Jordan Reviews
Review 1
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Travelling on the Nile and visiting Abu Simbel.
What did you think of your tour leader?
Both tour leaders both in Egypt and Jordan( Khaled and Majdi ) were excellent and went the extra mile to make the holiday such a memorable one.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Be prepared for an hectic ,tiring schedule.If going to Jordan bring a warm jacket for the cold evenings.
Reviewed by David Nuttall who travelled in November 2011 on the Egypt & Jordan Caravan trip
Review 2
What did you think of your tour leader?
Very good, particularly Ahmed Badr in Egypt.
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
The Egyptians in partincluar seemed happy to see tourists back after the lack of visitors due to the January Revolution.
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
Not really, but the Nubian village visit at Aswan was an interesting experience and Ahmed gave us an insight into the Revolution from the perspective of someone who lived through it.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Have an open mind and enjoy yourself. Further comment - the tipping kitty in Jordan was 30USD which was twice the amount (3USD per day) mentioned in your trip notes, so this could do with updating.
Reviewed by Anna Hobbs who travelled in April 2011 on the Egypt & Jordan Caravan trip
Review 3
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Petra, Wadi Rum
What did you think of your tour leader?
Excellent
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
Yes...enjoyed. Met lots of Jordanians...good people+
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Group visas were available at Amman ( at no charge) but we were not aware of this so wasted £85 getting visas from embassy in London
Reviewed by John Sullivan who travelled in April 2011 on the A Week In Jordan trip
Review 4
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Wadi Rum, Petra
What did you think of your tour leader?
Egypt: very good Jordan: good, but he should keep the group better together.
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
Yes, I do
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
Yes, I think
What advice would you give to other travellers?
In Egypt the peaple will try to sell you every fakes for a lot of money. You should be ready to bargain everything and as a tourist to pay more for the same thing ( it's also ok the price is not exaggerated.
Reviewed by Andrea Bunea who travelled in November 2010 on the Egypt & Jordan Caravan trip
Review 5
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Petra, seeing the sunlit Treasury from a gap in the gorge
What did you think of your tour leader?
First rate both of them. Aziz (Jordan) full of fun, energy and ability to organize. Nedal (Syria) amazing knowledge of Syria and its history, answered every question fully.
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
Yes, due to money spent.
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
Probably more so in Syria, both fascinating
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Take loo paper, have small change for when you needed to use a local toilet. Take adequate supplies of medication, i.e. imodium. Have small water bottles to fill up with water from shop bought larger water bottles which are much cheaper.
Reviewed by Wendy Dash who travelled in September 2010 on the Jordan & Syria Discoverer trip
Review 6
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Wadi Rum
What did you think of your tour leader?
both of them excellent, especially the tour leader in Israel
What advice would you give to other travellers?
to watch out that both Jordan and Israel are very expensive countries and to make sure the hotels they stay in are clean and up to standard
Reviewed by Ciprian Ignea who travelled in October 2010 on the Jordan & Israel Explorer trip
Review 7
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
I couldn't single out just one part! The whole trip was absolutely amazing.
What did you think of your tour leader?
The Egyptian Tour Leader was brilliant, really looked after us. The Jordanian Tour Leader was good but didn't 'go that extra mile' like the Egyptian one. Both of them were very 'preachy' though about Islam which was a bit uncomfortable.
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
Not sure - I guess through tourist money ...
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
Only touched the surface!
What advice would you give to other travellers?
The trip is very full on and active - it is not restful, there is to much to do, so be prepared for that.
Reviewed by Karen Fisher who travelled in September 2010 on the Egypt & Jordan Experience trip
Review 8
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Sleeping under the stars in the desert at Wadi Rum and sunset at the ruins in Palmyra
What did you think of your tour leader?
Bashar was excellent - very enthusiastic, organised and personable. I particularly enjoyed his cultural talks in the evenings. Faisal was less so - he gave confusing instructions and was not as approachable as Bashar. He had excellent historical knowledge though.
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
More so in Syria where tourism was less obvious than in Jordan.
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
More so in Syria as Bashar was very good at answering questions and explaining the culture of his country. I felt less in touch with local life in Jordan.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Research the appropriate clothing to wear and don't let little mishaps bother you!
Reviewed by Helen Babington who travelled in September 2010 on the Desert Kingdoms trip
Review 9
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Sleeping under the stars in the desert at Wadi Rum and sunset at the ruins in Palmyra
What did you think of your tour leader?
