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Tour Highlights

About Jordan Travel

Amman: Amman has been the country’s capital in both modern and ancient eras. It is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.  That comes through in the sense of timelessness found in the profusion of gleaming white houses, kebab stalls with roasting meat and tiny cafes, where rich Arabian coffee is sipped in the afternoon sunshine. Throughout history, Amman has been inhabited by several civilizations. The first on record dates to the Neolithic period, around 8500 BC.  Old Amman is filled with souks, bazaars, small shops and single family dwellings.  West Amman is less crowded and more scenic. It is considered one of the richest and most Western-oriented cities in the Middle East.  Most of the city’s upscale hotels are located here as well. Amman is well worth investigating.

Jerash: North of Amman, Jerash, the Roman city of Gerasa, displays some of the finest, most extensive and well-preserved remains of the former empire to be found anywhere.  The colonnaded streets, temples, theaters, bathhouses and the magnificent oval plaza are complemented by the superbly restored hippodrome.  In the time of Roman rule, it held up to 15,000 people.  The Roman Army and Chariot Experience reenactment explores life thousands of years past.

Petra: Petra remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt came upon the site.  This UNESCO World Heritage Site is “one of the most precious cultural properties of man’s cultural heritage.”  It is renowned for its rock-cut architecture, the legacy of the Nabateans, an industrious Arab people who settled in south Jordan more than 2,000 years ago.  Much of Petra’s appeal comes from its spectacular setting deep inside a narrow desert gorge.  From the main entrance, the visitor travels on foot through the awesome “Siq,” an immense crack in the sandstone that winds for one kilometer between overhanging cliffs. Petra’s most famous monument, the Treasury, appears dramatically at the end of the Siq.  Petra includes hundreds of buildings, facades, tombs, baths, funerary halls and temples as well as a 3000-seat theater from the 1st Century AD.

Dead Sea: The Dead Sea is 1,378 feet below sea level, and its shores are the lowest point on dry land on the surface of the Earth.  The sea itself is about 1,240 feet deep, and is one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water, more than eight times saltier than the oceans.  The Jordan River is the only major water source flowing into the Dead Sea. It has an array of luxurious resorts, sophisticated and trendy hotspots, and a wide assortment of water sports from which to choose.  There are also health spas and hot springs along the shore.  These mystical waters are believed by some to possess healing powers, and have drawn everyone from kings to commoners to its shores.

Wadi Rum: Stunning in its natural beauty, Wadi Rum epitomizes the romance of the desert.  With its “moonscape” of prehistoric valleys and towering sandstone mountains rising out of the desert sand, Wadi Rum is home to several Bedouin tribes, who live in scattered camps throughout the area. Climbers are attracted to Wadi Rum for its sheer granite and sandstone cliffs.  Hikers enjoy its vast empty spaces, where one can still capture a sense of solitude.  Wadi Rum is probably best known for its connection with the enigmatic British officer T.E. Lawrence, who was based here during the Great Arab Revolt of 1917-18. Much of David Lean’s movie Lawrence of Arabia was filmed in Wadi Rum. Lawrence described the setting as “vast, echoing and God-like.”

Aqaba: Aqaba is a coastal town in the far south of Jordan.  With its balmy winter climate and peaceful setting, Aqaba is Jordan’s year-round aquatic playground, known today as a diving and beach resort.  The thriving underwater marine life and the crystal clear waters of the Gulf of Aqaba make diving conditions among the best anywhere. Snorkeling, water skiing, windsurfing, fishing and other water sports are also popular.

Best Times to Travel to Jordan:
Festivals & Special Events

• Jordan’s climate varies dramatically. The best time to visit is spring or autumn to dodge the baking summer sun and winter’s freezing winds. Although winter can be bitterly cold in most of the country, the Red Sea area and Aqaba are still very pleasant.  Jordan Valley can reach 104°F in summer, while Amman and Petra occasionally get snow in winter.  The Plateau area is usually warm and dry, between the low 70°Fs and high 90°Fs.  The desert suffers extremes of temperature: baking dry heat interspersed with freezing winds from central Asia.  Aqaba boasts winter temperatures in mid-70° F.
• Ramadan is a month of fasting between sunrise and sunset to conform to the fourth pillar of Islam. If you are here in September – October, please be sensitive to the fact that most of the people around you are fasting. Ramadan ends with a huge feast, Eid al-Fitr, where everyone prays together, visits friends, gives presents and celebrates.
• Eid Al-Adha, held around February (though the month changes almost every year), is the other big feast of the year, and coincides with the holy Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
• Amman International Theatre Festival, in April, is an annual festival and the only one in the Middle East and North Africa to be organized by an independent theater company. Performances are mainly in Arabic and English. It was first held in 1994.
• Jordan International Rally, held in April, is a road race in and around the Jordan Valley and within the Rumman forests, providing challenging routes both above and below sea level.