questions re travel to Jordan
Mar 23rd, 2008, 09:34 AM
#1
questions re travel to Jordan
My wife and I, both in mid 60's, are beginning to consider a trip to Jordan later this year or next. We're flexible about time, but will need to budget our expenses (In States & EU stay in 2 and 3 star hotels and B&B - and we tend to be independent travellers) We're just beginning to conceptualize, will have more questions over time.
Intents:
see Petra, experience Arabic culture, see other sights in area
We're in good shape - used to hiking and walking.
Would spend apx 1 weeks plus or minus in Jordan - Syria area ... another week somewhere else (EU, Egypt, etc?)
1. Weather? What are some good/bad times of the year for weather in Jordan?
2. Will our unfortunate ignorance of languages be any more of a problem than in the EU?
3. Easy to find drivers / guides there or, should we prearrange, or go on tour?
4. What major sites should we tour?
5. Any rough idea re daily budget given our self-description above?
Intents:
see Petra, experience Arabic culture, see other sights in area
We're in good shape - used to hiking and walking.
Would spend apx 1 weeks plus or minus in Jordan - Syria area ... another week somewhere else (EU, Egypt, etc?)
1. Weather? What are some good/bad times of the year for weather in Jordan?
2. Will our unfortunate ignorance of languages be any more of a problem than in the EU?
3. Easy to find drivers / guides there or, should we prearrange, or go on tour?
4. What major sites should we tour?
5. Any rough idea re daily budget given our self-description above?
Jun 12th, 2008, 02:16 PM
#2
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Go to your library and take out Travel videos & Lonely Planet Guide Books. There is lots of information there. You can purchase your own copy of the guide book at your book store if you find the book to have the information that you need.
I am travelling solo in Oct 08 & have decided to use a tour. Never used a tour before...... Egypt is a less expensive country to visit than Jordan. I am doing both in 16 days. I am using Imaginative Travel at www.imaginative-traveller.com
I am travelling solo in Oct 08 & have decided to use a tour. Never used a tour before...... Egypt is a less expensive country to visit than Jordan. I am doing both in 16 days. I am using Imaginative Travel at www.imaginative-traveller.com
Jun 13th, 2008, 11:17 AM
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I'm also a senior and travel alone. I'm using Gate 1 in Egypt for a week and General Tours in Jordan for a week. I started my research on this forum and a couple of others, plus the Lonely Planet Guides.Both resources are great!
Jun 13th, 2008, 11:52 AM
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Elbegewa,
There’s no need to go on a group tour if you prefer to travel alone. When I went to Jordan a few years ago, it was my first trip to the middle east, and I was traveling alone so hired a driver for a week in Jordan. I planned my trip about two weeks before I left, and used http://www.atlastours.net/ on a whim b/c they were able to quickly put together an itinerary for me at a good price- I had a very good experience with them and their driver. There is a lot to see in Jordan other than Petra – their website (or LP and other books, as the others have recommended) can give you an idea, but Petra, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea, and a few religious sites were the highlight for me. I spent about 7 days there and covered the country from top to bottom and felt like I saw a lot. I know plenty of people that have done Jordan on their own w/o a drive, however, this allowed me to see much more in a shorter time. I stayed in hotels along the lines of what you are looking for (3 stars), and even paying a single supplement the cost was quite reasonable (I can’t remember exactly how the costs broke down, and even though I had to pay a single supplement I didn’t break the bank and threw in two nights at a spa at the dead sea. I went in July which was blazing hot, and unless you love hot weather, that wouldn’t be my ideal time to go.
