- Monday 03 April 2017
Shandon Travel's Raya recently got back from a once in a lifetime holiday to Jordan in the Middle East. Read about her experience:
"I was lucky enough to be 1 of 9 travel agents selected to go on an Adventure Tour to Jordan this March. I felt safe, comfortable and relaxed the whole time and would happily recommend Jordan as a tourist destination to anyone.
On arrival in Jordan we were met by our lovely and very knowledgeable local tour leader Ash. Straight away we were taken to our accommodation at the Toledo Hotel Palace. Ash was with us the whole time and was a great guide. The standard for all of our meals- breakfast, lunch and dinner- was a large buffet full of Middle Eastern options including cold and hot mezze, flat breads and falafel as well as plenty of Western options.
The first day we hit the road and had our first photo opportunity at Mount Nebo, where the prophet Moses is said to have seen the ‘promised land’ and where he’s supposedly buried. The views were amazing and we had extremely sunny weather which actually lasted the whole trip. That evening we drove to Petra and checked into the Amra Palace, which overlooked the whole town.
That night we headed to a cooking class at a local restaurant where we all made our own dinner of lentil soup and cold and hot mezze. We also made a traditional Jordanian dish of maklouba or ‘upside down dish’ which is chicken, spiced rice and roasted vegetables. This was followed by coconut cake- a very popular desert. Everyone got involved, dressing up in full chef gear and this evening was a highlight of mine. After dinner we headed to a cave bar for a night of shisha and cocktails.
The next day we spent exploring the Treasury, Monastery and other amphitheatres of Petra- one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. These really were breath-taking and photos do not do it justice. It was very tiring as we walked up 800 steps surrounded by donkeys, horses, camels and locals selling you trinkets and a ride on their animal. Our accommodation for that evening was a desert camp in Wadi Rum called Captain’s Camp. We stayed in glamping style twin rooms fully equipped with electricity and our own bathrooms. Dinner was eaten around a fire and afterwards we sat around drinking mint tea with more shisha.
The next morning we set off on our desert safari on the back of two jeeps. I found the landscape of the Jordan desert to be very different to the desert in Dubai which was bright and soft with rolling dunes, while the Jordan desert reminded me of the Wild West or the Grand Canyon. It was rocky, hard, dusty and often flat with geckos and the odd plant. After stopping for sage tea with Bedouin locals we head on to the Dead Sea.
Once we checked into the Ramada Dead Sea Resort we quickly headed to the sea and let the salt hold us as we bobbed about in the tepid water feeling weightless, covered in the healing mud. This amazing experience was then followed by an amazing goodbye dinner of cold mezze, hummus, grilled meats and breads and my favorite dessert Umm Ali which is a bread and butter pudding made with puff pastry, nuts and dried fruit. This was the best end to a great trip.
I would recommend this tour to everyone; it was extremely well run and it felt personal, safe and enjoyable."
-Raya
Click here to visit our Middle East webpage.
Click here to view our Adventure Tours and our 'Something Different' Adventure Tours.
Want to experience Jordan yourself? Give us a call on 021 4277094 or 01 6965135, email info@shandontravel.ie or call into our shops in Clonakilty, Bandon and the Grand Parade.
