Dan’s parents visited us in December, and we showed them most of the highlights of Jordan: Wadi Rum, Aqaba, Petra, Jerash. We also visited Kerak Castle and drove by the Dead Sea on our way down to Aqaba. This country is so amazing. The kids loved every minute of the trip, too. A few lessons we learned: call ahead to the hotels/camps to make sure they have enough beds/bedding for the kids, AND maybe ask them to send an email so that you have a record of your request (we had called, but didn’t have it in writing; they were able to accommodate us but it was kind of a hassle at every stop). In Petra, it’s a LOT of walking. Our kids were fine with it but if you have anyone in your group who can’t (or doesn’t want to) walk for more than a few miles, just pay for the golf cart. It’s expensive but worth it, because you won’t have to feel guilty (they don’t treat the donkeys and horses very well there). It is definitely possible to see everything we saw in just a few days, but be warned that it’ll be a lot of driving. We were originally planning just a day trip to Petra on our way back from Wadi Rum, but once we got there we knew we were too tired to drive all the way to Amman after seeing Petra. If you’re flying in and out of Aqaba, it’s a bit easier, but then you probably won’t want to go all the way to the Dead Sea unless you have more than a few days. Finally, it gets cold in the winter. We were pretty lucky that it was moderate during our travels, but in the two weeks since then, it’s gotten much colder. It is literally freezing at night, and the high can be around 10-11 degrees Celsius even in the desert. This week the high in Petra on some days will be around 7 degrees, and it will rain. Aqaba is much warmer, and the Dead Sea is typically pretty warm throughout the winter, but it’s a bit too cold (for most of us) to get in the water.
Kerak Castle, a 12th century crusader castle with lots of places for kids to explore.
Aqaba at sunset.
The girls exploring Wadi Rum.
The horses in Petra are worked hard. We saw them sweating while the carriage drivers beat them to go faster. There are signs asking tourists to report mistreatment, so hopefully it will improve as more people complain about it.
The donkeys also appear to be overworked.
Jerash is one of my favorite places. I am just in awe of the size of the place. It is one of the largest and best-preserved sites of Roman architecture, and there are very few tourists compared with sites in Italy.
We got lucky with weather in Jerash; we were there for the only one-hour break in the rain that whole weekend.
Wondering if it will rain?
Photo by my mother-in-law!