We were planning to go this beautiful country for the last couple of years, and the sole reason of this travel plan was Petra herself. Before visiting the country we were not aware of Jordan has this much offerings for the tourists, of course Petra as one of new seven wonders is much of an highlight in the region. This Arab Country is one of the most developed and democratic Muslim countries although it is governed by the Hashemite Dynasty.

Border crossing from Israel:

We crossed to Jordan from Jerusalem through King Hussein / Allenby Bridge border. We were lucky that we don’t need visa for Jordan because they do not issue a visa at this border (For the ones that need a visa for Jordan, you should use either Sheikh Hussein bridge near Beit She´an or Eilat border). We took a shared mini-van from Jerusalem (Damascus gate near Golden Wall Hotel), the road to the border is under the control of Palestine and it is an arid region actually kind of canyon. The border crossing from Israel to Jordan is an easy process compared to vice versa. While exiting from Israel you should pay around 180 shekels on this border and this exiting fee differs at each border. Then, we take a bus from Israel check point to Jordan immigration office and we payed 8 dinar per person (they are charging a varying cost based on your luggage amount). And finally we took a shared taxi from Jordan immigration office to Amman and payed around 15 Dinar.

Our Journey in Amman:

If your time in Jordan is limited like us, it is better to skip Amman and directly go to your destination. We stay overnight in Amman and the day after we rented a car from Enterprise (we like their service a lot). If you are planning to go through Dead Sea, Petra and Wadi Rum; then i suggest you to rent a car. The public transportation is very limited, so without car you need to spend much more time than you imagine in Jordan. For us one of the most surprising fact in Jordan is that many Jordanians speak English fluently. For example while buying local sim card or at the pharmacy we did not have any problem to communicate. From the first second we entered into Jordan we had feeling that we would love this country and people because they are really friendly and hospitable, and it was right we love Jordan and Jordanians.

Before continue to our journey, here are some general info about Amman and Jordan: Its a safe country and people are friendly. We didn´t encounter with any bad person or any action. On the streets you will see a lot of man. Women can feel little bit irritated but do not worry, its a kind of reality of Muslim countries. Women are at their home most of the time and that´s why male population is dominated on the streets. Their local curreny is Dinar and you can find an exchange office or and ATM machine easily at the central places. You will need a sim card for internet. Zain is the best operator in the region and by paying 12 euro you can buy a monthly sim cardJordan is generally a cheap country which means you can eat with less than 10$ in an average place. We tried Hashem and they serve some humus, falafel, salad, chips and few more things as standard and we payed 6 EUR for 2 people. The foods were delicious and fresh. We aldo tried their Kunafa (Turkish künefe) and found that Turkish künefe is way better than theirs. But you can try in Amman tough it is 1-2 EUR.

Continue to the Journey with Dead Sea 🙂

Next day after getting our rental car we are heading to dead sea. Listening local radios while diving through the villages was a nice experience. When we reach our hotel in Dead Sea, we immediately fall in love with the place. This was one of the best Hilton Experience we ever had. Hilton Dead Sea has a magnificent view of dead sea and various swimming pools for each taste. After spending some time at the infinity pool we headed to the Dead Sea coast. Dead Sea is technically a lake that has the second highest percentage of minerals through all the body of water in the world. Therefore when you enter the water, it starts to burn you (That is definitely not a nice feeling). It is not suggested to stay in the water more than 15 minutes and 2 times a day. In the sea you cannot swim due to the high percentage of minerals, you only can float. We enjoyed floating in the Dead Sea very much. After entering the water you can either cover yourself with the mud from the sea or the mud that is collected by the hotel staff and dried a little under the sun. It is known that Dead Sea mud is good for the skin and after experiencing it, we could say it truly is healthy for the skin. After the mud your skin softens up like a baby. In the photo you see the whiteness through the coastline, that’s because of the high percentage of the minerals.

The majority of Dead Sea minerals (e.g. magnesium, calcium) occur naturally in our bodies and have health giving properties. In the past Egyptians used Dead Sea mud in their mummification process. It is known that Dead Sea is around 3 million years old but has shrunk half a meter per year due to evaporation and potash industry. Another interesting fact about the Dead Sea is that it is the lowest land elevation on earth at 408 m below the sea level and goes more than 390 m deep.

