I was only in Jordan for a few days, but it’s an experience that I haven’t been able to forget. I rarely ever hear people talking about visiting and I feel like it’s highly underrated country. It’s such a beautiful country, with so much history, and so many wonderful adventures to experience. It’s definitely not the most glamorous country I’ve visited, but you won’t miss the glamour with all there is to do. You can easily get a fantastic taste of Jordan and have many adventures with just a short amount of time. Read on for my recommendations on the top things to do in Jordan!
1. Float in the Dead Sea
The waters of the Dead Sea are so hyper salinated that it’s {almost} impossible to sink! {Supposedly, if you try to swim normally though you will sink, so be careful!} I actually did try to sink and couldn’t, I’d just pop right back up! Such a relaxing and fun experience! Beware of getting the water in your eyes or mouth: it’s disgusting and very uncomfortable! Just how much salt is in the Dead Sea? 9.6 times more than the ocean! Go soon if this interests you! The water is reportedly evaporating and it may not be possible to go for a float for very much longer.
2. Slather yourself with mud from the Dead Sea
After swimming in the Dead Sea, slather yourself with mud. The Dead Sea supposedly has healing properties for your skin and the mud is packed full of minerals which help nourish and detoxify your skin. My skin felt so soft afterwards and was glowing for days! I only wish I could bottle that stuff up to take it home with me! Since you want to make sure you are getting good quality mud, I highly recommend visiting the Dead Sea from one of the paid entrance points rather than the free ones. The mud is much cleaner and the area is better taken care of. Most of the hotels in the area offer entrance for a small fee.
3. Explore the ruins of Petra
Petra is probably what Jordan is most visited for! It’s a historical city from 312 BC and has amazing architecture. It’s also known as The Rose City due to the rose color of the wood that the buildings are carved from. Wandering around the old city of Petra is truly a delight. You’ll feel like you’ve taken a step back in time as you explore the city. You’ll need a full 2 days to really take all of it in at a relaxed pace, but 1 day is good enough if you’re short on time.
4. Sleep in a Bedouin camp
Oh this was my all time favorite travel adventure. So much so that I wrote a whole blog post about it. Read about it here.
5. Go for a sunrise camel ride
The colors of the desert at sunrise are just indescribable, you really have to experience it for yourself. Plus, you have to ride a camel while you’re in Jordan and it just seems the best to do it at sunrise and through the desert. The ride is surprisingly comfortable, but keep in mind, the moment when the camel rises up is kind of scary! It really surprised me how high up I was!
6. Drink Arabic coffee and try Arabic sweets
Just keep in mind, the coffee is very strong and the sweets are very sweet. Definitely not for the faint of heart! Make sure you don’t drink the last bits of the coffee. This part is used to tell fortunes and tastes disgusting!
7. Let the desert inspire you
You’ll be surprised at how powerful the desert is. Being there just may move you and inspire you. That inspiration may take different forms. It could be to dance, to meditate, to write, to sing…! Give yourself some time away from people and apart from taking pictures to let the desert work its magic and inspire you to DO something! It’s really very rejuvenating.
8. Go dune surfing
So this one is a little silly, but silly can be very fun! It’s also tougher than it looks, but hey, if you fall, you’re falling on sand! Basically you “surf” down a small sand hill with something that looks like a mini surfboard. If it ends up being too hard, just do what I did, lay at the top of the hill and roll down. Haha, told you this one’s silly!
So what do you think? Has this post inspired you to visit Jordan?
Shushu says
You also have to try Hashem for falafel in Amman! Love this
happilyeveradventures says
Great tip! Thanks so much Shushu! Next time we are in Amman we will definitely try Hashem’s for falafel!