Jordan Group Trip Highlights 2022
After falling in love with Jordan this past February, I was dying to bring a group back with one of my Wanderlust Group Trips.
This Jordan trip was an optional extension of my 10 day Ultimate Egypt Trip. So once the trip ended in Cairo, some of us boarded a flight to Amman.
So here’s everything we got up to in 6 whirlwind days around Jordan!
To join this trip in 2023: sign up here!
You can watch the recap here:
Day 1: Amman
We checked into our hotel and freshened up before meeting with our local guide Hisham. We then set off into downtown Amman, the buzzing capital city of Jordan. We started with dinner at my favorite restaurant, Al Hashem.
This local spot is such a gem. There is no menu, no silverware… you simply eat the cuisine family style with your fingers. The stuffed falafel is my favorite!! Each and every hummus is delicious. And the entire meal for 7 people was under $14.
After our delicious dinner, we headed to the local markets. Amman was bustling at night and we were took part in a mini food tour led by our local guide.
Eating our way around Amman, we sampled all sorts of Middle Eastern fruits, deserts, drinks and more! I feel full just remembering it.
After we could truly eat no more, I brought everyone to my favorite rooftop bar in Amman. I discovered Cantaloupe Gastro Pub on rainbow street when I was in Amman last and couldn’t wait to bring the group back here. The twinkling views over the city are simply perfection.
After a few tasty cocktails, we found ourselves smoking hookah at a local joint with live Arabian music.
Finally we called it a night as we had a big day tomorrow at Wadi Rum!
You can read my full guide to Amman here and see the video recap here.
Day 2: Wadi Rum
We set off in the morning for Wadi Rum! It was a 5 hour drive to reach this magnificent desert but time flew as we played games in the bus to pass the time.
Before we knew it, we were arriving at the outskirts of the desert. We stopped to get some things for a picnic lunch at a local market before hoping in the back of a truck for an extensive tour of the area.
Our two trucks sped over sand dunes and we raced up to viewpoints, hiked through canyons and spotted ancient petroglyphs.
I took countless photos of the group and we witnessed a spectacular sunset over Wadi Rum.
As it was getting dark, we arrived at camp. Once we checked into our cute cabins, we were prepared a fabulous meal that was cooked underground in the desert sand. It was delicious and so well seasoned! There are no hotels in Wadi Rum, only luxury campsites.
It’s more “glamping” than camping since the cabins, tents or domes have full beds with mattresses, electricity and full working bathrooms.
After our dinner, we settled in around the campfire for some live music, hookah and drinks. All the campsites in Wadi Rum are dry but you’re welcome to bring your own alcohol so we brought some local wine we had picked up in Amman.
Our group stayed up late stargazing, chatting around the fire and laughing. It was a real highlight of the trip.
Day 3: Aqaba and the Red Sea
The next morning, Jess and I got up for sunrise and witnessed the most spectacular morning on the desert. The colors were insane.
Once the sun had fully risen, we came back to camp for a full breakfast before packing up to continue on to Aqaba.
We dropped off our bags at the hotel and headed to Bernice Beach Resort where we spent the day sipping cocktails on the beach, swimming in the Red Sea and sunbathing.
I had originally only planned for us to spend 3 hours here but we were having so much fun, we changed the schedule and stayed all day.
We wound up having pizza, quite a few drinks at the beach bar and jumped off the dock repeatedly!
The ladies were so fun to hang out with and this was another real highlight of the trip. Finally, after a full day in the sun, we set off to the hotel. We freshened up and went to have seafood for dinner. A must in Aqaba! It’s so fresh here.
We attempted to find a place to go dancing but with Jordan being a mostly dry country, nightclubs and bars are few and far between. So we set off to a pub and continued to enjoy each other’s company. This group was a real blast to hang out with!
Day 4: Petra & Petra by Night Day
We set off in the morning from Aqaba towards the incredible world wonder, Petra!
After a morning drive, we arrived by lunchtime. Our guide picked us up local cuisine to eat inside the site. Our hotel, Petra Palace, was just a few steps away from the entrance to Petra! (I highly recommend staying here during your stay so you can walk to and from the site!)
As we entered the archeological wonder, our guide gave us lots of interesting historical tidbits about the site.
Shortly after lunch, we were turned lose with free time to explore Petra. The site is massive and I highly recommend two days to see it all. Our close knit group stuck together during the free time and wandered the spectacular cave system. 40 families still live inside Petra and many more stay in caves part time.
