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Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers

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A Week in Jordan

327 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Jacqueline Ramplin

Reviewed March 2019

Exceeded all my expectations

A wonderful week jam packed with sights, activities and wonderful experiences. It started with a fantastic trip to Jerash, an amazing Roman Town, and just kept getting better and better. The two days spent at Petra were outstanding, and the trip to Wadi Rum exciting and so memorable. The last couple of days spent at the Red Sea and then the Dead Sea were the perfect ending to an unforgettable trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

I loved the time spent in the desert, learning about the Bedouin way of life, and will never forget the camel ride to watch the sun rise - really worth getting up early for. That first glimpse of the Treasury at Petra as I emerged from the canyon is also one of those moments that will stay with me for ever.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ibrahim, our leader was just perfect. He had a huge knowledge and an understandable pride in his country - we all learnt so much from him. Nothing was too much trouble and he always went out of his way to make sure that everything was as perfect as it could be for all of us. He had a fantastic sense of humour and helped to make the trip an unforgettable one.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you take some warm clothing as it can get cold at night, particularly in the desert. Jordanians are really welcoming and friendly and I felt completely safe travelling throughout the country.

Alison Hawkins

Reviewed March 2019

A fascinating tour

This trip provides an excellent chance to see the main highlights of Jordan. Our guide Jihad was excellent, knowledgeable, organised, approachable with a good sense of humour. He gave the whole group confidence.

I particularly thought camping at Wahi Rum and optional camel ride the best experience. It was well run, more comfortable than anticipated and the food was delicious.

Petra too is amazing but does need a reasonable level of fitness. It is good to pace it over the two days, especially if tackling the climbs. Little Petra was an unexpected treat too.

Most hotels were good though the one at Petra missed the mark on several levels. I believe there is an issue with Petra hotels, which could be referred to in advance.

The trip notes were very helpful and helped considerably with what to expect and what to pack.

Jordan is full of history and the whole trip was fascinating.

Most Inspirational Moment

Wadi Rum, Petra, Little Petra, Jerash

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jihad was excellent. He was the major reason the trip ran so smoothly and devoted his timewith us calmly and efficiently.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the trip notes carefully and make sure you have good walking shoes, especially for Petra. Go for the camel ride at Wadi Rum, it's well worth it.

Fred nocella

Reviewed March 2019

A Transformative Experience in Jordan

I feel like I’ve had a year’s worth of memorable experiences in the last nine days! I knew I would like it; I just wasn’t expecting to love it as much as do. I still can’t stop talking about it since returning home. I will treasure these experiences for all time.

If you are interested in the Middle East’s rich history as a crossroads of people, ideas, religions, and cultures, I wholeheartedly recommend this tour. You will see Jordan from top to bottom, from mountains to desert to sea.

Most Inspirational Moment

Sorry, I just can't choose one moment: • Realizing that I could exchange pleasantries in Arabic with the people I met. • Seeing a shooting star in the night sky over Wadi Rum. • Seeing the sun rise from camel-back • Petroglyphs in the desert. • Seeing the Treasury at Petra. • Becoming friends with my fellow group members.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I can't say enough positive things about our guide, Ibrahim Isbitani. His expert knowledge of the culture, history, and geography allowed us all to get so much more out of the experience. He was able every time to create the right context for what we were seeing. I can confirm that my other fellow 19 tour group members all feel exactly the same. He clearly loves his job, loves meeting people and introducing them to the full mosaic of Jordanian culture and history, and has an enjoyable time doing it. His great sense of humor and flexibility eased the occasional discomforts of traveling. I wish I loved my own job as much as he loves his!

Advice for Potential Travellers

It's worth it to take the time to learn a few words in Arabic. A half dozen words or less is all it takes. This will open all sorts of doors for you. This is not actually a requirement, component, or aspect of the tour, but Ibrahim was very generous with his time in teaching me when I expressed an interest. Steamed/cooked vegetables are always safer then raw vegetables. I took so many photos, I couldn't charge my batteries fast enough. Next time I would bring a portable battery/power pack. If you are coming from North or South America, it's worth it to spend the extra money on a really good voltage convertor. Don't cheap out like I did!

sarah Dawes

Reviewed March 2019

A Week in Jordan

An amazing trip, would highly recommend it. Jordan has soo much to offer. So much history and culture, so many wonderful places to visit. The Jordanian people are very friendly and helpful.

Most Inspirational Moment

I couldn't pick just one thing. Everyday was different and amazing.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our guide was Nidal Alateaq. A very knowledgeable and friendly person. Always went that extra mile, nothing was too much trouble. You can tell that he very passionate about his work. Plus he was always very honest with us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a small overnight bag with you for the night at the Bedouin Camp.

Bev Heath

Reviewed March 2019

Jordan trip

Good balance of sights and some relaxation.

Most Inspirational Moment

Petra

Thoughts on Group Leader

Great

Mary Anthony

Reviewed February 2019

Jordan

Wonderful holiday exceeding all expectations. We really got to enjoy the country with the help of the ever cheerful Jihad. The sites were awe inspiring and were all seen at their best.

Most Inspirational Moment

I loved the lunchtime stops at sandwich bars, bakeries or markets, it was like being part of Jordan rather than looking on as a tourist. I was determined to immerse myself and happily enjoyed climbing, snorkelling, camel riding and floating.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jihad was the perfect guide. He was kind, funny and tolerant at all times. His knowledge of his country was obvious and his ability to give an unbiased view of its history kept us all enthralled. Actually his gentle tones lulled me into little naps between the sites!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Warm clothes for Wadi Rum night Good swim shoes for Dead Sea Try a falafel sandwich

Julie Verity

Reviewed January 2019

Not the Xmas experience we were promised

We were promised tailor-made, but our 5 day Xmas treat was not quite what we asked for. We requested and were promised trecking near the Dead Sea on Christmas day, but the Jordanian driver decided otherwise and we never did see the Dead Sea. We were taken to a different hotel from the one we reserved and were given no explanation. The country has lots to offer, just not sure Exodus can offer a tailormade experience to match.

