The Secret Of Planning The Perfect Honeymoon In Jordan

When we told our parents that we wanted to plan our honeymoon in Jordan, the first reaction from both sides was, “Are you guys serious?”, “Is it safe to travel to Jordan?” Our friends and colleagues pitched in with questions like,

 

“What will you guys do there? It has no nightlife, no beaches - there's only history associated with it!” Others were worried about petty issues like food, clothing and people. But we were determined to explore Jordan – a beautiful, ancient land.

Day 1: Checking In To Our Hotel And Exploring Petra By Night

We boarded our flight from New Delhi to Amman. There, we were met by our local representative, who assisted us during immigration, and then we headed to Petra, which was a three hours’ journey. The zigzag drive within Petra was one of its kind, and we were delighted by the slow paced life of the city.

When we reached our hotel, we were offered the delicious local tea as a welcome drink and were given a room preference between the new or old wing. We chose the old wing one because the city view from there was extremely soothing.

 

We were to stay in Petra for two nights and didn’t want to waste any time, so opted for the night tour of Petra on our first day itself. The pick-up for the tour was right next to our hotel, so we left for the last tour of the day, around 7 pm. The pathway was lit with candles and guided us to the main entrance of Petra, known as “Siq”. ‘Petra by Night’ is a guided tour, where the guide explains how this route was used by nomads during ancient times, in search of trade. It was mainly used to connect Europe to the Middle East.

 

After passing through Siq, we ended up at the Treasury, the centre point of Petra Valley, where mats were placed for us to sit and enjoy the show. It started off with a man playing something like a bagpiper and then another one describing the era of nomads in the local language, with the Treasury in the background. Both the acts were very fascinating and calming. We just wanted to lie under the stars. The wind was becoming cooler and the stars were getting brighter with each passing minute. Later, we came back and enjoyed our dinner at the hotel.

Day 2: The Gorgeous Views Of The Valley
 

 

Next morning at around 10 am, after breakfast, we headed for the Petra City Tour. The ticket cost included a pony/mule ride for a certain distance – it was the most thrilling ride ever! We were zipping through air as our driver was controlling the mule. They dropped us at the starting point of the Siq, and from there we decided to walk to the Treasury. We were surrounded by a canyon from all sides and felt  like dwarfs against its collosal structure. After walking for about half an hour, we reached the magnificent Treasury. Even though we had seen it the previous night, the view was marvelous during the day, as it stood tall in front of us.

 

After clicking pictures for a while, we decided to move further to see what all this great canyon has to offer. We walked towards another view point, from where we could see the rest of Petra, and got to know that the best view is from the Monastery, which is the last or end point of Petra. So we decided to take on this challenge and headed towards the Monastery. One can ride on a mule or camel to reach the last point as it’s quite a long and uphill journey. When we finally reached, the view was truly breathtaking. You can see the whole of Petra Canyon from there. 

Day 3: From A Desert Safari To A Stroll On The Beach

 

On the third day of our trip to Jordan, we proceeded towards Aqaba, with a desert safari at Wadi Rum on the way. An enthralling experience, Wadi Rum is part desert and part rocks. Our driver knew each and every part of the desert and drove like Schumi on the wild tracks. Our safari lasted for about two hours. post which he took us to see the desert camps in the middle of the desert. We had sheesha along with local Boduwien cuisine for lunch and continued our journey towards Aqaba.

On reaching, we were greeted with a pleasant surprise at the hotel – an upgradation to a junior suite. Since it was a weekend in Jordan, the city was bustling with both locals and foreigners. We headed for an evening stroll on the beach and enjoyed coffee at the promenade. Later we went to see the local market, popular for “genuine fake” perfumes and watches. Being a duty free zone, people were buying goods in bulk here. We had Falafel from a local vendor, and enjoyed it with the special buttermilk.

Day 4: Watersports And Karaoke

After breakfast, we headed to Bernie’s Beach, which is a private beach, where you’ll have to pay an entrance fee. It offers fun-filled water activities such as snorkelling, sun bathing and speedboat rides. In the evening, we enjoyed the nightlife with some Karaoke thrown in at a place near our hotel.

Day 5: A Dip In The Dead Sea

We were up for yet another unique experience, as we headed out for a 4-hour long drive to the Dead Sea. The journey itself was a lot of fun, as we met the locals and chatted with them. It was very heartwarming to see that Indians are respected a lot here. The people of Jordan are extremely humble and helpful.

Our hotel had a free shuttle service for visiting the Dead Sea, and offered a Dead Sea mud pack, along with towels. The water has such high salt concentration that one can never drown in it. The best part is that you’ll be surrounded by hills from all the sides. Another interesting thing we discovered was that the Dead Sea is actually a lake. It is known as a sea because of its huge size. After our great floating experience, we came back to the hotel for an amazing dinner buffet, serving the tantalizing Middle Eastern cuisine. 

Day 6: Mt. Nebo And Madaba
 

Day 7: Roman History In Jerash

 

On our last day, we went to Jerash, which looks like ‘Rome away from Rome’. As we entered, we witnessed a chariot race, and then moved on to a colonnaded street to reach the Roman Theatre and see various temples in the proximity. It’s a must-visit for history lovers, and people who can’t make it to Rome – as one gets the complete glimpse of the Roman history here. We came back to our hotel in the evening and headed to the local market to buy Dead Sea products and some local confectionery which is popular, specially cookies and khataies.

We enjoyed an offbeat honeymoon in Jordan, do you want to experience it too?

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