Outside the most colorful cave, we met the nicest man serving fresh squeezed pomegranate juice.
He capture this photo of our group before we continued on.
We shopped in the markets, photographed the ancient site and wandered around until we met a local Bedouin man, Charlie. His crew runs the coffee shop, cafe and hookah bar in the largest cave just to the right of the treasury.
We hung out with his group of friends before heading over to take some pictures with the view of the treasury. We made plans to meet back up with the Bedouin guys that evening when we attended Petra by Night.
As we hiked out of the site, we stopped at the cave bar for a drink. It’s the oldest bar in the world, over 2,000 years of history! When we finished our drinks, we went back to the hotel for dinner.
After a delicious buffet dinner, we returned to Petra to get in line for the evening presentation when the entire site would be lit by thousands of candles. We sipped tea, photographed the beauty of it all and listened to the live speakers and performers.
Although the show is short and nothing spectacular, being there after hours when it is all lit up at night is truly special.
We fell asleep happy and exhausted from a big day after arranging plans with Charlie to hike the back door into Petra the next morning!
5: Hiking the backdoor to Petra
The next morning, we were picked up at our hotel at 8am by Charlie’s friend who drove us out to the Bedouin village. Once we picked up Charlie, we sped over the desert to the starting point of the hike. Music blaring and windows down, we soaked in the sights of Petra so few tourists get to see.
When we reached our starting point, we hoped out of the car and set off on a truly beautiful hike.
Along the way, we stopped for coffee at a local Bedouin stopping point. I simply could not believe the jaw-dropping views.
Charlie explained all about the Bedouin lifestyle, their frustrations with the Jordanian government that has been trying to kick them off their lands, the general lack of respect from other Jordanians and so much more.
Want to learn more about the Bedouin lifestyle? Read the true story Married to a Bedouin before your trip!!
Charlie informed us how guides are constantly warning tourists about how “dangerous” or “untrustworthy” the Bedouin people are. And unfortunately, it’s true.
I have heard this from multiple guides, hotel staff and Jordanians. However my interaction with the Bedouin people has been nothing but positive. The local people bring so much to Petra! It wouldn’t be the same without them. Spending time with Charlie was a highlight for all of us.
Our hike continued on to the stunning Monastery. So many tour groups just see the iconic treasury view point without venturing further into the site. I will forever be so thankful Charlie showed us around that day. We saw parts of Petra that the majority of tourists don’t ever see. We had hot, fresh sandwiches and sipped coffee overlooking the monastery with absolutely no crowds around.
Then we continued our hike back to the main area, passing countless caves, shops and jaw-dropping views.
When we arrived back at the treasury, Charlie brought us up to the middle viewpoint for the most iconic photo spot in Petra.
Once we got all the shots we wanted, we headed back to Charlie’s cave where they prepared us lunch and another hookah. The entire day was just so special. My cheeks hurt from smiling and I felt so fortunate to share it with such wonderful people.
After lunch, we said our goodbyes to Charlie and made our way to the Turkish bath near our hotel. We had planned to participate in a local hammam which would have us feeling fresh and clean after a scrub down and massage following time in the steam room.
Unfortunately the bath was understaffed this time so we had to hustle to make it to our Bedouin dinner. But our dinner was fabulous!! The sisters that hosted us in their home, were sister-in-laws to the author of Married to A Bedouin.
It was fascinating to hear about their lives in the Bedouin community, growing up in the caves of Petra and the process of becoming the first female licensed Bedouin guide in Petra!
The local meal was fantastic and the conversation? Even better. We were so thankful for their hospitality!
After our dinner, we set off back to Amman. Most of the ladies had early flights home but that didn’t stop us from heading out for one last final hurrah!
After such a wonderful trip, we wanted to celebrate over a drink and soak up the last few hours we had together. We went bar hopping in Amman and reminisced about the amazing week we had in Jordan as well as the previous trip in Egypt.
Day 6: Depart for home
The next morning, we said our goodbyes! I am so thankful for this amazing group of women who made this trip what it was. And thank you to our local guide Hishem!
Stay tuned for my 2023 group trip here.
To join a group trip, check out the “Travel With Me” section!
Past group trips include: dog sledding in Minnesota, Southwest USA, Sail Croatia, backpacking the Superior Hiking Trail, Christmas in NYC, Iceland, Morocco, Turkey, Ireland, and more!
Shop my Amazon storefront for all my travel essentials & favorite finds!
