A Week in Jordan

This was our first trip with Exodus & our first group tour. It was an exceptional holiday

Just the right amount of time to have a great taste of this amazing country and seeing the gems that it has to offer.  A lot of fantastic experiences and places in one week.

Fabulous week with a packed itinerary - warm spring sunshine, lots to see and do, good food and great company!

This was my first holiday with Exodus, and what an amazing experience! From the very first moment when we walked around Amman and ate freshly cooked falafel in freshly cooked bread for lunch - our adventure started. The incredible sights, the sounds, the overwhelmingly hospitable people, the fascinating history - every day was different and a new adventure.

Great holiday, fab to have 2 days at Petra.

We spent a week travel around this beautiful country and learnt an incredible amount.

An awe inspiring trip, with something for everyone, and covering all the key sights, sounds and tastes of Jordan. I knew I wanted to see Petra, but didn't really have any particular expectations of the rest of the tour, I was just curious to see the country. Everything was beyond my expectations, and our leader Eddie and the great group of fellow travellers really made the trip for me. This is my third Exodus trip, and they've all been very different, but equally good. We arrived into Amman late at night and were assisted through immigration and driven to our hotel. The hotel is clean and modern and very comfortable, although if you're at the back you might be woken by the call to prayer - a regular feature for the week! Day 1 was a walking tour around the ruins of Jerash which was really interesting, and then a dip in the Dead Sea and a swim in the pool above it. That evening several of us took taxis to Rainbow Street to find a restaurant for dinner (for the rest of the trip our leader Eddie took us to a different restaurant each night, also pointing out options for anyone who wanted something different). Day 2 and we left Amman with a long day of driving puntuated by stops at Mount Nebo, Arnun Valley (viewpoints and the Mujib Dam), Madaba, Kerak Castle, and finishing with dinner with a Bedouin family in their home, before checking into the hotel in Petra at around 10pm. Loo and snack stops were plenty, and between stops we were given all the info on the places we were going to see (plus jokes and stories!). Day 3 was a full day in Petra. The hotel is close to the entrance to the site, which was appreciated after a day of walking, but the rooms aren't as nice as the Amman hotel. Everything is fine, nothing major to complain about, the rooms could just do with some updating - particularly the bathrooms. In Petra we stuck together as group, walking down the Siq, seeing the big reveal of the Treasury and then along the valley. A couple of people opted not to walk the trail of 600 steps up to the viewpoint high over theTreasury, but it was well worth the climb if you have a decent level of fitness. There are two Bedouin tea tents on the way where you can take a much-needed break in the shade. That evening two of us took the option of the Turkish Bath just down the road before dinner (my tired legs appreciated the massage!), then Eddie took us all to a nearby restaurant. Day 4 was another full day in Petra, this time walking in the back way from the modern Bedouin town, and then walking around the 'nabatean neighbourhood' of cave houses. After a break for a drink, most of us set off on the climb up 850 steps through the rocks and hills to The Monastery. It was hard going in the heat, but there are rest stops on the way to buy water and snacks and plenty of amazing views to take in as you go. We ate our packed lunches in the cafe/rest stop opposite the Monastery, which is a surreal and amazing view. Having covered nearly 10 miles on each day in Petra (148 and 143 flights of stairs each day accodring to Fitbit) most people opted not to walk back in for Petra by Night, which has some very mixed reviews. Instead, after dinner a number of us headed to the Cave Bar near the visitor centre for cocktails. Day 5 and we had a lie in (there are a lot of early starts) and then left Petra, but not before exploring Little Petra and learning the history of the camel trains and the people who lived there. We stopped in town to buy lunch to eat on the bus, Eddie having pointed out the bakery, mini-markets and shawarma shop. We drove on to Wadi Rum, arriving late afternoon where we transferred to the camp in trucks/jeeps, left our luggage, went to the loo, and then set off on a 2 hour tour of the desert. The landscape is stunning and we had a great vantage point to watch the sunset before returning to camp for dinner. The tents are for two, so any single travellers are paired up with another of the same sex, as when the trip is full there aren't quite enough tents to go around. The tents are traditional woven structures with a flap across the entrance, single beds with a blanket and pillow, and a low wattage electric light from the ceiling. The loo block is a little way behing the tents and very clean, with two loos and a shower on each side. It was beautiful sitting under the stars after dinner, listening to a local musician playing traditional Bedouin music, before retiring for an early night. Day 6, and five of us had a very eary start with the optional camel ride at 5.45am. I can't recommend this enough - from the hilarity of trying to get on and stay on, to the beauty of the desert at dawn. After breakfast of omelettes back at camp, we transferred back to the bus by jeep and went to take a look at the Ottoman Railway from the time of Lawrence of Arabia -climbing aboard the steam train parked there. We then drove to Aqaba, where we had a short tour around the town by bus, stopped off for a Turkish coffee from a street vendor, and then arrived at the beach club by mid-morning. At the beach club there are several pools plus obviously a beach, all with loungers and umbrellas. You can rent snorkel gear to swim off the jetty which was fun, and you keep it for the day. Lunch was taken together with a buffet served by the main pool. After a packed itinerary to this point it was nice to just relax in the sun and the water. In the evening we checked into our hotel (fine, and has a small bar area for pre-dinner drink, but bathroom's need updating as flooding from the shower seemed to be common among all our rooms!). Eddie took us for a walk around the town including a spice stall, and the mosque, before we all went to a local fish restaurant for dinner. Day 7 and we left Aqaba to drive back up the length of the country to Amman. We stopped for photo opps overlooking the Dead Sea, to buy snacks for the journey, and to buy souvenirs at a bazaar. Arriving back in Amman early afternoon, we walked around the Roman Theatre and the Citadel before checking back into our original hotel (such comfy beds!) before heading out for a special farewell meal in a great restaurant with rooftop seating, The waiters were full of jokes and the food and atmosphere were great. Having said goodbye to our guide and driver back at the hotel, most of us then headed down the road to another hotel for a drink in the bar (most hotels, including ours, are dry). Day 8 and we transferred to the airport at 8am before flying home, with happy memories, tans, and some new friends.

 Jordan is both facinating and welcoming. It was a really enjoyable trip.

The first glimpse of the Treasury at Petra is jaw dropping, but Petra has so many more amazing sights. And Petra is not the only attraction of Jordan. Jerash, the Dead Sea and Wadi Rum are all experiences not to be missed

Hummus, camels, Indiana Jones and Dead Sea mud with a fabulous leader and fun group.