The guided tour in Egypt continued into Jordan with a flight into Amman from Cairo. We said goodbye to our awesome Egyptian guide and met up with a new small group of travelers and a new Jordanian guide. 😀

Wadi Rum

On day one, we drove to Wadi Rum, a beautiful rust colored expanse of desert and granite rock with sandstone mountains. This area, sometimes called Valley of the Moon, is the film location of several well known movies, including The Martian, the most recent Dune, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Lawrence of Arabia and Aladdin.

Bedouin Desert Camp

Archeological evidence shows that Wadi Rum has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Nearly all the people living in and around Wadi Rum today are of Bedouin origin. In recent years, Bedouin camps have developed to accommodate an interest in tourism to this pretty and unique area.

We stayed 2 nights in a camp with simple tents, bathroom facilities and a large tented room for meals. It was rustic but definitely felt like ‘glamping’, especially because the family who runs it provided us with delicious camp prepared meals while we were there.

Hike through the desert

On our first full day in the camp, we had time to explore the area with our guide. It was warm and beautiful and did feel a bit other worldly.

We were spoiled by a stop for tea and cookies, as well as a lunch stop, where the camp’s owners met us with a picnic.

Petra!

Of course, one of the most famous sites in Jordan is Petra. About 2 hours drive from Wadi Rum is the iconic site from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Most people are familiar with the treasury, or Al Khazneh, but the whole area is a huge expanse!

Petra is located amid rugged desert canyons and mountains, not visible unless walking through the Siq. The Siq is a long corridor to the iconic treasury, which is carved into the stone. It was once a thriving trading center and city, the capital of the Nabataean empire between 400 B.C. and 106 A.D. The city is impressive for its beautiful rock-cut architecture and innovative water management system.

The city was attacked by both the Greeks and Romans due to its success and wealth as a trading center. Byzantines took control of the area at some point, but by the beginning of the 8th century, it was largely abandoned due to an earthquake having destroyed many of its buildings.

The walk from the entrance to where the treasury sits in Petra is 2km (just over a mile), and the city expands from there. There are multiple rock-carved formations visible throughout, in addition to an impressive theater said to seat up to 40,000 people! The day we explored the site, we walked over 10 miles!

Petra by Night

Several nights a week, a separate ticket is offered to return to Petra and see it lit by hundreds of candles. There was a short presentation at the treasury with two locals playing native instruments, and a story telling. It was really pretty.

Photo credit goes to Steffke V., whose camera was far superior to mine in this instance. She was very gracious to share her pics with me.

The Dead Sea

This salt water lake in Jordan is known as ‘dead’ because its high salinity prevents macroscopic aquatic organisms like fish or plants from living there. It is 430.5 meters below sea level, making its shores the lowest land-based elevation on earth!

The salinity causes objects to float, so no treading water needed here! The tradition is to cover yourself with mud from the shores and then rinse off in the water for the full ‘spa’ experience.

Jerash

This city north of Amman has been inhabited since the Bronze Age. It contains the well preserved ruins of a walled Greco-Roman settlement of Gerasa, which is considered one of the largest sites of Roman architecture outside of Italy, and dates back more than 6,500 years!

Lunch in a local’s home

One of the neatest aspects of the Intrepid tour, in both Egypt and Jordan, was the opportunity to eat a home cooked meal in local resident’s homes. In this case, our guide explained that the woman cooking for us is a widow with four children. She welcomed us into her home for a delicious meal, we got to eat local dishes, and in turn, it provides income for her family. (This is our guide showing us his skills in getting the dish onto a platter).

This leg of the journey was definitely an adventure! Two weeks flew by! I am tired, but grateful for so many neat experiences. I loved the food and chaos of Egypt and the unique landscapes of Jordan. I am especially grateful to have shared this trip with my fellow travelers on both tours. ❤️ I will not miss the heavy smoking indoors or the lack of toilet paper in the bathrooms. 😂 I will miss the friendly people and my travel companions!