dgunbug

Is it safe for Americans of Jewish decent to travel to Jordan at this time and if so, it is safe to independently travel or does one need a tour? Besides Petra, where do you recommend?

dgunbug

That would be descent!

Elizabeth_S

I can't comment knowledgeably on the first part of your question, but in general it is very easy to travel independently (you can easily rent and car and drive yourself - although we had a wonderful driver who added so much to our trip.)

Here's a link to our blog - lots of other fantastic sites to see

http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/l..._adv/d_jordan/

We spent 5 days and could easily have stayed longer.

love2travel2LA

I was in Jordan a year ago traveling from Eilat in Israel. It was very safe but I don't think I would do it without a tour guide. Not just being Jewish. If you are guys, I think it would be safer even being jewish. Just don't wear a yarmelka. You can be on a group tour or hire a private tour guide. They just make it a lot easier to travel around and not be hassled. I would recommend Wadi Rum and if you have the time to go north to Amman stopping by Mt. Nebo along the way. There is a company I used, Eco-Tours that were great and you can look at a couple of their itineraries to get ideas.

dutyfree

Desert Safaris out of Amman was wonderful when we went last December-we had Yousef as our driver who was terrific! Jordan is a beautiful country and the people are very welcoming.
We started in Amman and went down to Petra,Wadi Rum, Mt. Nebo then over to the Dead Sea. From there we went to Jerash and toured Amman.Our family loved our experience in Jordan and we have told many friends to include at least a week there.

Elizabeth_S

oops - dutyfree - was it Desert Horizon? I thought we had the same tour company

dutyfree

Yes-sorry guys.I am too distracted trying to find a cheap hotel in London this weekend and being OLD!!!

lyntay

I just spent a week in Jordan and travelled there independently. I am female, mid 40s, and felt totally safe. I arranged the hotels ahead of time, and arranged everything else once i got there: travel between places, admission, guides, etc. It was very easy. I prefer the control over how I spend my time that you cant always get with a tour. For example, I liked Petra so much that I decided on day 2 to spend an extra day there.

I spent 3 days in Petra, 1 in Wadi Rum and the final 3 days in Madaba, which is just outside of Amman. I went to Jerash, Mt. Nebo, Dead Sea, Church of the Map, as well as other sites.

Happy travels!

sandi

I counted more Israelis (assuming only that most were Jewish), than any other ethnic group when we visited. Whether they were arriving view Allenby/Amman or thru Eilat. There's been a peace agreement between Israel and Jordan for years, so this wouldn't be of concern. Nor does anyone ask one's religion, rather "how much money are you adding to our economy."

"to Yalmulka" or "not-to-yalmulka" - anyone with a baseball cap can be a religious Jew who chooses to cover his head, much as many Muslims cover theirs.

We found Jordan to be as safe as any other country we've visited.