Highlights of a Week-Long Jordan Tour
So here are the highlights of our one week Jordan Tour. Although, Jordan was a bucket list destination for us but we couldn’t get enough time to visit the land of The Lost city. However, then we found a window to visit Jordan during Covid . Luckily we got the visa and within no time we were in the Jordan to see the Petra and float into the dead sea. we had only seven days for our Jordan tour out of which first day spent and fully consumed while reaching to Jordan and while checking into our hotel in Amman.
Jordan is home to one of the oldest cities in the world and Jordan tour is a bucket list activity for every traveler in the world. It occupies an ancient land, that bears the traces of many civilizations. Due to its location, it always played a vital role in Biblical History. It is considered the most politically liberal country in the Arab world.
Where we stayed and our mode of transportation
We stayed all of our lodging in Amman as there were very few hotels were in operation due to covid situation. Our stay was in Sadeen Amman Hotel. As we were on a group tour so we used a tour bus throughout our tour. if you want to visit by yourself you can use the following mode of transport
- By Taxi. A most expensive but convenient way. The famous yellow taxi can be found everywhere in Jordan but make sure its meter will be working. In addition, check the digit before paying.
- Rental Car is more affordable and you can drive easily within Jordan. The routes in Jordan are well marked and you can easily drive by your own to reach to a destination.
- By Public buses. There are a couple of bus companies that are operational on Petra route. The most famous one is the JETT company. You have to signup on their website or app and book your ticket. In addition, you can check the timetable to pick the right time for your journey.
So, lets start of seven days travel in Jordan
Day 1: Airport – Amman overnight stay at Hotel
Fly into the capital city of Amman, the heart and soul of the country. The weather in mid-March was chilly when we landed there. We spent our first night taking it easy and going to bed early to catch up on our next leg.
Day 2: Madaba and south Jordan tour
Today we had a long day and we went to south of the Jordan. Todays main attractions were
- Wadi Mujib View point
- Mukawir Castle
- Madaba city
- Mount Nebo
Due to the covid situation in Jordan, new rules of lockdown have been imposed from 18:00 to 06:00. We were on a group tour, so our bus came at 07:00 and we started our travel within no time. Our first stop was at Wadi Mujib view which is about 80km from Amman and we reached there in one hour. The day was hazy and the sight towards the dam was much foggy. However, the vastness of the valley attracted the attention of everyone. The overall landscape was splendid and we spent about half-hour there.
Our next stop was Mukawir which is related to the Biblical story of John The Baptist. It is a hilly area and in a dead sea neighborhood. We reached there in one hour after covering the distance of 58km.
Madaba, the city of mosaic and mount Nebo
Our third stop was the city of mosaic, Madaba city. After thermal scanning and special approval by our guide, we visited there the St George Church. We spotted Jerusalem, Jericho, Jordan River, Dead Sea, Bethlehem, and many other prominent places of the middle east with the help of our guide. This mosaic map is dated back to the 6th century AD. In addition to this mosaic map, there were several mosaic paintings hanging on the wall of the church. Our guide gave us a detailed presentation before this visit to the church.
We had our lunch in Food Basket restaurant with traditional Jordanian food Maqluba.
After lunch, we visited Mount Nebo which is about 10km from Madaba. There was a bit rush due to some Jordanian families were also there.
Before reaching back to our hotel we visited a handicraft center and learn the art of mosaic paintings there.
Day 3: Petra tour, A worlds Wonder in jordan
Today was the most awaited day of our Jordan tour. We were going to Petra which is one of the seven wonders of the world. We left our hotel at 07:00 and reached Wadi Musa about 10. There we took a small visit to Moses Spring and then had an early lunch of traditional Mandi. We started our visit to Petra at noon. Our guides took our tickets and we entered the Bab al Siq area. We spotted Djin Blocks and Obelisk Tomb. After that, we reached the Siq, and then a fairyland walk started till the Treasury. Again luck was with us as we were the only group there. After crossing the street of façade we reached the Amphitheater, then Colonnaded street, and after appraising the Royal tombs at our right and great temple at our left we crossed the Tenemos gate. Finally, we were stood in front of Qasr al Bint. A further half a km walk took us to the feet of the Monastery trail. Another 1.5 km trek can lead to us the great Monastery.