Bashar was excellent - very enthusiastic, organised and personable. I particularly enjoyed his cultural talks in the evenings. Faisal was less so - he gave confusing instructions and was not as approachable as Bashar. He had excellent historical knowledge though.
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
More so in Syria where tourism was less obvious than in Jordan.
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
More so in Syria as Bashar was very good at answering questions and explaining the culture of his country. I felt less in touch with local life in Jordan.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Research the appropriate clothing to wear and don't let little mishaps bother you!
Reviewed by Helen Babington who travelled in September 2010 on the The Road to Damascus / Desert Kingdoms trip
Review 10
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Sleeping under the stars in the desert at Wadi Rum and sunset at the ruins in Palmyra
What did you think of your tour leader?
Bashar was excellent - very enthusiastic, organised and personable. I particularly enjoyed his cultural talks in the evenings. Faisal was less so - he gave confusing instructions and was not as approachable as Bashar. He had excellent historical knowledge though.
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
More so in Syria where tourism was less obvious than in Jordan.
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
More so in Syria as Bashar was very good at answering questions and explaining the culture of his country. I felt less in touch with local life in Jordan.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Research the appropriate clothing to wear and don't let little mishaps bother you!
Reviewed by Helen Babington who travelled in September 2010 on the Desert Kingdoms trip
Review 11
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Syria (Damascus, Palmyra), but all good. Petra also very good. Sinai, Giza and Luxor. All good.
What did you think of your tour leader?
All good.
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
Yes, I think so.
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
Sort of.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Enjoy.
Reviewed by David Graham who travelled in June 2010 on the Middle East Highlights trip
Review 12
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Syria (Damascus, Palmyra), but all good. Petra also very good. Sinai, Giza and Luxor. All good.
What did you think of your tour leader?
All good.
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
Yes, I think so.
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
Sort of.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Enjoy.
Reviewed by David Graham who travelled in June 2010 on the Middle East Highlights trip
Review 13
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The whole thing but mostly sharing the time/trip with my brother & his wife
What did you think of your tour leader?
9 out 10 only because nobody is perfect
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
I hope so. But yes most of the time
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
only a little bit but gave me a great taster and I now know where to go back to in the future
What advice would you give to other travellers?
1st class does not mean the same thing in very country, but you only live once so give it a go.
Reviewed by Rosetta Neal who travelled in May 2010 on the Egypt & Jordan Caravan trip
Review 14
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Floating in the dead sea!
What did you think of your tour leader?
Rabi, the tour leader in Jordan, was excellent. We didn't have a tour leader in Israel.
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
Not particularly.
Reviewed by Claire Waller who travelled in April 2010 on the Jordan & Israel trip
Review 15
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
It was such a varied and wonderful itinerary that it is difficult to pick a single favourite part. Some of the more memorable parts of the tour were: wandering around the old city of Damascus at night, exploring Islamic Cairo at night, the Giza Pyramids, Abu Simbel, and looking at the Treasury for the first time at the end of the Siq in Petra.
What did you think of your tour leader?
Turkey - Extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Willing to do anything to ensure we had a great time. Syria - Fantastic; went the extra mile every day and ensured we had a great time. Jordan - Friendly and somewhat knowledgeable. Overall satisfactory. Egypt - Extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Went out of his way to ensure we had a great time.
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
In Turkey, Syria, and Egypt I would definitely say that the holiday did. Although we did stay in a Bedouin Camp in Jordan, overall I would say the contributions and/or benefits from our tour were significantly less.
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
Participating in an 'adventurer' definitely allowed us to see more of the local life in a country. Staying in smaller hotels in the downtown areas definitely contributed to this feeling. The immersion varied from country to country but overall I would say yes.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Keep an open mind and participate in every optional activity you can afford to.
Reviewed by Jonathan Coons who travelled in June 2009 on the Istanbul to Cairo trip
Review 16
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
It was such a varied and wonderful itinerary that it is difficult to pick a single favourite part. Some of the more memorable parts of the tour were: wandering around the old city of Damascus at night, exploring Islamic Cairo at night, the Giza Pyramids, Abu Simbel, and looking at the Treasury for the first time at the end of the Siq in Petra.
What did you think of your tour leader?
