Travelsphere trip to Jordan

I recently had the opportunity to travel as a member of the public with Travelsphere on a tour to Jordan. We were also accompanied by a broadcaster, a travel journalist and a photographer. We flew on Royal Jordanian on an afternoon flight so we arrived late but we were up and out the next day to make the most of our time. Day 2 Amman & Jerash were full of surprises. - especially the bagpipes being played in the amphitheatre. Our first dinner out was a mezze at a local restaurant - some things familiar - some things not so much, but all very tasty! Day 3 was the day of M’s, Madaba, mosaics & Mount Nebo Memorial of Moses. The mosaic map of Madaba is the oldest known floor mosaic in the world and dates back to biblical times. St George’s Church in Madaba is a beautiful church and after the hustle & bustle of Amman, Madaba was such a contrast - a friendly town where we were sat in the street afterwards drinking pomegranate juice, coffee & ate baklava’s chatting to the shopkeepers in a traffic free street. The sculpture is at the Moses memorial centre and there are views behind that stretch as far as the Dead Sea. Day 4 Petra - the place that was on my bucket list didn’t disappoint! You walk through the siq between the mountains and the colours and shapes are beautiful.Then, after 2kms you catch your first glimpse of the treasury and beyond the gorge it’s almost a bustling marketplace! You can buy drinks and snacks and there are camels and pony traps along with the odd golf cart trying to manoeuvre out to the next 2kms of the classic trail. There are eight marked trails off the main one to explore more of the tombs and caves and they’re graded by their difficulty. The monastery is a 900 step trail at the end of the classic pathway but I chose to do the less challenging royal tombs trail. All the way through the route there are traditional market stalls and bartering is king. Most of the journey is a slow downhill meander but it’s more of a challenge to get back. In some sections you can hire a horse, a camel or a donkey to make life easier and the route to the treasury has been surfaced for the less mobile to use the golf carts. Everything was spotless and you need a guide for sure to make the most of it. After visiting Petra, the next day we went to visit ‘Little Petra’. it’s nowhere near as spectacular as the main site, but it was interesting none the less and we practically had the place to ourselves. It can also be hired out for events and would look stunning lit by lanterns and candles around the rocks. And - who knew that some of the nearby mountains contain ancient carved water tanks which the Bedouins still use today? Day 5 - Wadi Rum! With lunch waiting for us . The Martian was filmed close by and I had a yurt style Martian Pod for the night with a couple of hours to relax before we set off into the sand dunes to watch the sun go down.... Wadi Rum …. Who thought a tent in the desert could be so comfy! Air conditioning, running water, flushing loo, walk in shower and even a jacuzzi on the deck! Dinner was cooked underground in a fire pit and there was such a good choice considering we were so far away from where anything grows. A trip was offered to to Rum Sky for stargazing. No pictures from that as we had to keep light to a minimum, but a very informative evening by an entertaining astronomer with a fun desert drive there & back in open backed 4x4’s Day 6 - I’ve never been a fan of camels until now. Arabian camels in Jordan are gentle creatures and they don’t spit. We shared their desert sunrise and it was a wonderful way to start our day! After breakfast we began our journey back up country for our last two nights at the Dead Sea. Day 7 - You can’t go to Jordan without visiting the River Jordan which has so much religious significance to so many people around the world. The river is much narrower now than it was centuries ago and the site where Jesus was baptised is no longer alongside the banks as it used to be - but the remnants of the church that was built on the site remains. The Greek Orthodox Church close by is a recent addition and the site has been sympathetically preserved on the Jordanian side of the river. The River Jordan is the border between Jordan and Israel and the Israeli side is much more commercialised. Whilst we were there several people were baptised across the river with much song & celebration At over 400metres below sea level the Dead Sea is the lowest land-based place on Earth! The water has so much salt in it that there are no fish and the water almost takes your feet out from under you so you sit floating around effortlessly. Getting out is another scenario entirely - but it has to be done! There are huge pots of mineral mud on the beach so you can give yourself an all over mud pack for free and give your skin a boost. The beach is stony so beach shoes are a good idea too. Being on a tour is all about experiencing new things and we ate as a group virtually everywhere we went. Two evenings we ate in restaurants, one evening we cooked our own meal as a cooking experience in Petra, our desert night was a show cooking style meal cooked in underground pits and in our beach hotel it was a buffet so we had lots of variety. We had a great guide and a great group of people, Most were repeat customers to Travelsphere and it was easy to see why!