If you are already going to be in the area, although I know there are a lot of Egypt fans on this board, I would really recommend considering Syria, especially since you mentioned it in your OP. I didn’t use a guide there, and it was extremely easy to get around using public transportation. In addition, as in Jordan, everyone is exceptionally friendly. I found bus stations the most trying, as they were understandably chaotic, however, without exception, someone always stepped up to help me figure out what bus I needed I take and where to buy my ticket as soon as they recognized me as a tourist. The buses in Syria are also very clean and comfortable. In addition, you can easily hire a local driver in various cities to take you to some of the sights that are not easily accessible by bus. As for a good time of year to go, I was in Syria for about three weeks in November (2006) and I loved the cool weather. It was never uncomfortably cold and perfect for sightseeing. There is really a lot to see in Syria, so once you get a better idea of what you’d like to see and how much time you have, I’m happy to answer any questions. I really loved my visit there and think it’s a great place to experience middle eastern culture. Also, not knowing Arabic won't be a problem - I learned some eastern arabic before I went to Syria just for fun, but there was never a time when I really needed it, although the locals did find my pronunciation very entertaining
Linda
There’s no need to go on a group tour if you prefer to travel alone. When I went to Jordan a few years ago, it was my first trip to the middle east, and I was traveling alone so hired a driver for a week in Jordan. I planned my trip about two weeks before I left, and used http://www.atlastours.net/ on a whim b/c they were able to quickly put together an itinerary for me at a good price- I had a very good experience with them and their driver. There is a lot to see in Jordan other than Petra – their website (or LP and other books, as the others have recommended) can give you an idea, but Petra, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea, and a few religious sites were the highlight for me. I spent about 7 days there and covered the country from top to bottom and felt like I saw a lot. I know plenty of people that have done Jordan on their own w/o a drive, however, this allowed me to see much more in a shorter time. I stayed in hotels along the lines of what you are looking for (3 stars), and even paying a single supplement the cost was quite reasonable (I can’t remember exactly how the costs broke down, and even though I had to pay a single supplement I didn’t break the bank and threw in two nights at a spa at the dead sea. I went in July which was blazing hot, and unless you love hot weather, that wouldn’t be my ideal time to go.
If you are already going to be in the area, although I know there are a lot of Egypt fans on this board, I would really recommend considering Syria, especially since you mentioned it in your OP. I didn’t use a guide there, and it was extremely easy to get around using public transportation. In addition, as in Jordan, everyone is exceptionally friendly. I found bus stations the most trying, as they were understandably chaotic, however, without exception, someone always stepped up to help me figure out what bus I needed I take and where to buy my ticket as soon as they recognized me as a tourist. The buses in Syria are also very clean and comfortable. In addition, you can easily hire a local driver in various cities to take you to some of the sights that are not easily accessible by bus. As for a good time of year to go, I was in Syria for about three weeks in November (2006) and I loved the cool weather. It was never uncomfortably cold and perfect for sightseeing. There is really a lot to see in Syria, so once you get a better idea of what you’d like to see and how much time you have, I’m happy to answer any questions. I really loved my visit there and think it’s a great place to experience middle eastern culture. Also, not knowing Arabic won't be a problem - I learned some eastern arabic before I went to Syria just for fun, but there was never a time when I really needed it, although the locals did find my pronunciation very entertaining
Linda
Jun 13th, 2008, 12:17 PM
#5
We spent 5 days in Jordan in January - too cool for swimming (well, actually we had snow!) but I would say we would have been happy with a few more days. We really loved Jordan - here's a link to our blog - would suggestions all those destinations for you.
http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/l...ards_2008_adv/
Re other questions - we found English was widely spoken (making us feel even more ignorant) - also, although we had a driver and guide (whom we adored) I realized in retrospect you could easily rent a car and drive yourself. Good roads, well marked in English, reasonably short distances. We are glad we had a driver and guide because we had so much fun with the two particular individuals, but you could economize there and hire guides at particular sights (i.e. Petra)
http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/l...ards_2008_adv/
Re other questions - we found English was widely spoken (making us feel even more ignorant) - also, although we had a driver and guide (whom we adored) I realized in retrospect you could easily rent a car and drive yourself. Good roads, well marked in English, reasonably short distances. We are glad we had a driver and guide because we had so much fun with the two particular individuals, but you could economize there and hire guides at particular sights (i.e. Petra)
Jun 16th, 2008, 04:49 PM
#9
jparis - our driver's name was Bashar Herzalla - I'm trying to find the name of the company he works for - I think it's Gulf Holidays (but it was booked through our Egypt travel planner)
Bashar's email is
[email protected]
I suggest you ask him to put you in touch with the travel planners at his company - the guide's name is Osamah Twal (he's an independent guide hired by the company).
As you can probably tell from our blog we had a great time with them!
Bashar's email is
[email protected]
I suggest you ask him to put you in touch with the travel planners at his company - the guide's name is Osamah Twal (he's an independent guide hired by the company).
As you can probably tell from our blog we had a great time with them!
