We spent a little over two weeks in Jordan. We hired a car and drove through the country visiting various sties along the way. The local people are amazing – so friendly and welcoming. The country is beautiful and there are so many amazing things to see. There are many big, bucket list items (Petra, Dead Sea, Wadi Rum), plus so many lesser known sites worthy of a visit (Roman theatre, desert castles, Red Sea).
Amman
We arrived in Amman early afternoon. At the airport, before passport control there is an area for visitors to go to get their visa. If you already purchased the Jordan Pass (which we recommend that you do) you will not need to pay for your visa. If you have not purchased the pass you can get a visa for 40 JOD. At the desk they will add the visa to your passport which you show to passport control.
After passport control you arrive at baggage claim, then proceed through customs.
We booked a hire car with a company off site (a short drive from the airport), so they arranged someone to meet and pick us up from the airport. Before we met with our driver, we purchased a sim card. There are three desks for sim cards available. I didn’t research the different providers before, but our driver said that Orange was the best for internet, which was our made requirement. The plan cost 15 JOD and came with 20 GB of data.
We left the airport with our driver and headed to the car rental location. It was only a few minutes from the airport. The paperwork only took a few moments and then we were on our way.
Our first part of the trip was a few days in Amman. I booked us a boutique hotel near the Roman Theater. The location is amazing – we can see the theater from our balcony and everything in town is a short walk (markets, theater, citadel, etc.).
We arrived early evening, so we checked into our hotel, then headed across the street to the Roman Theater. Unfortunately, the theater was closing as we arrived, so instead we hung out in the forum area which had lots of people (locals and visitors) hanging around. After a while, we started exploring the area and found ourselves in the market area. We wondered around the streets, looking at the different market stalls. There was lots of activity as it was Ramadan, and everyone was getting food and drink for the evening meal.
The first thing we noticed was how friendly everyone is. Everyone says “hi” to us and we had several market workers offering us food samples – without any pressure! We walked all through the markets, and we weren’t hassled at all. It was so enjoyable!
For our first full day in Amman, we started the day with a free walking tour that our hotel offered. The tour guide met us at the hotel and then took us on a two hour tour of the local area. We mostly walked through the different markets with him explaining the history and showing some of the products on offer. We got to taste several things, including some yummy local desserts. He also gave us history on the city and answered all of our questions as this was our first time in Jordan.
Since it was Ramadan we were trying to be respectful by not eating or drinking in public. So, after our tour, we headed back to our hotel room for some snacks and drinks. After our break, we made our way to the Amman Citadel. From the main road, there are stairs that lead up the hill to the citadel. It’s about a 15 minute climb until you reach the entrance.
Since we had the Jordan Pass, we were able to enter for free. At the ticket booth we showed our passes on our mobile phones and were given entry. There is quite a bit to explore, and we ended up spending a few hours looking at everything and taking lots of pictures.
The main attractions to see include the Temple of Hercules, the Jordan Archaeological Museum, and the Umayyad Palace. At the Temple of Hercules, you will see several standing columns, including two super tall ones with a frieze on top. Near the standing columns are several fallen columns that you can view and explore up close.
The Jordan Archaeological Museum was so much better than we expected. It was a rather large museum with lots and lots of items to look at. There was a decent amount of information to explain what you were looking at, as well as explaining the different history and periods of Amman as well as other locations throughout Jordan.
At the Umayyad Palace there are lots of ruins to explore, including the Mosque, the Entrance Hall, the Bath House, and the residences throughout the palace. You can explore the area freely, taking in all the different sections. There’s a map in the Entrance Hall to give you a better idea of the areas within the Palace.
While you are visiting the citadel you will also enjoy amazing views of Amman. You will get a great view of the Roman Theater, as well as the never ending city buildings across the surrounding hills. We really enjoyed our afternoon, learning and exploring.
After the Amman Citadel, we made our way back down the stairs and headed straight to the Roman Theater. Again, the Jordan Pass allowed us to enter without purchasing a ticket. Inside the theater you can explore the stage area and the seating area. As you climb to the top you will get a better idea of how steep the seating area is as you get closer to the top.
