A Week in Jordan

A great week full of varied activities, amazing sights, fantastic food and wonderful local people. Great guide could not have done more to accomodate the whole groups needs. I would happily go back to Jordan to spend more time hiking.

This is definitely the trip to do to discover the best of what Jordan has to offer in just 1 week. From camping in the red sand deserts of Wadi Rum to modern comfort relaxing by the Dead Sea, to spending two incredible days exploring the famous Petra, to local food, cooking classes, dinner with a local family and exploring the sights of Amman and Aqaba, this trip has it all!

Overall a great trip to Jordan. Lots of adventure, culture and a great experience. Jordan is a beautiful country with friendly people. Our tour guide, Eddie is very passionate and knowledgeable about his country and we were very happy with his service.

This trip far exceeded my expectations. We were a group of 18 and within a couple of days we were one big family. I've traveled a lot but never, ever been with such an amazing group of people. Everyone got on and we laughed from the start of the holiday to the finish. The itinerary was packed full of great stuff - I did the optional Cave Dinner, Petra by Night, and Snorkeling in the Red Sea - all were great and very reasonably priced. I know some people have complained about the Petra by Night (not in my group) but I loved it. The word I used to describe it was 'sweet'. The recording of baaing lambs had us all rolling on the floor LOL It's organised by local people so don't expect a professional performance, that's not what it's about.

We saw all the major sights and were delighted with the holiday. Mikhled was an excellent guide. We stayed in good quality hotels and we travelled in a comfortable, air conditined bus (with a plentiful supply of water).

A wonderful trip with a fabulous guide and great travel companions. I wasn't sure about doing a tour as I usually travel independently. This time, I didn't have time to plan logistics, learn Arabic (though most do speak some English), or manage/research all the destinations, and I only had a week of time off, so I decided to try a pre-organised trip with Exodus to a place I've always wanted to visit. So glad I did. I learnt about Roman cities by walking amongst the pillars, I marvelled at mosaics away from the distractions of the 9-5, I climbed up rocky out-crops formed of incredible reds and oranges, I learned about the Nabateans and the Mamlucs and the Bedouin and the history or a tumultous region steeped in history for thousands of years. Not only do you get to explore Petra and Wadi Rum, float in the Dead Sea, snorkel in the Red Sea, admire Jerash and Madaba and Karak Castle and the flowers in the desert (in April) (thanks to our guide for hunting out the end of season black irises), but you get to taste local food (delicious Shawarma and Falafel) sip delicious mint concoctions, and hear about day-to-day life in world full of refugees, intense politics, history and conflict on all sides. Things come to life when you are in the landscape. Thank you.

The trip ‘A Week in Jordan’ is an experience that can leave even the most literate and verbally gifted (‘gobby’) at a loss for the right words to describe it. I was part of a 20-strong group that seemed to get on unusually well. There were some seriously seasoned travellers amongst us, yet we all came to the same conclusions, the same thoughts: time and again the destinations proved to be far larger and far grander than we had imagined. Jerash (an introductory diversion I believed) turned out to be a wonder in itself. Huge in expanse, so intricately detailed in parts, and as yet still so unexplored. In the West the word ‘Biblical’ is often used to describe something enormously significant – in Jordan ‘Biblical’ sites are dotted all around – like puzzle clues to a hidden image too big for the mind to grasp. The landscape becomes more than background. It becomes a fiery crucible on which you can imagine humans struggling and suffering just to stay alive through key moments in History. This is a land that does not seem ‘tamed’ by humans. I suspect this quality is a factor in why so many of the world religions have had their genesis nearby? But that’s enough of the florid prose. Let us skip to the star of the show: Petra. No images, no movie scenes (and there have been many) could ever capture the mind-blowing scale of this site. The famous ‘Treasury’ (as seen in Indiana Jones, Sinbad, The Mummy etc.) is just a particularly pretty door… that leads into a house of ancient wonders. The two days spent here are a lifetime investment.

A great experience for our first 'group' tour in over 30 years of travel. It was great just being able to turn up and enjoy. Thank you Exodus!

Jordan is a crucible of ancient civilisation history and the sights of Petra and Jerash do outstand. How we also managed to fit in; getting mudified in the dead sea, seeing the sunrise (alright well not quite) on camel back and dolphin spotting in the red sea into our jammed packed week still baffles me. The only conclusion can be that time stands still in Jordan.

I missed day 1 since I arrived on the morning of day 1 too late to take part.