I was very fortunate to be offered a place on a Exodus educational to Jordan. This was a wonderful opportunity and I'm so glad I went as Jordan is a truly amazing country.
Day One
We started with a 5 hour flight from Heathrow T3 with Royal Jordanian, a very comfortable airline with a great variety of inflight entertainment. We arrived into Amman airport at midnight where we were then introduced to our local guide Ali. W travelled the 40-minute journey into Amman city centre for our one-night stay at the Al Fanar hotel.
Day Two
Next morning we met up again with Ali for the 1one-hour transfer to the ancient Roman city of Jerash. Jerash is small town north of Amman close to the Syrian border, which has ruins dating back to 1000 BC - you can easily see that a town existed here as the oval plaza, colonnaded streets and impressive amphitheatres are all still intact. Personally for me this beats any of the Roman ruins I have seen in Turkey and Italy - you can spend a whole day here so don’t forget your walking shoes and a large bottle of water!
After a fantastic lunch at the Green Valley restaurant just outside the city we had a four-hour bus trip south to Petra, travelling along the Desert Highway. Driving into Petra late afternoon was wonderful - amazing, vast landscapes and we were lucky to capture a beautiful sunset. We finally arrived for our one-night stay at the Petra Palace Hotel, located just before the main gate - I would recommend heading towards the Cave Bar after dinner - a 2000 year old cave made into a bar, a really unique place for a nightcap!
Day Three
An early morning start to visit the lost city of Petra - we only had roughly six hours to explore this ancient site but most people purchase the two or three-day pass. The long winding walk through the Siq, which is a experience in itself, takes you to the most photographed part of Petra, ‘The Treasury’. I cannot begin to explain how breathtaking this city is with its tombs carved out of the rose-coloured rock, It's no surprise that it's classed as one of the wonders of the world. It really has to be seen to be believed. That afternoon we took a one-hour journey to Wadi Rum - this was the part I was most nervous about as, anyone who knows me knows, I love my creature comforts - but in fact this turned out to be my highlight of the tour. After a 20-minute jeep ride deep into the desert we came across our home for the night, a traditional Bedouin Camp. Yes it was basic but with two-man tents, toilet facilities, great food and even better company - what more can you ask for?
Day Four
A two-hour jeep tour round Wadi Rum finished our stay in the desert. Onto our next destination - Aqaba. This is a modern bustling port on the Red Sea, from which you can see Israel in the distance. Here we boarded our boat and set off for a four-hour trip along the coast, a fanastic place to snorkel and see the reef.
Day Five
Heading back to Amman we stopped at Mt Nebo then cycled down to the Dead Sea I'm afraid I didn't manage all of this journey and wimped out half way through! - but still great fun and beautiful views over the Dead Sea. After the bizarre experience of floating on the Dead Sea we headed off to our final stop in Amman where we all enjoyed our last meal as a group at the Tawaheen Al-Hawa restaurant.
Travel Blog by Amy Corran
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