Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

My two stand out moments were fairly predictable but no less enjoyable because of that: - walking down the Siq at Petra and catching my first glimpse of the breathtakingly beautiful Treasury; and- sleeping under the stars in Wadi Rum and watching the moon make its way across the night sky.  

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was great - smart, extremely well informed, kind, helpful and endlessly patient. If anything, he gave us a bit too much information and could have perhaps shortened and/or simplified some of the explanations that he gave us. I think he may have assumed a bit too much prior knowledge on the part of the group!  

Advice for Potential Travellers

A week is long enough to see the key sights of Jordan but it's still a pretty hectic itinerary. So don't be expecting long lie-ins or anything! Highlights for me were Petra (of course) and the majestic Wadi Rum. You'll get most out of Petra if you have a reasonable level of fitness as it's a vast site to cover and many of the best trails and viewpoints requires some (fairly tough) climbing. It can also get blisteringly hot, even when we were there in April, so be sure to wear heaps of sunscreen and a hat. And drink plenty of water.   As long as you're prepared for fairly basic conditions in the desert, you'll have a great time at Wadi Rum. And the food we had there was absolutely delicious! It would have been nice to have a bit longer in Aqaba (Red Sea) after the rigours of the desert but there wasn't time in the itinerary for that. I can highly recommend the boat trip in Aqaba. We had the entire boat to ourselves (there were only about 10 of us) and both the snorkelling and the lunch they fed us were brilliant. Judging by what those who didn't come on the boat told us, it was definitely the best thing to do in Aqaba.  Amman was a bit of a disappointment ie, a mostly modern city with very few sights of historical interest, but that's fine as it was mostly just a starting and finishing point for the trip.  

Most Inspirational Moment

That first glimpse of the Treasury from the Siq at Petra has to be my first choice, but the vast silence of Wadi Rum cmes a close second.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Khaled is a wonderful leader. Nothing was too much trouble, and his considerable knowledge combined with  unfailing good humour ensured we never suffered from information overload. He was always there to answer the million questions we threw at him, and was equally willing to help with problems and queries beyond what I would expect from a holiday guide.  A truly inspirational leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Collect small change in coins at every opportunity. There are lavatory attendants at all tourist attractions (many handing out loo paper to each individual customer) who expect to be tipped. Calls of nature can become expensive when you have to hand out a 1 dinar note, roughly the equivelant of £1 each time you only want to spend a penny. Take flipflops or crocs for the Dead Sea -- the sand is very sharp and crunchy, even under water. Check the weather forecast for Jordan before final packing. I left a warm and sunny London in early March to find snow piled in the streets of Amman. It was unusual weather for the time of year, but luckily, I had warm and waterproof clothing. Three days later, we were swimming in the warm waters of the Dead Sea and sunbathing on the beach.

Most Inspirational Moment

looking at the night sky in wadi rum, althought the whole trip was an amazing experience, the night sky was fabulous and added to by sleeping out unuder the starts next to the juniper camp fire,

Thoughts on Group Leader

Kalid was a very knowledgable guide, he answered all questions with great skill he ensured that we all enjoyed our visit.  

Advice for Potential Travellers

GO, jordans tourism is suffering due to the arab spring, however I had a wonderful time and at no point did I feel unsafe.

Most Inspirational Moment

The night in the desert with the Bedouins is a great experience & very different.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The leader looked after us all with care, consideration & patience. Khaled is passionate about his country & generous with his knowledge.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go check out Jordan. Petra is brilliant and the trip offers so much more too.

Most Inspirational Moment

  The most inspiration moment was seeing just how huge the Petra sight was, we think of it as just the Treasury, it is so much more had to be seen to be believed. The Dead Sea, the Red Sea, Crusader Forts, camels and donkey rides. Just so much it was an incredible adventure. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Khalid was informative, interesting, and hilarious in equal measure.  He created quite a splash with the locals wherever we went, being personally known to almost everyone everywhere we stopped - including the boat crew.  What they don't tell you in the brochure is that every tour involving American, English or Aussie tourists must - by order of the Jordanian government - be accompanied by a tourist policeman.  Our policeman was a lovely guy who joined in with the tour when we got the the bedoun camp dancing around the fire with us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just do it, you will never regret it.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking down the siq for our first glimpse of The Treasury for the Petra by candlelight evening.Exploring Petra, especially the 'adventure hike' we did to the high places above The Treasury.The night spent at Wadi Rum and seeing the amazing starlit sky.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Dani was just brilliant. He truly loved his country and was very knowledgeable. He was fun to be with and looked after us all very well. He was caring and considerate.

Advice for Potential Travellers

As we went in February and north Jordan had snow, I would suggest plenty of layers with more warm clothes than you might expect to pack. Take a good sleeping bag for the night in Wadi Rum. Comfy walking shoes/boots essential.

Most Inspirational Moment

Exploring Petra, particularly getting up into the hills to get the full sense of the scale of the site.  Sleeping under the stars in the Wadi Rum and riding a camel as the sun came up.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Full of stories and interesting bits of information to keep us entertained.

Most Inspirational Moment

Petra is the jewej of Jordan and walking down the Siq at night , lit only by candles, is awe inspiring and then to see the Treasury also lit by thousands of candles is simply breath taking

Thoughts on Group Leader

Danny was very friendly and approachable, with excellent knowledge of all the sights we visited. If anything he knew so much that he continued his talk on the coach preventing us travellers from having a snooze !

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go for it ! this is a real joy and a week to remember for ever.When at Petra, take the walk past the Royal Palaces to the top of the cliff to see the Treasury from above. It is steep and difficult at times, but well worth the effort.

Most Inspirational Moment

Ascending to the top of Aarons Tomb for 360 degree views as far as the eye could see. This was an optional hike but the whole Petra area is a real highlight.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Khaled - Wonderful, warm, intelligent, humorous, well educated confident and capable. A genuinely nice bloke.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Veggie heaven - mezze is amazing! Don't worry about the "Arab spring" - you will be safer in Jordan than you are in the uk. Be prepared for low water pressure in the hotel showers, but it is a desert country after all! The two full days spent in Petra are the really great advantage of this particular tour. Ive talked to people who have been to Petra with other tour operators and they have not had the experience that we did!

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the Treasury for the first time in Petra had to be the highlight of the trip. But Petra is so much more than just the Treasury it is also an amazing place to walk around in its own right. The first full day in Jerash was also a great surprise with the ancient city being discovered before our eyes. Oh and floating in the Dead Sea wasn't too bad either and sampling the local sweets, pastries and falafels.