Excursions in Jordan, Petra, Wadi Rum, Dead Sea

Excursions in Jordan Petra

Going on excursions is probably a must in Jordan and Petra, which is one of Jordan's national treasures, is perhaps at the top of the list. Petra has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 1985. In 2007, the site was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. For over 200 years, this outstanding ancient city has been on travelers' must-see wish lists. One of Petra's buildings "The Treasury" seen in the final scene of the movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and is one of many archaeological wonders to be explored here.

Petra is undoubtedly Jordan's most valuable treasure and biggest tourist attraction. A large, unique city, carved directly from the mountain walls by the Nabataeans. This was an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2 years ago and made Petra an important hub for silk, spices and trade routes linking China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome.

The entrance to the city is through the Siq, a narrow gorge of over 1 km which is surrounded on both sides by 80 m high cliffs. Just walking through the Siq is an experience in itself, the colors and rock formations are dazzling. At the end of the chasm you are greeted by Al-Khazneh (Treasury) glimmering before you. This is an impressive experience. With its massive facade, 30m wide and 43m high, carved out of the great, dark pink rock wall, it outshines everything else in its vicinity. It was carved at the beginning of the first century, as the tomb of an important Nabatean king.

Book a guide!

A visit to Petra is a must and to get the most out of it, we recommend booking a guide. We help you book both guide and transfer. You will be picked up at the hotel by a driver and guide who will take you to Petra's entrance 2 hours away by car. During a 2-hour walking tour, the guide will tell you stories about this interesting city. After a couple of hours, you get to explore the city further on your own, perhaps riding a horse or camel if you need to rest your feet for a while. The guide then meets you at the entrance. If you wish, you can also extend your time with the guide directly on site.

If you do not want a guide, we can only book a driver to take you back and forth to Petra. There you can explore this wonder on your own, but we recommend a guide to start with. There is an option to stay one night at a hotel outside Petra.

Although there is much written about Petra that you can read about and learn, this is a place that you have to see with your own eyes to understand how amazingly exciting it really is. Because it doesn't exist liveaboard in Jordan and the diving often feels adequate with four to five days of diving, these shore excursions in Jordan with Petra and other places are something that will make your dives here much more complete and memorable

Excursions in Jordan Wadi Rum

Excursions in Jordan with Petra are not everything. When you are here, you must also visit Wadi Rum, which is one of the world's most beautiful desert regions. Here you will experience a fascinating landscape characterized by sandstone and granite cliffs rising out of the red desert sand.

Follow in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia through the amazing nature for an experience you will never forget. Many inscriptions and rock paintings show that the area has been inhabited for millennia and is now home to several Bedouin tribes. A visit to Wadi Rum (The Sound of Silence) is like a trip to another world. This is a great quiet place that is timeless and brutally beautiful. It is located 320 km southwest of Amman, 120 km south of Petra and only 60 km north of Aqaba.

Wadi Rum is a protected area covering 720 square kilometers of dramatic desert landscape in southern Jordan. Large mountains of sandstone and granite rise from wide sandy valleys. Here they reach heights of 1 meters and more. Bedouin tribes still live among the mountains of Wadi Rum and their large tents made of goat hair are a feature of the landscape.

There are many ways to enjoy the attractions. In addition to jeep, camel and hiking tours, you can also spend the night in a Bedouin tent and view the fantastic starry sky. Almost all the people living in and around Wadi Rum today used to live nomadic lives until recently, subsisting on their goats. The Bedouin as they are known are resourceful, hospitable people who are largely responsible for developing Wadi Rum as a tourist destination.

Wadi Rum a place to enjoy

If you're only going to Wadi Rum for the day, we recommend a 3-hour sunset jeep tour, which we can help pre-book. You leave Aqaba at 15:00 and the transfer car will take you to the edge of the desert and it takes about 1 hour there. There, the driver will be replaced with a local driver and the car will be replaced with an off-road jeep.

For 3 hours the driver will take you around the desert and show you the true beauty of Wadi Rum. You will make stops here and there to walk around, climb, relax and take pictures. You should be aware that the driver is only a driver and not a guide. If you're lucky, you might get a driver who loves to talk and act as a guide anyway. As the sun starts to set, head to a good spot to see the desert sand turn a beautiful red. This is a mighty one. and awesome experience! We can also help organize overnight stays in the desert. A really fun experience. Feel free to combine your excursions in Jordan with both Petra and Wadi Rum. We will help you arrange this for your diving trip.

Experience the Dead Sea in Jordan

The Dead Sea is probably one of the most amazing landscapes in the world. The main attraction at the Dead Sea is the warm, soothing and super salty water. It is ten times saltier than sea water. The reason is the nearby salt-rich mountains that precipitate salt, the lack of outlets and the high evaporation.

The unusually warm, salty and mineral-rich water has attracted visitors since time immemorial. You simply float on your back and enjoy the heat and the water's healthy minerals. Combine this with the fresh air, the mineral-rich black mud and the nearby freshwater and hot mineral springs. In other words, you have a perfect SPA. The Dead Sea is surrounded by mountains to the east and the rolling hills of Jerusalem to the west. All this together makes for an almost otherworldly beauty and a fantastically fun and memorable experience.

We can help organize a day trip to the Dead Sea. A driver will pick you up at your hotel and then drive you for a 3 hour drive to a resort located on the shores of the Dead Sea. The private beach area has a pool, restaurant and usually lunch is included in the price.

You will spend the day relaxing in the sea. Here you can lubricate your body in the Dead Sea's famous mud and swim a little in the pool. You decide for yourself if you want to go back to Aqaba or if you want to stay overnight so you can stay a little longer. This is a really good stop on the way between Aqaba and Amman to make your diving trip and vacation more complete.