KINGDOM OF JORDAN (continued)
Distances
Sample Itineraries
Smart Travel-Shoppers
The Traveler's Lament
Neighboring Countries
Let's hope you're not planning to dash into Jordan for a couple of days just to visit popular Petra. That would be a shame, since there is so much more to this fascinating place. Give yourself at least five days to experience Jordan's major highlights.
Better still, plan to rent a car and spend at least a week to see and experience the major highlights of Jordan, including Jerash, Wadi Rum, Aqaba, the Dead Sea area, and several major desert castles, nature reserves, and religious sites.
And leave yourself a couple of extra days to go shopping, especially in Amman! Trust us. You'll be glad you planned more time in unforgettable Jordan.
Distances
Remember, this is a small country (similar in size to Portugal, and in the U.S., similar to Indiana) where distances between major destinations can be easily covered by car within a few hours via relatively good surfaced roads.
For example, Jerash, the Dead Sea, and many desert castles are quick day trips from Amman. A few hours in Jerash may be all you need, especially if lots of well placed rocks don't excite you. But if you are really into history and archeology, you may want to spend a full day absorbing Jerash's many unique treasures that speak volumes about Jordan's ancient and majestic Greco-Roman past.
The 230-kilometer drive between Amman and Petra takes only three hours by car. One day (overnight) in Petra should be sufficient. And Petra to Wadi Rum, or Aqaba to Wadi Rum, takes no more than an hour.
If you only plan to visit Amman and Jerash, three days would be sufficient. But if you plan to include Petra, an additional day or two would be necessary.
If you have seven days, you can easily cover Amman, Jerash, Petra, the Dead Sea, Wadi Rum, and a few desert castles, fortifications, and religious sites, such as Qasayr 'Amra, Qasr Mushatta, Ajlun, Karak, Umm Al-Jimal, Madaba, Mount Nebo, and Shawbak. If you have 10 days, you can also include the nature reserves of Dana, Azraq, Shawmari, and Majib.
Sample Itineraries
For your convenience, the Jordan Tourism Board has included under its “Visitor Toolbar” a useful “Itinerary Generator” section on its website: www.visitjordan.com. This useful tool should give you a realistic view of what you can expect to cover in a 1-, 3-, 5-, or 8-day period related to four different travel interest areas: - General
- Ecology and nature
- History and culture
- Religion and faith
Smart Travel-Shoppers
Many visitors quickly pass through Amman, or primarily use it as commuter base for visiting nearby sites, because they heard the city lacks many compelling historical attractions. And some ostensibly adventuresome visitors are fearful of large and unfamiliar urban settings where they feel they might get lost forever! As a result, Amman is often underrated and overlooked by visitors.
Okay, if you're obsessed with traveling to experience someone else's history, Amman won't take much of your travel time. This city does have some very interesting museums and archeological sites in and around the Downtown area, but these can be quickly covered in a day or two.
But there is a lot more to travel than history, archeology, and aging culture. Smart travelers soon learn that Amman is a vibrant modern city - a mix of many nationalities - filled with interesting things to see and do, both day and night.
They see and experience live people, exciting talent, and contemporary culture wherever they go. Best of all, they leave Jordan with lots of great memories and a suitcase full of interesting “stuff” they can enjoy for years to come - not to mention a temporary weight gain they need to work on once they return home!
Shoppers approach this city with a different set of eyes and attitudes - shopping is a gateway to learning about the local culture and talent. They quickly discover this city is a treasure-trove for acquiring quality products, learning about Jordan's talented artists and craftspeople, and experiencing its lively culture.
Indeed, shoppers treat this city as one of Jordan's most important destinations. It's the ultimate lifestyle destination for such travelers - good shopping, great restaurants, fine hotels, vibrant nightlife, and interesting people and places to visit.
As shoppers soon realize, this city deserves greater attention than given by most guidebooks and tours. You need time to really enjoy Amman's many treasures and pleasures. Indeed, shoppers should plan at least two days for treasure hunting in Amman, and add one to three shopping hours to their itineraries for Petra and Aqaba.
The Traveler's Lament
Like many others who have preceded you to this desert land, you'll find shopping to be the missing link in most suggested itineraries on how to enjoy your time in Jordan.
Don't become another traveler who repeats the often-heard traveler's lament: No one told there was so much interesting shopping here! I should have included an extra day or two just for shopping. Plan your time right from the beginning by allowing enough days in Amman to go treasure hunting for the best of the best Jordan has to offer visitors in search of unique products and talent.
Neighboring Countries
You may want to consider visiting two or three other countries as you plan your trip to Jordan. We highly recommend Turkey, Syria, and Israel - and in that order.
While Turkey certainly justifies a separate 7-10 day trip, it is a good gateway point for entering the Middle East.
You can easily fly into Istanbul for three days; proceed on to Aleppo, Damascus, and a few other locations in Syria for a week; visit Jordan for seven days; and then finish your trip with four to five days in Israel (it's best to enter Israel after Syria since Syria bars anyone who has visited Israel - or at least avoid getting an Israeli visa stamp in your passport, which is possible if you ask). Such an adventure would involve at least three weeks on the road.
You might also consider visiting Lebanon for a few days, but we're too concerned about safety issues at present to recommend it. At this time Iraq and Saudi Arabia are not particularly friendly to visitors.
Skip them and consider the more inviting Gulf States, such as the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait. They also are all good shopping destinations. In fact, the United Arab Emirates (especially the cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi) and Oman are well worth a separate trip to the region.
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