Most Inspirational Moment

Garesh

Thoughts on Group Leader

We had a driver who hardly spoke - he was a safe driver.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Dont do 'tailormade' with Exodus.

David Jordan

Reviewed January 2019

Review of A week in Jordan trip

This is my third trip with Exodus and overall I have to say that it was a great experience – with lots of variety and some fantastic highlights.

Most Inspirational Moment

Definitely Petra - the best thing about this trip is that there is two whole days in Petra and your really need it as the place is VAST!!! With this trip you get to see huge areas of the lost city - especially away from the crowds around the Siq and the Treasury - we basically had the place to ourselves - and it really added to the experience. I do acknowledge it was the low season and we were lucky with the weather! Indeed, the blue skies and cool temperatures (15c) helped make it very pleasant to do the all walking and climbing steps - there is a fair bit of walking involved around Petra! The highlights for me was walking down the Siq to the Treasury - its very length created real anticipation which was rewarded by the final view of the treasury!! Also the trek up to the Place of High Sacrifice was incredible - again a little of the beaten track so devoid of any crowds apart from our group. Another highlight was the roman city of Jarash - I thought it would just be a few interesting ruins but it really exceeded my expectations - it is vast and very well preserved - and again due to the time of year we had the place pretty much to ourselves - which was great for taking photos!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Issa - was a great tour guide - very professional and if you asked him for something...be it an ATM, a toilet break, Pharmacy he would make it his priority. He had a great knowledge and love of the country and went out of his way to show it. I should also mention the bus driver Admed - who also great at his job and very careful on the roads (unlike some past travel experiences I have had). Despite his limited English he was also very friendly and courteous, easy going and had a great sense of humour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Overall I would say definitely go.... but when you do keep in mind the follow issues: - Be prepared for long days (leaving the hotel at 8pm -so really up before 7am) - this is needed particularly in the winter as it gets dark in Jordan at 4.30 pm and lots of sites close at sunset. -I'd advice people to bring some snacks, cereal bars etc as the days are long and you stop at a lot of places to buy snacks which are ridiculously over priced for the country - for example I was charged between 1 and 1.50 dinar for a Mars Bar in a touristy type service station but paid 0.3 dinar for one in Amman in a regular shop. - Bring sandals to wear into the Dead Sea - I cut the bottom of my foot pretty badly on the extremely sharp salt crystals on the seabed - this caused me a lot of grief in the subsequent days when I was hiking for long periods.

Joanne Hart

Reviewed December 2018

Perfect Petra

A very interesting week, lots to do and some amazing places to see….

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking through the souk and walking out to see the Treasury

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was good and friendly and knowledgeable. I did feel that we could have had longer at certain places and I felt rushed on a couple of occasions to get to the hotel. When we were at Aqaba we only had 3 hours at the resort and this wasn’t long enough to relax properly... we had to eat lunch all together on a set menu and I think we could have got our own lunch when we wanted it and then we had to leave at 2pm and go to our hotel with nothing to do in the afternoon. We should have stayed at the resort for the day or been given the option to get a taxi back to the hotel.... I also felt our time at the Citidel in Amman was rushed - there wasn’t enough time to walk around the site which is disappointing as we could have stayed much longer. The Citidel is incredible

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book the trip - you won’t be disappointed... But I’d say get a taxi back to the hotel and stay at the seaside resort in Aqaba all day....

Andrew Thomas

Reviewed November 2018

A delightful Week in Jordan

With short winter days in November there is a lot packed into this week – the early starts are worth it though. Travel arrangements in Jordan went well – even with a large group of 20 it never seemed as if we were rushed anywhere. The remains of the city of Jerash visited on our first day were impressive (those Romans got around).
The Dead Sea was a novelty but either side of our ‘private’ beach was a lot of rubbish. On the whole Jordan is not a ‘picturesque’ country – they have a huge challenge ahead with the amount of plastic waste strewn across the countryside everywhere – roadsides, fields, olive groves etc etc are all littered with the remains of plastic bottles and bags – they seem to be blind to it.
That said, the fantastic highlights of the trip – Petra and Wadi Rum – both superlative world class sites (and with a huge number of visitors) were not littered – so it is possible!
The two days in Petra are worth the whole trip alone – a spectacular and huge site (wear comfortable shoes or boots) but you quickly loose the large crowds after the Siq and the Treasury.
The drives through the desert and night spent in the tented camp in Wadi Rum also provided really amazing memories. Dramatic sand blasted scenery and sweeping sand dunes had us all humming the Lawrence of Arabia theme tune.

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing up to 'The Monastery' at Petra - 850+ steps but worth them all - lots of chances to get coffee or tea (and buy a souvenir) from local Bedouin stalls on the way. The quieter climb up to the the 'High Place of Sacrifice' also makes an excellent circular loop away from the main valley but still passes some spectacular tombs and caves (they are everywhere). Great views across the whole valley from the tops.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Issa our group leader was great - he really did make the trip a success. Very enthusiastic, with great organisation and local knowledge he is a great ambassador for his country. He made sure everyone had what they needed by way of ATM stops, toilet breaks and chose good restaurants for lunch or supper (not always easy for a group of 20) explaining the menus and ensuring there were always vegetarian options where wanted.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you usually use a walking pole over uneven ground consider taking it for Petra (I was pleased I did). Take warm clothes, a torch and a small towel for the desert trip. The bus travelled with large water bottles on board - so you just need your own bottle to fill every day. Just go - its a great trip

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