Things to do in Petra & The South
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Wadi Rum Protected Area
Admission to Wadi Rum Protected Area is strictly controlled and all vehicles, camels and guides must be arranged either through or with the approval of the visitor centre. Essential items to bring along include a hat, preferably with a brim or a flap to keep the sun off your neck, sunscreen, sturdy footwear and plenty of water. If you are camping (including at the rest house), bring along a torch (flashlight), a book to read and a padlock (many tents are lockable).
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Ali Baba Restaurant
With its wooden awning, leafy cannas and potted palm trees, this favourite still draws the crowds. It has a large outdoor seating area wrapped round the corner facade and offers a large menu of mezze, grilled meats and fish, including sayadieh (JD8). It’s a sociable place to come for breakfast, a fresh juice or a cake between meals, but it really comes into its own in the evening.
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Royal Yacht Club Restaurant
With views of the marina, this elegant, wood-panelled restaurant is the place to savour a romantic sunset and mingle with Aqaba’s nouveau riche. The mostly Italian menu includes Mediterranean favourites like crab, avocado, shrimp and artichoke salad, mussels Provençale, and homemade vegetarian pasta. Reservations are recommended. Above the restaurant is a bar which closes around 11pm.
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Rovers Return
An aerial version of the Amman expat favourite (it’s located in a mock lighthouse), this pub attracts a young crowd. If you’re British and feeling homesick, stay for fish and chips or bangers and mash (JD7) and watch three-screen football. The only downside is that the compact space can get oppressively smoky.
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Rum Gate Restaurant
A fine selection of dishes is offered in the buffet between noon and 4pm (popular with tour groups); outside this time, the restaurant is a buzzing meeting place for guides, weary hikers and independent travellers who congregate over a non-alcoholic beer (JD2) and a chicken sandwich (JD4.500).
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Al-Shami Restaurant
In a lane between Raghadan and Zahran Sts, the Shami is another cheap place recommended by readers. The menu (printed in English outside) is quite extensive and the air-conditioned dining area upstairs has good views.
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Aqaba Castle
Aqaba Castle, measures around 50m by 50m although it is unusual in having sides of slightly uneven length. It is worth looking around as it has been partially reconstructed and gives some sense of its original form. The first castle may have been built by the Crusaders in the 13th century, but most scholars attribute its construction to the Mamluks during the reign of the sultan Qansur al-Ghuri (1510-17), as attested by the attractive relief inscriptions in Arabic inside the entrance gate.
In one of the eastern rooms off the main courtyard are further inscriptions suggesting that the castle was renovated and enlarged by the Ottomans in both 1587 and 1628. In subsequent ce…
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Rum Horses
An alternative and memorable mode of four-legged transport through Wadi Rum and surrounding areas is by horse. A hack costs around JD20 per hour. These trips are for people who have some experience of riding, and novices should not underestimate the challenge of riding high-spirited Arab horses in open country. Among the agencies or guides who can organise such an expedition is Rum Horses, a professional French-run trekking, camel- and horse-trekking agency located on the approach road to Wadi Rum visitor centre, about 10km from the Desert Highway. Look for a signboard beside the road.
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Aqaba Museum
The small Aqaba Museum is inside the visitor centre. The centre and museum were once the home of Sherif Hussein bin Ali - the great-great-grandfather of the present king, Abdullah II - who lived here for a while after WWI. The collection of artefacts includes coins from Iraq and Egypt, ceramics from the excavations of Ayla (Old Aqaba), 8th-century Islamic stone tablets and some late Byzantine reliefs.
All captions are in English and there are some informative descriptions of the items and the archaeological history of the area. The ticket also entitles you to enter the castle.
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Sindbad
A local company Sindbad operates a number of popular cruises around the Gulf of Aqaba. Prices range from JD15 per person for a two-hour sunset cruise, to JD29 for a half-day trip with snorkelling (equipment included) and barbecue. The cruises operate on a daily basis and depart from the end of the pier. Most hotels can book you on these trips, or simply turn up 30 minutes before departure (1pm for barbecue trip; 6pm for a sunset cruise) and buy a ticket from the Sindbad staff.
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Rum Arts
Rum Arts at the visitor centre is a good place to look for quality silver items, embroidered bags and glass designs. Most items are made by local women to whom most of the profits are returned. It’s possible to visit the workshop in Rum village if you are interested (closed Friday and Saturday) – ask for directions here or at the Rest House. Almost adjacent, the Bedouin Gallery sells a fine selection of textiles and Bedouin goat-hair rugs.
reviewed
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Ayla
Along the Corniche, and incongruously squeezed between the marina and the Mövenpick Resort, is the site of Ayla, the early medieval port of Aqaba. The ruins are limited, but worth a quick look if you're in the area. Helpful noticeboards in English clearly pinpoint items of interest and put the place in some perspective. At the back of the parking space behind the JETT bus office is another small section of the old city, including the city wall and the ancient church.
