Making Tracks From Budapest To Jordan

The capital of Jordan is the largest city in the country, and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It has quite a few places of interest to tourists, like the Roman forum and amphitheater, near to which we opted for a 3* hotel room, which was clean and the equivalent of EURO 20 per night. We only used the double room for sleeping, and had breakfast at a near by café. Afterwards we visited the enormous King Abdullah I Mosque, exploring the city on foot, and also did some shopping – DVDs are a great bargain.

We made some Jordanian friends, who helped us to get around e.g. up to the Citadel, and in their company we found the local hospitality to be welcoming and generous. We sampled small eateries and found moderately priced and tasty food like hummus, falafel, bobaganush, fulle, washing it down with cardamom flavoured coffee. Across town at night there are numerous bars and clubs with live music, especially in the West of the city.

After Amman we headed out of town by car to visit several locations of special interest on our way to the very south of the Kingdom.

We passed by the baptism site of Jesus, the final resting place of Moses at Mt. Nebo, and the mosaic rich town of Madaba (we made a note visit each of those places later in the trip - more info. below).

Rather than taking a domestic flight the road trip proved worthwhile, the dramatic views along the journey to the popular southern city were amazing, and we arrived in Aqaba to see a spectacular sunset.

The contrast in scenery makes this city one of the most beautiful in Jordan, with its mountainous backdrop and white sandy beaches fringed with palm trees. Using this Red Sea resort town as our sunny base, we made several day trips to several sites of historical interest.

The first was to the desert made famous by the character Lawrence of Arabia: Wadi Rum. We got there by taxi and upon arrival paid a Bedouin driver to take us out for a half-day trip into the desert wasteland in an old 4x4.

We soon got use to the speed our driver flew over the sand dunes, and through dry lake beds, and really enjoyed the ride through the expansive and exquisitely beautiful desert.

Our guide regularly stopped so we could explore the impressive rock formations and take photos of a few ancient carvings.

After that trip to ‘Rum Valley’ we went north into the hills towards Petra, where the scenery changed from dunes to scrub brush, and then to grassy hills with grazing sheep and ancient olive trees.

At Petra visitors pay to see ancient temples, amphitheaters and tombs where were carved thousands of years ago by the Nabataeans into the red sandstone cliffs.

A horse rise into Petra is mandatory, its not cheap and doesn’t add much.

A forced camel ride might have been more fun...

Anyway camels are available for hire if visitors don’t feel like walking up the slope out of the ancient ‘Rose City’.

Petra is mentioned in the Qur'an, sura Al-Fajr where it is called Thamud.

In 2007 it was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

UNESCO describes it as: "One of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage."

After that must-see activity, we returned to our hotel in Aqaba, the Kempi. After basic accommodation in Amman it was a real pleasure to enjoy some serious luxury- here's a shot of a Superior Room at the Kempinski Hotel Aqaba.



Located next to the InterContinental Aqaba on the sandy shores of the Red Sea, it is an ideal location for those who simply want to switch off and relax. However, there plenty to do for the energetic, as the hotel is only a stones throw away from a variety of shops, restaurants and leisure facilities. The distinctive structure and spectacular interior design are complimented throughout with state of the art technology – e.g. free internet access around the hotel and in all sea view rooms.

Its worth mentions the hotels own entertainment, including; trips on private yachts, windsurfing, kayaking, diving, snorkelling and swimming of course. Soon to be completed, the Spa at the Kempinski Hotel Aqaba is under construction, as is the executive floor on the top floor – which promises to be one of the best of any Kempinski properties around the world.

Another Kempinski in Jordan, their resort property at the Dead Sea called the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar, could be described as a Jordanian attraction in it own right. Designed in affectionate tribute to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, it has welcomed many a Head of State, and I certainly felt a sense of privilege to enjoy a short stay in a villa room with a view of the Dead Sea.

Of course The Dead Sea is known for its therapeutic and healing qualities due to its mineral-rich sea salt and mud, low UVB rays and enriched oxygen atmosphere. From our villa room it was easy to have a dip and bathe in the same waters as King Herod the Great and the beautiful Egyptian Queen, Cleopatra.

Located over 400 metres below sea level, we found out first hand about the water in the Dead Sea, its high level of sulphur which makes it ten times saltier than sea water, and proved that even after amazing hotel meals you can still float unaided.

The hotel is built in carved Jerusalem stone and features gardens dotted with lagoons, waterfalls and private pools, ancient olive trees and bamboo palms providing guests with absolute privacy in a serene and exclusive setting.

Not only does the hotel boast the longest private beach in Jordan, it is also home to the largest Spa in the Middle East encompassing 10,000sqm of holistic wellbeing facilities.

Pictures are needed to do justice to the magnificence of this hotel, which has won many international awards.

I particularly appreciated the understanding and friendly staff, the Dead Sea bath products in the fabulous deluxe rooms, family friendly facilities, absolutely superb breakfasts to set you up for a day of adventures... And a choice of various gourmet restaurants to spoil yourself after an exhilarating day trip, or after a relaxed day by the beach and the many hotel pools.

From there to Madaba is an easy escape, and the ‘City of Mosaics’ together with Mount Nebo, one of the other most revered holy sites of Jordan, were well worth a day trip. Madaba, one of the most memorable places in the Holy Land is famous for its stunning and well preserved Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics along with the 6th century mosaic map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land.

From the small Byzantine church built on top of Mount Nebo - where Moses was buried - we were nearly literally blown away by the vast panorama that encompasses the Jordan River Valley, Dead Sea, Jericho and Jerusalem.

On the banks of the River Jordan, close to the Dead Sea we found the revered site where Jesus was baptised, more commonly known as “Bethany beyond the Jordan”. This site is one of the most significant archaelogical and religious discoveries in Jordan in recent times. Not only does the site hold significant spiritual value to many the site is also a true eco-tourism location.

The site includes a salt marsh wetland, home to an array of flora and fauna including tree and marsh frogs, hydrophilic dragon flies, water beetles and some crustaceans. In addition to this, an impressive number of migratory and wetland birds are can be seen.

Jordan is definitely a place of many contrasts, and like the birds it’s a place I hope to return again and again, either in or out of the traditional tourist season. As well as the typical tourists tips above I would highly recommend Jordan as an eco-tourism destination - for more information about that you can visit online via the Jordanian Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature.

By Scott Freeman for XpatLoop.com