Day 1- Amman

Morning: Visit the Citadel- highest hill in Amman with fabulous views of all parts of the city. There you will see the ruins of the Temple of Hercules (you will see his carved hand now laid on the floor of the ruins) and the Byzantine Church. The contrasting history set against the backdrop of modern Amman is truly spectacular.

Lunch: books@cafe – quite a random retro restaurant that’s very relaxed in Amman.

Afternoon: Roman Theatre and surrounding markets of Downtown; this is just a great place to sit and watch the world go by. Then head down to nearby markets and explore there, lots of second-hand shops and wonderful food stalls.

Dinner: Sufra, a restaurant set within a beautiful terraced garden and probably the best place to eat traditional Jordanian food. It’s also conveniently located on Rainbow Street! Ps. Order the lamb in yogurt.

After dinner: Rainbow Street, this street in Jebel Amman is a destination in itself. Ammanis come here every evening to promenade and to visit the many great cafes and restaurants – to see and be seen.

Day 2- Petra

Well what to say, no matter what anyone tells you nothing will prepare you for this. It’s out of this world, and was my favourite experience in Jordan. I purposely hadn’t looked up too many photos or two much information about Petra and rightfully so, it was just such a delight and I would recommend anyone to go! We stayed at the Petra Moon and had a fabulous dinner with nice staff, there is also a pool and its good value.

Day 3- Wadi Rum

This is a chance to feel like a local…you can sleep under the stars, eat food cooked underground and sleep in a sweltering tent. Being in Wadi Rum is like being on Mars and I mean that in the best possible way, it’s again another ‘out of this world’ experience.

Day 4- Aqaba

I didn’t go to Aqaba but have been told by a very reliable source that it is a bit of a must, if you have time I’d give it a try. It’d be the perfect oasis after a night in the desert.

Day 5- Dead Sea and Bethany

I only went to the Dead Sea, but wanted to see Bethany in hindsight, guess I have a few reasons to go back now. The dead Sea however was great! Floating in water at the lowest point on Earth isn’t something that everyone can say they’ve done, and it exceeded my expectations. We just booked into one of the dead sea resorts for the day at the cost of 60JD, it’s a good way to do it if you’re only going for the day, plus you’ll get a drink and lunch included in most places. Bethany is of course the site where 2 millennia ago Jesus was baptised so I’d say for anyone religious with is one of the great Christian Pilgrimage Sites.

General Notes about Jordan:

• Get the Jordanian Pass: it’s worth it, it acts as a visa and means you get into so many sites cheaply.
• Transport: Taxis in Jordan are fine, but hiring a car will be worth it.
• Avoid going to Jordan during Ramadan: if you aren’t a Muslim it can be difficult to adjust, the timings are very strict as are the rules on alcohol consumption, eating and smoking.
• Clothes: be respectful and pack clothes that are lightweight but that cover your body well, I wore lots of white linen.
• Emergency numbers: Police 191 and fire and ambulance 199

Place Notes:

• Citadel notes: free with Jordanian pass
• Roman Theatre: free with Jordanian pass
• Petra notes: Wear sensible clothing, it’s hot and you will also get haggled so nothing revealing, just sturdy practically sportswear. I highly recommend doing the full trip up to the monastery, it’s a hike, but that way you walk past all the Bedouin caves and get to rest at the café at the top surrounded by nothing more that Bougainvillea and history. Ps. You’ll also fall I love with the Bedouin men, there are a few Jack Sparrows about! Petra by night is only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. They light the path with over 3000 candles and you see this wonder of the world with flutes and folklore stories in the background, it’s unforgettable!
• Wadi Rum notes: it’s a desert, its sandy, it’s hot! Take plenty of sun cream and dry shampoo on this adventure.
• Dead Sea notes: Don’t shave the day before (a few days before) the sodium levels in the lake mean it will sting so unbelievably much. Take advice from the locals about how much time you should spend with the mud on and in the lake, itself, they know how different skins react. Don’t get the water in your eyes! If you have cellulite book yourself in for a few days by the Dead Sea, it will disappear as if by magic.