Jordan, as it seems to me, is one of the most underestimated by the Russian industry in tourism of countries. Judge for yourself: there is everything that its more popular and promoted neighbors – Israel and Egypt. These are the Red Sea, and the monuments of the pre -Christian era, and the historical heritage of the crusaders, and biblical places. And nature here is simply amazing.
And if you were not in Jordan and you don’t know a lot about her, then this note, I hope, will help get the first impressions and, perhaps, make plans for the trip.
How to get
To fly to the country will only work out with a transplant. The cost of an air ticket back and forth starts at 40,000 rubles. Tourists need to hand over two PCR tests: the first 120 hours before departure, the second directly at the airport after arrival. It is important that the study must be paid before sending. If you arrive at Amman Airport, you can do this. If the destination is Akaba ,. You will also need insurance for the entire period of the trip.
Where to stop
The choice of hotels here is quite wide, starting with budget guest houses and ending with premium chains:
Tell Madaba Hotel – from 2100 rubles per night per person*;
Mövenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea – from 12,100 rubles per person*.
What to see
Jordan is located in the north of the Arabian Peninsula and borders on Israel, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The territory of the state is small, but this is rather a plus: you can examine many attractions in a short time.
Despite the fact that in Jordan there is one of the seven new wonders of the world, Peter, and there is access to the Red Sea, most tourists are not attracted to this. About 80% of travelers who come to the country (about a million people annually) choose this direction for the sake of medical tourism. It would seem, why on earth? After all, there is Israel, famous for its medicine … It’s all about the unique balneological resort on the shore Dead Seaalong which the border between the countries passes.
If you do not need to come here for medicinal purposes, then you should visit this natural miracle of light at least once and plunge into the most salty lake of the planet, which is also almost half a kilometer below the sea level.
Not far from the resort area is a picturesque Canyon of the El Mujib River. So rare in these places, the water breaks the road through the rocky array, and the difference in the heights of the river channel reaches more than a thousand meters, making the emergence of numerous cascades of waterfalls. Interesting foot routes are laid in the canyon, some right along the channel, and some along it. But if you want to go there, you should take care of buying a tour in advance – this is a national park with a low recreational load, and there is a daily tourist limit.
When we talk about the nature of Jordan, then, not counting the dead sea, we mean its amazing deserts with truly unearthly landscapes. They occupy about 90% of the kingdom. The most famous, perhaps, is rocky Vadi Ramlocated near the Primorsky city of Akaba. It is no coincidence that I used the word “unearthly” when I described the landscape, since the landscapes of this area really resemble another planet, and therefore are a favorite platform for the field filming of Mars. Judge for yourself, only in this century the “Martian”, “Red Planet”, “Last days on Mars” and a couple of episodes of “Star Wars” were removed there. And also this place is called the moon valley.
As already mentioned at the beginning, in Jordan is Peter. The ancient capital of the Nabateian kingdom, carved in pink sandstone of the rocks of Canyon Sik – the pearl of Jordanian tourism. You probably saw this place in the paintings of the Transformers and Indiana Jones series. Local travel agencies offer single and two-day tours. I would recommend that two-day to look at the night show at the El Haze (treasury), which is the hallmark of the place, and have time to get to the remote but amazing monastery of ad-deare.
Talking about Jordan, one cannot fail to mention its capital – Ammancombining the modern atmosphere and ancient heritage. Over its millennial history, the city managed to visit the capital of the Semitic tribes, the house of the Nabateev, the Greco-Roman policy, the Byzantine and Arabic shopping center. He fell into decay and revived thanks to the construction of the railway to Medina to facilitate logistics pilgrims by Hajj. Stop here for a couple of days, taking an excursion from an experienced guide. There are no problems with accommodation in this large city, and you will find where to stop. I personally like it Saray Hotel Amman: The cost of a single number per night starts at 4100 rubles*.
Well, if you did not have enough antiquities in the amman, then there is a magnificent one hour away from it Jarash With a well -preserved complex of antique ruins. The city erected by order of Alexander the Macedonian was part of Decolis, or a decline, as it is commonly called with us. Time has preserved the walls of ancient temples, elegant colonnades of streets and forum, as well as an ancient hippodrome, in which historical reconstructions of the races are still being carried out.
Speaking of Jordan, one cannot fail to mention another important type of tourism – pilgrimage. And the main object of the country for most Christians is, of course, Vifavara. According to archaeologists and historians, it was there that John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ. Now it is difficult to accurately indicate the place where this happened, since since then the Jordan has changed the position of the channel several times. On the Western (Israeli) side of the river, there is also a place that is considered an ancient Bethavara. Now the dispute about its location has acquired an economic and political character, because this is the center of attraction of pilgrims and tourists from around the world. This place from the Jordanian side is surrounded by ruins of several dozen ancient temples – which means that it was revered for many centuries.
Well, the last. Regardless of the purpose of your trip, a couple of days of sea vacation should be included in your program and relax after sand and antiquity, staring in the azure waters of the Red Sea and drinking juice on a deck chair. There are amazing diving, beautiful bordering coral reefs and very clean water, which is not surprising, because not a single river flows into the Red Sea.
Photos: Shutterstock.com / Unsplash.com
*Prices are valid at the time of publication
