Rather than head straight to nearby Wadi Rum from Petra, we first made a little detour to Aqaba, Jordan’s main ( and only ! ) port at the very south end of the country ( at the very north end of the Red Sea).

Lots of signs like this but not too many camels are just wandering around !

Were it not for a relatively short 12km sliver of Red Sea coast, Jordan would in fact be totally land-locked. Until 1965 it had even less coastline, when a friendly deal with Saudi Arabia gave Jordan a few more kms of coastline in exchange for Saudi getting more desert ( like Saudi Arabia needs any more desert – but that was the deal !). It’s a busy road down to Aqaba since everything that is shipped in comes via this road. Aqaba is an interesting spot – warmer, very tropical in appearance, and home of the original Arab Revolt in 1916 which was the beginning of the end of Ottoman rule in the area. There’s an interesting castle, a not too impressive beach, but with the option to snorkel in the Red Sea – sadly, at only 18 degrees it was a bit cool for us. Perhaps we’ll do that when it warms up as we head further south. We did uncover some great local restaurants and bakery/coffee shops ( a little hobby of ours ) while we waited a day for weather to improve in advance of driving on to Wadi Rum.

Map showing where Aqaba is at the bottom of Jordan, wedged between Israel to the left and Saudi Arabia just a few kms to the south.

There’s not much beachfront in Jordan but there were a lot of people out on a midweek day that was definitely too cold for swimming..! Everyone seemed kind of out of place.

If you remember “Lawrence of Arabia”, Wadi Rum will be a familiar name. A stunning section of UNESCO – listed Jordanian desert and now a Protected Area, we were keen to explore it. Once past the throng of touts (who descend on you as you exit your vehicle at Wadi Rum village) our hosts at the Wadi Rum Desert Camp collected us and took us out to the camp site where we would spend the next couple of days. A wonderful spot, relaxing, quiet, and a bit of a crossroads for traveller’s from all over, we shared our time with an interesting cast from Turkey, Poland, China and South Korea. The hospitality from our hosts was exceptional and their 4×4 Wadi Rum tour got us to places our own Sprinter probably could not have. Wadi Rum played a pivotal role in the 2016 Arab Revolt which saw the local Arab population (with a little help from T.E. Lawrence 😉) evict the occupying Ottomans from the region.

Wadi Rum has become a huge draw in Jordan.

On the way in to Wadi Rum you pass a section of the old Hijaz railway. They recreate scenes of the Arabs attacking what was, at the time ( 1916 ), an Ottoman supply train running though Wadi Rum up to Damascus. Sadly, not running the days we were there.

Our “bubble” glamping tent at Wadi Rum ( there are no hotels ).

Very comfortable and well equipped just like a hotel – beautiful view to the east for desert sunrises…..

The glamping experience includes beautiful traditional Bedouin dinners- they were delicious!

Regular stops always included the offer to sit and drink tea in Bedouin tents. With every visit, “Welcome to Jordan” was the greeting we got. We were made to feel very welcome everywhere in this country.

Camels kept by the Bedouins. Rides available for those so inclined. Had no inclination to do this again !

You can make out a rock wall in this picture, the crumbling remains of what was T.E. Lawrence’s desert home.

Lawrence’s image carved into rock nearby, with the date, 1917.

There was just Lois and I on the 4×4 tour so our guide insisted on taking us up high onto a sand dune to show us how capable the vehicle was – lots of fun !

Wadi Rum is famous for its sheer canyon walls and rock bluffs. They were interesting to walk around and explore.

Working our way north back towards Amman, a brief stop was made at Karak Castle. This place was a little disappointing – the history of it ( a major Christian fort during the Crusades ) attracted us but the fort itself ( at least in its current state ) was less than impressive. Fortunately Karak was on our planned route to the Dead Sea so the detour was not material and the drive down a very winding desert road to a point 440m below sea level took us to a place that is the lowest elevation on earth. Famed for that, of course, but also for the fact that it is extremely salty ( 10 times normal ocean salt levels ), which means one can literally float “on” the surface rather than float “in” it – quite the surreal experience !

Sadly, the Jordanian vehicle rental did not permit us to travel into Saudi or Iraq 😟. Kept driving !

Karak castle looked quite imposing from a distance….

The Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth and has some of the highest salt content anywhere. Here, approximately 440m below sea level. Sadly the Dead Sea is shrinking by almost a metre ( 3 feet ) a year due to irrigation demand on its on its inflows. One can easily see how high it used to be.

One can float “on” it rather than “in” it due to high salt content.