Jun 20th, 2008, 05:30 PM
#10
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For Elizabeth_S:
Really enjoyed your blog. Am
planning on visiting Israel and Jordan next Spring. Do you have a day-by-day itinerary for your Jordan tour, and who set it up for you? Really looks like what we'd like to do. Thanks in advance for any info you can provide. richard58
Really enjoyed your blog. Am
planning on visiting Israel and Jordan next Spring. Do you have a day-by-day itinerary for your Jordan tour, and who set it up for you? Really looks like what we'd like to do. Thanks in advance for any info you can provide. richard58
Jun 21st, 2008, 03:51 AM
#11
richard58 - happy to help - here's our Jordan itinerary. As mentioned we really enjoyed Jordan and could happily have added more time - although the time of year (January) didn't really lend itself to lounging by the pool!
Day 1 - arrive mid morning from Cairo, transfer to Kempinski Dead Sea. On the way to Kempinksi visited Bethany Beyond the Jordan
Day 2 - depart hotel 9am for Jerash, stopping at Ajloun Crusader Castle first. Late lunch (2pm) at restaurant at Jerash - return to hotel via a drive around Amman's neighbourhoods. Arrive at the hotel approx 5pm
Day 3 - check out of hotel and depart for Petra at 9am. Stop at Mt. Nebo, Madaba (visit Greek Orthodox church with stunning mosaic), then head south to Petra stopping at Karak (late lunch here) and Shobak (Crusader Castles). Arrive Petra approximately 6:30pm and check into Movenpick Petra
Day 4 - Day long visit to Petra - lunch at the Crowne Plaza buffet restaurant. Overnight at Movenpick Petra
Day 5 - Depart Petra 9am for Little Petra and Wadi Rum (at Wadi Rum change vehicles for drive into desert). Arrive Aqaba approximately 2:30pm - lunch at Barracuda restaurant. Drive around Aqaba and head back to Jordan via Dead Sea Highway - arrive at airport at 8:30pm for our 3:00am flight. (Osamah and Bashar were horrified that we wouldn't let them take us to either of their homes to wait for our flight but that was definitely beyond the call of duty!)
I worked on the itinerary with the travel planner who did our Egypt trip - he arranged the Jordan portion with Gulf Holidays (I think that's the name of the company)
You could contact our driver Bashar Herzalla - his email is
[email protected]
I suggest you ask him to put you in touch with the travel planners at his company - the guide's name is Osamah Twal (he's an independent guide hired by the company). The combination of Bashar and Osamah is delightful - although as I said in a post above you don't really need a car/driver - very easy driving.
Have a great time!
Day 1 - arrive mid morning from Cairo, transfer to Kempinski Dead Sea. On the way to Kempinksi visited Bethany Beyond the Jordan
Day 2 - depart hotel 9am for Jerash, stopping at Ajloun Crusader Castle first. Late lunch (2pm) at restaurant at Jerash - return to hotel via a drive around Amman's neighbourhoods. Arrive at the hotel approx 5pm
Day 3 - check out of hotel and depart for Petra at 9am. Stop at Mt. Nebo, Madaba (visit Greek Orthodox church with stunning mosaic), then head south to Petra stopping at Karak (late lunch here) and Shobak (Crusader Castles). Arrive Petra approximately 6:30pm and check into Movenpick Petra
Day 4 - Day long visit to Petra - lunch at the Crowne Plaza buffet restaurant. Overnight at Movenpick Petra
Day 5 - Depart Petra 9am for Little Petra and Wadi Rum (at Wadi Rum change vehicles for drive into desert). Arrive Aqaba approximately 2:30pm - lunch at Barracuda restaurant. Drive around Aqaba and head back to Jordan via Dead Sea Highway - arrive at airport at 8:30pm for our 3:00am flight. (Osamah and Bashar were horrified that we wouldn't let them take us to either of their homes to wait for our flight but that was definitely beyond the call of duty!)
I worked on the itinerary with the travel planner who did our Egypt trip - he arranged the Jordan portion with Gulf Holidays (I think that's the name of the company)
You could contact our driver Bashar Herzalla - his email is
[email protected]
I suggest you ask him to put you in touch with the travel planners at his company - the guide's name is Osamah Twal (he's an independent guide hired by the company). The combination of Bashar and Osamah is delightful - although as I said in a post above you don't really need a car/driver - very easy driving.
Have a great time!
Jul 1st, 2008, 10:05 AM
#12
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My wife and I are going to Egypt and Jordan, for the first time, in Feb '09. How can we get from Luxor to Aqaba? If there are several ways to go, what is the approximate cost of each? We will also be going to Cairo, Alexandria, Abu Simbel, Aswan, Nile cruise, Petra, Amman. Does anyone have names of 4 star Nile cruises, and/or names of guides in any of these places?
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