Jordan, Late March
Discussion
Hi,
Mrs 2BToo and I are off to Jordan in a couple of weeks time. We've never been before and are booked with a car and driver so our itinerary is semi-fixed but not totally so. General outline is this:
- Day in Amman
- Down to Petra for 2 days
- Down to Wadi Rum for a Jeep Tour and night in the desert
- Back to Dead Sea for 2 days
- Up to Amman for a day
- Home to UK
We're looking for suggestions for things to do and places to eat (particularly in Amman); we have hotels booked with breakfast every day but would like to try some local places and Jordanian cuisine for other meals. We are also thinking of taking a day trip up to Jerash; apparently taxis are very cheap and this is worth a visit.
Mrs 2BToo would like to see the Ma'in Hot Springs but it only seems to get some so-so reviews. Is it worth it?
How much money should we take? We'll be buying lunch and dinner every day as well as trinkets and the occasional taxi ride, but accommodation and visas and Petra entry are all paid for in advance. Is £50/person/day too much? We're early 40's and active (with no kids) and are keen to see as much of the local culture as possible - which is a long way of saying we'd like to avoid tourist hotspots.
It seems that the country is generally safe for westerners as long as you keep clear of the Syrian border. We don't expect any problems but are keen to keen to hear if this is naive!
Thanks.
Mrs 2BToo and I are off to Jordan in a couple of weeks time. We've never been before and are booked with a car and driver so our itinerary is semi-fixed but not totally so. General outline is this:
- Day in Amman
- Down to Petra for 2 days
- Down to Wadi Rum for a Jeep Tour and night in the desert
- Back to Dead Sea for 2 days
- Up to Amman for a day
- Home to UK
We're looking for suggestions for things to do and places to eat (particularly in Amman); we have hotels booked with breakfast every day but would like to try some local places and Jordanian cuisine for other meals. We are also thinking of taking a day trip up to Jerash; apparently taxis are very cheap and this is worth a visit.
Mrs 2BToo would like to see the Ma'in Hot Springs but it only seems to get some so-so reviews. Is it worth it?
How much money should we take? We'll be buying lunch and dinner every day as well as trinkets and the occasional taxi ride, but accommodation and visas and Petra entry are all paid for in advance. Is £50/person/day too much? We're early 40's and active (with no kids) and are keen to see as much of the local culture as possible - which is a long way of saying we'd like to avoid tourist hotspots.
It seems that the country is generally safe for westerners as long as you keep clear of the Syrian border. We don't expect any problems but are keen to keen to hear if this is naive!
Thanks.
Amman. Go and see the Citadel and the amphitheatre in the centre of town.
Mmmmm - We had an interesting Arab meal (goat's testicles and all) in a restaurant there one night, although the name escapes me now.
There's not a huge amount to see or do in Amman, from our experience.
Dead Sea? Worth going once, but not sure it's worth 2 days, personally....
Safety wise, in late 2017 it was fine and I don't think things have got worse.
M
Mmmmm - We had an interesting Arab meal (goat's testicles and all) in a restaurant there one night, although the name escapes me now.
There's not a huge amount to see or do in Amman, from our experience.
Dead Sea? Worth going once, but not sure it's worth 2 days, personally....
Safety wise, in late 2017 it was fine and I don't think things have got worse.
M
Edited by marcosgt on Tuesday 12th March 14:11
Versus the OP itinerary, I'd recommend missing out Wadi Rum... it's very similar to various other desert places if you've been (eg UAE east coast, Oman, etc).
I'd highly recommend Jaresh, and also Umm Qais. These are amazing ruins, and those at Umm Qais when I went were deserted, we were the only tourists there that day. They are less 'restored' which I thought added to how cool they were... just sitting there as they were when the romans were rolling their chariots along the path (where you can still clearly see the chariot grooves).
For Petra there's a nice way to enter from the rear - a walk along some stone outcrop countryside that brings you in at the top so you don't have the hike up from inside the park (they have animals that can carry you but they are not well looked after so should not be used). I think this path at the rear is now fairly well made so possible for most abilities.
I'd highly recommend Jaresh, and also Umm Qais. These are amazing ruins, and those at Umm Qais when I went were deserted, we were the only tourists there that day. They are less 'restored' which I thought added to how cool they were... just sitting there as they were when the romans were rolling their chariots along the path (where you can still clearly see the chariot grooves).
For Petra there's a nice way to enter from the rear - a walk along some stone outcrop countryside that brings you in at the top so you don't have the hike up from inside the park (they have animals that can carry you but they are not well looked after so should not be used). I think this path at the rear is now fairly well made so possible for most abilities.
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