I didn’t know much about Jordan until some friends of ours did a tour of the middle east.  After looking at their pictures of Jordan and reading a little more about it, I knew I wanted to go.  Check out pictures from our trip there, and get ready to add it to your list too.

So why Jordan you may ask?

It Is Safe

The first question on most people’s mind is, is it safe?  There is a lot of unrest in the middle east and there are many countries that most travelers would not be interested in visiting due to safety concerns.  Jordan is not one of them.  While in recent years with the continued unrest in Syria, Jordan has started to have more safety concerns, it is still a relatively safe place to travel in the middle east.

Amazing Cultural/Historical/Religious Sights

I had no idea what was in Jordan until some friends showed us some pictures, but as we started to do research for our own trip, we realized there were so many sights to see.  We were there for a week and got to see a ton of amazing sights, but definitely had to make our priorities and miss some given how many there are.  There is Mount Nebo (think Moses), Petra (early civilization), Dead Sea (floating!), Wadi Rum (desert and sand dunes), Jordan River (where Jesus was baptized), Roman cities, resorts and more.

Petra is one of the main attractions in Jordan.  The amazing architecture and engineering is mind blowing.  Make sure to spend enough time here.  Petra gets super crowded, so it is definitely worth it to do the sunrise and moonlight options, not only is it magical, but it is a lot less crowded.  Bring your walking shoes, there is a LOT of walking in Petra.  (There are camels and donkeys available for those who need them as well.)

Jerash is another amazing opportunity to check out impressive ancient architecture.

Natural Beauty

Jordan is topographically stunning.  From the mountains to the Dead Sea, there is beautiful natural scenery in Jordan that you won’t see anywhere else.  The Dead Sea offers unusual swimming opportunities and there are nature reserves that offer beautiful hiking (Dana Nature Reserve).

Luxury Accommodations At a Reasonable Price

If you have been reading my posts for a while, you may know that I am not a huge luxury traveler; not because I don’t love luxury hotels (who wouldn’t?!), but mostly for budgetary reasons.  Jordan has tons of beautiful luxury accommodations at very affordable prices.  This is particularly true at the Dead Sea (pictures below), but really is available everywhere.

The People

One of the best parts of traveling is meeting new people.  Jordanians are super welcoming and friendly everywhere we went.

One of a Kind Experiences

Jordan is completely unique from the landscape to the sights, Jordan is a once in a lifetime trip full of experiences you have never had before.  Ride on a camel, float in the dead sea, wonder at the engineering of ancient peoples, climbing giant sand dunes, from north to south, east to west, Jordan is phenomenal.

And for all these reasons you should add Jordan to your wanderlust bucket list, you will never forget it!  Have you been to Jordan?  What did you love?  Are there other countries nearby that we should visit?