Given the…unstable…situation in the Middle East over the last decade, this might surprise you: tourism is booming in Jordan.
A good indicator of a destination's burgeoning popularity is by the airlines that service it: and one particular budget airline now flies into the city of Amman from Europe as visitor arrivals increase every year. At one point it was even rumored to be the honeymoon destination of choice for Wills and Kate.
For now though, it's still surprisingly easy to avoid the package tourists. Spend longer than a week in Jordan and you'll be able to go beyond Indiana Jones and Petra and find yourself on the trail of kings, crusaders and lost civilizations.
Live like a local in Amman
Amman is often not given the attention it deserves. The motto of most tourists seems to be get in and get out. But spend some time climbing the seven hills of the sun-soaked city that was once Ancient Philadelphia and you'll find a surprisingly cosmopolitan (and surprisingly clean!) capital.
Live like a local by eating dinner late at one of the city's hip eateries (but be prepared to pay for the experience!) or hit one of the ultra-modern shopping malls to rub shoulders with Ammani teenagers and families.
Spend an afternoon shopping for spices in the crowded and chaotic markets of downtown Amman, the city's old quarter, where gold shops vie for space with traditional tea houses and stores specializing in everything you need to dress like a Bedouin.
Eat like a local
Half a succulent roast chicken is a filling, cheap and tasty dinner, $1 falafel sandwiches will keep you hiking the hills of Petra for hours and roadside coffee vendors always have a fresh brew for a fair price.
Eating out in Jordan, especially Amman, can be pricey. But follow the locals to cramped and crowded eateries where, chances are, you'll be the only foreign face in the place. In Jordan, going cheap doesn't have to mean sacrificing taste.
Take the long way on the road of Kings
When most travellers leave Amman it’s to travel the Desert Highway, a simple road that draws a line straight down the country from the north to the Red Sea in the south.
Public transportation plies this route and it’s the fastest way to travel between Jordan’s capital to the hidden Nabatean city of Petra and the epic Lawrence of Arabia desert at Wadi Rum.
But take the road less travelled and you'll find yourself on the King's Highway. A key trade route for over 3,000 years until fairly recently, public transportation doesn’t dare tackle the road. A series of switchback turns traverse two spectacular canyons, Wadi Mujib in the north and Wadi Hasa in the south. At one point there's 18 kilometres of tarmac to cover an actual distance of 4 kilometres.
It's easy to charter a taxi or a minibus to tackle the highway from Amman. It takes all day to travel between Amman and Petra but there are plenty of places to stop along the way, include the ruins of crusader castles, a nature reserve and viewpoints on the lip of both canyons.
Dana Nature Reserve
Along the Great Rift Valley is Dana Nature Reserve, the most ecologically diverse reserve in the country. Home to hundreds of species of plants and animals, it makes a great overnight stop to explore the traditional village of Dana and hike a trail or two on your way to Petra.
Spend a night with the Bedouin at Wadi Rum
Hire a Bedouin guide and his modern day trusty steed (a Landcruiser) and you'll be surprised to hear your guide tell you that the achingly beautiful and empty desert at Wadi Rum, in the country's south, receives only a fraction of the visitors compared to the nearby lost city of Petra.
Spend a night at a Bedouin camp and get to know your guide and his family. When the lights go out, marvel at the stars - in the desert it seems like the world is made at them.
Visit Wadi Rum at the height of summer and chances are you'll have almost 300 square kilometres of desert completely to yourself. Sure, it's hotter than hell but your guide will know exactly where to find shade for a tea break at any time of day.
Get to Petra at dawn
Okay. Petra, the city that once was lost has now very much been found. It isn't exactly off Jordan's beaten track. In fact, the pathway through the Siq, a narrow gorge that literally waves it way between cliffs of rose-coloured rock and used by the Nabateans 2,000 years ago to hide their city, is these days very much well-trodden.
But time your visit to arrive at dawn and at the end of the path you'll see sunlight begin to hit the famous Treasury, an ornate tomb 43m tall and carved from sheer rock. Best of all? You'll have it almost completely to yourself.
Related Articles:
A Girl's Guide to the Middle East
Off the Beaten Path: South Korea
About the Author
Megan Czisz is a scribbler of notes, a taker of photographs, a lover of
food and a beginner at yoga, she left her job and Australia in May 2010 to
travel around the world. Her blog, On My Way RTW, chronicles her trip
as she makes her way around the world.
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