23 independent reviews for Adventure holiday in Jordan
Reviews for Adventure holiday in Jordan
Melissa Ng review 13 Dec 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Every day but especially Petra!2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Good hiking boots for Petra. Expensive to use the cash point.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent overall. The tour guide was helpful but needed to be prompted at times for information. I didn't like the seats in the bus we used but that was a small matter.Nicole Teuwen review 24 Sep 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Petra, Wadi Rum, also Red Sea snorkelling and Dead Sea experience2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Cross your fingers to have Mo (Moayad) as a tour guide3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Slightly, where possible4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent trip and impressive insight into the Middle East's massive history, culture and hospitalityGillian Hague-Jones review 15 Apr 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
All of it!! Loved Wadi Rum and of course Petra was always going to be spectacular. A but crowded in Petra but not much can be done about that.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Take clothing for all weather. Sunshine and rain, warm and cool temperatures.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Local people definitely benefited from tourism4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
An excellent trip. Well planned and our local guide was brilliant.KATE Boye review 17 Sep 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Petra2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
It's hot, bring lots of light floaty clothes and good walking trainers.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Benefitted local people4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
GreatHelen Johnston review 5 Jun 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Thunder and lightning storm in Wadi Rum. The fantastic Greco Roman site of Jerash2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Expect the unexpected3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Guide arranged contacts with local people4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
A full and very varied weekMahesh Parmar review 28 May 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Floating in the Dead Sea.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Do not let the tour guide do your money tipping, dont set up a group tip kitty. There was no accountability & transparency. No justification of payments. We do not know where our £800 kitty for 8 days went. No one performed especially over & above what might be expected. Tips are not wages, they are discretionary & for above & beyond service. A gift is different still eg to a begger.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
It benefitted a few in the tourist industry. Prices in these areas were ridiculously inflated. A lot of waste of food & too much use of plastic plates, cups eg picnic lunches. Many areas plastic & other rubbish everywhere even in dessert. In every direction I could count a dozen bits of litter within eye sight in Wadi Rum. No conservation support. Much heavy mining industry. Looked like a lot of building but much derelict or abandoned in Amman. Waste food & rubbish everywhere. Unfortunately any travel for leisure is inconsistent with reducing environmental impact of human activity. And yes, we feel guilty.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Jordan has a lot to offer. Fascinating history. But get the feeling they fleece tourists & don't care about their own environment. Only a minority I suspect benefit from tourism. Our bad group tipping management may indicate large sums are untaxed, so not available to government who could redistribute to the real poor who tourists often do not see. All this adds to the interesting holiday experience though.Read the operator's response here:
Thank you for your comments. From this year we have added a water tank on all our Jordan tours. In Jordan we refill our water tanks at refill stations in Amman and Petra. The tanks get washed, sterilised and reused multiple times. The water used to fill the tanks goes through 16 different filters to purify the water. We have no direct control on hotels providing plastic bottles in the rooms but the next step will be to get hotels to provide big water tanks in communal areas.
Isabelle Houlbreque review 6 Jan 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Visiting Petra and the companionship with the other participants.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Make sure you are well rested before you leave.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
As tourists, we left quite some financial resources in Jordan.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Wonderful experience. This was my first trip with the operator and I hope to do it again.Karen Chua review 12 Dec 2022
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Every day of the trip was filled with something exciting to do but the best part were the travel guide and companions that made the trip beyond my expectations.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Some of the walks in Petra can be more demanding than expected so bringing a hiking stick can be handy3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, there was evidence of the usage of local services where the people benefitted directly4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
ExcellentAlex Elmes review 28 Feb 2022
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Petra- a bucket list site checked off- and it was as incredible as I'd hoped.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
We had all weathers in February, cold winds and a bit of rain, but also some hot days- so be prepared.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We supported local businesses in restaurants and hotels and guide, not particularly unique though!4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
The holiday was brilliant, just about the right time in each place.Sarah Davis review 31 May 2022
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Probably Petra, but the beauty of the Jordanian landscape, the grandeur of the mountains and the variety of colours was a surprise2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Don't expect peace, darkness and solitude in Wadi Rum, it's full of other camps with bright spotlights. Book a private tent too if you can afford it3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
