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FUN & ADVENTURE
What do the Roman Emperor Hadrian, the Prophet Moses, and Lawrence of Arabia
have in common? These are just three of the many historical personalities who
passed through Jordan through history, and whose itineraries now attract
adventure seekers and action vacationers from throughout the world.
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Camping facilities at Ajloun Reserve.
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Outdoor 'Adventure Tourism' is expanding at a fast rate in Jordan, and promises
to remain one of the most dynamic and innovative travel industry sectors for
years to come. Several Jordanian companies have started to specialize in
eco-tourism and action tourism, providing the combination of safety, adventure,
and comfortable facilities that make action tourism such an exciting
proposition today.
Jordan has great comparative advantage in this sector, based on several assets:
guaranteed sunshine for eight months of the year; a base of powerful, unique
cultural attractions such as
Petra, Jerash,
Bethany Beyond the Jordan,
and the early Islamic Desert Castles; and, a wide range of very different,
often stunning natural environments that are easily accessible and virtually
undiscovered by the tourism industry. Quality hotels and restaurants throughout
the country mean that thrill-seekers who want to pamper themselves in between
adventure treks have a wide range of facilities to choose from.
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A 'brown' golf course near Amman.
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Jordan already caters to the more traditional vacationer who likes to combine a
visit to an ancient site in the morning with a swim, a round of golf, or a game
of tennis or bowling in the afternoon. The exciting new horizons in adventure
tourism allow visitors to push themselves to new levels of adventure and
endurance while soaking up natural
marvels and dramatic
cultural attractions from the ancient world.
For example, a small group of people in 4-wheel-drive vehicles can retrace the
journey of the Emperor Hadrian from north to south Jordan, taking in biblical
cities and legionary fortresses. Or, more ambitiously, a caravan of 25 people
on camels or donkeys can set off to retrace the journeys of Lawrence of Arabia
in the central highlands and eastern deserts of Jordan, spending a week en
route and camping in a different place every night. Parts of these itineraries
can be done along the edge of the desert in steam-powered
World War One vintage trains, the same as those that were attacked by
the forces of the Great Arab Revolt and Lawrence nearly a century ago.
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Diving in the Red Sea resort of Aqaba.
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Nature enthusiasts have many options in Jordan: the vast, silent drama of
Wadi Rum, the forested hills of central Jordan, or the plunging Jordan
Rift Valley that includes
the Dead Sea - the lowest spot on earth at 410 metres below sea level.
The Red Sea resort of Aqaba
is always warm, balmy, and enticing for divers and other watersports
enthusiasts. Aqaba offers a
full range of facilities for speedboating,
scuba diving, snorkelling, sailing, fishing, swimming, water skiing,
wind surfing, or simply loafing and sunning in the warm crystal-clear waters of
the Red Sea. The sparkling purple mountains surrounding Aqaba beckon hikers who
seek new adventures, and unconquered terrain.
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Hiking in the Wadi Mujib gorge.
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Jordan boasts other unique, enticing waters that provide relaxing interludes
for adventure vacationers who want to rest their spirits and soak their bodies.
Quality hotels and spas at the
Dead Sea and the nearby Hammamat Zarqa Ma'in Springs allow visitors to
experience several different kinds of mineral hot springs and the thick, warm
brine of the Dead Sea, which are both soothing and therapeutic. One of the
great water adventures in Jordan is to hike, climb and sometimes even wade or
swim through the magnificent gorge of the
Wadi Mujib, along the east coast of the
Dead Sea, to reach a magical pool and waterfall that emerge like a
mirage from amidst the surrounding warm cliffs and barren hillsides.
The more daring adventure visitor to Jordan is likely to climb mountains in
Wadi Rum to conquer sheer granite cliffs that retain the inscriptions
of local climbers who were there 5000 years ago and more.
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Parascending in Wadi Rum.
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Thrill-seekers who want to go beyond the ordinary will get into a helicopter or
hot air balloon and rise to mountain-tops in
Wadi Rum or around
Petra, from where they can trek back down to earth. Gliding and private plane rentals are also available in
Jordan, only from Marka Airport in Amman.
Horseback riders can take a few days to retrace the segments of the ancient
Spice, Silk, and Frankincense Routes that pass through the green hills of
Petra, Amman,
and north Jordan. More daring riders will want to mount their Arabian steeds
for a four-day trek through the eastern desert, stopping for rest and water at
several early Islamic desert castles and caravan stations. This trip re-enacts
the original Arabian pony express mail service that operated here in the 7th
century.
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David Lean’s epic 1962 movie “Lawrence of Arabia” starring Peter O Toole, Alec Guiness and Omar Sharif was filmed entirely on location in Wadi Rum.
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Thermals and currents generated by heat rising from the desert and winds channeling through the towering cliffs make Wadi Rum an exceptional place for handgliding, parascending and kiting enthusiasts.
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This American M40 Anti-aircraft tracked vehicle, originally in employ of the
Jordanian Army was scuttled as an artificial reef on September 1st 1999 by the
Jordanian Royal Ecological Diving Society and has since accumulated a lot of
marine life. It is now a popular snorkelling and diving attraction.
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