Dead Sea, Petra & The Sands Of Time: Our Family Trip To Jordan Was Larger Than Life!

27 Mar 2023

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Our family trip to Jordan was a surreal experience. It was a dream come true for me since I had always wanted to visit it ever since my geography and history classes. A big fan of the country, I had always been fascinated by its spectacular culture, sightseeing, natural marvels, and the “era gone by” feel that it invoked. From biblical stories to real life ones, Jordan was one destination that had always been on my bucket list. And this time, it finally got ticked!

I went on this Jordan family holiday with my wife, brother in law, and father in law. And although initially planning for Greece, we soon switched over to Jordan when we realized we all preferred an Arabian adventure than a Greek story.

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So as soon as our decision was final, I began searching for a suitable Jordan family package on the internet and that is when a Facebook ad of TravelTriangle caught my eye. Since they offered a customized package, I filled in a few details and waited for them to contact me. Soon, a travel representative from the company called me and forwarded my requirements to their agent on board for quotes and itineraries.

After receiving the quotes from their agent “HT Travel”, I compared them to a few other websites and found them to be good value for money. Without a further delay, I booked my package and was now sorted regarding my trip planning.

And just to give you an idea about what all was included and what was not, here are the package details for my family trip to Jordan:

Cost: 2600 dollars or INR 1,71,756 (4 adults)
Duration: 5 Nights 6 Days
Inclusions: Transfers, hotels, meals, and sightseeing
Exclusions: Flights (we booked them on our own), other personal expenses that were not part of the package.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and sightseeing in Amman followed by check in
Day 2: Sightseeing in Jerash
Day 3: Arrival and check in in Wadi Rum followed by sightseeing in Madaba
Day 4: Sightseeing in Petra followed by check in at the hotel in Dead Sea area
Day 5: Full day at the Dead Sea area and resort
Day 6: Check out and proceed to the airport for flight back to India

Disclaimer: About the food in Jordan
The food in Jordan is quite nice and consists of meat along with fresh vegetables, beans, and pulses among other ingredients. Yes, it is meat biased but vegetarians can choose from plenty of vegetable based salads, dips, falafel, and flat bread to keep themselves well fed. We, in particular, had no problem with the food and in fact enjoyed it quite a lot.

And now, our trip experience. Here you go!

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Amman – our first tryst with the glorious past of the country!

Nightlife In Jordan: Experience The Lesser Known Side Of Jordan

We took a flight from Delhi at 4 am in the morning and after approximately 8 hours, landed in Amman. After our formalities at the airport, we were greeted by our travel guide cum driver who as per our request straight away took us for sightseeing in Amman city’s downtown part. The places we visited in Amman included:

The Citadel
This historic site sits on top of a hill and the most amazing attractions here include The Temple of Hercules and Umayyad Palace which we really enjoyed visiting.

Jordan Archaeological Museum
This was an excellent experience where we saw a lot of artifacts. Some of them dated to prehistoric time while others to the more recent 15th century. Overall, this was a really interesting experience.

Jordan Folklore Museum
Another interesting destination, we saw a lot of preserved costumes, cultural artifacts, handicrafts, and musical instruments.

Roman Theater
This 6000 seat theater dates back to 2nd century when the city was known as Philadelphia and is truly a sight to behold.

Nightlife In Jordan: Experience The Lesser Known Side Of Jordan

Post the sightseeing, we returned to our hotel “Ayass Amman” for an overnight stay.

Jerash – an ancient city like none other!

We were to visit Jerash today, an ancient Roman city that is known for its architectural marvels and cityscape. So after a fine breakfast at the hotel, we proceeded for the full day sightseeing excursion.

Jerash was all Roman in its personality. The paved streets, huge public squares, plazas, fountains, city walls, and soaring hill top temples were a treat to the senses – and witnessing them all at one place, we couldn’t help but relive the glorious times of the past.

Next up, we proceeded towards the north to see the famous Ajloun Castle (Qal’at Ar-Rabad) which is also an important historical and ecological site. This castle, built in 1184 AD by Saladi’s general was constructed to control the iron mines of Ajloun and hinder the progress of the Crusaders by dominating the three routes leading to Jordan (what a strategy!).

This marked the last of our sightseeing in Jerash post which we returned to our hotel for we were to change city and hotel the next day.

