Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Discovering the delights of Petra - the High Places, Monastery and Treasury are just the tip of the iceberg. There's something special round every bend! The ancient Roman city of Jerash was also a revelation. Then there was the whole magical Wadi Rum experience, floating and mud bathing at the Dead Sea and snorkelling at the Red Sea.....

Thoughts on Group Leader

Zuhair knew the history of his country inside out and in particular his guiding in Jerash and Petra particular was exceptional. He was able to use his contacts to gain access for the group to areas not generally open to the public and also pointed out and explained features we would most likely have missed for ourselves. On a more personal level though he didn't make much effort to socialise or to get to know the group as individuals.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The pace is generally quite relaxed / moderate - until you get to Petra! You'll need good walking shoes (boots are not needed) and plenty of stamina as well as sun hat, sun cream and sunglasses. There's very little shade to be found. The Petra by Night optional visit was atmospheric but poor value for money and underwhelming as you walk for over an hour for a 30 minute show at the end of what was already a physically demanding day. The snorkelling equipment for hire at Aqaba was really good, certainly better than I've found anywhere else in my (limited) experience. You may want to pack some Immodium and rehydration sachets as some in our group had "issues"!

Suggestions

There's not much free time for independent exploration and at times the itinerary seems a bit rushed, eg at Jerash and the Citadel in Amman. Overall though this was a great trip with a great bunch of people and I'd highly recommend it.

Most Inspirational Moment

Petra was amazing and two days well spent.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eddie was great.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take toilet paper and imodium. You will need both. If you drink then take duty free with you. Drinking in Jordan is expensive and hard to find. Almost impossible during Ramadan. Good walking shoes for Petra. Hat is essential.

Suggestions

The people of Jordan are friendly and pleasant. There is minimal retail hassle as compared with somewhere like Egypt.

Most Inspirational Moment

Being able to spend two days in Petra and explore the site.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eddie was helpful charming and very kind. He ensured we had an enjoyable experience and was knowledgeable about his country. He was concerned to meet the needs of individuals as well as the group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for a beautiful but extremely arid country. The itinerary is pretty full-on, theer is not a lot of downtime on this trip and most mornings are early starts, because there is so much to see and do.

Suggestions

The day after the night in the desert is very long - some of our group would have preferred a hotel upgrade to beach front hotel rather than a transfer to a beach resort (although the resort was lovely and quiet) with hotel check in after dinner that night. One of the best trips I have made, thank you Exodus.

Most Inspirational Moment

1. The desert trip to Wadi Rum was simply wonderful. Loved travelling in the jeeps. 2. walking down the Siq to the Treasury at Petra. 3. Having lunch overlooking the Golan Heights and the Sea of Galilee. 4. snorkelling at Aqaba. 5. the Mosaic at Madaba!!!! Is that too many? There are more! 😊

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eddy is SIMPLY THE BEST. He is so knowledgeable about everywhere we went. He gave us so much information. He doesn’t overburden you though. He has a great sense of humour. You feel also that he is vigilant of every person’s needs at different times and is taking care of you.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don’t take too much luggage! Don’t forget your torch for the desert (I used my phone) Be prepared for primitive sleeping conditions in the desert (though you do have a bed!) Don’t complain or moan; no one on our trip moaned about anything - it would be awful to have a moaner on board! (If you drink alcohol Take a couple of bottles of Gin with you - especially if it’s Ramadan - you can get the Tonic ; but alcohol was in very short supply throughout ! )

Suggestions

I read on another review that a group of 16 felt cramped on a small bus. I can understand that, as there is quite a lot of travelling . BUT we had a good sized bus that enabled us to spread out and have a whole seat to ourselves. We faced too much food! It may have been because it was Ramadan that there were large buffets each night preceded by a range of mezze, that were sufficient in themselves. Also we had a lovely young armed policeman with us on the bus throughout. It surprised us and I’m not sure how necessary it was. But he thanked us for coming!

Most Inspirational Moment

The obvious "most inspirational moment" would have to be Petra and the way our guide first revealed it to us, but there was also a recurring issue throughout the trip of how long the history of this whole region is and how different civilizations have come through and built on or developed the cities of their predecessors. We spent 3 nights and 2 full days in Petra - any less would have meant missing key parts. Our hotel was only a very short walk from the Petra Visitors' Centre. Jordan clearly forms a peaceful oasis in the middle of a very troubled region; we never felt at risk or in danger.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Probably the best tour guide I have had. Knowledgeable with the practice of knowing how much information to impart before we suffered information overload. Eddie had a good sense of humour and his running funny stories about Asus added a balance to the historical facts. Eddie also made himself available at all times should anyone need him and although there was no doubt that he kept a close eye on the group to make sure he had not 'lost' anyone we did not feel we were being controlled or herded as a school group might be. I must emphasise how good his English was, it made the trip so much more relaxed than it would have been otherwise.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't bother doing Petra by Night. It is a good concept and may have had good nights in the past but the night we were there it was a clear case of over selling of tickets and people being pushed into the front, with nothing to sit on, blocking those of us who were seated in what should have been the front. Beer is expensive - 500ml costs £9 in a bar and £3 in a Liquor Store. Best to go to the store and buy a few cans to take back to a room, don't forget your duty free on the way out. The night before the desert camp, and before the beach at Aqaba, make sure that you have packed a separate small bag with the essentials as it makes life a lot easier.

