7 days in Jordan – Trip Highlights and What I Would do Differently

Trip Highlights

Wadi Rum: The landscape of Wadi Rum was breathtaking. Add to that the desert safari on  the 4×4, overnight stay in a desert camp and a camel ride made this a very memorable couple of days.

Exploring Petra: Discovering this ancient city of the Nabateans was remarkable.  Having an additional day to explore the city and to see some of the lesser known monuments and hike upto some of the best viewpoints was a real highlight, not to mention my personal best of 35000+ steps in a day.

Snorkeling in the Red Sea at Aqaba:
This has been a bucket list item for a long time. So I was specially thrilled to be able to swim and see the vividly coloured corals in the clear blue waters of the Red Sea.

Roman Ruins at Jerash: One of the best preserved roman ruins outside of Italy, among the ruins of Jerash are an Amphitheatre,  Temple of Zeus, Temple of Artemis, several Byzantine churches and an impressive Colonnade. Walking among the ruins very much reminded me of the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill in Rome.

What I do would do differently on a return trip

Travel when it is a bit warmer. Although low season brings many advantages (low prices, fewer tourists), the weather is a downside. We had a very cold night in the desert, and we couldn’t swim in the dead sea due inclement weather. So I think if I were to visit again, I would travel in the the shoulder seasons of October/November or March/April.

Wadi Rum: Stay in the desert camp for 2 nights and explore Wadi Rum a little more. One night wasn’t really enough to soak up the atmosphere of the stunning landscape. I’d also splash out for a camp with ensuite facilities and hot water.

Explore Amman: Although my trip started and ended in Amman, I only had a few hours to explore Amman. Downtown Amman was a mix of vibrant colours, and I would like to spend a bit more time at the souk and the shops.

Stay the night at the dead sea. We had only half a day on this trip at the Dead Sea and unfortunately the weather was very windy and the sea very rough. I think an overnight stay would have given us the chance to relax and swim the next day.

Petra by night: We missed out on the Petra by night tour as it was not on the dates were were travelling. Given how magnificient it was in day light,  I would love to see it lit up at night.

Overall, it was a really memorable trip and my very first exploration into the Middle East. I found Jordan a fascinating with many World famous sights packed in to relatively modest sized country. I look forward to returning one day, perhaps at a more leisurely place to take in all it has to offer.