In March 2026, I was had the opportunity to travel to Jordan for a few days and experience what this vibrant country offers in terms of culture and history with Wendy Wu Tours.
Throughout this itinerary, I was based in the capital Amman and took in sights throughout the capital as well as Ajloun Castle, a town in highlands of Northern Jordan and Jerash, a city also north of the capital known for the ruins of the walled Greco-Roman settlement of Gerasa just outside the modern city and the big one – Petra!
We travelled to Amman with Royal Jordanian from London Heathrow which I believe were a very reputable airline and the experience with the airline overall was very good. Upon our arrival, we were met by a Wendy Wu rep going through the immigration process and made sure we got through the airport smoothly and onto our hotel in Amman in good time. The following morning, we were greeted by our tour manager, Mohammed. He was very passionate and enthusiastic about his country and made us all feel very welcome!
We began the day by travelling Ajloun Castle in Jordanian Highlands, a town rich in fertile grounds with many olive groves overlooked by the castle itself which dates to the 12th century once occupied by Arab tribes. Built by the nephew of the Muslim military leader Saladin, he fought against the Christian military during the Crusades in the 12th Century. The strategic location of the castle enabled Saladin’s army to look out across the Jordan Valley for invaders. Following our visit, we headed on a short journey to a Calligraphy House where we learnt how to write our name in Arabic! Later in the day, we headed from here to the Jerash, an ancient Roman city known as the ‘Pompeii of the East’. The site of Jerash itself was littered with history around every corner, from an arena where chariot races were hosted, it’s well-preserved hippodrome which holds up to 3,000 people and is still used today to host productions and concerts! Other sites also included Hadrian’s Arch and The Forum which is made up of 56 pillars and makes for spectacular viewing.
The next day we headed out to the desert to explore some of Jordan’s historic castles such as Qasr al-Azraq, built from locally quarried basalt rock, the castle was once home to the Romans as a military site and later a mosque was built in the middle of this. A unique feature of the castle are the entrance doors which are stone doors with each one weighing one tonne however, these are still operating today and revolve due to oil placed in the mountings! In the afternoon, we headed back to the capital and explored the old city including the Amman Citadel which sits atop a hill overlooking the city and the Roman theatre. The city dates as far back as the Bronze Age with its main highlight being The Temple of Hercules, which was built by the Romans around the 2nd century as well as the Umayyad Mosque of Amman which is located at the highest point of the Citadel. The dome that sits atop of the structure was restored in the late 90’s by a Spanish Archaeological team to help preserve the remains of the mosque.
On our final day, we headed for the lost city of the Nabateans, Petra. Listed as one of the new seven wonders of the world, the old city is surrounded by the mountains and situated within a deep and narrow gorge known as the Siq. Following the walk through the Siq, you reach the main attraction, The Treasury. Petra was founded over 2000 years ago by the Nabateans and is widely known for its water engineering and strategic trade routes between The Mediterranean and the Arabic states. Following The Treasury, you walk through the Street of Facades with tombs and temples carved into the pink sandstone cliffs, with the height of the tomb’s dependant on the persons wealth. The higher they were, the wealthier the person or family were meaning they were also closer to heaven. Petra was unsurprisingly the highlight of the trip, you naturally think of The Treasury however the actual size of the site is astonishing and filled with history and culture.
Overall, Jordan was a fantastic experience considering we only scratched the surface of this fascinating country. The people were very welcoming and the history and culture available to see is endless!
If you would like to know more about Jordan or are interested in travelling to this amazing country yourself, please get in touch at [email protected] or call into the shop in Gloucester.