It certainly benefitted local people, which was great4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent. Amazing sights, good accommodation and a wonderful guide, Sal- who must be amongst the kindest people I've metBarbara Furlotti review 21 Nov 2022
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The second day in Petra, when we visited the site on our own, was magical2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
The quality of the accommodations can be disappointing. In particular, the stay at Wadi Rum is not in a remote part of the deser, as stated in the programme nor in a secluded one. You will hear music from the nearby camps and there are many lights3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Local people have benefitted from our tips, which were distributed by our guide, although according to unclear criteria (why 80 JD to the bus driver who got us from Amman to Petra and 20 JD to the one who took us a longer way, from Aqaba to Amman?). Also, it was confusing to be told by our guide that our tips covered services, such as the dinner in the desert camp. My understanding was that I had already paid for all the services included in the programme, so tips should have been an extra, not payments for services already included in the trip. Also, I did not have the feeling that the places where we stayed were particularly enviromentally conscious, nor where the people. Our bus drivers for instance kept the engine idling for hours.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
The programme is well studied and the trip is great, however one has to pay extra for many activities and the level of the accomodation is not always good enough. In Petra, we stayed for 3.nights in a hotel whose only pro was.the location. The rooms smelled of smoke and had an incredibly dirty carpet, which was a problem.for.me as I am allergic to dust mites. I asked them to hoover the carpet but they never did it, we never saw a hoover in the hotel. Also the accomodation in the desert camp was disappointing and we decided to pay extra for a private tent.Read the operator's response here:
Hi Barbara, thanks so much for your feedback - I'm aware you've also been in contact with us directly so I shall respond in due course, once my inquiries are
complete however to clarify at this point, we've had a number of members of our teams travel on our Jordan trips, most of whom have stayed at the same
desert camp.
Emma Hall review 29 Oct 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The whole trip was brilliant and our guide Abdallah made it extra special with his kindness and effort to ensure we were always happy2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Be prepared to be on the go a lot and don't always expect accomodation to be of high standards, after all you only sleep in the rooms, the holiday is about what goes on outside. Go with the flow and you will enjoy it.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes as local people helped all throughout the tour and we had a collective tip pot which was divided out between all locals who supported us throughout our trip.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It was an experience of a lifetime, made extra special by our tour leader.Andrew Emerson review 9 Sep 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Walking down from the High Altar at Petra2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
It’s hot. Bring loose clothing and good walking shoes.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes. We ate in local restaurants and were taken to shops that were run for charitable causes..4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Brilliant I learnt so much.Alfred Heynen review 14 Apr 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Petra and Wadi Rum were the best parts. It was great to have 2 days in Petra- one with guide and one without to explore on our own. Overnight in Wadi Rum was very nice, and sunset/sunrise colors were spectacular. Enjoyed the camel ride the next morning in particular - definitely a better way to experience the desert than on the back of a pickup truck!2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
We had cool temperatures and rain during the first days of April . There had been snow in Petra the week before we arrived. Pack layers of clothing and check the weather forecast. The transfer from the hotel to the airport was not a good experience - the driver did not show up on time and we did not know whom to turn to for help. Recommend to carefully check logistics of transfer with the guide.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Nothing specific besides bringing employment to native population via tourism.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
A wonderful trip, largely thanks to our outstanding guide Moyad. He gave us abundant insights into the country and its history. Good pace between driving and visits. Great choices of interesting and reasonable restaurants. One negative point: the group was larger than anticipated (19). We would give our holiday five stars.Natalie Fedeczko review 6 Mar 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Wadi Rum and Mohamed Mutlak Camp, despite sand storm.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Be prepared for cold weather in February and March.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes our guide was tremendous, Aladdin and made sure we understood the nuances of his country. Animal welfare is important.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Fantastic!Karen Exley review 30 Dec 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Wadi Rum2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Take plenty of snacks for the long coach journeys and enough cash to cover all the expected gratuities.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Tourism certainly benefits the locals. unsure how this trip reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
4 Star. Excellent trip. Definitely an exploration as up early most days as the tour left immediately after breakfast. Good caring and knowledgeable guide. Glad we upgraded the accommodation as even after the upgrade it was still fairly basic with accommodation located at out of city centre hotels. would have preferred the upgrade to have been at Movenpick-standard hotels. The dead sea resort was particularly poor with hardly any facilities to wash after dipping in the sea. also, we arrived at this resort too late in the day to spend much time at this highlight. We travelled the country in rather an old coach which could also benefit from an upgrade. Finally, Aqaba added no value and we would have been happy to spend more time at Wadi Rum instead and experienced more activities in the desert rather than travelling to this very ordinary Red Sea resort for such a short period of time. these comments are made in good faith as positive feedback as generally we had a fantastic time. the sights were amazing. thank you!Richard Knight review 7 Nov 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Petra, Jurash, Kurak and trying to find a camel in the desert at 7 in the morning!2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
