Jordan Guide
The southern desert and Aqaba
The huge eastern deserts of Jordan are mostly stony plains of limestone or basalt, but much of the southern desert to the south and southeast of Petra is sand, presaging the dunes and vast emptinesses of the Arabian interior. The principal town of the south, Ma'an, is eminently missable, but you shouldn't leave Jordan without having spent at least some time in the extraordinary desert moonscape of Wadi Rum, haunt of Lawrence of Arabia and starting point for camel treks into the red sands. At the southern tip of the country, squeezed onto Jordan's only stretch of coastline, the peaceful town of Aqaba is a pleasant counterpoint to the breathtaking marine flora and fauna which thrive in the warm Red Sea waters just offshore.
Highlights
1 Wadi Rum Rugged and majestic: simply one of the world's most alluring desert destinations. Think towering cliffs, red dunes and sleeping under the stars.
2 Aqaba Diving, snorkelling and year-round sunbathing at Jordan's only beach resort, on the Red Sea.
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