Jordan, Wadi Rum and Petra

2018

Jordan is a kingdom located just east of Israel. In general, it is a wonderful country to travel in — people are kind and helpful, and they do not come running after you to sell everything. We flew to Aqaba and rented a car to drive around the southern part of the country. We had three main goals: first to spend a couple of days by the Red Sea, then out into the Wadi Rum desert, and finally up to the ancient cultural center Petra.

Watch a video of our trip: Jordan Trip Video

The Red Sea in Jordan

There are many different diving centers along the 30 km Red Sea coast. It is fine to snorkel from the beach, because many coral reefs start less than 100 meters from the shore and at water depths below 10 meters. The reefs are worn, but there are still plenty of different fish to see. There is also a single tank and a small sports plane placed under 15 meters of water, which are popular diving targets.

The beaches are used heavily by both tourists and locals. You can rent diving equipment everywhere along the coast.

Wadi Rum Desert

The Wadi Rum desert is located east of Aqaba. It is a fantastic desert with oases, mountains, lush canyons and some beautiful sunsets. We sleep on mattresses under the open sky — it is wonderful. We had bought a guide who drove us around to the many different attractions. We spent two nights with a Bedouin who was born and raised in Wadi Rum.

We used a small young company that specializes in tours where you sleep outdoors. It is run by a young Bedouin from Wadi Rum City — can absolutely be recommended.

Petra

Petra is an area 3 hours drive north of Aqaba. The area was one of the capitals of the East a couple of thousand years ago, and people have lived there for at least 3000 years. Large parts of the area are very well preserved, although strong earthquakes occur from time to time. Many buildings are carved out of the mountain itself instead of being built from stone — this makes them extremely durable against vibrations.

The entire area is a major tourist attraction, but if you do NOT want to wander around like lemmings, you can easily hire a local Bedouin who can take you on a tour where you walk through mountain passes and only meet the tourist crowds at the very end of the route. Some of the local guides have lived in the area all their lives and therefore know all the shortcuts.

We chose to stay in the small town of Uum Sayhoun, which is located 7 km north of the tourist crowds at the official main entrance to Petra. We stayed with a Bedouin family running a small basic B&B, but he was super good as a guide because he was born in the Petra area itself.

If you want to take the mountain path into Petra, you should start early in the morning. On the open stretches, the temperature is best in the morning, and before you reach the entrance to the canyon that leads into the Petra city, you have walked about 3000 meters in altitude. Remember to bring water and of course a camera.

Little Petra

If you have a day to spare, I can recommend spending an afternoon in an area 15 km north of Petra — it is called Little Petra, and it also starts with a narrow canyon that leads into a very beautiful valley. There are only few tourists, and if you feel like a hike, you can walk down into the valley and follow it for a few km and back again.