See if you can get longer in Jurash and Kurak than the trip allows. two days in Petra is about right but you might want to avoid the evening trip to the Treasury as you may get fed up with walking back to the entrance!3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
yes a lot of people were involved through restaurants, cafe, drivers, guides etc = so the money did flow to the local economy. We did a lot of travelling and passed through Amman a couple of times, so the environmental impact was probably not good.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
4/5 really good trip that could be 5/5 with just a little less travelling through Amman, Juresh and Mount Nebo, Kurak on the first two daysAndrew Morris review 30 Oct 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
There were so many highlights. Jerash was unexpectedly impressive; Petra was absolutely awesome - around every corner there was so many fantastic sights; Wadi Rum gave us some unforgettable desert vistas (even though it rained!); snorkeling in the Red Sea was fabulous and floating in the Dead Sea was simply bizarre! The food was good or very good and the other people on the tour also made it memorable. The tour guide, Sami Atmeh was also first class and went out of his way a number of times to make it a success, when weather impacted the itinerary.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Take an extra day or two to explore Amman at the end of the holiday.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes and no. The holiday definitely benefited local people, but I suspect the increased tourism around the corals in the Red Sea and other sensitive sights may not support long-term conservation.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Fabulous.Read the operator's response here:
Hi Andrew, Many thanks for your great comments about the recent trip to Jordan and you hopefully have some fantastic memories to take back with you! The point about the increased tourism affecting the corals in the Red Sea is an important one. The corals have been affected by bleaching due to rising sea temperatures but also to the influx of tourists littering the shoreline. It is our belief that by educating our own customers in sustainable tourism and by influencing our local guides and agents to address sustainability we have a much better chance of reducing the pollution in areas within and beyond our remit. The more that our trips worldwide put something back into the local community and try to educate , the more that both the local communities and those that they engage with are likely to respect the local environment. Overall there is lots of work to do and we will continue to play our part.
Thanks again for your observations.
Marion Krause review 6 Jun 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Discovering the amazing history of Jordan was, for me, one of the memorable parts of this holiday. In addition, the friendliness and warmth of the Jordanian people will always stay with me.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
1. Read the trip itinerary carefully to determine if it meets your travel objectives. 2. A traveller's tip of "Just Do It" was inspirational for me and silenced any niggling doubts I might have had.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
This holiday benefited local people by providing employment to a whole range of Jordanians: from our guide, our driver, staff at our various accommodations, staff at the local restaurants where we ate, staff at the various sites we visited, etc . As regards reducing environmental impacts, using a single minibus for the 12 people in our small group instead of several vehicles must have made a difference. In terms of supporting conservation, hopefully the revenue from the tickets we purchased will be invested in conservation efforts for sites like Petra, Jerash, the crusader castles at Shobak and Kerak etc.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
WONDERFUL!Anne Webb review 15 Oct 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The glorious olive trees and cyclamens. Great countryside, great walks, great guiding, great company. My first with the operator, I'll be back!2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Enjoy it. A lovely way to see a beautiful island guided by a passionate and knowledgeable guide3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
It was good to have a local guide who cares about the environment and knows about local issues. We mostly stayed in locally run hotels and used restaurants that felt very local. Plenty of work still to do on reducing consumption and recycling, especially plastic but it's starting.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Well worth it.Diane Weston review 22 Jun 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Spending 2 days exploring Petra2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Ask to change accom in Petra, current hotel doesn't clean or change towels, wet towels are picked up from the floor, folded and put back on the rack!3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent experienceJulia Pallant review 13 Nov 2014
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Petra and the night in the desert.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Do go! Jordan is a very friendly and safe country with amazing things to see and do. Support them so they can continue to welcome Syrian and Palestinian refugees3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
See above4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
A wonderful experience. So many different things packed into one week.Erica Lay review 1 Sep 2014
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Meeting such a great bunch of like minded travelers. The whole holiday was excellent; great tour guide (Mo), who looked after us all from start to finish. Every single day was another new and exciting experience and we were constantly updated and given as much info as we wanted. Can't fault it in any way.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Bring good walking shoes!3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
yes re local people - we all spent money locally, the tour guide took us to a co- operative shop to buy souvenirs and showed us local vendors with good reps, rather than the mass marketed tat you usually get.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Outstanding.Holiday Reviews
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