On either side of the theater stage, you will find two museums. Both museums are part of the Jordan Pass and worth a visit. One museum is the Folklore Museum which includes several beautiful mosaics, traditional dress, and jewellery. The other, is the Museum of Popular Traditions. This museum includes details on traditional jobs and life in earlier times. It also includes displays of living and working areas.
After the Roman Theater we visited the Odeon Theater which is nearby. The Odeon Theater is a smaller theatre used for music concerts. There was a guide at the theater that showed us the amazing accostics within the theater. If you stand at the center of the stage, near a drain there is an “x” carved into the ground, and clap or speak you will hear the quality of the accostics. The other thing to do is stand on either side of the stage and lean down to the wall in front of the first row of seats. If one person speaks, the other will be able to clearly hear them. Ben and I tried it and it sounds like the person is right next to you, even if you whisper. Pretty impressive design work for an old theater.
After the Odeon Theater we headed to the Roman Nymphaeum, ruins of an ancient fountain. We walked by the fountain several times and it was never open, but this time there was a security guard at the gate. I wanted to find out what time the fountain was open so we could come back, but he instead let us visit right then. Still not sure the opening hours, so you may just have to get lucky and flag down the security guard to let you in. The fountain is free to visit, but we gave the guard a small tip as he tried (his English wasn’t great so we had a hard time understanding), but he tried to tell us about the fountain and he took several pictures of the two of us around the fountain area. It would have been an amazing site when it was in it’s full glory.
Our last attraction for the day was a visit to the Grand Husseini Mosque. There is a separate entrance for men and women. Men our allowed to enter the main area of the Mosque, while woman are allowed in a private area upstairs. Once upstairs, you can open the window curtain to see the main courtyard of the Mosque. For woman to enter, you must be fully covered. There was a very nice lady, who helped me with a long skirt and shirt with head covering.
It was a great first day in Jordan.
Jerash and Ajloun Castle (day trip from Amman)
We headed north from Amman, to Jerash and Ajloun Castle.
Wow! The Jerash Archaeological Park was amazing. There is soooo much to see – make sure you have a few hours to see everything.
From the visitor’s center you start by walking through Hadrian’s Gate. Nearby is a church, complete with a mosaic floor. You can then view the hippodrome, which is the smallest known hippodrome of the Roman Empire, but also one of the best preserved.
You then continue further into the archaeological park until you reach the Oval Plaza – wow. The plaza is a large open area surrounded by columns. The main street in the Roman town breaks here and the plaza is used as a crossroads of sorts.
From the plaza we climbed up to see the Great Temple of Zeus and the South Theater.
We followed the path along to the Three Churches.
From there we headed to the Temple of Artemis and the Church of St. Theodore. We then viewed another mosaic floor at the Church of Bishop Isaiah before viewing the North Theater. We then walked the North Decumanus towards the North Tetrapylon.
From there we walked along the Cardo, lined with columns and more buildings, including the ruins of the Numphaeum (fountain) and Cathedral. We detoured off the main road to view the small museum, before arriving back at the Oval Plaza. From there we retraced our steps back to the Visitor Centre.
The sites here were so amazing and worth the trip from Amman. The nearly complete building structures, the standing columns, and the complete floor mosaics make this a site worth visiting and worth taking time to fully view and appreciate.
After finishing at the Jerash Archaeological Park we headed a bit further to Ajloun Castle. Ajloun Castle is a 12th century Muslim fortress/castle. The bottom floors were used to house military personal, while the top floor was used as a palace. During your visit you can explore quite a few areas within the castle. Most of the rooms are quite bare and there isn’t a lot of information throughout to explain the different areas, however there are a few interesting things to view.
In one of the rooms, if you look closely at the windows, you will see that the stones can be removed. This allows the window to be “opened” (to allow for light and fresh air), but the stones can be put in front of the window so that it can be used for arrow slits if the castle is under attack.
Another room has great examples of drainage solutions that were used within the castle. You can see drainage channels in the floor, and channels in the wall between floors.
The castle is a good size and will take you about one hour to walk through and see all the different rooms. I wouldn’t recommend making a special trip just for the castle, but if you are in the area, or close (such as in Jerash) then it’s worth the short drive to view.
