Hi guys,
today I would like to share with you my experience with country Jordan. The lowcost company Ryanair launched flights from Prague to Amman (last year) so you can buy airtickets quite cheap. You should use it while you have a chance :-) Everybody always wanted to know how much money did I spend so 1 week in Jordan cost me about 18 000 czk (which is not that cheap but well invested so no regrets). Also, it was really nice to see my friend Muhammad who I know from my Work&Travel in the U.S. It is really amazing when you have friends all around the world. I am very grateful for that.
My message for you is: the country is really safe, you don´t have to be afraid to come here. Locals are so nice and they will always help you. It is literally behind the corner - only 4 hours flight from Prague. There are not so many tourists, so use the chance. You are totally in different world.
My message for you is: the country is really safe, you don´t have to be afraid to come here. Locals are so nice and they will always help you. It is literally behind the corner - only 4 hours flight from Prague. There are not so many tourists, so use the chance. You are totally in different world.
My facts:
- the air tickets from incredible 750 czk
- the country is very safe, so you don´t need to be worried
- locals are really helpful
- food is cheap
- take more than enough water when you go for a hike or desert. I didn´t and I was really desperate - even twice. First time in Jordan, second time in Morocco and hopefully never again. I learned my lesson.
- wake up early in the morning to visit Petra
- buy so called Jordan Pass - you can do that online, it is worth the price, including entrance to Petra already and many more monuments in Jordan
- if you wanna visit as many places as possible, rent a car - in advance
- when I travel I always buy presents for my family which then I give them for the Christmas, so I can say that during the summer I always have everything
- avoid Ramadan period, the date is changing every year, so before you go for a holiday to Arabic country, please check it, I didn´t check it and here we go
- learn how to say "hi" and "thank you" in Arabic, you will see that locals will love you for that
- never refuse an invitation to a tea or anything else
- try to respect the culture, I was there during the Ramadan so I always hid my bottle with water
- don´t rely on credit card, get some cash
Your bucket list in Jordan can look like this:
- visit some castles
- swim in the Dead Sea
- visit one of the seventh wonders - Petra
- try some local cuisine
- have a chat with locals
- buy a cosmetics from the Dead Sea
- see some mosque
- get lost on the way - which is very easy and you probably will anyway
- sleep in the desert in the typical tents and drink a tea with locals
The itinerary:
Amman
Jerash
Ajlun Castle
Madaba
Mount Nebo
Dead Sea
Wadi Al Karak
Karak castle
Dana
Shawbak castle
Petra
vstat brzo
Wadi Rum
Aqaba
Al Qastal
Random stops/countryside
You will find more photos from my holiday in Jordan here on my instagram profile:
https://www.instagram.com/misainwonderland/?hl=cs
Amman
Lots of people avoid the capitals and it is mistake. There is an atmosphere in Amman. Definitely recommend and I will go there again. You will not meet many tourists - another advantage. There is a Roman Amphitheater. The best view os from the highest hill in the city of Amman - Citadel as you can see on the picture.
Jerash
If you like ancient Rome this is a place for you. The place is full of temples, amphitheatres etc.
Ajloun Castle
Typical castle in Arabic countries. It has never been conquered.
Madaba
It is a place where most of the Christians are situated. You will find here a "Madaba map" which is the oldest map representation of the Holy Land. You will also find nice mosaics everywhere in churches.
Mount Nebo
t is a place where, after Moses 40 years of wandering in the desert, he led his people, showed the promised land and died. From the top of the mountain you will see a panorama of the Holy Land, the Dead Sea and if you are lucky also Jerusalem. The view is stunning.
Dead Sea
It is the lowest point of the planet exactly minus 430 meters above sea level. The Dead Sea is so salty that no animals have a chance to survive in it. and it can cure many skin problems. It is really funny when you try to swim. Also, I recommend you buying a cosmetics from the Dead Sea which is everywhere.
We kind of got a little lost here. The navigation doesn´t always 100% works in Jordan. But we climbed a local hill and met some turtles on the way.
The castle from the Crusades period. It is the largest and well preserved. Few years ago there was a big terrorist attack. The place is now more secured.
Dana
It is a Nature Reserve. If you like hiking, you will love it here. It is full of canyons and beautiful views of the landscape. It looks a bit like Grand Canyon there. If you wanna enter the area, you have to pay for the permission.
Crusader castle from the 12th century.
Petra
One of the Seven Wonders of the World. It´s the most visited place in Jordan. There are sandstone rocks with hand-carved temples the size of our churches (The Nabatean Kingdom). It is definitely extraordinary. On the other hand I didn´t like how the locals treated the animals as a tourist attraction.
Wadi Rum
The most beautiful desert in the world. Themovie Martian was filmed there, look at the landscape. This is my favourite place in Jordan. I just love it. I went there running early in the morning to watch the sunrise. You sleep in Bedouin tents. You can buy a tour by jeep. It is the best option how to explore the desert.
Aqaba
It is a beautiful seaside town perfect for diving (also quite expensive so I skipped this activity). You feel like you are in Italy as you can see.
Al Qastal
Close to the airport. We just needed to kill some time so we were driving through villages. Sometimes it´s good to not plan everything because we wouldn´t come here otherwise. We were definitely the only tourists there.
Random stops
This is what you can see and experience if you rent a car.
Gastronomy
This is my favourite part of traveling. Tasting new kind of food. Jordan´s cuisine includes kebab, falafel, hummus. Often they eat meat. The tea is famous and traditional. Bread on the picture is served for breakfast, lunch an dinner - so the whole day. Also sweets are typical for Arabic countries, so good for me.
Jordan was my first experience with Middle East and Arabic countries. It has never been on my bucket list very high. Honestly I bought the air tickets only because Ryanair started flying there. But I must say that I will definitely come back one day because I really liked it and it is only 4 hours flight.
And now I am going to another adventure. Last year during the autumn I visited Bosnia, this year it is Serbia. So see you soon.
Michaela
