell me anything.
A Customs employee suddenly asked me which country I came from, I said; Holland! Netherlands! Suddenly the atmosphere changed enormously. They came back with my passport and a copy of it, with everything written in Arabic. I really couldn't make anything out of what was written there, but I had to sign it. I initially refused and asked what it said. However, they couldn't explain this in proper English.
Once again they asked where I came from. I indicated again to “The Netherlands!” Apparently they still didn't understand where I came from, even though it was clearly stated in my passport. I pointed it out again in my passport: The Netherlands. When that realization finally dawned on them, I no longer seemed to be a danger and the piece of paper with the Arabic text was shoved under my nose again. Then with a slightly happier and more positive tone.
You sign, you go! No problem!
I even got a thumbs up for it. I looked at my clock again, there were still 8 minutes before my gate closed. I still had to go through all kinds of checks and the airport is quite large. I thought for a split second; What am I going to sign and do I have to ask questions about what it says? I thought: get out of here! I signed it, grabbed my drone and started running to the gate.
Running to catch my flight
Once they arrived at the gate, they had only just started boarding due to a delay. Officially the flight was supposed to take 18 minutes, but they certainly weren't going to make it. I decided to quickly call home. I called Malou to tell what happened, because I just needed to get it out.
I was still uneasy. I felt that as long as I was at the airport and the plane was still on the ground, they could still stop me. I didn't know what I had signed. Who knows what was on the document, I really had no idea.
A few minutes later I boarded the plane. I quickly took a picture of the beautifully colorful sunset. A little over 20 minutes later I took off. Peace returned. I was out of the country! Phew... suddenly I could laugh again. 🙂
Drone rules in Jordan – the CARC
What exactly are the rules? I looked into that carefully afterwards. Hopefully it will help you avoid such sweaty moments at Customs if you want to travel to Jordan with a drone.
- All drones must be registered with the CARC. The application form can be downloaded below this list.
- Submit your application to CARC at least 10 working days before your scheduled flight so that the Ministry of Interior with the Royal Jordanian Air Force and the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission can review your application.
- Do not fly more than 500 meters away from you.
- Do not fly at an altitude of more than 120 meters.
- Only fly at approved times/days.
- The drone flight time will not exceed 3 hours.
- Drones may weigh a maximum of 25 kilos.
- Drone operators must be at least 21 years old and 'properly trained'. What they mean by this is unclear... They don't ask for a pilot's license or anything like that.
- Liability insurance (WA) is required.
Register drone – Contact CARC
Website: http://carc.gov.jo/en/
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone+962 6 489 2282
Download here your CARC drone registration form.
Since January 1, 2021, it is mandatory for private individuals and companies to obtain an EU drone license. You can realize this quickly and easily through the online courses with exams from Drone Class. This allows you to fly in a responsible manner.
The 'EU drone driving license' is also accepted outside the EU in most cases, so it is advisable to have it with you at all times when you take your drone into the air, anywhere in the world.
- 100% success rate
- profitable price
- online training
De DJI Mini 4 Pro is an impressively compact and foldable drone with numerous advanced features. It super compact size and weight in combination with sharp 4K images makes this the ultimate drone to take with you when traveling.
- Compact drone of < 249 grams
- HDR video in 4K/60fps
- Camera can be rotated for social media
Note: this is the drone law and regulations for Jordan as of November 1, 2019 and will still apply on January 1, 2024. It is a good idea to always visit the official website(s) because things may change.
An adventure with Customs, but beautiful images
Despite all the problems and stress at the airport, because there was a lot of panic about my drone, I did make beautiful drone images of Jordan. What a beautiful country it is from the air. The landscapes are truly bizarre! It is not surprising that countless films are shot here. In particular, the Wadi Rum desert looks like one big movie set.
Now almost 4 years later, I look back on an amazing journey. It is finally time to share the images and the accompanying story with confidence. In any case, I know one thing for sure: on my next visit to Jordan, my drone will only come with me if I have written permission to take it with me and use it.
PS. Are you already a member of the Jordan backpackers NL facebook group? This group is useful for all your quick questions about Jordan. Have fun traveling!
Be enchanted by a fairytale world during a holiday in Jordan. From the beautiful, mysterious and deserted Wadi Rum desert to the Magnificent desert city of Petra.
But also the lively center of Amman, majestic ruins and the impressive underwater world of the Red Sea.
- Unique destination
- Beautiful nature and culture
- Very affordable
- Individually or with a group