Desert Castle Loop
We checked out of our hotel in Amman and visited the Desert Castles on our way to Madaba.
We really enjoyed our day exploring the desert castles and would recommend doing the drive if you have the time and a car to get you there.
Qasr al-Hallabat
Our first stop was Qasr al-Hallabat. When you arrive at Qasr al-Hallabat you will see the visitor centre, with parking out front. When we arrived there was no one around, so we walked down the stairs and headed into the museum. The museum contains a ton of information on the history of the structure. It was a Roman Fort in the 2nd century AD (built on an earlier Nabatean settlement), then in the 6th century it was a monastery and a palace by Christianized Arabs. In the 7th and 8th centuries in was refurbished by the Umayyads. During this time, they built a mosque and a bathhouse. The site was destroyed by an earthquake in 748-749 AD, and shortly after abandoned.
After spending a bit of time in the museum, we headed out the door and up the hill to the building ruin. As you get closer you will see tons of stones neatly lined outside the building. As you view the building, you will see that some parts of the walls have been rebuilt. However, there are still lots of the original structure remaining, including archways, parts of the walls, and a couple mosaic floors still in situ.
It’s a good size structure to explore and there are several archways standing high. It was also amazing to see the mosaic floors in a couple of the rooms. You can get up, nice and close to the rooms and really examine the floor designs. It’s beautiful to see.
While we were there, we were the only ones exploring the castle and had a great time seeing all the rooms and all the features. After we covered all the rooms, we made our way back down the hill to our car.
Hammam as-Sarah
Next stop was Hammam as-Sarah. The hamman is not far from Qasr al-Hallabat, we actually passed it on our way to the castle. So we retraced our drive and parked along the road out front of the hammam. Again, there was no one around when we arrived, so we wondered around the site. The entrance to the hammam is facing away from the road.
At the entrance you will see the archway. Some of the stones are original, while others have been reproduced in order to complete the archway. The reproductions are very well done, on one side you have the original stone and on the other is the reproduction showing you what it would have looked like originally. Once you walk through the archway you will see the open air main hall. The flooring has been recreated based on what was left of the original floor. It was been redone to mimic the original look.
From there, you can head inside. Here you will see parts of the original flooring and the recreated dome. There’s information on the wall about the restoration work that has been done. Overall, I think it’s a great mix of old and new. It gives you a small look at how things would have looked when it was new.
Al-Azraq Castle
Stop number three was Al-Azraq Castle. This castle is right in the middle of town. There’s a small parking area before the castle where you can park your car, or you can park on the main road out front of the castle. To enter, there is a small stall near the main road. Here is where you will buy your tickets or show your Jordan Pass. From the stall you will find steps leading to the door of the castle.
By the stairs is a stone plaque that reads “QASR AL AZRAQ BUILT BY THE ROMANS REBUILT BY ARABS UNDER IZZ ED DIN AYBAK DURING THE CRUSADES AND USED BY LAWRENCE.” When you get to the main gate, notice the stone doors. They are heavy, but still usable. Once you pass through the gatehouse you in the large, open courtyard.
We walked around the outside, exploring each of the rooms. There are lots of arches still standing in some of the rooms, as well as stone ceilings. In one of the rooms is another stone door!
The castle is quite large and was fun to explore. It was amazing to see some many arches standing, as well as the stone ceilings.
Quseir ‘Amra
Next was Quseir ‘Amra. Quseir ‘Amra was a hunting pavilion built in the early 8th century. It was occasionally used as lodging for members of the ruling Umayyad family. You can visit the reception hall and baths. Inside you will see the walls and ceiling decorated with stunning painted murals.
Qasr Al-Kharranah
Qasr Al-Kharranah. This one was an interesting one. From the outside it is very plain – a flat rectangle with towers at the corners. An inscription was found in one of the upper rooms from November 710 AD. The building is very well preserved; however, it is up for debate on what the building was originally used for. The most widely accepted theory is that the building was an inn. If that is true, then it would make it the earliest known inn of the Islamic period.
