To Jordan – Travel + Lifestyle + Architecture Blog

Here are the highlights of my two-days Journey though the Kingdom of Jordan. I joined an all-inclusive, pre-arranged group tour with Online Travel Express Manila, so I did not do further research na and preparations for this travel. Sit back and relax lang like a retired tita.
Day 1 – Departure from Manila to Amman, Jordan via Qatar Airways. It was a 9-hours flight to Doha, Qatar, with 4 hours lay-over, then another 3 hours connecting flight to Amman, Jordan. Jordan is visa-free for Filipinos. Jordanian entry QR code was also prepared for us by the agency.

First view of Amman, Jordan as seen from my hotel window. There is an obvious uniformity of colors and natural materials used for exteriors, as this was said to be mandated by their government to make the city look clean and monotonous. Rarely did I see an exterior of a building that was painted or cladded with modern steel/aluminum.

Day 2 – We started your tour to the old city of Amman, exploring the Citadel and the Roman Theatre, two of the most popular archaeological sites in the city. We then continued on to the biblical town of Madaba. Discover the amazing Byzantine mosaics excavated from throughout the town.

The intricate wood truss system inside the byzantine church

We then visited the ‘Madaba Map’, the oldest preserved mosaic map of the Holy Lands. Jordan is also known for their intricate stone mosaic art and embellishments. We then continued to biblical Mount Nebo from which Moses looked across to the Promised Land (Israel) before he died. The stop also offered a breathtaking view across the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. Mount Nebo is believed to be the site of the tomb of Moses.

The Oldest accounted map of the Holyland, excavated in Madaba,Jordan. This was used by the traders of the silk road during its time.

A sample of Jordanian Mosaic Art, a tradition that has been passed on from generations

Traditional Jordanian Dish – Aromatic Chicken Maqluba

Tapestry is also a known industry for Jordanians

The high end bus that served us throughout the jordanian trip

Day 3 – Full day visiting the Nabatean City of Petra
We visited the Nabatean Treasure City of Petra, one of the world’s greatest archaeological sites. The 2,000 years old city of Petra, known as the red rock city, the ancient capital of the Nabateans from the 3rd century B.C. to the 2nd century A.C. The Walk from the entrance to the highlighted treasury building took around an hour. Horse rides are also available.

Petra was the highlight of our tour to Jordan. On the next day, we headed to Shiek Hussain Border to proceed to Israel.

A dream journey that took almost a year to fulfill.

It was October 2021 when I came across an online post promoting an all-inclusive package trip to the Holyland. The tour is set as a non-sectarian pilgrimage; A ten-days excursion curated to follow the Biblical stories that happened in Jordan, Israel and Egypt. I did some research and comparisons, and found the offered package practical, since it would be impossible for me to travel to these countries DIY, given the pandemic set up.

The packaged tour is operated by Online Travel Express, a Manila-based travel company. Departure date was set at summer of 2022, since we had to wait for the travel restrictions to ease out. This also gave me more time to prepare. After a series of rescheduling due to travel rules, we finally departed July 2022; and as I was told, we were the first batch of Filipinos to depart for the Holyland, post-pandemic (or something like that). We were 26 pax in the group; the brave few per se, to travel despite the situation.

It was my first time to join packaged tour, where everything was pre-arranged; Visas, Airfares, tours, hotels and meals, land transfers and guides. The agency also assisted on all the entry documentations for each country, as well as the Ph requirements upon return. Overall, I felt that getting an all-inclusive travel package is the better option when visiting the Holyland. Everything was hassle-free from my end. The experience was worth the cost.

The curated tri-country tour covered 10 days. Sharing here some highlights.