Great pictures Paul! Yes, we are in Amman, the only major city. Would be happy to take you and your family out for dinner when you come next.
You are welcome back to Jordan anytime. We’ve completed the Jordan trail and would be happy to direct you to the most beautiful sections, depending on your preference for forest, wadi, or desert.
It’s a tourist’s paradise: an inexpensive, compact country with 7 major world heritage sites and numerous Christian, Jewish, and Muslim sites, including the baptism site of Jesus, peace be upon him. The people are very welcoming and crime is virtually zero. The weather is Mediterranean so beautiful pretty much year round. You can rent a car for about USD35/day or use the the JETT bus system (e.g. Amman to Aqaba is USD14).
Here is a suggested itinerary if you return to revisit some of the sights. If you have only one week and the gumption to see all the major attractions:
Day 1: Walk around Amman, especially the Citadel and amphitheater, and the narrow alleyways in the center of town, and see the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Jordan Museum. Visit the three big mosques by taxi: Mosque Husseini, Abu Darweesh, King Abdullah I. Eat grilled cuisine at Wild Jordan, overlooking the city.
Day 2: Drive via the Dead Sea to Petra (5 hours). On the way, picnic at the top of the rift valley overlooking the Jordan River and Palestine. Have dinner at any of the restaurants in Wadi Musa overlooking the gorges of Petra.
Day 3: Walk around Petra in the morning, visiting the Treasury and the Monastery. That afternoon drive down to Wadi Rum (1 hour), hire a camel and cameleer (USD50/day), and pitch camp just about anywhere. It’s all beautiful. This desert is less familiar by its name, but better known by the movies that have been filmed there (ie. Star Wars, Dune, The Martian, etc.) because of its unusual rocky outcrops and red sand.
Day 4: Walk around Wadi Rum in the morning and drive down to the coastal city of Aqaba (1 hour) in the afternoon for some snorkeling. There’s a great seafood restaurant named Al-Shami in front of the mosque at the center of town.
Day 5: Drive back to Amman (or take the JETT bus) and relax.
Day 6: Take a day trip to to the olive and oak forests of Ajloun and visit the stunning Ajloun castle, returning via Jerash to visit the Roman ruins, believed to be the largest site outside Italy.
Day 7: Sleep in!
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