The inside of the building is very symmetrical. The ground floor is made up of several, identical rooms along the outside of the courtyard. There are stairs on both sides of the courtyard and the upper floor has a similar layout, except for the rooms above the main entrance.
It was interesting to explore, however the rooms were very repetitive. Again, we were the only ones there so we wondered from room to room imagining how the rooms were used.
Qasr Al-Mashta
Our last stop for the day, before Madaba, was Qasr Al-Mashta. This was probably our least favorite of the day. There wasn’t a whole lot to see here. There is an outline of the original structure footing, and there is a tripe arched façade leading to a large open hall. Most of the standing walls and archway have been rebuilt. There was scaffolding setup around the site, so it appeared more work was being carried out, or is planning to be done.
After seeing stunning floor mosaics, originally archways, stone ceilings, and painted murals, this was the least impressive. Luckily it wasn’t out of the way to stop and see it, so no harm done.
After our final stop, we headed to Madaba, “the city of mosaics” where we were staying for the night and planned to spend the entire next day.
Madaba
After the Desert Castle loop, we finished the day in Madaba. We arrived later in the evening. We grabbed some dinner, walked around the area, and then headed to bed. We planned to spend the next day exploring Madaba.
St. George’s Church
After breakfast we started our day by visiting St. George’s Church. The church was directly across from our hotel, so it seemed the perfect place to start. Inside the church you will find a large Byzantine mosaic floor. The design of the mosaic is the oldest map of Palestine, but shows other places such as Jerusalem, Gaza, Dead Sea, and the Nile Delta. Outside of the church there is a large blown-up picture of the map, with labels to show you what you are looking at. There are also lots of references online that you can use to identify the different areas of the design.
The map is beautiful, but only a small percentage of the original map remains. While you are in the church be sure to look around the walls. There are tons of other mosaics to admire.
After St. George’s Church, we ended up moving our car. The hotel said that we could park on the street out front of the hotel overnight, but not all day. Not sure why, as there seemed to be plenty of other cars parked along the street, but we didn’t want to chance it. So we headed to the Madaba Visitor’s Centre, where they offer free parking to visitors. At the visitor’s centre there is a small museum to view and you can get a map of the town attractions.
Madaba Archaeological Park
Our next stop was the Madaba Archaeological Park. It was a short walk from the visitor’s centre. Here you will see several mosaics, including a stunning, huge floor mosaic in the Hippolytus Hall. It’s incredible how much of the floor is still in place. The design and colours are amazing.
At the back of the Archaeological Park, there is a stretch of an old Roman road. You can walk along the road, just as the Romans did, and admire the remaining ruins of the columns and features that would have lined the street years ago.
Church of St. John the Baptist
Next, we headed to the Church of St. John the Baptist. Here you can visit the inside of the church, the Acropolis (which has a shrine of St. John the Baptist), you can climb the stairs to the bell tower, and visit the ancient tunnels.
We started by visiting the inside of the church. The church was built in the early 1900s and there isn’t a lot to see inside the church area. We then walked to the front of the church and went through the door at the right. This leads you to the stairs where you can climb to the top of the bell tower.
At the bottom of the stairs, and within the staircase you will see the ropes that ring the bells within the tower. The climb up the tower is interesting. As you near the top you have to manoeuvre around the ropes and the actual bells. Fingers crossed no one pulls the ropes while you are right next to the bells!
Once at the top of the tower, you can climb outside and walk around the perimeter of the tower. On the day we went it was super windy. Like super, super windy. Like so windy the tower should probably have been closed for the day! But it was open, and made for a fun adventure!
After the bell tower, we went back through the church and out the original door we entered through. From there you can head downstairs to the Acropolis. At the bottom of the stairs, make sure you don’t miss the 3,000-year-old well. At the well there is a bucket and rope setup so you can collect water just like many, many people have been doing over the last few thousand years. We thought it was quite fun!
After the well, we explored the rest of the Acropolis, including the Shrine of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist. If you continue through the room of the Acropolis you will reach the Byzantine ruins and the old tunnel. If you visit the ruins first, you can then head through the tunnels, which will end with stairs that lead back up to the inside of the church.
