The magic of Jordan

Fascinated by the middle eastern landscapes, I dreamt to visit Jordan since years. Free diving in the Red Sea, exploring the eerie deserts of Wadi Rum, floating in the Dead Sea, and of course, Petra… that 2,400 year sandstone jewel in their crown. Follow me, I show you !

Jordan

Night millions of souls, six times smaller than France, a country whose half of its citizens are naturalized Palestinian or Iraqi refugees and for millennia. Borderer with Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt (we count the water border), West Bank and Israel, what a neighborhood ! Jordan is fascinating. Check this out !

Amman

Located in the north of Jordan, Amman has many faces. Built on hills, the capital is a curious mix of old Ammonite ruins dating back to 1200 B.C., traditional souks and a new Middle Eastern flair architecture. From the hill of the cathedral, I admired this beautiful sandy city view, full of beige monochrome houses and friendly people.

Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum, Unesco-protected World Heritage, is one of the most beautiful place I ever seen. You feel very small in this impressive desert. You hear only the wind, crossing some nomad, some camels and a few tourists. We slept in a tented camps where nights are spent under thousands of stars. Jordan's national flower only grows in Wadi Rum and only in spring. It calls Black Iris. How pretty !

Jerash

One of the best preserved Roman sites outside of Italy, Jerash is about 45min drive (51 km) from Amman. Lined with tall stone columns, carved stone blocks, plazas and theatre.. the massive ruins of Jerash are like a travel from the past. Where is Hercule to take a selfie ?

The Red Sea

Diving the Red Sea in Aqaba was one of my favorite memory of Jordan. There are many dive sites along the coast, but the Tank and the Wreck (used as an artificial reef) are two of the most iconic. It only lies 18m underwater and is easily accessible to all divers. I free dived to see it. Amazing !

Petra

I didn't sleep the night before going to Petra. I was too excited. I check almost every 3 hours if my camera were charged. My phone. My alarm clock. We walked past Nabataean palaces, Roman amphitheaters, hills covered in burial sites, and caves adorned with ancient statues. Then we faced the magical wallstone. Wow ! We continued climbing another 800 steps through the cliff face to the vast to get to the second wallstone. Even more impressive ! Behind it, there’s an overview to Israel and Palestine. That day, of my dream came true !

The Dead sea

“Dead Sea”, what a creepy name for something so beautiful. The Dead Sea is ten times more salty than the ocean, nothing can survive in that level of salt, that’s why it named Dead Sea. At -422m above the sea level, it’s also the lowest point on earth ! (Actually, not anymore since 2019. Scientific found a canyon under an iceberg at -3500m above the sea level in Antartica). Thats what I knew about the Dead sea before seing it. But, let me tell you... the most impressive thing about the Dead Sea is the colors. It literally looks like a liquid mirror with unreal tons of silver, blue lagoon and pink. Floating in the Dead Sea was unreal but you can’t stay more than 10 minutes inside the water cause it’s burns the skin. Well-known for wellness treatment, I did a mud bath which made my skin smooth for the rest of the trip. A really fun experience !

My trip

Day 1 : France - Amman
Day 2 : Amman - Jerash - Amman (160 km - 2H)
Day 3 : Amman - Madaba - Nébo - Kerak - Petra (266 Km - 4 h)
Day 4 : Petra - Small Petra
Day 5: Petra - Wadi Rum (115 km – 1h40) - Desert camp
Day 6 : Wadi Rum - Aqaba - Red sea boat trip
Day 7: Aqaba - Dead sea
Day 8 : Dead sea - France

Where is Jordan ?

 

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