Jordan Offers Colorful Slices of the Middle East

Ancient ruins, bustling bazaars and desert landscapes straight from the movies captivate globetrotters on an exotic adventure custom-designed by Goway Travel

Sometimes it’s the simple things you remember most. One of the fondest memories of my recent small-group trip to Jordan with Goway Travel was an impromptu picnic lunch at a little clifftop park in Wadi Musa, a scrappy town clinging to hills outside the archaeological site of Petra, the country’s most famous tourist attraction.

On the way to the unassuming roadside park, our driver—named Aladdin—let off our guide, Michel Safar, who ran into Jupiter Falafel while we waited in the mini bus. He brought out grease-stained sacks of piping-hot falafel—those tasty deep-fried balls of ground chickpeas—along with drinks, plastic tubs of hummus and fluffy pita bread straight from the oven. We also had shawarma, the Middle Eastern street food standby of meat and chopped vegetables wrapped in pita. 

There we were, enjoying a typical Jordanian lunch while feasting on panoramas of the rumpled, wind-eroded sandstone mountains that cloak the ancient city of Petra, where we had spent the morning. Stray cats kept us company. A peaceful setting indeed.

Tourists Feel Safe in Jordan

In a region of the world rife with conflict, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan itself has been an oasis of calm and stability for decades. During our six-night trip, we felt safe and rarely brought up the Israel-Hamas war. Watching the reports on my hotel TV in Jordan, I didn’t feel any closer to the fighting in Gaza than I did watching the news at home, despite our proximity to the Israel border.

To no one’s surprise, tourism to the Middle East is suffering. In many cases we had hotel and tourist restaurants to ourselves. At highway rest stops, our bus often was alone in the parking lot. About the only time I thought of the war was when we were at these nearly deserted places.  

Toronto-based Goway Travel and other tour operators are still offering trips to the region, often combining Jordan with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other countries. In dreaming up itineraries for your groups, don’t automatically dismiss this fascinating part of the world. It’s a captivating mix of Arab culture, mesmerizing desert scenery and world-class archaeological sites. 

“Jordan is an ideal destination for globetrotters who seek culture, history and hospitality,” says Moira Smith, vice president, Africa and Asia, Goway Travel. “Despite the tourism slowdown, Jordan is safe, open and welcoming. It is a great time to visit with fewer crowds.”

Like neighboring Israel, Jordan is compact, so the main tourist sites are not more than a few hours apart. The infrastructure is excellent, the hotels are comfortable and the Jordanian people are among the most hospitable in the world. English is widely understood, and many signs are in both English and Arabic. 

These are some of the trip highlights:

Petra: A World Wonder

The ruins of Petra in southern Jordan rank among the greatest monuments of antiquity. Hidden for centuries from prying eyes, the “lost city” was known only to nomadic Bedouin tribes until discovered in 1812 by a young Swiss explorer. Carved from reddish sandstone outcroppings tucked within a series of rugged gorges, Petra—particularly the towering Hellenistic facade of the Treasury—commonly appears on travel posters and guidebook covers. A world wonder, the Rose Red City, as it’s called, is the “rock” star of Jordan tourism. 

Before the Romans took Petra in 106 A.D., it was the capital of the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people, and thrived as a trade center for silk, spices, frankincense and myrrh. Clambering up stony trails or leisurely walking the valley floor, tourists encounter cave-like tombs, a 4,000-seat amphitheater, and remains of temples and a Byzantine church. 

Movie goers will recognize the Treasury’s iconic facade from the final sequence in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Outside Petra’s gates, shops with names like Indiana Jones Super Market and Indiana Jones Gift Shop peddle Indiana Jones hats and whips, along with Nabataean-style pottery, colorful caftans and other souvenirs.

It’s about a 20-minute walk from the entrance gate to the Siq, a two-thirds-mile-long chasm that leads to the Treasury. Upon your emergence from the shadowy, sheer-sided passageway, the sight of the sun-splashed masterpiece is simply magical, a true moment of revelation. Decorated with Corinthian columns, friezes and figures sculpted from the cliff face, the Treasury (actually a tomb) is crowned by a funerary urn, which, according to local legend, contains a pharaoh’s treasure. 

Wadi Rum: Romancing the Desert Sands

 South of Petra, another Hollywood classic, Lawrence of Arabia, was partly filmed in Wadi Rum, a vast desert area with rippling expanses of deep-pink sand interrupted by mazes of craggy monoliths. British Colonel T.E. Lawrence and King Faisal based their headquarters in Wadi Rum during the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Turks in World War I. The dreamy, surreal landscape continues to color my best memories of Jordan.