Madaba Archaeological Museum
Our next stop was the Madaba Archaeological Museum. This museum contains several more mosaics – you can see why Madaba is known as the “city of mosaics”! The museum also contains displays with artefacts from the area and throughout Jordan.
Apostles Church
After the museum we returned to the visitor’s centre to collect the car. We then drove to the Apostles Church on our way out of town. At the church you will find (you guessed it) another large floor mosaic. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think we could get sick of seeing these mosaics. Each one is unique and beautiful.
After admiring the floor mosaic, we headed outside to the back of the church. We found shelves full of mosaic pieces. Amazing… so many little tiles remaining.
After a full day exploring Madaba we decided on one more stop before ending our day in Wadi Musa (known for Petra). While we were exploring Madaba another archaeological site was mentioned, Umm er-Rasas. After a quick search we found that it wasn’t too far away and was on our way to Wadi Musa.
Umm er-Rasas
Umm er-Rasas is a huge archaeological site. A large portion of it is still unexplored – looks like a massive pile of rocks- but there are various ruins that have been excavated. The area started as a Roman military camp and later became a small town from the 5th century.
While here you can see ruins from the Roman, Byzantine and Early Islamic periods. The site has 16 churches, some with stunning mosaics, including the floor in the Church of Saint Stephen.
The mosaic floor in the Church of Saint Stephen is stunning. It’s incredible that so much of the floor in remaining, and in position just like it was years and years ago. We could have stared at the different designs for hours. It was amazing to see such a large, intact, mosaic floor. It makes you wonder what else is out there, under all the rubble, just waiting to be explored.
After the archaeological site, we headed towards Wadi Musa. It’s about a three hour drive from Madaba to Wadi Musa. We made sure we left Umm er-Rasas in enough time that we could arrive in town, check in to our hotel, grab a quick dinner and make it to Petra by Night. Petra by Night is only on three times a week – every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Petra by Night
Petra by Night is a special, ticketed event from 8:30pm – 10:30pm. There are over 1200 candles (yes, real candles) placed along the path leading to the Treasury, and in front of the Treasury. We weren’t sure if candle light would be the best way to experience Petra for the first time, but after doing so, we think it was the perfect way.
As you are walking along the path, you can only see bits and pieces. You don’t get the full detail, but you can feel the atmosphere and know that something amazing is all around you. It’s a bit of a tease to seeing everything is daylight, but it builds up the excitement of what the next day will bring.
Once you arrive at the Treasury, you will find everyone seated amongst the candles. While you are sitting there you get to hear the sounds of a Bedouin shepherd’s flute and bagpipes, as well as enjoying a glass of aromatic tea. It’s an amazing experience and would recommend it if you are there one of the days Petra by Night is happening.
Petra
We decided to stay three nights in Wadi Musa so we could visit Petra a few times. We did Petra by Night the evening we arrived, then we spent two full days at Petra. On our last day we spent the morning there, followed by a stop at Little Petra before heading to Wadi Rum.
On the first full day, we arrived in the morning. Everything we could see in the shadows the night before was on full display in the daylight. Everywhere you looked was naturally beautiful. There are also lots of carvings along the trail and Siq.
At the end of the Siq is the stunning Treasury.
From the Treasury we continued further into the site to see the Theatre, Nymphaeum, the Great Temple, and Petra Church. We walked all the way to the Qasr al-Bint. We then stopped to have lunch near the Nymphaeum at a small café that severed sandwiches and various snacks.
After lunch we decided to do the Royal Tombs trail that leads all the way to a viewing point of the Treasury. The trails takes a couple of hours roundtrip. You get to see the royal tombs up close and visit inside. You also have great views overlooking the Theatre.
The end goal, is of course the perfect view of the Treasury from above. To get the best spot for a picture of the Treasury you do need to visit the Bedouin’s tent setup on the hilltop. They request that you purchase a drink or snack in return for taking a few pictures. It was well worth the hike up the hill to get the amazing view.
After enjoying the view of the Treasury we made our way back to the main trail. It was early evening by that time and the crowds had started to thin. We slowly made our way back to the Treasury, where we sat and enjoyed the view for a bit longer. We eventually pulled ourselves away and started the walk back to the visitor’s centre.