Heading to the Petra...

After relaxing and enjoying the Dead Sea, next afternoon we headed to Wadi Musa to stay overnight and visit Petra next day very early in the morning to avoid the possible crowds. On the way we have seen Wadi Mujib, (If you love canyoning, check Wadi Mujib out) However, we didn’t have the time to visit there but next time we will definitely do that also.  After a good night sleep in our hostel in Wadi Musa, we refreshed and started the day 6 am to explore and enjoy beautiful Petra. Petra was on our bucket list for a long time as it is one of new 7 wonders of the world. This is an ancient city built by Nabataeans who arrived the region 6th BC. They were organised traders and a wealthy ancient tribe. On its heydays it is assumed that 30.000 people were leaving in Petra. Due to the shift of trade routes the city has weakened and Romans dominated the region for almost 4 centuries. After 2 big earthquakes (363 AD & 551 AD), Petra became a lost city, a home to Bedouins till it is discovered by a young Swiss explorer in 1812. Before visiting Petra, i was always dreaming about the treasury, the most popular highlight; however it has much more to offer. We spent 1 day but people could easily spent 2-3 days or even if you love hiking 1 week tour will enjoy you more. The monument spread over a large area, so it is not possible to see all, if you have limited time you need to pick some route. We started at 6 am, and gone through the Siq or canyon, catch the first sun lights in front of the treasury (Al-Khazneh), made our way to High place of sacrifice and then all the way to the Monastery (Al-Deir). If you have 2 days in Petra, i suggest you to do the Treasury and nearby highlights on the first day from the main entrance, and visit the monastery and nearby view points from the back entrance. Be careful that they do not sell tickets at this entrance so you need to have your tickets with you. From this entrance the way to Monastery (Al-Deir) is way much easier. When we entered from the main entrance after 1 km walk the beautiful canyon greeted us. Walking through this beautiful pink canyon or Siq, with its narrow vertical walls was one of the most astonishing highlights of Petra. The beauty and magic of the treasury also derives from this pink rock canyon path i suppose, because you reach the beautiful treasury very unexpected. You turn one of many slides of canyon and there it is, the treasury. That unexpectedness of this beauty makes the astonishing effect stronger. The monument Al-Khazneh known as treasury is originally a tomb for Nabataean King Aretas III. It is known as treasury due to a story that an Egyptian pharaoh hid his treasure here while pursuing the Israelites.

Monastery (Al-Deir) and the view points nearby is also another must see while you are visiting Petra. This incredible monument is similar in design to the Treasury, even far more bigger. The road from treasury to Monastery is not easy with many steps considering the high temperatures. It is another warning that the weather here is really hot. While our visit during second week of October it was 38 degrees so be careful, bring your sun protection, sunglasses and hats. If you don’t like hot weather do not visit Petra from June to September. Despite the hot weather we enjoyed our visit to Petra a lot, it was one of the most exciting places we have ever been.

Next Stop: Wadi Rum

After visiting Petra, we started our drive to Wadi Rum to experience the desert overnight. This is the place the well-known movie ‘Lawrence of Arabia‘ is filmed. It is known that king’s mother and the ex-king met during the cast. The region owes its fame to Thomas Edward Lawrence whose life has been casted in the movie Lawrence of Arabia. Lawrence is a British Intelligence servant who fought against Ottomans on the side of Arabs to end Ottoman reign in the regionWe stayed in the Wadi Rum Desert Shine Camp, and it was an awesome experience. Before I have been to the desert camp in Morocco. The surrounding was better with the sand dunes in Morocco but the Bedouin experience here in Jordan is much more better. It was extremely clean and delicious in the camp.  Wadi Rum is a desert area surrounded by pinkish sand and rock formations. In the camp after the delicious dinner we had a Bedouin music experience. During the Bedouin music we could not see the stars due to the full moon that night but we set our alarm and woke up in the middle of the night and see the magical sky in the middle of desert. I think you should observe the stars in the desert once in a lifetime, it is unbelievable. After this amazing overnight experience, next morning we headed to Aqaba to return our car back. Afterwards we have taken a taxi to the border Wadi Araba to cross to Israel with the feeling of that we will visit Jordan again. What makes our experience this good and full was definitely the different geography and the hospitality of Jordanians.