Turkey - Extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Willing to do anything to ensure we had a great time. Syria - Fantastic; went the extra mile every day and ensured we had a great time. Jordan - Friendly and somewhat knowledgeable. Overall satisfactory. Egypt - Extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Went out of his way to ensure we had a great time.
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
In Turkey, Syria, and Egypt I would definitely say that the holiday did. Although we did stay in a Bedouin Camp in Jordan, overall I would say the contributions and/or benefits from our tour were significantly less.
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
Participating in an 'adventurer' definitely allowed us to see more of the local life in a country. Staying in smaller hotels in the downtown areas definitely contributed to this feeling. The immersion varied from country to country but overall I would say yes.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Keep an open mind and participate in every optional activity you can afford to.
Reviewed by Jonathan Coons who travelled in June 2009 on the Istanbul to Cairo trip
Review 17
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
the camel ride around the pyramids at sunset after all the tourists had left. magical!
What did you think of your tour leader?
turkey- Excellent, knew loads about what we were visiting and was more than happy to take us out at night and show us round. syria- ok, knew about the country. jordan and egypt- excellent, again more than happy to show us round, knew loads and gave us loads of extra info about what we were seeing.
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
definately, its much better to stay in local downtown hotels then in something expensive where you dont get the real atmosphere of the country.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
make sure you do every excursion on offer- you may never go back to visit again.
Reviewed by Amanda Hough who travelled in April 2007 on the Istanbul to Cairo trip
Review 18
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
the camel ride around the pyramids at sunset after all the tourists had left. magical!
What did you think of your tour leader?
turkey- Excellent, knew loads about what we were visiting and was more than happy to take us out at night and show us round. syria- ok, knew about the country. jordan and egypt- excellent, again more than happy to show us round, knew loads and gave us loads of extra info about what we were seeing.
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
definately, its much better to stay in local downtown hotels then in something expensive where you dont get the real atmosphere of the country.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
make sure you do every excursion on offer- you may never go back to visit again.
Reviewed by Amanda Hough who travelled in April 2007 on the Istanbul to Cairo trip
Review 19
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The candlelit descent to Petra
What did you think of your tour leader?
Sharon and Khalid were excellent . Khalid had an incredible knowledge of history and dates just poured out . He was very amusing and patient and made the trip for us .
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
Not particularly, although we were told tht a sum of money was to be given to a charity there / The children with the donkeys at Petra benefitted by our payment to them .
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
Certainly, we were given a very thorough history of the country by Khalid which led to a greater understaning of the neighbouring countries . I would have lijked to see more local craft work . We came home with none!
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Travel in small group. Do not expect fantastic hotels. Be prepared for a lot of walking . Enjoy the experience and do some homework beforehand . P.S Avoid the bug brought from Egypt which all four of us caught and has lasted for five weeks - a heavy cough and feeling very tired !
Reviewed by Michael Goffe who travelled in April 2008 on the Jordan Insight trip
Review 20
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The candlelit descent to Petra
What did you think of your tour leader?
Sharon and Khalid were excellent . Khalid had an incredible knowledge of history and dates just poured out . He was very amusing and patient and made the trip for us .
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
Not particularly, although we were told tht a sum of money was to be given to a charity there / The children with the donkeys at Petra benefitted by our payment to them .
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
Certainly, we were given a very thorough history of the country by Khalid which led to a greater understaning of the neighbouring countries . I would have lijked to see more local craft work . We came home with none!
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Travel in small group. Do not expect fantastic hotels. Be prepared for a lot of walking . Enjoy the experience and do some homework beforehand . P.S Avoid the bug brought from Egypt which all four of us caught and has lasted for five weeks - a heavy cough and feeling very tired !
Reviewed by Michael Goffe who travelled in April 2008 on the Jordan Insight trip
Review 21
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The candlelit descent to Petra
What did you think of your tour leader?
Sharon and Khalid were excellent . Khalid had an incredible knowledge of history and dates just poured out . He was very amusing and patient and made the trip for us .
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
Not particularly, although we were told tht a sum of money was to be given to a charity there / The children with the donkeys at Petra benefitted by our payment to them .
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
Certainly, we were given a very thorough history of the country by Khalid which led to a greater understaning of the neighbouring countries . I would have lijked to see more local craft work . We came home with none!
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Travel in small group. Do not expect fantastic hotels. Be prepared for a lot of walking . Enjoy the experience and do some homework beforehand . P.S Avoid the bug brought from Egypt which all four of us caught and has lasted for five weeks - a heavy cough and feeling very tired !
