One Week In Jordan: How To Experience Everything In Just Seven Days

16 Oct One Week In Jordan: How To Experience Everything In Just Seven Days

As you may have seen over on our Instagram lately, we’ve been singing atop the mountains (and inside the valleys) of Jordan, aka Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. With the number of gorgeous pictures of Jordan all over the Internet, we’re not at all surprised that you’re reading this post, inspired to go, and planning your very own Jordanian adventure.

 

 

Well, to you we say: boil that shai, tie that shemagh over your head, and sit back as we share our week-long itinerary so that you can experience the best of Jordan in just one week:

 

One Week In Jordan – How To Experience Everything In Just Seven Days

 

DAY 1 – ONE WEEK IN JORDAN

Depending on where you’re flying from, you will more than likely arrive in Jordan’s most populous city, and capital – Amman. It’s a beautiful city built on white stone, on seven hills (just like Rome) and has several historical sites to visit (if you have some time). We recommend the Citadel, and if you’re up to the stroll down, the Roman Theatre (although you can just view it from above and still get an idea of its prestige). You’ll feel the strong Roman influence at both locations, and one of the highlights was seeing the Hand of Hercules – part of what could’ve been one of the largest marble statues to have ever existed (if it was in fact completed). If you’d like to pick up some souvenirs, there is a market just outside the King Abdullah Mosque with everything from jewellery and textiles, to glass bottles of sand art (of course you’ll also want go into the Mosque – although we sadly had to skip it as I wasn’t dressed correctly*). If you’re looking for some night life, or just some trendy cafes and places to eat, then Rainbow Street is where you want to go to end off your day.

 

 

 

DAY 2 – ONE WEEK IN JORDAN

After a quick morning flight down to Aqaba (on most days there’s a direct, early morning flight), you’ll drop off your bags at your hotel – our recommendation is of course the Al Manara Luxury Collection Resort, which just opened a few months ago – and head on out to explore the town. You can explore by foot, visiting the Early City of Ayla (although there isn’t too much to see here yet – excavations of the ruins are still underway), and the sixth tallest freestanding flag in the world (which sadly wasn’t up when we visited – but the tall pole was still rather impressive…holding thumbs the Arab Revolt flag is flying when you visit). One place you definitely need to pop past, is the “pearl of Aqaba” – the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, which has been modeled to look like the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. It’s beautiful, peaceful, and if you don’t have the right attire*, the lovely gentlemen there will supply you with some. If you’re still feeling adventurous, and want to see what’s below the surface in the Gulf of Aqaba, you can go on a tour of the underworld, in a glass-bottom boat. A quick 1.5 hour trip, and you’ll get to see some of this area’s dive sites and beautiful marine life.

 

 

 

DAY 3 – ONE WEEK IN JORDAN

It’s going to be an early morning and a long day, so hope you got some good sleep last night (and if you’re in one of Al Manara’s suites, then you certainly did – one of the best beds I think we’ve ever slept in, no jokes). Your driver is going to drop you at the Petra Visitor Centre, and from here on out, you’ll be walking. The day we explored this UNESCO World Heritage site and New World Wonder, we covered close on 18.5km…worth every step, no doubt, but it’s certainly not for the faint hearted. That being said, you can also take it slow, ride by donkey, or camel, and not do all of the activities we recommend. We’ll write an extensive post on visiting Petra soon, but for now, just know that: a) our favourite part was the hike up to the Monastery; and b) visiting the Treasury (that famous carving featured in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade) in the afternoon, around 3:30pm, was WAY better for photos, as it seemed to be less crowded (this was in September 2018, so hopefully that applies when you’re visiting too). Sadly, the Petra by Night experience was not at all what we imagined (probably due to overbooking and people’s own selfish desires to #GetThatGram), so just know that if you’re looking for a calm, quiet, “romantic” way to see this gorgeous ancient city lit by candlelight, all you’ll be getting with Petra by Night (and the what-feels-like-a-million people beside you) is the candlelight. But we don’t want to leave day three on a sour note, so let us stress again what an absolutely sensational trip the visit to Petra is during the opening hours of 6am – 6pm (6am – 4pm in winter).

 

 

DAY 4 – ONE WEEK IN JORDAN

After that wild day yesterday, you deserve a sleep-in, so enjoy your hummus and pita breads in bed, maybe take a walk on the beach, and if you’re craving some more underwater life, head out for a snorkeling or diving trip to get nice and close to all those parrotfish, octopi, if you’re lucky, turtles, and some of the best coral this part of the world has on offer. When you’re ready, pack your overnight bag, and jump into your transfer car, for an hour drive to Wadi Rum – Jordan’s largest valley, also known as the Valley of the Moon. You probably won’t believe your eyes, and you’ll think you’re on another planet, but after checking into your camp for the night (we recommend Sun City camp’s Martian Domes for something different), head on over for a sunset camel ride through the desert (the ultimate Bedouin experience), and then a traditional Zarb dinner, and some hookah under the stars (just make sure to avoid the desert wildlife, as we can say there’s definitely vipers out there).

 

 

 

DAY 5 – ONE WEEK IN JORDAN

Another early morning for you, as you head up to the sky in a hot air balloon ride over the beautiful Wadi Rum desert. Side note: there’s only one balloon that flies, so make sure your booking is reserved in advance. With views of the red sand, and scenery that can only be described as otherworldly, you’ll come back to Earth a changed person. But the exploring isn’t over yet. Hop into your jeep and cruise around the desert, stopping to see where The Martian was filmed, and to have some shai at the Lawrence of Arabia canyon (yes, THAT Lawrence of Arabia, and #funfact, it was the classic 1962 film that actually kickstarted tourism for Jordan). Drive back to Aqaba and let the team at Al Manara serve up a delicious cocktail for sunset (and maybe a traditional maqluba for dinner).

 

 

 

DAY 6 – ONE WEEK IN JORDAN

You can sleep in again, visit the spa, or enjoy the pool in the morning light, before driving up to the world’s lowest elevation on land – the Dead Sea. There are certain spots along the way where you can stop to take photos, but on the Jordanian side of the world’s deepest hypersaline lake, there’s only really one spot where you can get in and swim…or shall we say, float. It’ll cost you 20 JOD (approximately 28 USD) to enter Amman Beach, and 3 JOD to get some of the famous Dead Sea mud to rub on yourself, but the experience itself is quite priceless, as you bob along in waters that are 9.6 times saltier than the ocean. You can spend a night at one of the hotels at the Dead Sea, or drive a little further and end up back at Amman ahead of your flight out tomorrow. We also want to mention, that if you’re not strapped for time, it would be well worth visiting Wadi Mujib, only 90km south of Amman. We weren’t able to go (and our rule is “always leave something for next time” so we’ll definitely be coming back for it), but we’ve heard great things about this scenic gorge, so definitely add it to the list.

 

 

 

DAY 7 – ONE WEEK IN JORDAN

If you have time to spare before your flight (and missed out on some Amman explorations on day one) use this day to visit the sites and get one more delicious Jordanian dish in you – can you tell how much we love the food?!

 

 

That concludes our week-long Jordanian itinerary. You can, of course, book each part of the journey separately yourself, but if you prefer, the concierge at Al Manara can organize it all for you.

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*As a female traveling through an Arab country, I felt more comfortable wearing long dresses, and loose pants and long-sleeves that covered my knees and shoulders. Even though at the coast and in the desert it would’ve been totally ok for me to wear “more revealing” clothes, during our visits to the Mosques I had to be completely covered up, having only my face, hands and feet exposed, so ladies, take note.

 

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