As we were walking back, we saw the team setting up for Petra by Night. It was a small team of 4 and they were placing the candles along the path and lighting each one by hand. We approached one of the workers setting up the candles and said how much we appreciated their work and how much we enjoyed Petra by Night the night before. He said that they put out about 1200 candles – real candles – by hand. It takes about two hours to setup and then another two hours to pick up. They reuse the bags if they can, but each bag gets a new candle every night of the event. It’s quite a setup and take down process, but so worth it for the unreal atmosphere that you get to experience.
On our second day in Petra we wanted to view the Monastery. Instead of walking along the same path we did the day before, we decided to start from the back door entrance. From the visitor’s centre, we parked our car and then spoke to one of the tour operators who we arranged to give us a ride to the back entrance. You can negotiate a price for the taxi ride –usually around 15 to 20 JOD in total. At the top off there is a checkpoint where you need to show your ticket. If you have the Jordan Pass, you will need to go to the visitor’s centre during your first visit to receive a ticket that says the valid days for your visit to Petra.
About 20 minutes after the checkpoint, there is another checkpoint where you may be needed to show your ticket again. From there you go a further 20 minutes and then reach the start of the climb up the hillside. We have heard that you can get an additional ride from the first checkpoint to the start of the stairs. It appears that you can make arrangements with the workers at the checkpoint. We decided to do the walk as it was pretty level until you reached the stairs. There are also lots of opportunities along the trail to jump on a donkey if you get tired along the way.
The hike to the Monastery took about two hours. This included several stops for water and snack breaks, as well as time for pictures. Along the route there are a few Bedouin tents setup selling drinks, snacks, and various souvenirs.
The hike had stunning views the entire duration. We were glad that we decided to take this route to get to the Monastery.
Once at the Monastery there are a few viewing points and a café. We had lunch at the café and then sat and enjoyed the view.
After a while we headed down the stairs back to the main trail. We enjoyed all the sites again as we slowly made our way back to the visitor’s centre.
On the third and final day, Ben headed to Petra in the morning, while I had a relaxing morning. Once he came back to the hotel, we packed our items and then went to have lunch. The evening before we found a great Yemen restaurant. Ben ordered “small lambs” and it was delicious. We had to go back for lunch before we left.
Before we left town, we visited the Petra Museum, located at the visitor’s centre. It’s a small museum, but very modern with several worth viewing artefacts. Some of the items on display are not behind a glass barrier so you can get great pictures and/or get up close to really examine the details. The museum is free and worth a visit.
From there we took a detour to visit Little Petra. It’s a lot smaller than Petra, but still has a few nice things to see, including a water cistern, triclinia (dining halls with couches), and the painted biclinium (small Roman couch for two people). The painted biclinium still contained a bit of the design on the ceiling.
After Little Petra, we drove a couple hours to Wadi Rum Village. We were going to stay another night in Wadi Musa, but decided to find somewhere in the Wadi Rum Village so we didn’t have to do the two hour drive in the morning, as our tour was starting at 9:30am.
There are only a couple places currently in the village. We stayed at Wadi Rum Oryx Hostel. We had our own private tent and bathroom. The hostel is quite new, so everything was in good condition. The night we arrived we had dinner included in our booking as well as breakfast the following morning. The host of the hostel contacted our tour operator, and he came to the hostel to discuss the tour plan with us. We planned to do two nights in the desert – one night in a tent, the other night in a “cave”.
Wadi Rum
The morning of the first day of the tour, our guide/driver (who was with us the entire time) met us at the hostel. We then followed him to the rest area to park our car. We then jumped in the back of his truck, and he took us to the tour operator’s home. We picked up two more people and then headed into the desert.
On the first day, we covered all the main sites within the desert. There was a lot more walking and climbing then we expected, but it was all so much fun, and every climb was worth it for the views across the desert. You can pick and chose what you want to do at each stop. Sometimes in involved climbing a rocky hillside, or a rock mound, or a sand dune. There were also canyons to walk through, and one that included several engravings in the rock surfaces.
