rosentej

After 3 weeks in India I'll be heading to Jordan for a few days before moving on to Israel. I land in Amman at 9am on May 5, and ideally I'd like to be in Israel for Yom Ha'atzmaut on May 10th. I'm a 22-y.o. woman traveling solo and on a budget, and this will be my first time in the Middle East.

May 5 (thurs) - land in Amman, afternoon trip to Madaba. I'll probably be pretty wiped out after lots of early morning transit, so I'm considering staying in Madaba so I can take the town at my own pace. The upside to staying in Amman instead would be cheaper accommodations & possibly more options for getting to Jerash the next day.

May 6 (fri) - day trip to Jerash, spend night in Madaba/Amman.

May 7 (sat) - bus to Petra via King's Highway, afternoon/evening at Petra

May 8 (sun) - full day at Petra

May 9 (mon) - cross border, head to Eliat, Tel Aviv, or Jerusalem (undecided)

Any input on this itinerary would be great! Especially advice on Madaba vs. Amman for my first 2 nights (1 night each is also an option). Also, is a full day set aside for Jerash too much? Thanks!

Axel2DP

I think Madaba is more atmospheric and interesting. I stayed in Amman when I was there, but if I go back I would stay in Mabada instead. I'm not sure how easy it is to get to Jerash from Amman though. I'm sure you can find a cab driver to take you there; just expect to pay more for it.

I don't think a full day for Jerash is too much. It's a sprawling place. If you're there for the whole day and on the right day then you can also splurge to see the show at the Hippodrome. It has mock gladiators fightings and drills and horse chariots running. It's fun to see.

A day and a half at Petra sounds good. There's so much to see there though that really I would spend at least one more full day there if possible but then I really like seeing ancient ruins and buldings, etc.

qwovadis

www.atlastours.net/jordan/wadirum.html

Wadi Rum and Petra very spiritual and cultural/historic

my favs there.

might pare back the others a bit to make more time there.

thursdaysd

I also vote for Madaba - there are more mosaics than the map that's on all the tour itineraries. This is the backpacker place: http://www.mariamhotel.com/ I thought Amman rather short on sights.

The more time at Petra the better - there's easily enough for two full days.

Note: as a young, solo woman traveler you MUST dress conservatively - cover at least your knees and shoulders, all of your arms and legs would be better. (While actually on site at Petra you could get by with less but don't do it in the towns.)

rosentej

Thanks for your replies, I'm getting pretty excited about this trip! Thursdaysd - thanks for your advice on clothing. I have a loose, long-sleeved button-up shirt I'll wear while in Jordan, and I have a skirt that covers my knees. (I'm hoping to pick up a pair of loose, lightweight pants while in India before heading to Jordan, as well)

MissGreen

For me, a day at petra was enough, I would not of needed an extra half day.

pirouette

I agree with MissGreen. We just returned from Jordan and all of us thought that a day in Petra was
more than enough. We did not travel as part of an organized tour and were able to move at our own
pace with a private guide who accompanied us for part of our visit. I suppose it depends on one's
interests, but after awhile things start to blend together. Go as early as you can to avoid the throngs
of tour groups who arrive mid morning and later. Crowds do thin out en route to the monastery.
My family was disappointed in Petra. They enjoyed.our time ther but found sites in India (Ajunta
and Ellora (I hope I have spelled that right!) caves and Ephesus in Turkey to have more historical
significance and to be more interesting. We had planned to do a two day entry at Petra and were
happy that we opted for Little Petra (A short drive away) the next day.

Axel2DP

>> For me, a day at petra was enough, I would not of needed an extra half day.<<

You must not be a photographer

The Monastery at sunset is gorgeous. The Royal Tombs also look their best at sunset, but you can't be at two places at the same time, can you? Climb to the High Place of Sacrifice for the view and then take the long hike down, and you'll see a neat elephant shaped fountain carved into the side of the mountain. Walk the siq both in the morning and in the afternoon and see how the different light affect it. Some tombs look better in the late afternoon than in the morning and vice versa. Climb up the mountain behind the Royal Tombs to get a top down view of the Monastery,etc. Oh, there are a lot to see at Petra if you allow youself the time to explore and be curious.

thursdaysd

I'm in the "more than one day for Petra camp" - and I've been to Ajanta and Ellora, not to mention Dunhuang and a few other places. I don't think you really need to be a photographer to appreciate it either, but the colors of the rocks are magnificent - and a product of nature, not humans. Unlike the cave sites, this is a place where you need to get out and hike.