A quick road trip to the most important sights in Jordan
If you look at my itenary you might wonder: What did she do? Traveling Jordan by going down to Petra, back up to the Dead Sea and then to Wadi Rum? Well, I had a special date in Wadi Rum with some great Arabian Horses, so I had to adjust my schedule a bit. You don’t need to do the same of course, but you surely can.
Travel tips for Amman, Jordan
Best travel tip for Jordan: Get the Jordan Pass before you go. You get your visum fee and entry to several sights/sites, among them Petra and the Citadel in Amman and more. This also helps, if you accidently break into the site by following children with goats, like I did. 😅 On the photo: The hand of Hercules.
A serious travel tip, let’s see if you agree: You can drive anywhere in Jordan, but in Amman: just don’t. When you see how three lanes are turned into six on any road, because everybody seems to know miraculously how big their cars really are, you will be thankful I let you know beforehand. Personally, it was enough adventure for me to cross the streets.
Hotel in Amman
Jordan Tower Hostel was a pretty good choice.
Food in Amman
Go to Habibah and eat Kanafeh, you are welcome.
Sights in Amman
Roman Theater, Hand of Hercules and the Old Market.
Additional Tips
Get the Jordan Travel Pass. Visa and several sights are included.
Travel tips for Petra, Jordan
Petra at night – is it worth it? Opinions differ but for me it was. It was the first time I saw the ancient city.
Walking towards the site in the dark with all the lanterns has a unique atmosphere you don’t get at day. And while the traditional show rather made me feel really touristy – it did not destroy what comes after: the lighting up of the treasury in many different colors.
It is nicer to fall back and enjoy walking through the canyon by yourself. If you go fast you will probably end up in the first row for the show, but I wished I had gone slower.
A lot depends on timing in Petra. I was there early 6:15am and – after Petra at night – was almost disappointed when I came out of the #siq. (Photo to the left) Advantage: Almost no tourists.
The second image I took close to the official viewpoint at 8:20am. The 3rd image bottom right, I took at 8:40am. And from then on you could watch the treasury light up.
The better view, if you ask me at least: The unofficial point of view. Or the Bedouin one. Next to the treasury, you can see the theater and watch the people in the siq from above. It is worth climbing the stone on top of the viewpoint – as you can see in the photo 😁
The Bedouins will take you there for a little sum, depending on how much sympathy they have for you, I guess. However, I met somebody who went by himself, too. They climb seems steep, but there is a way up, you just have to find it.
The Monastery in Petra is well worth the climb. Not only for the site but also for the view. And it is a climb for sure, even though an easy one with stairs. If you don’t have the right shoes and start getting blisters it can be quite painful, though. Travel tip for today: Skip the trekking sandals or test them in sandy areas first as there is a lot of sandy paths around.
The promised Petra navigation tip, especially when you are one of the first visitors it is easy to get lost.
On the way to the viewpoint to the right of the treasury you’ll come across this sign. What it means: Walk first right AND then left/straight. You end up with the view on the second image, there are stairs made of stone leading down and from then on it is easy to find. If you walk only to the right, maybe because you did not see the second sign like me, you’ll end up on a beautiful path, but a wrong one.
Last #traveltip for #Petra or in this case rather #wadimusa: Stay at Esperanza Hotel! Not only, because you can walk in 7 minutes to Petra’s entry but also because the owner brought me this wonderful plate after he saw my sore feet, so I would not have to walk anymore. Loved it! Oh and you have nice view, too.
Hotel near Petra
Esperanza Petra was my most excellent hotel choice in Jordan. You walk in minutes to the ancient city, you have a bit of a view and the owner is more than friendly.
Food in Petra
I lived of snacks and the plate the owner of Esperanza served me. All in all delicious 🙂
Sights in Petra
So many! The treasury, the siq, the tombs, the theatre. Everywhere you look there is history!
Additional Tips for Petra
You need your day ticket (or Jordan Pass) along with your Petra at night ticket to get in.
Travel tips for the Dead Sea and Wadi Mujib
There are beaches with mud, mostly where the resorts are, and many, many people. There are also smaller entries, that don’t have muddy beaches, but where you can float almost by yourself. Both has something going for it, I enjoyed having the Dead Sea for myself. Choose and enjoy – in any way it is a very unique experience 😉 And you’ll find every single scratch you ever had.
Don’t skip Wadi Mujib, I had a blast there. Try to be early (see hotel tip) You don’t need a guide, be sure to wear sandals you can close and prepare to be completely under water and swim, struggle and fight. It came as a surprise to me, but the guides at the reception warned me – lucky me. 😁
Hotel close to the Dead Sea
I stayed at the Mujib Chalets, situated perfectly in walking distance to the Dead Sea and Wadi Mujib.
Food at the Dead Sea
Dinner at the chalet was ok, I have eaten better in Jordan.
What to see here
The Dead Sea – swimming, looking at, driving along it and Wadi Mujib.
Additional Tips
Don’t miss the sunset, it was amazing.
Travel tips for Wadi Rum
There can be only one tip for Wadi Rum: Don’t miss out on it! I was lucky enough to have a 6 days there with a horse riding trip that I will never forget. I went with Jordan Tracks, a company that does different kind of tours to suit every taste (and level of riding). They also completely adjust to your wishes, if the tour is not perfect for you.
This is the view out of my tent in their main camp close to Wadi Rum.
Riding an Arabian Horse through the desert of Wadi Rum brings you places you are unlikely to see when going by Jeep or by foot (I mean, who is going by foot anyways? For real. It is a desert, it is freaking hot. What is up with you guys, are you super humans?)
This was one of our camps. And while you stare at millions stars at night, this is what you wake up to. I have a hard time digging into my memory to find a better place I’ve ever woken up.
What I missed out on in Jordan
Aqaba – and the natives said that is rather stupid.
How to get around
As this was my first traveling solo in quite some time I was not keen to drive by myself. I hired a driver via Mohamad. Ask for Ahmed, he was the best driver one could wish for! For 6 days I was with Jordan Tracks in Wadi Rum
Travel Guide used
Lonely Planet Jordan – and I liked it a lot!