Around 1pm, we stopped to rest and have lunch. Our guide cooked an amazing meal from the back of the truck and an open fire. It was so impressive and very delicious. We had a long break to avoid the heat of the day. After our rest period we continued exploring the desert. We then headed towards camp to enjoy the sunset. Unfortunately, it wasn’t much of a sunset that evening, but still a nice way to end the day’s tour before heading to camp.
Once we arrived at camp we had about an hour before dinner was ready. The dinner was a lovely feast and included some chicken and veggies cooked in the ground. The food goes in the ground for about two hours. Once it was ready, we got to watch them pull the tiered cooking tray from the ground. The meal was delicious.
After that we all sat around an outdoor campfire, then our guide suggested we go scorpion hunting. He had a “special light” that made the scorpions stand out. We went for a bit of a walk around camp and spotted a few of them in the sand.
After the walk we sat outside for a while enjoying the moon and stars, before calling it a night.
The next day was an early start – breakfast was at 7:30am and then the trucks were there to take people back to the village or on to different day two tours. We had a bit more time in the morning to get ready after breakfast and then we were off. It ended up just being the two of us and our same driver from the previous day.
We ventured a bit further into the desert this time. We made several stops throughout the day and enjoyed taking our time climbing the rock formations, sand dunes, and enjoying the views. We stopped again for a long lunch period – again delicious.
Later in the afternoon we headed back to camp for an opportunity to get cleaned up before making our way to the “cave” for the night. To be fair, it’s not really a cave. It’s an exposed area (open to the sky) but protected by rock formations.
While our driver was making dinner, we climbed the rocks to find a good spot for sunset. Again, the sunset wasn’t great, but it was still nice (and a bit romantic) sitting out on the rocks all alone.
After sunset, we enjoyed our dinner, and then just sat relaxing. We enjoyed the fire, moonlight, and stars. It was a great night and would highly recommend sleeping out under the stars if you get the chance.
The next morning, we enjoyed a lovely breakfast and then headed back to Wadi Rum Village. Our next stop was Aqaba.
Aqaba
Aqaba was a bit of a surprise for us. We didn’t really know what to expect, but it was a much more modern looking city – obviously a bit more money in the region thanks to the port.
We wanted to visit the museum, but unfortunately it was closed for remodelling. We did visit the Aqaba Fortress. There isn’t much to see, but if you are in the area you can walk through quickly to see the interior areas. We also viewed the Ancient Islamic City of Ayla.
On our only full day in Aqaba, we decided to go to the Berenice Beach Club. It was 20 JOD each for a day pass and a two-hour, glass bottom boat tour with snorkelling. We had spoken to another glass bottom boat tour company, and they were going to charge 50 JOD for a two-hour tour. For less, we also got entry to the Beach Club.
The Berenice Beach Club was quite nice. There was a decent restaurant, a couple bars, a few pools, and beach access. They also offered various games and activities on site. We arrived later in the day, so we had lunch and then went on the glass bottom boat tour.
After the tour we sat alone the beach and then went for a swim in one of the pools. It was a very nice, relaxing day and the perfect way to spend the middle point of our Jordan trip. It’s always a good idea to plan a few down days to give yourself a break from all the touring and traveling.
Traveling North to Dead Sea
The next couple of days we spent, slowly traveling north towards the Dead Sea. You can easily do this drive in one day, but I knew that we would be moving a bit slower at this point in our trip.
We stopped to visit Shobak Castle. The area around the castle is very unique. There are lots of stone houses, some complete, some in ruin, along the hill leading to the castle. The drive to the castle is also where you will find the “smallest hotel in the world”. It’s an old VW bug converted to a bed.
As you get to the castle there is a sign directing you to the museum and car park. There’s a sign that says do not enter straight (the road leading to the castle), but if the barrier is down you can drive up to the castle and park in the small area at the top of the road. If the barrier is up, you will need to park in the car park outside the visitor centre and walk up to the castle. There is a sign for a museum and bazaar – there is no museum. It’s just a sign to get you into the shop.
We first headed to the visitor centre/museum, thinking this was the entrance, but it’s not. We then drove up the hill to the castle. The castle grounds are quite large. There are lots of rooms and areas to view. You can wonder freely around the grounds.
