DESTINATIONS ACTIVE & ADVENTURE |JORDAN


WHAT TO see Dead Sea


You can’t come to Jordan and miss out on slathering yourself with dark, gloopy mud from the shores of the Dead Sea, before washing it off in the


salty waters. It’s guaranteed to feel far more authentic than any spa experience, and you can follow it up with the strange sensation of floating without having to tread water.


Wadi Rum Stepping onto the shifting


sands of Wadi Rum, with its Mars-like landscapes and


twisted red-rock formations, feels like entering another


world. Its desert camps can be a tad touristy, but it’s


worth the overnight stay for the chance to wake up and


watch the sun slowly warm the rust-coloured surroundings.


Jerash


This once-thriving Roman city is Jordan’s Pompeii, with near-perfectly preserved ruins including the grand Hadrian’s Arch, two theatres, temples dedicated to Artemis and Zeus and a long cardo, or


colonnade, of shops. Allow at least half a day and wear


walking shoes to fully explore this magnificent site.


to qualify as a guide in her native Jordan, where she has been leading tours since 1993, the itinerary takes in Jordan’s classic sights: capital Amman, the spectacularly well-preserved Roman city of Jerash, the deserts of the Wadi Rum and the salt-rich waters of the Dead Sea. But the most memorable moments of this tour lie in


between the big-ticket sights. With two days to explore the Nabataean ruins of Petra – a sprawling site with plenty to see beyond its famous Treasury – we sit down one morning to an alfresco breakfast with a shepherding family. While some of the group take turns at milking the truculent goats (rather them than me), we chat thanks to the help of an interpreter with shepherdess Umm-Qasem, who tells us why she and her family decided to give up their Bedouin ancestors’ nomadic lifestyle and instead settle here, high in the hills overlooking the ancient site. After climbing the towering steps of Amman’s huge


Roman theatre, we rest our legs in the cramped living room of matchmaker Umm-Sultan, sipping overly sweet tea as she regales us in a cigarette-husky voice with tales of the young couples she has set up over the years, railing against the arrival of dating apps and dishing the dirt on the scandalous matches that didn’t work out. Weaving in these experiences isn’t just about exploring women’s culture, it’s a window on everyday life for ordinary people across the country. We share an enormous platter of Jordanian rice-and-chicken dish maqlaba in another family home where, without the


20 4 MARCH 2021


presence of men in the group, our host, Fatima, and her sisters can take off their headscarves as they talk to us openly about life in Jordan while their young children scamper in and out to peek shyly at their visitors. It gives rise to funny moments too: during a four-hour uphill hike to visit the Monastery at Petra, the conversation turns to the importance of pelvic floor exercises; and while swapping stories of bad dates over after-dinner drinks by the Dead Sea, we set up a Tinder profile for one of our group to get back on the dating scene. Having set off as a disparate group of women from


around the world, sharing stories with each other and with the people we meet along the way – be it over a cooking class or in between vigorous scrubs in a hammam – it turns out getting a window on women’s culture is as much about who you travel with as what you see.


TW BOOK IT


Intrepid Travel’s eight-day Jordan: Women’s Expedition starts at £1,575 for a September 20 departure including accommodation, transport, selected meals and activities, but excluding international flights. Women-only tours are also running in Morocco and Turkey in 2021, along with private options in Nepal and Kenya, but the range is due to be expanded further in 2022. intrepidtravel.com/uk


travelweekly.co.uk


CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: The Intrepid Travel group in Wadi Rum; weaver Amal Ajaleen, Bani Hamida Weaving Centre; the Treasury in Petra PICTURES: Nathan & Tegan; Katie McGonagle


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