Suggestions

We were a group of 16, all experienced travellers, and no one was ever late for the bus, but I would not want to see a group any larger than that. My only negative for this trip was that the bus was uncomfortably full with no spare seats and insufficient space for luggage. Four seats were badly compromised by the wheel arches. Using a bigger bus may have presented difficulties in traffic and parking so I think the number on this trip should be restricted to no more than 14, ideally 12. Rather than distribute/sell small plastic bottles of water Exodus used two 20 litre bottles of filtered water to top up our personal bottles, this worked well, no one had problems with drinking the water - take a decent refillable water bottle. Exodus booked a day extra at each end of the tour for me, which also included airport transfers. This worked well because the normal tour sees an arrival at or after midnight, a transfer to the hotel, a few hours sleep, breakfast and away. My extra day before I used to take a leisurely walk in Amman, following the Lonely Planet walk, seeing some of the sites that are only covered fairly quickly on the last day of the tour and some that are not covered such as the Souks. The day after the tour I just had a relaxing day instead of having to have an evening dinner then off to the airport at 04:00 AM.

Most Inspirational Moment

Well this comes down to two: - Petra, just amazing, nobody told me it was such a massive site. You will need a couple of days at least to fully explore. - Wadi Rum and staying over in the Bedouin camp, once again an unmissable experience. Just don't bother with the camel ride, that's just slow and boring.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eddie was just great, plenty of personality and did a good job of sheparding the group around. He did spout forth a lot history and I know sometimes his facts weren't 100% accurate but hey I wouldn't have it any other way.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Yep the hardest part is the lack of alcohol, it's not illegal they just do not serve it in the eateries. So beware and brace yourself for an almost dry trip.

Suggestions

Another great quality of Jordan is the people they are genuinely warm and friendly, which always helps.

Most Inspirational Moment

Attempting to float in the Dead Sea; mud bath to go with it! Reaching the top of the mountain near El Deir / The Monastery, at Petra. Sunset in Wadi Rum. Snorkelling over the coral in the Red Sea......

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eyad / Eddie Banna was an excellent group leader; friendly and efficient, with good use of English. He was very well-informed about the historical / cultural /religious significance of each city / site of interest, and he prepared us in advance for what we were about to see and do. Eyad also retained his sense of humour when we became ensnarled in traffic, and kept us entertained with anecdotes en route.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Remember to wear your sun hat, sun glasses and sun block! As a female traveller I went with a bag of modest wear (long sleeved shirts, scarves etc) but found the dress code did not appear as strict as I had expected. Walking trousers, knee-length skirts / dresses and shirts with short sleeves are fine.

Suggestions

We left Jordan fully satisfied that we had "Seen it All" What an amazing experience!

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the High Sacrificial Places and the Monastery in Petra, floating in the Dead Sea, Jerash and the jeep drive round Wadi Rum, which included watching the sunset while Bedouin made us tea over an open fire. All these were real highlights.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eyad (aka Eddie!) was extremely friendly and caring with a great sense of humour and a lovely smile. He obviously loves his job and his country and is very knowledgeable about the places we visited and their history. There was often an information overload!!!! He enabled us to try a variety of restaurants and organized visits so that we missed bus loads of tourists and locals. We travelled at peak time but seldom met a lot of tourists. Eddie really made the trip. A huge thanks to him!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for long drives in the coach and 2 long, hard days of walking in Petra. You are able to hire horses, donkeys or camels in Petra but it's not cheap. Maybe bring a walking pole? Bring a torch for Wadi Rum. Do your shopping in Aqaba - much cheaper than anywhere else. Dead Sea soap at the Dead Sea - £10, in Aqaba £2.50 !!!

Suggestions

Jordan was a surprisingly expensive country, except for food. Food was always cheap and plentiful but everything else was the same or more expensive than you'd pay in GB. The trip should be at least 2 days longer, to enable proper exploration of Madaba and Amman. I backed out of some group time in order to have time to myself and chat properly with locals. Not enough free time was provided because of time constraints.

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the High Sacrificial Places and the Monastery in Petra, floating in the Dead Sea, Jerash and the jeep drive round Wadi Rum, which included watching the sunset while Bedouin made us tea over an open fire. All these were real highlights.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eyad (aka Eddie!) was extremely friendly and caring with a great sense of humour and a lovely smile. He obviously loves his job and his country and is very knowledgeable about the places we visit and their history. There was often an information overload!!!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for long drives in the coach and 2 long, hard days of walking in Petra. You are able to hire horses, donkeys or camels in Petra but it's not cheap. Maybe bring a walking pole? Bring a torch for Wadi Rum. Do your shopping in Aqaba - much cheaper than anywhere else. Dead Sea soap at the Dead Sea - £10, in Aqaba £2.50 !!!

Suggestions

Jordan was a surprisingly expensive country, except for food. Food was always cheap and plentiful but everything else was the same or more expensive than you'd pay in GB. The trip should be at least 2 days longer, to enable proper exploration of Madaba and Amman. I backed out of some group time in order to have time to myself and chat properly with locals. Not enough free time was provided because of time constraints.

Most Inspirational Moment

Petra was amazing. Hiking up Al Khubtha Trail to view the Treasury from up high was an experience I will not forget. I loved Wadi Rum, the scenery stunning and the jeep ride was so fun. Also knowing that Jesus had been baptised at Bethany was.......

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eyad Bannna Eddie to his friends was a fantastic tour Leader with a winning smile. He looked after us and made our experience of Jordan special. He managed to get us into Jerash early so we had the place to ourselves before the bus loads arrived, and took us to different local restaurants so we could sample all the food. Thank you Eddie

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do not be put off because there are problems in the Middle East. I felt safe and the Jordanians were so friendly. As a female traveller I felt relaxed and was able to move freely and did not have to cover up. It is an amazing trip you will not regret booking it. ENJOY!