After Shobak Castle we made our way to the Dana Bioreserve, where we were staying for the night. Dana is an old town that was abandoned in the 1980s-1990s. The residents of the town, moved to a nearby newer town and left Dana to fall to ruin. There is now a new project in the works to revive Dana. The main road has a few hotels that have been restored, which is where we stayed for the night.
If you have more time, there are lots of walking trails leading for Dana. Including one long trail that takes you to a nearby town. We walked around the small town, then we headed to the end of the main road, overlooking the valley. We followed the road track down the hill a little way to get some pictures of the valley. We then found a nice spot on some ruins, in time to watch the sun set.
After the sunset we headed back to the hotel where dinner was being served. There are not many food options in Dana, so probably best to arrange dinner with your hotel, or one of the other hotels in the area. The dinner was buffet style, complete with all the usual Jordanian dinner options.
The next day we left Dana and continued north. Our first stop was the Museum at the Lowest Place on Earth and Lot’s Cave. The museum is interesting, with various information about the area. There is also information on Lot’s Cave, including artefacts found at the site.
After the museum we climbed the hill to view Lot’s Cave. You can go in a short distance inside the cave. Surrounding the cave is the church that was built around the cave. There was a mosaic floor in the church, which is now on display in the museum.
Next, we headed to Karak Castle. This was a fun castle to explore. It’s very large, with multiple floors. You can basically explore all areas of the castle. It was fun discovering the different rooms, and taking the stairs to the different levels.
For the night, we stayed in a remote hotel not far from Karak Castle.
Dead Sea
Our plan for the morning was to do the Siq Trail through Wadi Al Mujib, but unfortunately the canyon was closed for safety repairs. We were quite disappointed that we weren’t able to do this trail as it looked like a great adventure.
Instead, we headed to the Dead Sea Museum and Panorama Complex. The museum was all about the formation of the Dead Sea. It was interesting and I’m glad we stopped.
The complex is very new and modern. There’s a nice restaurant and a great viewpoint overlooking the Dead Sea.
After the museum we decided to head to our resort along the Dead Sea for an early check-in. We figured we would spend the rest of the day floating in the Dead Sea or relaxing in and by the resort pools.
After getting settled into the resort and grabbing some lunch, we made our way down to the beach along the Dead Sea. Walking into the water felt normal, but as soon as you lean back in the water, your feet shoot up and you’re floating on top of the water. It was such a strange feeling; your feet want to quickly rise to the top of the water and there’s not a whole lot you can do about it!
Trying to put your feet back under the water, to stand up, was a bit of a struggle. You really have to fight against the water to get your feet under your body. Once under your body, it’s easier to maintain. You can keep your feet down and legs straight and you can “walk” through the water. Your shoulders and chest are out of the water, even though you aren’t actually standing or touching the bottom.
It was such a strange sensation. We’ve never experienced anything like it. Unfortunately, my skin reacts to the salt, so I could only stay in for a short period of time. Ben didn’t have any issues, and probably would have stayed in all day – he was so enjoying being able to float.
We went into the Dead Sea multiple times during our stay. We couldn’t get enough of the floating.
While near the Dead Sea we took a quick trip away from the resort and visited Salt Beach. There’s a small parking lot along the main beach road, near Lot’s Wife. We walked down to the water and it was stunning. The salt along the water’s edge is like nothing we’ve seen before. It was amazing, and worth the trip as you don’t see much of the salt along the water at the resort.
On our last day, we hung around the resort until early afternoon and then made our way to a few final sites before heading to the airport. We went to a small archaeological site called Tall el-Hammam. You can find the location on Google maps, but the site is not marked at all. There is a small road off the main road that leads to the site. There is no information at the site, but there is a website and online resources available for information.
After that we headed to Mount Nebo. There’s a lot to see, more than we thought, so we were surprised. There is new church built over an old church. There are mosaics to view, as well as old statues and columns.
And of course there is the view. On the day we were there, there was not much of a view. We couldn’t see very far, but I’m sure it’s a nice view…
After that we headed to Madaba for dinner. We were driving right through the town on our way to the airport, so we thought it was a good stop for dinner. After that we headed to the airport for a late night flight to Alexandria, Egypt.