Splitting up into 4×4 vehicles with seating in the truck bed, our Goway group enjoyed a two-hour ride through the powdery sand, making stops to see petroglyphs, take pictures of camels, have tea in a Bedouin-style tent, hike up one of the crags and, finally, watch the sunset. Visitors to Wadi Rum also can opt for a guided camel ride, Lawrence-style.

At night we bedded down in relative luxury at Sun City, one of several Wadi Rum tourist encampments equipped with modern conveniences. Cabins, built on plank platforms and covered in fabric resembling Bedouin goat-hair tents, feature a comfortable bed and a bathroom with flush toilet and large walk-in shower. Yes, there is hot water. In the dining hall, a geodesic-domed building, we filled our plates at a dinner buffet offering slow-cooked lamb and chicken, fried fish, roasted potatoes, rice, salads, breads, and a dessert table with bread pudding and Middle Eastern pastries. We had breakfast there before trading in the faux-nomadic lifestyle for reality the next morning.

Living the Good Life at the Dead Sea

At 1,312 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea (actually a lake) is the low point of any tour in this Middle Eastern kingdom.  The super-salty body of water is, in fact, the lowest spot on earth. 

After touring archaeological sites and Christian religious shrines heavy on history, tourists welcome the chance to relax at one of the deluxe resorts fronting the Dead Sea’s eastern shore. 

Goway accommodated us for one night in the 5-star Movenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea, perhaps the most beautiful hotel in the whole country. The main building, a stunning example of desert castle-style architecture, is opulently furnished with antiques, artwork and Arabic motifs. Many of the 358 guest rooms are housed in a rambling two-story village complex lushly landscaped with palms, bougainvillea, citrus trees, olive trees, waterfalls and fountains. The resort has multiple restaurants.

Nothing can live in the Dead Sea because it’s 10 times saltier than the ocean. The high mineral content makes it virtually impossible to sink, so you can pose for a picture in the buoyant, intensely blue water while effortlessly floating on your back, perhaps reading a magazine or holding a cocktail. Just don’t get water in your eyes—it will be sheer agony.

Besides floating, a therapeutic mud bath is the other must-do. From pots of oily black mud gathered from the sea floor, dig in and slather your wet body, face included, with mud. Wait 15 minutes for it to dry a bit, then walk into the water and wash it off—but not before having your picture taken. Afterwards your skin will feel smooth, tingly and refreshed. 

Dead Sea resorts offer a variety of spa treatments and therapies using products derived from the sea. The therapeutic benefits of the Dead Sea have proven to offer excellent natural treatments for a range of chronic ailments. Souvenir shops across the country sell bath salts, soap, skin toners, hand creams, facial mud masks and other products developed by Dead Sea laboratories.

Going Back to Roman Times at Jerash

The extensive archaeological site of Jerash, less than an hour north of the capital city of Amman, is one of the best-preserved Greco-Roman provincial towns in the world. Buried in sand for centuries, Jerash has been unearthed and restored only in the last 75 years—and today only 25 percent of it has been excavated. A national treasure, the once-wealthy city ranks only behind Petra as an important historical destination.

Jerash landmarks include Hadrian’s Arch, built in 129 A.D. to commemorate the visit of Roman Emperor Hadrian; the Temples of Zeus and Artemis; Byzantine churches; two theaters, still used today; and the Hippodrome, an arena that hosted chariot races and other sports. In the colonnaded flagstone street, where some of the original 500 columns have been reassembled, we walked on ruts made by chariot wheels. The spacious, oval-shaped Forum, an immense plaza in the heart of the city, served as the marketplace and social gathering place. 

Amman Bubbles With Middle Eastern Flair

More than one-third of Jordan’s people live in this dynamic capital city of four million, a sprawling metropolis of blocky white limestone buildings spread across 20-some hills. Nicknamed the White City, it is the best place in Jordan to immerse yourself in Middle Eastern culture.

Though my favorite experiences were sampling street life in the traditional souks of the Old City, I liked being based in the fashionable Shmeisani district, away from the fray. Our Goway group stayed at the 66-room Al Qasr Metropole Hotel on a leafy residential street a short walk from the Hilton, Westin, Kempinski and other familiar Western brands. We could shop in the neighborhood’s state-of-the-art Carrefours supermarket and quash any feelings of homesickness at places like McDonald’s, Starbucks, Papa John’s and KFC.

