Roadtrippin’ the Beautiful kingdom of Jordan
Jordan, an Oasis in the desert landscapes of the middle east, even though nine tenths of the kingdom might be desert, there is plenty to see and do around the country, from lush green fertile lands in Azraq to Eco-lodges built deep into the flourishing nature reserves and the funny feeling you get floating in the ever salty waters of the Dead Sea, its just waiting to be explored and enjoyed.
We drove around Jordan over 2 weeks in the last week of April 2018, having the convenience of a car is unbeatable for exploring the lesser visited parts of the country and also allows for a lot of flexibility, being a desert the weather is mild and the tourist crowds are not their peak yet, so was a perfect time to venture, we could have easily spent a week more exploring few more places in the north and south of the country, but made the choice to visit a few sites over others, but if you have time then a 3 week plan would be ideal to take in the sights this beautiful country has to offer at a slow pace.
You can follow all our travels live on Polarsteps.
What better way to show the list of places to visit other than on a beautiful interactive map.
A quick time and money saving tip before we start exploring, buy a JORDAN PASS online and save on Visa fees and also on the costly Petra tickets and free entry to most of the historic sites, when we did the math it worked out to a good 40% savings if we had not had the pass. You have to buy it before you arrive.
Amman and Around
Jerash
We landed late in the night and settled in our suite hotel with a 10am start for the next day, well rested we head towards the Roman ruins city of Jerash, the towering columns with impressive sculptures and the main paths lead to the various sites, plan to spend a good 3 to 4 hours walking around all the ruins.
Driving in Amman was a bit chaotic and parking was too difficult, so we hired a driver for the day.
The roman ruins in Jerash
The Oval plaza
The towering Corinthian columns
Southern theatre
The Oval plaza
Temple of Artemis
Southern theatre
Baths of Placcus
Nymphaeum
Stone streets that once led to Syria, now lined with sellers selling stone jewellery and souvenirs
Agora
Amman Citadel and Amman City
Located on top of the highest hill are the roman ruins from the bronze age and before. There’s plenty to see, but the Citadel’s most striking sights are the Temple of Hercules and the Ummayad Palace, of particular interest is the archeological museum, it presents artifacts from archaeological sites in Jordan, dating from prehistoric times to the 15th century and many even date 10,000 years ago to the Palaeolithic age.
Roman odeon city and the market streets make for an interesting visit too.
The streets of Amman with umbrella decorations
Colourful clothes on show in one of the markets
Anthropoid Coffins made of baked clay
Roman Amphitheatre in Amman
Roman temple of Hercules
Views of Amman city from the hill
Azraq and Shaumari Reserves
Day 2 morning, Waving goodbye to Amman, we drove toward Azraq wetlands reserve, After a 2 hour drive along dusty roads and hot hot sun, we arrived in the Azraq reserve. Its an Oasis in the desert village. The reserve employs local people and the produce is all local. The whole site runs on solar power during the day which was a common scene in all of Jordan.
Serene stay in the middle of the desert at Azraq
Ecolodges like this and many more in Jordan are made possible by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature(RSCN), founded in 1966 to rescue some of the country’s endangered beauty spots. Since then it has established six protected wilderness reserves in Jordan, all very different, with emphasis on eco-tourism, community projects and conservation.
The Eco system is very fragile, as the information in the visitor centre explains, the wetlands have been drained due to over abstraction of water in a water scarce country making it over a twentieth of its original size in just a few decades and are now in the process of being restored by pumping water into the marsh. As you walk the marsh billboards indicate areas that would be filled with water to the deep, few tens of years ago and are now barren.
The boardwalk trail across the reserve meanders not just through head-high reeds and across pools heaving with rare black-and-white striped killish, it also skirts what was once the shore of ‘Ain Soda, a sizeable lake fed by a spring
The Arabian Oryx was hunted to extinction in Jordan around the 1920’s for its meat horn and fur, thanks to the conservation efforts of the Oryx project with just 3 animals from Oman, london Zoo and in the US, the Oryx was brought back to life from a complete wipe out and now RSCN backs the Oryx project at the Shaumari reserve, the number are steadily on the rise and here the Oryx are breed and trained to be re-introduced into the wild, the wetlands also provide Oryx safaris to spot them in their natural desert habitat.
