Jordan

[maranella]

Has anyone been to Jordan? We would be going in Feb with DC who will be 12 and 16. Can you recommend it as a destination and what did you enjoy? Our DC aren't particularly interested in culture, but we'll definitely go to Petra if we go as DH and I want to seet it. Our DC like adventure, good food, wildlife, quirky and/or interesting experiences. Oh and did I mention food?

Yes. I don’t find Amman that interesting but fine for a couple of days. Loved Petra and had a nice time at a beach resort hotel in Aqaba. Wadi Rum would be great with teenagers, DS was a toddler and too young to do it.

We've been twice on organised holidays. Once when our DD was 2 and I was pregnant with DS, then again when they were 13 & 10.

They loved Petra, and floating on the Dead Sea. Less keen on trekking in Wadi Rum but loved sliding down the sand dunes and the star filled night skies.

I loved Jordan. But it is a lot of “culture”! However, I think teenagers would enjoy the Dead Sea, the wadis and other adventures like those to be had in Wadi Rum. And you can pepper in the more cultural stuff!

I would really recommend making time for Jerash- it’s unbelievable and we enjoyed it almost more than Petra.

In Petra, get off the main track pretty quickly and hike through the quieter trails. The begging etc is quite bad 😢 We hiked over 30km that day/ evening 😅

Try to make time for the Dead Sea (we stayed at the Hilton Resort), Dana reserve and Wadi Mujib too if possible. Aqaba is great for diving.

Amman has some wonderful sights such as the Citadel, amphitheatre and mosque. There is also some AMAZING eating to be done… best food ever in my opinion!

I think it would be a shame to go there and only see Amman and Petra… Are you driving? I think you really need to in order to see all the main sights within 7-10 days. If you are taking public transport you’ll need a lot more time. Probably a couple of weeks.

Following because Jordan is on our wish list.

It is on mine too. Hopefully next year. Has anyone self driven?

That's great info @PARunnerGirl - thank you! Could we get a decent taste of it in a week, do you think? I hadn't really considered driving, but as long as it isn't too crazy we could as we both drive and have done lots of overseas driving between us.

We are going with 2 14 year olds this year in summer, yes we must be mad!
our plan is Dead Sea for 2 days including poss the Sikh trail, (although I do want to do more research as I have vision issues and not convinced about lack of helmets), down to Aqaba for diving and snorkelling, Petra, wadi rhum,
and back to amman for a couple of days. I can’t wait and think there will be plenty for the teens to do. We’ve not finalised exactly what we will do in Amman and on journeys to and from places but there are cookery classes and lots of interesting detours.

Wadi rum and Petra are brilliant. Up to the north but I loved Jerash.

Dana nature reserve has a hotel in the edge of a cliff overlooking a wadi (valley - this one is a ravine at that part). I haven't stayed there for ages but was there at Easter one year and got snowed in! It's far less touristy than wadi rum and not too far by car away.

@maranella I don’t think you’d fit in everything I mentioned in a week, or if you did you’d have to do a couple of things in one day and be moving every day. You could miss out some of it of course, and just make sure you do the things you want to do. You will love the Jordanian hospitality though and probably want to stop here and there as you see things.

Driving is absolutely fine, we had no problems. We met a French couple who had the same itinerary as us but doing it by bus and train and they needed double the time due to transport timetables.

@daretodenim I’ve got a candid photo of my partner here, looking at the sunset. It’s my favourite photo of him 😍

Hmm okay - maybe trying to fit in the highlights of an entire country in a week is a bit much! DH hates moving on every day and the DC will moan if the itinerary is too packed. I think the only answer may be some kind of guided tour, because that would take the stress out of it.

We went in October 2021 amd absolutely loved it. We were only there 5 days and packed in a lot but it did feel rushed. PM me if you want the details of the tour company and driver we used. I'd highly recommend it as a really interesting destination with lots to do. The dome tents in the desert really are as fab as they look - although bloody hot in the day!