Jordan was one of the most surpising destinations for me. I remember many people asking me beforehand if it would be safe to travel there and I have to say I never felt unsafe at any point during my travels in Jordan.
The people all over the country were very friendly, helpful and open minded. Many people in europe including me before traveling there, dont have Jordan on their radar at all when thinking of their next travel destinations. Even more surprised I was about finding a country full of landscape beauty, culture, adventures and so much to explore.
We started our journey flying from Frankfurt to Amman with Royal Jordanian which was just a 4 hour flight. We got in late in the evening and stayed at Le Royal Amman Hotel, which was the perfect place as it was cozy, traditional and right in the center of Amman.
We explored Citadel, the temple of Hercules located on the highest hill in Amman from where you have perfect 360 degrees of the city. My highlight in Amman was the cooking class with a family of Nazareth who have created their own cooking school called Beit Sitti meaning Grandmums kitchen translated. Maria teaches you the traditional recipes of her grandmum in her former beautiful house which they have developed as a women local business. On the terrace you will enjoy all cooked dishes and it is a great activity for all who want to get a glimpse and learn about local arabic food.
The next stop was the dead see that you reach from Amman after 1 hour of driving. We stayed at the beautiful Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea which has a beach holiday atmosphere with the dead see right in front of the hotel. Bathing in the salty water with a cocktail floating by was the perfect evening relaxation and the colors of the sunsets going from orange to all forms of pink are one oft he nicest I have ever seen.
Our next stop was the Dana nature reserve that is a 2 hour drive from the dead see where we hiked around the huge white mountain landscape with lots of different rock formations shimmering so beautiful in the sunset and 250 animals living around the reserve. It was the first time to notice what breathtaking landscape this country hast to offer.
But my favorite highlight of entire Jordan was what was coming next : Petra. The more than 2000 years old lost city ist the most impressive cultural sight I have ever seen. Already entering the site, walking thorugh the high walled mountain formations feels like being on a different planet. The area of Petra is huge and you should plan in an entire day to walk through the hidden city and find many old temples, rock graves and of course the monastery. You will get a map at the entrance so you can easily walk around and find the most famous buildings. The views from the mountains you can walk up to are incredible beautiful overlooking the entire areal.
We stayed at Mövenpick Resort Petra which is right in front of the entrance of Petra and perfect for visiting the UNESCO world heritage sight. Make sure to go to Petra as early in the morning as possible to escape tourist crowds and have beautiful morning sun views.
Another thing you shouldnt miss when planning a trip to Jordan is a trip to the desert of Wadi Rum which is a 1,5 hour drive from Petra. We stayed at a camp right in the desert called Sun city camp which was quite simple but a fun and authentic experience. Do a jeep safari around the mountains in the desert and gaze at the clear sky full of stars at night. And dont forget to bring a jacket as it can get quite chilly there at nights 🙂
Our last stop before returning to Amman was the Ma`in hot springs Resort and Spa which is a wellness hotel embedded in a natural hotspring. The hotel has a beautiful spa and was the perfect relaxing ending of our journey through Jordan.
What else to know:
How to get around: you can book a tour in advance, get a private driver or also go from one location to the next by taxi as taxi prices in Jordan are relatively low.
How to dress: Jordan is a muslim country but the people are very open minded and modern. You see many girls wearing dresses or colorful headscarfs. I was wearing longer dresses most of the time and it was fine, but you might want to bring a cardigan or something to cover your shoulders in case you want to visit parts of Jordan away from the cities or religious sights.
