Jordan travel attractions 2022 with AlexTravel? Think you can’t have a seaside vacation in the hot, dry Middle East? Think again. Aqaba, a beach town on the southern tip of Jordan, treats tourists to holidays on the breathtaking coastline of the Red Sea. Float, swim, snorkel, or dive – you can do it all from Aqaba. You can also get out on the turquoise water on one of the daily cruises offered by local hotels. Enhance your beach vacation in Jordan with a soak in one of the lovely hammams around the resort town. When you’re feeling peckish, dig into the local specialty of Aqaba: sayadieh, a dish of fish on flavorful rice with onion, tomato, and chili pepper. You don’t have to go all the way to Petra to see fantastic archeological sites in Jordan. In fact, the capital Amman (where you’ll probably arrive from abroad) is home to a variety of fascinating ruins, many of which are within short walking distance from one another. See additional info at The Best Jordan Adventures.
Jordan’s largest and most compelling Roman site, the ancient city of Jerash is a must for history buffs. It’s now considered one of the best-preserved sites of Roman architecture outside Italy and visitors can take in its public baths, squares and temples. Colonnaded Street is the city’s impressive main road lined with columns on both sides and paved with the original stones still rutted by the wheels of chariots. This vibrant city in the north of Jordan is surrounded by pine forests and built on the site of an ancient market town once visited by Emperor Hadrian. The city is overlooked by the imposing Ajloun Castle, which has stood on a nearby hillside for nearly 1,000 years. Though damaged by earthquakes and attacked by the Mongol, the city remains surprisingly well preserved, with a small museum and impressive views.
The Dead Sea carves its way through the heartlands of the Middle Eastern Levant. The lowest and most salty of the world’s ocean water bodies, it’s encircled by rising mountains and ochre-hued sand dunes, all of which reflect majestically upon the surface as the Arabian sun beats down. Today, the whole area on the Jordanian banks (the western side is over the border in Israel) comes dotted with beaches and resort hotels, while the south of the sea is taken over with interesting mineral evaporation pools, built for the harvesting of carnallite and potassium. The favorite activity though? Well, that’s surely lazing on the surface of the water, where the high saline density keeps travelers afloat like logs!
Head to the southern region of Jordan, and you’ll be treated to one of the most spectacular landscapes across the globe: Wadi Rum. Also known as the Valley of the Moon, this sandstone and granite rock valley is an otherworldly experience, with towering cliffs, massive dunes, swirling archways, and caverns. It served as the set for much of the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia and was tagged a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011. Adventure lovers, eat your heart out: The Zalabia Bedouin, a cultural group that lives in the area, have transformed the Wadi Rum into an ecotourism playground. You can ride camels or spirited Arabian horses through the area, strap on a harness and go rock climbing up the sandstone mountains, hike through canyons, and kick up sand on ATV tours. Discover extra info on https://alextravel.world/.
From the ground, the desert wilderness of Wadi Rum mesmerises. From the skies above looking down, it provides the kind of views that make you feel lucky to be alive. There are deserts and then there are deserts. Wadi Rum is the ruby-red, dust spinning, camel swashbuckling kind of desert with rock formations several storeys high. Camp beneath the stars in a (tailored for visitors) Bedouin tent, ride on camels, dune bash and take to the skies in a hot air balloon. Despite that long list of heady activities, Wadi Rum feels surprisingly quiet when you visit. As if the whole world has turned to red sand and is waiting for you. Lawrence of Arabia roamed around here and it’s possible to camp out beneath the stars or ride camels the traditional way. But the best view, for sure, takes place from the wicker basket of a hot air balloon.