The Arabian Oryx part of the conservation project in the wetlands
The dance of the birds
A romantic session in progress
A Cattle Egret's nest next to the reed bed lake
Water Snakes abound on the wetland marsh lake
Cattle Egret still as a rock waiting for its prey
Fishes feeding on the marsh lake can be seen from the boardwalk
The Arabian Oryx part of the conservation project in the wetlands
The Arabian Oryx part of the conservation project in the wetlands
Houbara Bustard at the wetlands
Solar panels power the eco lodge during the day
Old Land Rover has become a masterpiece showpiece at the entrance to the ecolodge
2 Days: Petra by Night and by Day
Rose-red city of Petra, also the capital of the Nabataeans, built more than two thousand years ago in the heart of the Shara Mountains. Along the trading route connecting ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt was very prosperous and was a vital part of the economy, intricate facades sculpted into the sandstone cliffs of the area can still be seen along with other remarkably preserved structures and monuments of this fascinating civilisation.
The treasury view beautifully appears from between the rocks
Petra by Night
We did the Petra by Night on the first evening. A lovely and romantic atmosphere. The path to the treasury is lit by candles in paper bags leading you to the main treasury, the foyer is lit by an array of candle lights and the whole monument glows golden. Local bedouins play music inviting you with warm and sweet bedouin tea served, its a different kind of experience, you need a separate Petra by night ticket along with the day ticket or a Jordan Pass.
The main treasury glows in the warm light of more than a hundred candles.
Petra by Day
Exploring the rose red city by day is equally beautiful, the rose red rock monuments glow by the early morning and late evening glow of the sun. We started early to beat the crowds to see the treasury by the day, climbed up to a vantage point for some photography and hiked to the monastery. Was a tiring climb in the midday sun, but was worth it. The evening was spent at leisure with some cocktails at the cave bar.
Ad Deir, or the Monastery is one of the largest monuments in Petra. This was used as a biclinium for the meetings of religious associations.
Our little guide Ahmed took us to the top for a different angle of the main Treasury
Rose red wonder carved on the rock face, the majestic Treasury
The great Temple complex represents one of the major archaeological and architectural monuments of central Petra
Well preserved floor mosaics in The Church in Petra
The Royal Tombs, magnificent facades adjacent to each other with towering structures.
Colourful ceiling designs adorn the high place of sacrifice.
The Theatre, carved into the side of the mountain at the foot of the High place of Sacrifice can accommodate 4000 spectators.
The tombs cut into the rock faces
Camels await to transport weary tourists around the Petra city.
A half hour hike leads you to the top of the adjacent hill for top down views of the Treasury
The Siq leads the way along multi coloured rocks and high ridges to the main Treasury.
The Siq leads the way along multi coloured rocks and high ridges to the main Treasury.
The Siq leads the way along multi coloured rocks and high ridges to the main Treasury.
Rock carvings can be found all along the siq trail.
The narrow gorge leads visitors into Petra. the Siq resulted from a natural splitting of the mountain and is 1.2km long.
The path to the treasury is lit by candles in paper bags leads you to the main treasury
The path to the treasury is lit by candles in paper bags leads you to the main treasury
The path to the treasury is lit by candles in paper bags leads you to the main treasury
Martian Landscapes of Wadi Rum
With vivid memories of Petra still fresh, we drive towards the southern end of Jordan, home to the enchanting Wadi Rum desert, we were met by Fawaz of Wadi Rum Nomads, the next 3 nights will be spent in the desert camps made of goat fur.
We parked our car next to the Wadi Rum Nomads office in the village and from there Fawaz drove us in a Toyota Land Cruiser to the camp 20 mins away and into the desert, it was then the view began to unfold, the colourful sand had shades ranging from reddish brown to dark reds, the rock faces jutting abruptly in the middle of nowhere, we were literally transported to Mars, no wonder most of the Mars related movies are filmed here, especially The Martian.