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Mina House Floating Restaurant
This is an old favourite but recent travellers' reports suggest that it's now become more of a local male hang-out, so lone women might want to get a second opinion before heading out here. The restaurant is on a boat moored (or rather cemented) to the shore south of Aqaba castle. The fish is good considering it is always freshly caught, and not frozen as in some other Aqaba restaurants. The setting is very pleasant, with good views over the gulf to Eilat and Taba.
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Aqaba Turkish Baths
Aqaba Turkish Baths offers the full works – massage, steam bath and scrubbing – for a very reasonable JD12. Women are theoretically welcome to attend, but as ‘special arrangements’ need to be made (single men are evacuated for the session and a female attendant found), entry isn’t guaranteed. Book a couple of hours ahead on a quiet day and you could be in luck. Couples can make similar arrangements.
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Silk Road Restaurant
One of Aqaba's finest restaurants, this is a great place to blow the budget or celebrate a special occasion. It would be a false economy not to try the delicious seafood salads, chowders or main courses. There are three attractive dining areas, with traditional low seating, and nightly (Russian!) belly-dancers in summer which you can easily enjoy or escape. There's also an extensive, reasonably priced wine and alcohol list.
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Noor al-Hussein Foundation Shop
For a fine selection of handicrafts, visit Noor Al-Hussein Foundation shop, located in the Aqaba Fort complex, opposite the museum. Profits go to help supporting marginalised communities throughout Jordan. Items include silver jewellery from Wadi Musa, petroglyph designs from Wadi Rum, kilims, clothes, embroidery, basketware and ceramics. Credit cards are accepted.
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Wadi Rum Desert Services
Located round the corner from Al-Cazar Hotel, between King Hussein and An-Nahda Sts, this is another long-standing agency that offers a variety of reliable services, particularly, though not exclusively, to Wadi Rum. It’s worth paying this agency a visit just to admire the Iranian furniture in the office! There’s another branch near Al-Shami Restaurant, off Zahran St.
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Barracuda Beach
Barracuda Beach offers a good balance between cost and comfort. This new private 100m stretch of clean sandy beach is equipped with hammocks, a cushioned lounge area, a bar, restaurant, pool and lots of water sports. The fun and games include beach buggies, volleyball, Jet Skis, a banana boat, water skiing and weekend beach parties. A dive centre is planned.
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Blue Bay
The seafood menu here is a cut above the rest with large portions of beautifully prepared catch-of-the-day, presented with finesse. The sleek glass tables and open-plan upper seating area attract Jordan’s in-crowd and groups of ‘in-the-know’ expats. Imaginative salads make this a good choice for vegetarians.
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Floka Restaurant
Choose from the catch of the day (which normally includes sea bream, silver snapper, grouper and goatfish) and select how you would like it cooked. Service can be a little slow but it’s a friendly, unpretentious establishment. There’s indoor and outdoor seating.
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Eibal Coffee
For up-market nuts scooped from wooden drawers, call in at Eibal Coffee. Try the smoked nuts: a kilo of pistachio, cashew and almonds costs JD8 but they are irresistibly moreish. Ask for them to be bagged in 250g bags to avoid them going soft in the humidity.
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Baranda Lounge
Yes, this is a 'bar and a lounge' and the coolest one in town at that. It's a relaxed and friendly place with sensible prices, a lovely terrace and a patio out back that captures the sea breezes at night. Good food is served until midnight and there's bar snacks.
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Al-Mabrouk Beach Touristic Restaurant
This smart new restaurant is a friendly and popular place for a large fish supper, with glass-top tables decorated with shells outside or air-conditioned dining indoors. A local favourite is a pot of Al-Mabrouk fish, mussels, calamari and tomatoes (JD11).
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Al-Fardos Coffee Shop
Al-Fardos Coffee Shop, just off Zahran St, is a traditional coffeehouse where local men sip qahwa, play backgammon and stare open-mouthed at Arabic music videos. It has a pleasant outdoor setting, and foreign women are welcome.
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Jordan Experience
Families will like this multimedia experience that starts off through a Disney-style siq and ends with a 40-minute film that simulates a flying-carpet tour of Jordan, complete with moveable seats. There are three shows a day.
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