onerideaway
JORDAN
"The best encounters are always unexpected."
Simon Lafage
Jordan is an incredible country in terms of variety of landscapes. But if we have to describe our favorite thing in Jordan, it was spending time with our relatives who came from Switzerland to see us.
MARCH 2023
Visa - single entry for 90 days (including Jordan Pass) 80 CHF/p. At certain borders the visa is free (without the Jordan Pass) for certain nationalities.
EXCHANGE - 1 CHF = 0.85 JOD
Taxes - CPD obligatory, entry tax for the vehicle 20 JOD
SIM - Orange 50GB for 21 JOD
DIESEL - 0.795 CHF / L
INSURANCE - 110 JOD for 3 months
DOG - Microchip not required, vaccination (rabies between 30 days and 1 year), health certificate required,
additional vaccination against distemper, Cainic hepatitis, parvovirus, parainfluenza and leptospirosis required, treatment against parasites required
(no customs checks)
THINGS TO KNOW
Wadi Rum
Wadi Rum is a large desert that is located partly in Saudi Arabia (called on that side the Hisma desert) and half south of Jordan. There are just grandiose desert landscapes with canyons, cliffs, natural arches and sands of a thousand colors.
Find the ones you love
My best friend, Noémie came to Jordan for a few days to spend time with us, live in our van lifestyle and tour the most beautiful places in the region, especially Wadi Rum which Noémie loved.
Petra
The Petra site is enormous. It takes 20km of walking to do the whole tour. This is why, at 6 a.m. sharp, we are in front of the gates of the site ready to face this day. The first 2 hours are just incredible, because there are still very few people.
The city of Petra is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the 7 wonders of human heritage. It is not known exactly when it was built, but the city began to prosper as the capital of the Nabataean Empire from the 1st century BC. It then grew rich thanks to the trade in frankincense, myrrh and spices.
Then it continued to prosper until a great earthquake around AD 363 destroyed much of the city. Following this and following various other events, the city was finally abandoned except for the Bedouins who remained in these places.
We discover tombs in which the Nabataeans buried their dead, but also temples, a Byzantine-influenced theatre, a street and columnar churches. The most striking thing is that in addition to the magnificent remains, in Petra, human traces can be traced back more than 10,000 years.
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea is actually a salt lake located between Jordan, Israel and the West Bank. Its surface located more than 400 m below sea level makes it the lowest point on earth. Its water is known for its very high salinity, 10 times higher than that of the Mediterranean Sea, which makes it extremely easy to float in. However, it is almost impossible to swim there, because our feet systematically rise to the surface. It is also a very surprising experience that made us laugh a lot.
The Bedouin family
Chloé returned to Switzerland for 1 week and during that week, I was lucky to have very dear friends just for me, especially my goddaughters who came to see me. We experienced moments of very strong sharing, in particular this meeting with these Bedouins.
This little family takes us to discover what is supposed to be the most beautiful spot on their land. They make us discover their tent, their living space, their sheep and their dogs. This family has, to be honest, not much and yet they try to offer us everything they can. Their generosity, their welcome and their joy of living will make us spend an exceptional moment.
The night under the stars
We always enjoy capturing the moment when there is no light pollution. The sky under the stars, in the middle of the desert, in absolute calm is particularly beautiful!
Amman
The city of Amman is a city as we like them, with buildings that have lived, that's what makes the charm of this capital. We also discover a lot of street art that we find really beautiful.
Al-Salt, an unforgettable encounter
There are people we only see once and yet they make us feel like we've known each other forever. With Raad, we understand very quickly that our meeting will not be limited to a tea. After having welcomed us in his city, in Salt, he begins by giving us a guided tour of the latter, which, in the past, was the capital of the country.
After that, he takes us to his place and introduces us to all his family, with whom we taste a Mansaf, a typical Jordanian dish that the grandmother cooked especially for
We. It is a very special moment and we feel honored and moved by this moment of sharing.