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Madaba, Mount Nebo, and Wadi Rum – the sands of time

We left for Wadi Rum today and on our way covered the ancient city of Madaba. This city is famous for its mosaic art, specifically the 6th-century mosaic map of Jerusalem and witnessing it was truly marvelous. We also visited the St. George’s Church and it was followed by Mount Nebo where the Memorial Church Of Moses lay. From here, we could also see the neighboring city of Jerusalem which was truly fascinating and a sight to behold.

Moving on, we continued for Wadi Rum via the highway. The ride was very scenic and we loved clicking pictures on the way.

We reached Wadi Rum late in the evening and checked into the Sun City Camp where we were scheduled to stay at a Martian like camp called “Freedomes”. Looking at the whole dome shaped camp and the red sand surrounding, we couldn’t help but imagine ourselves staying at Mars! (at least for the shortest of time!).

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The night spent here was very beautiful and graced by a starry sky, which was actually the whole point of the tented accommodation. We liked how everything was managed perfectly at this camp and how each tent had a small balcony attached to it for lazing around.

Petra – one destination that cannot be described in words (but I tried anyway!)

Today was the big day! We were to finally visit our most awaited attraction in Jordan, the rock carved city of Petra and frankly, were too excited for it!

Petra Caves In Jordan: A Rose-Red City Half As Old As Time

We checked out of the camp post a delicious breakfast and then proceeded towards Petra in a cab. The ancient city began through a narrow lane but ended up larger than life once we had crossed its entrance.

“They say, it takes two days to thoroughly explore the city of Petra but since we were on a time constraint, we ended up completing almost 50% of it in five to six hours. Pretty good, right?”

There were so many places to see here and we loved every bit of what we encountered. From the rock cut tombs to colonnaded streets to temples, altars, and most importantly, The Treasury – everything was magnificent and oh so pink!

Next up was the Dead Sea where we were to check in to our new resort “Movenpick Dead Sea Spa and Resort”.

“As we proceeded from Petra to Jordan, the color of the rocks started changing and suddenly everything felt so surreal. The highway, surrounded by mountains on either side, added to the whole charm, and made our ride, extremely picturesque”.

After checking into our excellent resort, we relaxed for a while before calling it a day.

Movenpick Dead Sea Resort – a relaxing abode like none other!

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This was a leisure day for us and it was spent lazying around, swimming in the Dead Sea, and exploring the nearby area and markets.

We did not have to go out of the resort to swim in the Dead Sea for our resort had its own private access to it. We could swim as many times here till 6 pm which is the time limit set by the government.

“No matter how much we tried, we just couldn’t go down in the sea. It was truly amazing!”

Tip: It is recommended not to stay in the Dead Sea for more than 15 minutes for it can harm you. On the other hand, the salty and mineral rich water of the sea is also beneficial and contains healing properties. Practice moderation. If you want to go back for a swim again, take a shower and then go.

The Dead Sea had some amazing views to offer and Jerusalem from here appeared so close! Later in the afternoon, we ventured out on our own and visited a few markets in the vicinity. There were many restaurants here and we chose the one which offered an even better view of the sea than our resort.

Goodbye Jordan – till we see you again!

This was our final day in Jordan and after we had checked out of the resort, we were transferred to the airport for our flight back to India.
Our family trip to Jordan, or should I say Arabian adventure, had come to an end.

Final thoughts

Jordan exceeded our expectations in so many ways. From its friendly people to hospitality, to its rich landscape, and sightseeing places – everything was a treat to the senses. My family and I had a such a good time exploring this wonderful country that for a while, we truly got lost in its old world charm. Our Arabian adventure was such a delight that we would surely love to return some day, relive our wonderful memories, and fall in love with this paradise all over again!

My essential tips for all those traveling to Jordan:

I recommend everyone to book their cabs in advance since hiring one on your own there can be quite expensive.
Madaba is one destination that offers an average sightseeing experience and is a skippable option.
The difference between a “Freedome” tent and a normal one is about 100=150 dollars and if you’re on a budget, then you can go for a normal one for it too offers a balcony and a similar experience.
Glamping or luxury camping in Wadi Rum is a must. I recommend Sun City Camps for this experience.
One should always maintain a balance between clicking pictures and enjoying the sightseeing for there are some moments which really need to be felt. Don’t waste too much time clicking photos and missing out on precious sightseeing moments.
Movenpick was a perfect resort option for us since it was situated on the Dead Sea Road and had private access to it. I recommend you to pick the same or a similar resort like JW Marriott.

In the end, I would like to thank TravelTriangle for organizing a wonderful family trip to Jordan for us and would recommend all to check out their value for money Jordan tour packages. So, if you too want to enjoy a hassle free holiday experience, this is it!