Jordan travel adventures 2022 by alextravel.world? Stretching from the Desert Highway around 70 kilometers to the Dead Sea, Wadi Mujib is Jordan’s answer to America’s Grand Canyon. The river canyon, which is four kilometers wide and one kilometer deep, offers nature lovers the chance to explore unique scenery and see a plethora of wildlife, including Egyptian vultures, Nubian ibex, striped hyena, and the Syrian wolf. There’s great hiking through the Wadi Mujib gorge, if you don’t mind getting a little wet. You can also head to the Mujib Reserve Biosphere to soak in picturesque hot springs just an hour and a half away from Amman. Stretching from Amman to the border of Saudi Arabia, the Zarqa Governorate is home to a series of archeological sites known as the Desert Castles. These early Islamic buildings were erected by the Umayyads around the turn of the 7th century. Not quite castles in the traditional sense, the collection of structures consists of hunting lodges, forts, military citadels, bathhouses, and rest stops for caravans, among other types of buildings. Read extra details on The Best Jordan Adventures.
The Temple of Hercules sits within the historic Citadel on the top of the highest hill in Jordan’s capital Amman, and dates back to the time of the city’s Roman Theatre. Two tall pillars and parts of the podium are all that remain of the temple now, although the site also displays a hand carved from stone. This is thought to be the hand of Hercules from a statue that would have stood over 12m (39ft) tall before it was destroyed, possibly in an earthquake.
The Dead Sea carves its way through the heartlands of the Middle Eastern Levant. The lowest and most salty of the world’s ocean water bodies, it’s encircled by rising mountains and ochre-hued sand dunes, all of which reflect majestically upon the surface as the Arabian sun beats down. Today, the whole area on the Jordanian banks (the western side is over the border in Israel) comes dotted with beaches and resort hotels, while the south of the sea is taken over with interesting mineral evaporation pools, built for the harvesting of carnallite and potassium. The favorite activity though? Well, that’s surely lazing on the surface of the water, where the high saline density keeps travelers afloat like logs!
Head to the southern region of Jordan, and you’ll be treated to one of the most spectacular landscapes across the globe: Wadi Rum. Also known as the Valley of the Moon, this sandstone and granite rock valley is an otherworldly experience, with towering cliffs, massive dunes, swirling archways, and caverns. It served as the set for much of the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia and was tagged a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011. Adventure lovers, eat your heart out: The Zalabia Bedouin, a cultural group that lives in the area, have transformed the Wadi Rum into an ecotourism playground. You can ride camels or spirited Arabian horses through the area, strap on a harness and go rock climbing up the sandstone mountains, hike through canyons, and kick up sand on ATV tours. Discover even more details on https://alextravel.world/.
From the ground, the desert wilderness of Wadi Rum mesmerises. From the skies above looking down, it provides the kind of views that make you feel lucky to be alive. There are deserts and then there are deserts. Wadi Rum is the ruby-red, dust spinning, camel swashbuckling kind of desert with rock formations several storeys high. Camp beneath the stars in a (tailored for visitors) Bedouin tent, ride on camels, dune bash and take to the skies in a hot air balloon. Despite that long list of heady activities, Wadi Rum feels surprisingly quiet when you visit. As if the whole world has turned to red sand and is waiting for you. Lawrence of Arabia roamed around here and it’s possible to camp out beneath the stars or ride camels the traditional way. But the best view, for sure, takes place from the wicker basket of a hot air balloon.