Credits to that one friend in my college group who can always be trusted with great photography. Although one needs to beg him after to share the pictures
Amman as a regional melting pot.
Walking around the streets of Amman, you’ll encounter a vibrant and diverse mix of locals—from Jordanians to Syrians, Palestinians, and Iraqis. The shared language, religion, and Jordan’s open-door policy have fostered a rich, interconnected community
My Uber driver was a Palestinian who played a Palestinian resistance song on the radio, the table next to mine at the restaurant was engaged in an animated conversation about the latest episode of Arab Idol. The local dishes served in restaurants (Romero and Shams Al Balad are my top recommendations) included the region’s finest food—falafel, shawarma, hummus, and Mansaf (Jordan's national dish of lamb, yogurt, and rice). On the streets, many people were dressed in the traditional red-and-white Jordanian Tatreez patterned drapes, known for their intricate cross-stitch designs also a great souvenier
Roman Ruins at Jerash. Just about an hour’s drive from Amman lies Jerash, home to Roman ruins outside of Italy. The ancient city is known for its well-preserved structures, including temples, colonnaded streets, and theatres
If you’re lucky—like I was—you might catch local performers in traditional Jordanian dress playing bagpipes at the South Theatre. Thanks to the theatre’s design, even a single note resonates through the stone stands, turning the entire space into a natural surround sound system. It’s a perfect blend of ancient architecture and live music—a feast for the eyes and ears
Petra, Wonder of the World at Day&Night. During the day, as you walk or ride horses through Petra, you'll gain a sense of what life would have been like for Bedouin tribes in the 2nd century BCE. There, you’ll find remnants of streets, homes, aqueducts for water management in the dry lands, royal tombs, a Roman theatre, a monastery, a church, and funeral sites. A guided tour, a few hours, sunglasses, sunscreen, and bottles of water are all you need
The atmosphere changes completely at night. On three days of the week, you can walk through the 1.2 km-long Siq, lit by over 1,500 candles, with traditional Bedouin music mixed with live flute and drum performances
The path leads to an open area facing the Al Khazneh (The Treasury), one of the largest and most iconic rock architecture forms in Petra. The candlelit façade against the dark sky creates an enchanting ambiance filled with romance, love, and beauty. It’s no wonder hundreds of people choose Petra as the location for marriage proposals—you’re very likely to witness one
Petra in the day, and at night
Wadi Rum & Dunes.Wadi Rum is known to most people for a couple of key reasons. One of them is the desert's role as a filming location for Hollywood movies like the Dune series and The Martian
Every guide will be sure to show you the exact film locations as you drive through this stunning desert landscape. Another reason for Wadi Rum's fame is the rise of the bubble hotels. These transparent, temperature-controlled bubbles built on raw sand offer a 360-degree view of the sky and surroundings, perfect for stargazing from within the bubble. Some even feature a mini jacuzzi and a hammock on the bubble deck
I stayed at Luxotel Wadi Rum with a group of my college friends, enjoying the experience and even playing a little trick on my friend by pretending to trap them inside the bubble (the bubble has a two-door entryway to maintain temperature, and opening both doors at the same time can cause the bubble to appear to collapse). Wadi Rum also attracts the adventurous for rock climbing, quad biking, jeep tours and camel treks- all of which can be found in plenty in the desert
Luxotel, Wadi Rum
Dead Sea feeling salty because no fish in the sea
The Dead Sea is famously salty—a fact most people have heard about before visiting. It's this high salinity that gives the water its buoyancy, allowing you to float effortlessly on the surface. However, while it's tempting to dive right in, there’s one thing you absolutely should not do: taste the water. Unfortunately, I’m one of those people who can tell you just how salty it really is!
I made the rookie mistake of stepping into the sea without covering a wound on my foot. The second my skin hit the water, it felt like every grain of salt shot straight through my spine. What did help, though, was scooping up some Dead Sea salts from the seabed to soothe my aching foot. According to every masseuse and shopkeeper around, these salts have therapeutic and healing properties (though, I’m still not sure how much of that is true). Regardless, I’d still recommend diving into a Dead Sea mud bath and getting a nice massage for the full experience.
In fact, I got a little too carried away with the idea of the healing properties and ended up packing ten bottles of Dead Sea mud straight from the seabed to take back home to India. I mean, how natural could it get, right? It didn’t end well. All my precious mud bottles were confiscated at the airport. Apparently, taking raw, untreated mud out of Jordan is a no-go (packaged mud with additives? Totally fine).
Oasis of the Hot waterfalls. Not far from the Dead Sea, the Ma’in hot springs feed into the natural waterfall, nestled between rocky canyons and palm trees, creating a grand oasis for a hot shower experience. You can sit in the natural hot pools or get a very relaxing back massage by simply standing under the hot waterfalls—it's all tranquil. Most of the resorts around also offer what is called a ‘night soak,’ allowing you to enjoy the soothing hot shower under the starry sky
Hot water back massages at The Ma’iin Hot Spring Resort, Jordan
“You’ve seen everything”. As I handed over my passport at immigration, the officer casually asked what I’d seen during my trip. I rattled off the list: “Dead Sea, Ma’in Hot Springs, Amman, Petra, Wadi Rum…” He paused, smiled, and said, “Ah, you’ve seen everything.” And honestly, it felt true. In just five days, I’d floated in the saltiest sea on Earth, soaked in natural hot springs, wandered through Roman ruins, explored a lost city carved into red rock, and camped under stars in the middle of the desert. Jordan is one of those rare countries where you can see almost everything in the country in just a week.
Concluding reflection: Maybe also worth and actually possible to see more in the region outside of Jordan in a short trip