Desert camping at Wadi rum
We spent 3 nights and 2 days in Wadi Rum and did a range of activities from Desert safari to hiking, sand dunes, big and small rock arches to rock canyons, the day ends with a sunset hike to view the beautiful sunset from atop amazing rock formations, evenings are spent back at camp in the tented dining camp where a tasty lunch prepared in bedouin style awaits, we had good vegetarian options too to keep us happy.
The nights and early mornings are spent star gazing, shooting the milky way and enjoying the sunrise.
One of the ways to dry a towel in the Desert 🙂
Sand art created by nature
The colourful sands in Wadi Rum
On the back of the Toyota cruiser exploring the Wadi Rum desert
Exploring the Wadi Rum desert in style.
Our own little corner of the Desert with lunch cooked over a fire in true Bedouin style.
The Wadi Rum desert scapes are so inviting
A view towards Saudia Arabia
Views on the Hike in the desert
Bedouin with his Camels in Wadi Rum
Bedouin with his Camels in Wadi Rum
Beautiful Camels and Suni had to do a pose with them
The big arch in Wadi Rum, there is a narrow steep climb to the top for views of the area
The rock formations and crevices could have been formed by water millions of years ago.
The rock formations and crevices could have been formed by water millions of years ago.
Exploring the canyons in the desert
Mushroom rock
A play of light and shadows and the shades of sand provide a vivid scene.
Our guide Rashid preparing lunch in our desert pit stop.
We chose a nice corner for our lunch pit stop.
Rock formations near the Lawrence of Arabia site.
Layers of rock formations provide a nice scene
Exploring the Khazali canyon
Exploring the Khazali canyon
Exploring the Khazali canyon
The camel said - “Follow me and I will show you the Oasis” We were on top of a small rocky hill when we saw a bedouin with his camels walking towards us, quickly went a few steps down and took a suitable position to compose a shot where the camels line up with the up hill sand mound and the leading lines around them point to the direction of the travel, and it all came up as envisioned.
Orangish red sands of Wadi Rum.
Orangish red sands of Wadi Rum.
Martian rock formations are a frequent scene in the Wadi Rum desert.
On the sand dunes of Rum
Lawrence Springs
Suni at Wadi Rum
Hejaz Railway Train of Wadi Rum, a refurbished locomotive from a bygone era in the middle of the Jordanian desert.
The refurbished locomotive sitting at this desert station invokes the memory of the century-old conflict that helped shape the modern Middle East
The refurbished locomotive sitting at this desert station invokes the memory of the century-old conflict that helped shape the modern Middle East
Inside one of the refurbished compartment with wooden seating
The refurbished locomotive sitting at this desert station invokes the memory of the century-old conflict that helped shape the modern Middle East
The various controls and valves that control the steam loco engine.
A Jewel In The Desert : Feynan Eco Lodge
Winding roads and beautiful view points, we drive from Wadi Rum to Dana Biosphere to the pioneer of community-based tourism in heart of the biosphere. The 26 room hotel is surrounded by four Bedouin tribes. All of them who work here are from the tribes and majority of the produce is sourced locally.
Located in the middle of the bio sphere, its a stay that we can never forget.
There are plenty of activities included with the stay and you can choose whatever you wish and is sure to keep you busy and entertained, on one of the evenings we went for a sunset hike to a nearby hill accompanied by the young in-house guide Suleiman Al-Hasaseen, he keeps us all entertained with his stories, along the way Suleiman shows us where he was born next to a rock few yards from the lodge.
He tells us his job at Feynan is the reason he’s happy to remain in the desert. “I never thought people from around the world would be interested in how my family lives,” he says. “I feel a sense of pride sharing our traditions.”
After sunset with a bedouin style tea, we head back to the lodge for a sumptuous and delicious all vegetarian meal, it was one of the best meals we had in all of Jordan and the varieties and innovative dishes were just amazing, followed by an evening of star gazing and a lesson on the various galaxies. The sound of the sheep, cry of the wolves and the call of the owls soothe you to a relaxing sleep.
Rooms in Feynan are build in traditional style stone beds and cave style rooms.
Every night the lodge is lit in hundreds of candles and are the only light source, what a way to be one with nature as in the olden days.
