Current Status:
There is a genocide going on in Gaza. Every 45 minutes a child is killed. The world is watching a nation being starved.
What are we doing to stop it? Sadly it doesn’t seem like much. And that’s enough to break anyone’s heart
According to my current president we will be building a riviera over it once the war ends. We wont fight it, we will bull doze the land, build high rises and put up a monument to those who died. Historically this would be accurate for any colonizing country.
Flashback:
My trip to Jordan was booked in August of 2023 for November. Before the war broke out. As it got closer to going more and more people told me not to go. They said it was dangerous. I went anyway.
My mom was not happy.
Is It Safe to Go to Jordan Right Now?
Jordan is a beautiful country that shares a history and heritage with the Palestinian people. Day one in my hotel in Amman I struck up many conversations with other travelers. Most of them were from Palestine. They had come to Jordan to get passports. Israel doesn’t allow them to have them. If you didn’t know, approximately 50-60% of Jordans population is of Palestinian origin. There is an estimated 3 million Palestinians in Jordan, this includes those with Jordanian citizenship and those with refugee status.
Jordanian people are extremely welcoming. It is obvious I am not a local. People would randomly come over to ask where I was from and have conversations about New York. I never felt unsafe as a female traveler, and it did not feel like just across the border a war was raging.
It was empty of tourists. Many people book Jordan and Israel as a combo tour. For obvious reasons people were cancelling or postponing their trip to Israel. Jordan began to suffer from this. Tourism is one of Jordans main streams of revenue. Petra brings in nearly a million visitors per year.
Talking about traveling at a time like this can often feel trivial. But maybe it is more important then ever to explore places and cultures unknown to you. To understand that just because something is different it isn’t bad. Travel is political whether you like it or not. Where you choose to spend your money matters.
When traveling anywhere it might be a good idea to invest in travel insurance. Your home health insurance likely doesn’t cover insurance abroad especially since we aren’t just talking about health and well being. This can be a range of issues from cancelled flights, to stolen items and even to distessing political situations that can evolve when traveling. Safe and Not Sorry is a good source for insurance information. They help you compare options for long term stays anywhere in the world. If you are planning on staying abroad check them out here.
There are so many reasons to go to Jordan
When you decide to explore Jordan here are some things you shouldn’t miss! You can see the highlights of Jordan in a week. I recommend staying for 8-10 days to have a more leisure time exploring the big sites like Petra & Wadi Rum. There is a lot of important history and you don’t want to miss it.
Amman (2-3 nights)
You will most likely be flying into the capital. Make the most of it and stay for 2-3 nights to acclimate and see what the city has to offer. We booked a driver who took us around the whole trip instead of renting a car. He doubled as our guide for most of the trip, occasionally having local guides at certain attractions like Petra. I used Book2Jordan for my trip.
I also highly recommend getting the Jordan Pass it’s a pre-paid entry ticket to over 40 attractions which includes Petra, Jerash and Wadi Rum which are all must visits on your trip to Jordan. This will also include your tourist visa if you buy it before you arrive and stay a minimum of 2 nights. This pass will save you time and money.
The Jordan Pass is roughly $100USD. The cost of visa entry for a US citizen is $56USD and the entrance to Petra is about $50USD right there it covers the cost and then some.
Desert Castles
In the surrounding areas of Amman there are many castles. They are great examples of early Islamic art and architecture and often have frescos and mosaics that have endured time to remain visible. Referred to as castles because of their look and stature they are mostly old caravan stations with rich trade history and outposts that helped the Bedouins.
We did a loop and visited them all in one day. Each one isn’t too far from the other and you can view most of them in about 30 minutes but if you like history or architecture it is worth exploring.
Madaba – Mt. Nebo – Kings Way
Kings Highway is an ancient trade route that stretches to Petra and beyond. It connects many historical sites and offers beautiful views of mountains, valleys and canyons. You can use it to get to your next two sites and have some pretty great views on the way.
Madaba is known for its Byzantine era mosaics, most notably a 6th century map that depicts the Holy Land, including Jerusalem. You could spend the day exploring the historical park with its Roman colonnaded streets and churches dating back farther then the mosaics themselves.
Although I am not religious, I still enjoy religious history. Mount Nebo holds a lot of significance to Muslims and Christians because it is said to be where Moses first saw the Promised Land as it is described in the religious texts.
Mount Nebo boasts an incredible panoramic view of the Jordan Valley, the dead sea and Israel. It also has the Memorial Church of Moses which part active monastery and part museum which boasts its own pretty impressive mosaics.
Jerash
Jerash is an exceptionally well-preserved Greco-Roman City of ruins. It is the largest and most complete site of Roman architecture outside of Italy which is why it is often referred to as “Pompeii of the East”
Jerash dates back more than 6,500 years with civilizations habiting there throughout the centuries, with evidence of Neolithic settlements found at the site. It flourished under Greek, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine rule, with various cultures leaving their mark on its architecture and traditions.
It is an easy day trip from Amman, but I would reserve the day for Jerash. The complex is huge and there is a lot to explore.
Petra (2 days)
Petra is the big draw for Jordan. An ancient city known for its architecture, cut right out of the stone. You might recognize it from Indiana Jones. Heading thru the path that leads to the treasury building (you know the one) feels a bit like you are Indiana Jones about to start an adventure. Petra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the new 7 Wonder of the World. It is, simply said, a marvel to be hold.
Ordinarily it is hard to get shots in front of any structure without people but since the war had started many people had cancelled their trips to Jordan and we had very few people blocking our photos. I do recommend getting there very early in the morning. There is a lot to explore, and you can beat the crowds.