It’s now a bit of a walk down to the Dead Sea from the road, since levels have dropped considerably over the past decades.

Only a stop in the old heavily Christian town of Madaba stood between us and Amman and this stop proved to be an entirely unexpected highlight ( made up for Karak ! ). In addition to stumbling on an excellent little boutique hotel, enjoying our best meal in Jordan at a nearby restaurant, the Greek Orthodox Church in Madaba contains an incredible, original 6th century floor mosaic showing a map of the Holy Land. Well worth a stopover as was the nearby Catholic Church which had been visited by two recent popes. Not a lot of Christians here but those that are go back a very long way !

Pretty night view of a mosque in Madaba.

Madaba Greek Orthodox Church, home to the Dead Sea mosaic map from the 6th century AD.

Much of the mosaic was destroyed in an earthquake centuries ago but what remains is in very good shape.

Dropped off our rental car and bussed into Amman for our last couple of days (in the preceding 8 days we’d put 1,000 kms on it exploring this amazing country). Amman is an easy place to discover, with an excellent National Museum, two Roman era ruins ( the Citadel and Amphitheatre, the latter far more impressive than the former ) and a host of great markets – a thoroughly enjoyable way to wrap up our first couple of weeks in the Middle East.

Roman amphitheatre, downtown Amman. Very well preserved and still in use !

Ruins of Amman’s Citadel. We found the Jerash ruins far more impressive ( much better preserved ).

Jordanian sweets. If you have a “sweet tooth”, this is your town !

Till next week, as we continue exploring the Arabian Peninsula.

14 Comments

Mark Chapman on January 31, 2026 at 7:54 am

It looks like you two are enjoying the out of van experience.
Trek on!
- Jeff Gunn on January 31, 2026 at 8:00 am
  
  Lol, yes, will admit that a smaller vehicle and some funky boutique hotels have been rather enjoyable. Haven’t cooked a meal in 2 weeks !
  All was well until today when I saw a nice German overland rig in our parking lot – then I actually DID get separation anxiety !
Philippa Thomas on January 31, 2026 at 8:21 am

You’re definitely in a great place right now – tremendous rains and storms in southern Italy! Once again you’ve added a “must see” country to my list.
- Jeff Gunn on January 31, 2026 at 9:31 am
  
  Well, so far so good anyway. The weather is great and should hold up in the high 20’s. Fingers crossed !
  - Stacie on February 1, 2026 at 11:55 pm
    
    What a beautiful country!
    Thanx for always sharing your experiences and memories with us💚
    - Jeff Gunn on February 2, 2026 at 4:06 am
      
      Hi Stacie !
      
      Hope you are well, and nice to hear from you. Glad you are enjoying the posts, will keep them coming 🙂.
Chris Woods on January 31, 2026 at 8:27 am

Was the water warmer in the Dead Sea than the gulf?
- Jeff Gunn on January 31, 2026 at 9:33 am
  
  I think the Dead Sea was warmer – it felt like it anyway and was easy to jump into. At 440m below sea level the outside temp was warmer as well. More comfortable than the Red Sea in Aqaba for sure.
Kim Paterson on January 31, 2026 at 9:16 am

Wow!! Incredible architecture and love the bubble tents!
A experience of a lifetime. I’m sure Lois is enjoying the “no cooking”.
Looking forward to seeing your next blog.
- Jeff Gunn on January 31, 2026 at 9:35 am
  
  Hi Kim,
  
  Yes, they were really cool – highly recommended ! Correct, Lois now does NO cooking at all but I still do ALL the driving ( who’s the dummy here ? Lol ! ).
Mae and Ed on February 1, 2026 at 7:48 am

Another interesting read! Safe travels. Look forward to your next blog.
- Jeff Gunn on February 1, 2026 at 9:04 am
  
  Thanks guys, been following your moves as well. Will you be up in Kelowna over the coming summer ?
victor on February 3, 2026 at 11:19 am

Hi Jeff and Lois,

Glad to see you guys continuing on your world trip. I have great memories with you in Mexico. Hope our paths cross again.

enjoy the journey.

victor
- Jeff Gunn on February 4, 2026 at 6:45 am
  
  Well, hello Victor !
  
  So a very nice to hear from you again after such a long time. We also remember our meeting with you in Guanajuato Mexico, and the time we spent together there.Fond memories ! Hope you are well and, I assume, still in ‘Frisco ?
  
  Who knows where or when we’ll meet again, but hope we do – keep in touch !

More Jordan 🇯🇴

14 Comments

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