An all vegetarian meal at the lodge was the best we had in all of Jordan.
The rooms have nice views of the desert scapes.
One of the best places to relax, so serene chilling under the tree is such a change.
On one of the river beds that has now dried up, a big river must have flown here hundreds of years ago.
You are not alone here, and you have a big crowd for company and to keep you entertained.
The hiking trails see quite a bit of traffic.
Floating In The Dead Sea
Wdi Mujib hiking trail, Lowest point museum, Maan hot springs, Mount Nebo
Have you ever had the feeling of floating effortlessly on water, you might say its magic until you have felt the waters of the dead sea, you just walk in and lie down like on a comfy bed and you just float, that funny feeling of buoyancy is just amazing.
Effortless floating in the dead sea, its just a different feeling that needs to be experienced.
We chose to stay at Mujib Chalets another one of RSCN’s fantastic lodges, just with 16 chalets, these are much quieter and less crowded than the nearby dead sea resorts, and with private access to the dead sea, it was the best choice. Wadi Mujib siq trail is just opposite the road with early access to beat the rush.
Dead sea black mud has therapeutic benefits on the skin, get them for 5JOD from the reception or you can find them by digging a bit of sand from the shore, have a dip in the salty water for 15 minutes, then smear the mud all over the body, let it dry for 20 mins and then float again for another 30 mins for the benefits.
Dead sea black mud treatment, doesn’t smell very good but supposed to have benefits for the skin.
Floating and enjoying the sticky and salty waters of the dead sea, not sure what Suni thought thou ? 🙂
Top Tip: wear water proof or swimming pool shoes, the stone and shore lines have sharp rocks and a cut on your leg and the highly salty water, and you know what happens next :).
Chalets with a view worth it.
Floating like a boat
Its 10 times as salty and the density makes it easy to float.
View across the dead sea plains from the climb up to Lots cave
Preserved marble on the Lots cave
Jordan Rift valley and the stones beneath dates back to 600 million years
Jordan Rift valley and the stones beneath dates back to 600 million years
A setup of a typical Bedouin tent
Visitor centre info on the people around here
Museum on the lowest point on earth stands at 410m below sea level.
Museum on the lowest point on earth stands at 410m below sea level.
Sunset at the Mujib Chalets by the Dead Sea
A beautiful sunset by the Dead Sea
The Chalets are beautiful and close to the sea
Suni with her favourite Kalamkari dress by Gorgeous You
Rock formation over millions of years
Suni with her favourite Kalamkari dress by Gorgeous You
Suni with her favourite Kalamkari dress by Gorgeous You
The textures in the rocks could tell a million years of stories
Blue skies and the green waters, what a lovely contrasts
Driving in Jordan
Its safe and easy to drive in Jordan, hiring a car gave us the freedom to visit far away places, the joy of getting lost and finding something exciting and the freedom of flexibility in our plans. Except in the chaotic city of Amman everywhere else it was enjoyable driving, the wide open desert roads were a thrill, we stopped at a few farms breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the scenery. So if you are a bit confused, we would fully recommend renting a car for your trip. Be very careful with the speeds as there are quite a few police speed checks on most of the highway roads.
Wide open roads are a pleasure to drive
Visited a watermelon farm on the way
Visited a watermelon farm on the way
wide open wow moments like these on the roads make self driving a pleasure
Every beautiful trip comes to an end, but hope this inspires you to travel
We left Jordan with great memories with us to last forever, we felt Jordan to be completely safe, even though issues with the neighbouring countries have seen visitor numbers dwindling in the last few years.Would nevertheless encourage you all to come and visit Jordan. You will be amazed by the warm hospitality of Jordanians, the food, the beauty of Petra, the experience of the dead sea and the colourful shades of sand at Wadi Rum and many other places you will get to experience yourself.
RSCN eco lodges at Azraq, Mujib, Petra Guest house Hotel, Feynan Eco Lodge
Car hire from MonteCar
Wadi Rum Tours by Wadi Rum Nomads
Canon 5D Mark III + MeFoto Roadtrip + Canon 16-35 F4 + Canon 24-104 F4 + f-stop Loka + Canon SX720
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