The shopping streets of the congested Old City, or downtown, huddle below the Citadel, an open-air museum that preserves ruins dating back to Amman’s beginnings. Logically, our sightseeing started at this quiet hilltop sanctuary, which offered great views as we drifted between the Temple of Hercules, Byzantine church, Umayyad Palace complex and Jordan Archaeological Museum. 

After the Citadel, we descended the hill and visited the magnificently restored Roman Theatre, built in the second century when Amman was the Roman city of Philadelphia. On either side of Amman’s most spectacular ancient monument are small museums displaying costumes, weapons, tools and other artifacts relating to traditional Jordanian life.

Shopping and Dining in Amman’s Old City

Most exciting were the Old City’s lively bazaars, true slices of the Middle East. While Jordan’s history is illuminating, interactions with people are what you remember most vividly. 

Stacked with merchandise from floor to ceiling and festooned with goods dangling above the sidewalk, downtown’s hole-in-the-wall shops offer everything from cheap shoes to spangled “belly dancing” outfits. Merchants purvey mosaic artwork, gold and silver jewelry, hand-woven rugs and cushions, embroidered folk dresses and the red-and-white-checked headdress (keffiyeh) commonly worn by men in Jordan and other parts of the Arab world. There are brass tea sets, Bedouin robes and daggers, and artistically designed vessels of colored sand depicting desert scenes complete with camels.

Food vendors attend to mounds of dates, figs and dried apricots. Open sacks brim with teas, spices and nuts. Perhaps you’ll buy a little bag of cinnamon, paprika, saffron or pistachios. You can’t resist taking pictures of the tomatoes and peppers in the vegetable souk or the baskets and crates full of oranges, papayas and pomegranates.

For lunch downtown, the place to go is Hashem, Amman’s most famous falafel restaurant, open 24 hours. Besides dipping our pita bread and crispy balls of falafel in a nice creamy hummus infused with olive oil and lemon juice, we also enjoyed the french fries and vegetable plate (pickles, slices of tomato and onion) that come with a standard order. Hashem’s walls are plastered with photos of film celebrities and sports figures from Jordan and Egypt.

For dessert an hour later, we stopped at Habibah, a tiny shop turning out fresh hot knafeh, a filo-crusted sweet cheese soaked in honey and topped with pistachio bits, eaten with a plastic spoon from a paper plate. The bakery has no seating, so we sat on chairs and benches outside, mingling with the locals savoring this Middle Eastern treat.

Keep Your Eyes Peeled On the Highways and Byways

Half the fun of visiting Jordan was looking out the bus window as we went from place to place. One morning we might see shepherds with a flock of sheep or boys leading a herd of camels. In godforsaken desert settings we drove by simple homes with laundry drying on rooftop clotheslines and donkeys or goats in the yard. Olive trees dotted many of the desolate landscapes.

In the fertile Jordan River Valley, near the Dead Sea, we drove by groves of date palms and citrus trees, banana plantations, and greenhouses growing tomatoes and other vegetables. Passing through small villages, I had the urge to hop out and take pictures of the roadside vendors hawking potatoes, oranges, and giant cabbages and cauliflowers from their trucks. In some towns it seemed as if the businesses were mainly automotive garages with piles of tires out front. 

Goway and Karma House Deliver a Quality Experience

I couldn’t have been happier with the arrangements made by Amman-based Karma House, Goway Travel’s partner on the ground in Jordan. Our driver, our guide and the staff who helped us during arrival and departure at the Amman airport displayed total professionalism and obviously enjoyed showing us their country. Thanks to the seamless arrangements, everything went smoothly, with no bumps in the road.

When the airline lost my luggage—causing me to wear the same clothes for four days—Michel, in tandem with his colleagues in Amman, kept me informed and accompanied me to a store in Wadi Musa so I could buy necessities. What a joyous occasion it was in Aqaba, almost the end of our trip, when I arrived at the Movenpick hotel and got reunited with my bag!

For groups of 10 travelers or more, Goway Travel’s Groups Only team customizes trips to more than 100 destinations around the globe. Suggested Jordan itineraries include the 5-day “Taste of Jordan: Dead Sea, Petra, Wadi Rum & More,” 6-day “Authentic Jordan” and new 9-day “Jordan Odyssey.” Also new: the 12-day “Best of Jordan and Saudi Arabia.” For groups with three weeks to spare, there is the 20-day “Ancient Wonders of Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.”

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Lead Photo: At the ancient city of Petra, you’ll see camels, donkeys, horses and lots of tourists. (Photo credit: Jordan Tourism Board)

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