Jordan is not just Petra

December 16, 2025 to January 6, 2026

In the footsteps of the ancient Romans, Byzantines, and Nabataeans, we visited their former cities, present-day ruins, and archaeological sites in many locations throughout Jordan. It’s incredible what people have already accomplished well over a thousand years ago, all with very simple technical aids.

 Petra

We dedicated two days to exploring Petra. The monumental buildings carved into the rock formed the capital of the Nabataean kingdom in antiquity. The complex is vast, and the ruins are incredibly impressive. On the first day, we hiked the route to the tombs and up to the Ad Deir Monastery. Gabi, an experienced equestrian, had to learn to trust a donkey (not me, but a real donkey) that confidently climbed the 800 stone steps to the monastery. On the second day, we turned to the other side and ascended the mountain with the sacrificial site starting at the Maiden’s House. We hiked several kilometers on both days and were incredibly lucky with the weather. Petra is Jordan’s most important highlight, or at least the most over-touristed. In January, it was relatively cold and consequently had very few tourists. The taxi drivers within the complex, the donkey drivers, and the guides were underemployed and, as a result, quite aggressive in their sales tactics. We experienced two cool days with full sunshine thanks to Gabi’s absolutely perfect route selection.

Happy moment

In Amman, we had to rent a car. According to the guidebook, all the car rental agencies, about 30 in total, are located on one street. Gabi searched for this street on her tablet and, surprisingly, discovered that our hotel was located right on it. So, we were easily able to walk to all of these car rental agencies and choose the easiest and best model for us. We didn’t even visit all of them!

Technology Pitfalls

Jordan is a country that tourists mainly visit during the summer months. It gets quite hot here in the summer. During the winter months, however, it’s rather chilly. Consequently, all the hotels are equipped with air conditioning. We were here in winter. The air conditioning can also provide a little heating, but only a little. As a result, the hotel rooms were always nicely chilled upon our arrival, around 10°C. We then set the air conditioning to 30°C and actually achieved a comfortable room temperature after about three days, but we usually only stayed one or two nights.

For a smile

At Amman airport, luggage is checked before you can even go to the check-in counter. This actually makes perfect sense, but it’s very unusual. The woman behind the scanner screen wanted to see our drone, which was supposed to be in one of our metal suitcases. We weren’t carrying a drone and explained this to her. She claimed otherwise, and Gabi explained it to her a little too clearly. Then the security personnel arrived and wanted to thoroughly inspect all the suitcases. We had to open all the suitcases, and they rummaged through our underwear, wearing plastic gloves, but we had no idea where they’d already sticked them into. Once the entire contents of our suitcases were on their dirty table, we were able to pack everything up again, and they hadn’t found a drone. Next time, we’ll be nicer to the government employees.