Beware there are lots of locals allowed to set up shop inside Petra. They are all trying to sell you something. For the most part people aren’t too pushy in Jordan and are fairly respectful but you still have to walk through hawkers.
I stayed 2 nights in Petra and for me that was enough. The town surrounding Petra is small and a bit touristy as you would expect. We did visit Petra twice. Once for a full day and then the evening before they have a night show at Petra. I have to say this is a miss for me. It was very anti climatic. It is a light and song show in front of the treasury. If you are dying to see Petra by candlelight, then by all means do it but for me it was a waste of money. The walk to and from the treasury is longer than the 30-minute show you sit thru which is just a bunch of color changing lights and one man singing.
At the price of $42 dollars, I would rather just have went in the day.
Wadi Rum (2 days)
Wadi Rum was my favorite part of my Jordan experience. Which is saying a lot since Petra was beyond my expectations. I could have stayed a bit longer glamping in the desert and been happy. The local Bedouin community was so friendly and welcoming. I spent long hours just having conversations about how they felt about the current situation and what they hoped the outcome would be, all these years later its distressing for it to not only have continued but it has only gotten worse.
Jeep Tour
Wadi Rum has been used as a filming location for many large productions. Everything from The Martian, Dune and even Star Wars has used its desert landscape to represent distant planets. When you go to Wadi Rum you have to do a jeep tour and, on that tour, you too will feel like you have entered a foreign planet. The vastness of the place, the way you can look in every direction and see no signs of civilization.
You would be wrong though. Dotted throughout the area are Bedouin communities. Local tribes that still live in tents. Many young people have left for the bigger towns and most film crews hire locals to help which has greatly changed the economic landscape for those involved.
The Zarb: A Unique Dining Experience
Our glamping resort provided a local dinner experience. What is the Zarb? It is an underground oven where food is slow cooked in the earth. Coals are heated in a pit dug in the sand and the food is placed on metal racks in a container and slow roasted for hours.
Once it’s pulled out of the ground everyone enjoys the meal communally in true Bedouin fashion. They are known for their hospitality and celebrations. Around a fire, there was music and singing and a meal consisting of rice, chicken and vegetables.
Most Glamping Resorts in the desert offer this experience.
Star Gazing
Wadi Rum is one of the most optimal places for star gazing due to its isolation and almost zero light pollution it provides a blank canvas for the sky to do its job. On clear nights stars, planets and even the Milky Way can be seen.
I did a tour that took us into the desert where 6 telescopes were set up. From there I saw Jupiter and its moons, Saturn and its rings and Orion’s Belt slowly appear in the sky. This is an experience I will never forget. My resort set this up for us and most glamping places provide similar ones.
On its own the cost is about 40USD but many camps offer packages that include this and the dining experience.
Dead Sea (Day Trip)
On the way to Petra we spent a half day at the Dead Sea. For me this was enough time. The Dead Sea is not an ocean you can spend a lot of time in. They recommend 10-20 mins at a time due to dehydration and skin irritation. You have to avoid getting it in your eyes and rinse off well. They have showers right by the sea so you immediately shower and drink water.
There are many resorts doting the coastline, all provide day passes. We went to the Crown Plaza for our day passes. The Crown Plaza is beautiful and has multiple pools and a large lounge area around the dead sea. We came in the morning spent some time in the sea and by the pool and a lunch buffet was also included.
The price for our day pass was about 60USD.
Aqaba (2 days)
Aqaba is where I went for a multi-day beach destination. It was a great way to end my time in Jordan. Aqaba is a port city located on the Red Sea. The beach resorts are popular for Jordanian’s and tourists alike. Scuba divers consider it a top destination with some notable dive sites (there is a shipwreck right in the harbor) and a large coral reef, Yamanieh, in the Aqaba Marine Park.
Drinking in Jordan
This was also the first place where we had alcohol. Jordan is a Muslim country and therefore it is fairly dry. Alcohol isn’t completely illegal here as it is in many Muslim countries, but it is heavily taxed therefore it tends to be expensive. Most western chain hotels will have bars, but we were staying in locally owned hotels that did not have bars. Amman does have bars and liquor stores as well.
Since Aqaba is a vacation destination and it gets many foreign tourists, it has everything from bars to beach clubs with DJ’s.
It is important to remember that even though you are allowed to drink that you should respect local custom. Drinking is not part of the Muslim culture and therefore it is not allowed in public places. Public drunkenness is also not allowed.
We were able to find plenty of happy hours around town which will help you save money on the high alcohol prices. Also, of note currently the Jordanian Dinar is worth much more than the USD. Check the current exchange rate at the time of your trip.
Snorkeling Cruise in the Red Sea
There are plenty of historical sites in Aqaba for you to spend time exploring. The Aqaba Fort and the Archaeological Museum are some to note but the most popular activities are Snorkeling and Wreck Diving.
I don’t dive so we did a half day snorkeling cruise. Most of the cruises last about 4-5 hours and include lunch. We did three different spots one being the Cedar Pride Shipwreck, which is a former Lebanese freighter, that sustained extensive damage during a fire in 1982. King Abdullah had the ill-fated vessel deliberately sunk approximately 200 m offshore as an artificial reef for divers. The water is shallow enough that even snorkeling you get a good view of the sunken ship and the marine life that now live in and around it.
Spending the last few days in Aqaba was the move. It was a beautiful and relaxing end to a wonderful trip.
Are you interested in going to Jordan?
