Top 5 things to see in Jordan

A safe haven in a region of conflict, Jordan has delighted visitors for centuries with its World Heritage sites, friendly towns and inspiring desert landscapes. Here are just a few reasons why a Jordanian adventure should be high up on everyone’s travel bucket list:

1. The Dead Sea

Although it goes by the name “The Dead Sea”, this incredible natural wonder is actually a salt lake, located in the Jordan Rift Valley and bordered by Jordan, Israel and Palestine. Known for being one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water, it also occupies Earth’s lowest point on land, 430m below sea level. The salts and minerals of the water are thought to have therapeutic properties and are often used in treatments for skin and joint conditions, as well as in cosmetics.

2. Wadi Rum

Literally translating as “Roman Valley”, Wadi Rum is also known as The Valley of the Moon. Situated in southern Jordan, the valley is a warren of canyons, water holes and rock formations shaped out of the sandstone and granite rock. Home to local Bedouin people that still maintain a semi-nomadic lifestyle, Wadi Rum is an ideal destination to explore by foot, on camel-back or in a 4x4 vehicle.

3. Petra

Best known for the façade of its iconic Treasury, which famously appeared in the film ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’, the “pink city” of Petra is an entire city carved from the desert rock. Established by the Nabataean people over 2000 years ago, it’s no wonder that this vast city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The entrance to the city is through a Siq, or narrow gorge, which stretches over 1km in length. It is possible to spend days exploring the city’s temples, tombs and collonaded streets, taking in the beauty of the intricate carvings in its colourful rock.

4. Amman

Built on a series of hills between the desert and the fertile Jordan Valley, the capital city of Amman is a unique blend of ancient and modern. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and its ancient past can be seen everywhere, from its Roman ruins and amphitheatre to the Citadel that sits on the city’s highest hill with a history spanning some 7000 years. Meanwhile, Amman’s commercial area is a hub of modernity full of new buildings and hotels, the leafy suburbs boast elegant avenues and crisp white houses, while Downtown is the beating heart of the city, with its many markets, mosques and coffeehouses.

5. Mujib & Dana Biosphere Reserves

Mujib and Dana are two of Jordan’s most spectacular nature reserves, popular with tourists who want to get out and explore their unique landscapes along the many canyons and hiking trails. Mujib Biosphere Reserve is the lowest nature reserve in the world, reaching 410m below sea level where the Wadi Mujib gorge enters the Dead Sea. Its complex river system supports over 300 species of plants, 10 species of carnivores, as well as a wide range of birds. Dana Biosphere Reserve is Jordan’s largest nature reserve and the only one to comprise four different bio-geographical zones (Mediterranean, Irano-Turanian, Saharo-Arabian and Sudanian). As such, Dana is able to support plants and animals characteristic of the desert, of Mediterranean forests and even of the dry plains of Russia.

 

TD active Holidays offer small group tours to Jordan which allow you to wander through ancient ruins in Jerash and Aljoun, marvel at the mosaics of Madaba, and discover the secrets of the capital, Amman, with its many museums, bustling markets and historic sites from down through the ages. You’ll also have the chance to experience some of Jordan’s wonderful great outdoors, with hikes in the remarkable Mujib Nature & Dana Reserves, a boat trip to snorkel among the colourful coral of the Red Sea, a 4x4 jeep tour and overnight stay in the desert valley of Wadi Rum, as well as a soak in the healing salty waters of the Dead Sea.

If you would like to get to know Jordan through its people, culture and cuisine, as well as its ancient sites and natural wonders, then you have come to the right place.