That’s the story of 5.5km from the visitor center to the Monastery. We enjoyed the whole day and it is advised to start as early as possible while staying at Wadi Musa instead of Amman.
Day 4: Umm Qais, lake Galilee and Mar Elyas
Today we went to North of the Jordan to visit the main attractions of
- Umm qais and ancient city of Gadara
- Lake Galilee and visit the borders of Jordan, Syria, Palestine/Israel
- Mar Elias
Our first stop was at Yabook river which is related to Yaqub(Jacob) prophet. We can call it a pre-stop before reaching Umm Qais which was at a distance of 118km from Amman. It is the home of the most stunning Greco Roman city of Gadara. We have a little time to see the highlights of the city only.
Lake Galilee, the bordering place was a border between Jordan, Syria, and Palestine/Israel. Alongside Lake Galeeli, we can see the border city of Tibria(Israel), Golan Heights, and Syria. Panoramic views of the area were stunning. We need special permission to visit this area.
Other attraction of this sight was a cave related with Jesus Christ.
Our next stop was the village of Lehsbe which is called the birth place of Prophet Elyas(elija). There we visited the ruins of old churchs.
We took our late lunch at Jerash and then came back to Amman in our hotel.
Bethany Beyond the Jordan and Dead Sea Tour
Today we have a plan to visit dead sea along with some other historical sights. We started our tour from Amman and after travelling one and a half hour we reached to A biblical sight of Prophet Elijah (Ilyas in Arabic). This sight is believed to be the place where he brought to heaven.
Our second stop was Bethany Beyond the Jordan where Jordan River is a Border between Jordan and Palestine/ Israel. People on both sides of the river were at a distance of just 5/6 meters and having a chit chat with each others.
Our third stop was At Dead sea where we had our lunch first in ……and then our group members had the unique experience of floating into Dead Sea. Finally we went to Al- Salt valley and visited the places of Nabi Jushua and Nabi Ayub.
It was a long day out, so we finally reached back to our hotel in Amman at the time of lockdown in Jordan.
Day 6/7: Amman City Tour
Today we visited the Amman city. Our bus took us to downtown Amman where we get off from bus and our first stop was Amman Citadel. Our guide arranged the tickets for us and we entered into the citadel premises. At entrance there were four stone marks which indicated about the citadel. Then we followed the left side trek and reached to the view point within five minutes. View point was a great point to get beautiful Panoramic views of the city. Our 2nd sto was the Hercules Temple and its huge upside pillars are a specific landmark of the Amman Citadel. A giant hand of Hercules was also there from which we can estimate the size of the original statue of Hercules.
Our third stop was to visit Jordan Archeological Museum from where we see the three phases of Jordan Archeology.
Finally we saw the ruins of Byzantine church dated back to 3rd century and Ummayd palace dated back to 9th century.
All the above places were at the same high place. After visiting these sighted we again got on the bus and reached to Roman Theater where we visited the theater and two museums which were Jordanian Folklore Museum and…….
We had our lunch at Almmmmm restaurant which is considered one of the best restaurants in Amman.
After lunch, we visit the seven sleeper cave which was at a distance of one hour from Amman. So our Amman city reached an end with this activity
What we missed in our jordan tour
We missed the Wadi Rum as our group couldn’t get approval to go their. In wadi Mujib, we missed the famouse Siq trail. We couldn’t get enough time to visit the most preserved Greco Roman city of Jerash. Jordan has so much and one can’t cover the ancient andhistorical sights ieven in months. Lets hope for the next visit to cover the missed places.