Reviewed by Michael Goffe who travelled in April 2008 on the Jordan Insight 6th April trip
Review 22
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
the people---the fellow travellers and the locals...and Petra
What did you think of your tour leader?
excellent...he was attentive, fair and fun...
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
yes especially the local guides and the hotel people
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
yes..especially when we have good local guides..we can ask many questions about their culture and places
What advice would you give to other travellers?
participate as much as you can and just talk to people and enjoy everything
Reviewed by kakai marr who travelled in February 2008 on the Petra to the Pyramids trip
Review 23
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
the countries - Palmyra probably
What did you think of your tour leader?
adequate/average but the tour guides get 10/10
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
yes but in no real ethical way
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
definitely but did not have much to do with the tour leaders
What advice would you give to other travellers?
soak it all in. Its easy to judge other countries, their ways, their traditions but instead of imposing your values, understand theirs and if you dont, just accept them. Its time we stopped propgating the idea that all Arabs are militant muslims. Both Jordan and Syria are spactacular countries and their people are warm and hospitable and while there are obvious signs of conflict, these are peace loving people
Reviewed by Anshul Raja who travelled in December 2007 on the A Journey through Jordan & Syria trip
Review 24
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
the countries - Palmyra probably
What did you think of your tour leader?
adequate/average but the tour guides get 10/10
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
yes but in no real ethical way
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
definitely but did not have much to do with the tour leaders
What advice would you give to other travellers?
soak it all in. Its easy to judge other countries, their ways, their traditions but instead of imposing your values, understand theirs and if you dont, just accept them. Its time we stopped propgating the idea that all Arabs are militant muslims. Both Jordan and Syria are spactacular countries and their people are warm and hospitable and while there are obvious signs of conflict, these are peace loving people
Reviewed by Anshul Raja who travelled in December 2007 on the A Journey through Jordan & Syria trip
Review 25
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
the countries - Palmyra probably
What did you think of your tour leader?
adequate/average but the tour guides get 10/10
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
yes but in no real ethical way
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
definitely but did not have much to do with the tour leaders
What advice would you give to other travellers?
soak it all in. Its easy to judge other countries, their ways, their traditions but instead of imposing your values, understand theirs and if you dont, just accept them. Its time we stopped propgating the idea that all Arabs are militant muslims. Both Jordan and Syria are spactacular countries and their people are warm and hospitable and while there are obvious signs of conflict, these are peace loving people
Reviewed by Anshul Raja who travelled in December 2007 on the Journey through Jordan & Syria (ex Amman) trip
Jordan Forum Feedback
Jordan Insight 6th April
Hello! I'm just wondering if anyone else is arriving into Amman for the weekend before our tour? I would love to catch up when we're there if so. ImTrav won't give our details to others on the same tour prior to the trip which is a shame, so I'm hoping people will contact me through here. I'll look forward to hearing from you. Sarah sarahscott666@hotmail.com 07958 480 126
Petra to the pyramids
Hi i am on the Petra to Pryamids tour on 1st Feb is anyone else joining me ?
The Road to Damascus / Desert Kingdoms
Whenever I click on the The Road to Damascus link http://www.imaginative-traveller.com/trips/TARD I get sent to the home page, is this trip still running? I'm interested in the Desert Kingdoms trip to Syria & Jordan. I notice none of the Desert Kingdoms trips are listed as guaranteed to depart even though some show limited availability, is there a reason for this? There is a trip leaving on May 16th which has 7 places left which fits in with my plans, this suggests that 11 places have been filled so I would have thought it was guaranteed to depart. Thanks
Egypt & Jordan Caravan 1-16th March 2009
Hi, just wondered if anyone on here is booked onto the 1-16th march Egypt & Jordan Caravan tour? I'll be going alone and arriving a day earlier on the 28th Feb, anyone else going early?
Hammamat Zarqa Ma'in Hot Springs
Hi, I have booked onto the Egypt and Jordan caravan trip for 1-16th march 2009. i have been reading my guidebook on Jordan and wondered if this trip makes a stop at Hammamat Zarqa Ma’in or the Ma'in Hot Springs, as it looks like an amazing place, i noticed this in my book and although it is not in the trip dossier i just wondered if it would be possible to visit along the way, or during any free time?
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