Pick-up trucks in the desert of Wadi Rum are driven by local Bedouins.Andrew Tomkins & Stephanie Kretzschmer/G Adventures/Supplied
When I told people I was travelling to Jordan in September, the question most of them asked was: Is it safe?
I expected that reaction. As the Israel-Hamas war ground toward its second anniversary, there were renewed Israeli offensives in Gaza, an intensifying humanitarian catastrophe and – until October – a string of collapsed ceasefire talks that left civilians with little reprieve.
Jordan, which shares its western border with Israel and the occupied West Bank, has balanced diplomacy and condemnation while hosting about 2.4 million registered Palestinian refugees.
So is it safe to travel to a country in the shadows of war? The short answer is yes – but there is more than safety to consider.
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As we were shuttled from one location to the next, it was easy to be swept up in Jordan’s rich history and bucket-list archeological wonders. But wandering through tourist hotspots with a fraction of their usual visitors and speaking with locals worried about jobs and the safety of family members, the weight of the conflict was evident. I found myself wondering if it was appropriate to be enjoying these experiences with so much suffering next door.
I travelled in a group with G Adventures, a Canadian company that specializes in small-group tours. The journey began with the Roman ruins of Jerash, about 50 kilometres north of the capital Amman. An important trading hub during the 2nd and 3rd century AD, the ancient city was buried under sand for centuries until it was excavated and restored over the past 70 years.
The colonnaded streets of Jerash, an ancient city that has been excavated and restored over the past 70 years.Andrea Woo/Supplied
Under the desert sun, we wandered along colonnaded streets where stones still bore the deep grooves of chariots from millennia past. Nicknamed the Pompeii of the Middle East, the site is one of the best-preserved Roman cities outside of Italy.
Next, we headed south to Petra, the country’s most iconic archeological site. We set out before dawn, walking about two kilometres through a narrow sandstone gorge, until Al-Khazneh, or the Treasury, appeared in the rose-coloured cliffs.
The Treasury is an elaborate rock-cut tomb, its faux temple facade chiselled deep into the cliffside by the Nabataeans some 2,000 years ago. The monument stands 40 metres high and features six Corinthian columns topped by a frieze of winged griffins, and the goddess Isis flanked by dancing Amazons. (You might remember it as the site of the Holy Grail in the 1989 movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.)
To stand at the foot of the Treasury is to feel dwarfed by both scale and time, and I found myself without words, feeling extraordinarily lucky to be seeing it in person.
We spent several hours at Petra, exploring the other landmarks in this half-carved, half-built archeological wonderland, including a 1st-century AD Nabataean theatre and the Monastery, the largest monument in Petra.
That afternoon, we loaded into modified pickup trucks driven by local Bedouins and tore through the desert of Wadi Rum. The vast expanse of red sand and rock formations earned it the nickname Mars on Earth, its likeness so convincing that it served as the Red Planet in the 2015 sci-fi movie The Martian.
The Jordan Trail begins in the town of Umm Qais before meandering through valleys and agricultural plains.Andrea Woo/Supplied
This sweeping valley bordering Saudi Arabia is dotted with a range of camp-style accommodations, from bare-bones pods to luxury glamping, making it an ideal retreat for those who seek to stargaze or simply unplug in an otherworldly setting.
Later in the trip, we tackled the first stretch of the Jordan Trail, which begins in the town of Umm Qais in northern Jordan. A moderately difficult hike along occasionally rugged terrain, the trek took us through meandering valleys and agricultural plains where we were greeted by donkeys, sheep and hundreds of goats. The full trail is 675 kilometres, requiring more than 40 days to reach the end at the Red Sea in Aqaba.
At each major tourist attraction and in bigger cities, I noticed uniformed officers with Jordan’s Tourism Police – a dedicated force to ensure the safety of visitors.
In between visiting the sights, we met with locals for a taste of the culture. We visited Beit Khairat Souf, a restaurant and community space that homemaker Sumia Krishan built from a home that had sat abandoned for 25 years. It is the region’s first woman-led enterprise, now providing steady income to 25 women in an area of high unemployment.
We met beekeeper Yousef Sayah, who turned a childhood obsession with the buzzing pollinators into a thriving honey business. And we visited the home of Syrian refugees Rufaida and Maher Kiwan, who offered us a home-cooked meal and an engaging conversation about the plight of Syrian refugees in Jordan.
Beekeeper Yousef Sayah in his apiary in Umm Qais village.Andrea Woo/Supplied
Muna Haddad launched Baraka Destinations, which facilitated the latter two experiences, a decade ago, in part because she was frustrated by tourists’ preconceived notions of the Middle East. Putting locals in charge of community tourism has empowered them to tell their own stories while reviving rural destinations and providing tourists with more meaningful encounters.
“This, for me, breaks the perception of safety that is constantly fearmongered in the news,” Haddad said.
Visits to Petra fluctuate but averaged more than 3,100 per day in 2019, a strong year. That has now slowed to hundreds, said Malia Asfour, director of the Jordan Tourism Board in North America.
The Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority reported in August that more than 30 hotels have closed and 700 jobs have been cut in this region alone, according to local media.
“We are victims of misperception,” Asfour said. “If there are riots in L.A., should that stop you from going to Las Vegas?”
Zuhair Zuriqat, a Jordanian in his 16th year with G Adventures, has worked through three world events that upended tourism: the Arab Spring, the COVID-19 pandemic and now the Israel-Hamas war. He said the ripple effects on local livelihoods have been devastating.
“I know some people in tourism who used to do very well, but with the current situation they’re selling their furniture just to survive,” he said.
As the trip neared its end, we were invited to a party on the beaches of the Dead Sea. During the day, tourists flock here to rub nutrient-dense mud onto their skin and float in the weightlessness of the high-salinity water.
A mixer put on by G Adventures on the beaches of the Dead Sea.Shereen Mroueh/G Adventures/Supplied
This evening, as music played and guests queued for the buffet, I looked across the sea at the lights dotting the Israeli-occupied West Bank and thought of the humanitarian crisis taking place barely 100 kilometres away in Gaza. I wondered: Is it frivolous – or even cruel – to consider tourism at a moment like this?
In search of an answer, I reached out to Nabil Tarazi, head of Jordanian ecotourism company Ecohotels, who was born in Jerusalem and whose family is from Gaza. With three family members killed by an Israeli airstrike in the early days of the war, he knows too well the violence that has driven travellers from the region. He also knows that those travellers are the lifeblood of the country’s economy.
Ecohotels’ flagship property, the off-grid Feynan Ecolodge, sits on a nature reserve in the south of Jordan. Staffed entirely by locals in what is otherwise known as a poverty pocket of the country, the social enterprise directly benefits about 80 families, including the Bedouin women who bake bread for guests and the shepherds and farmers who double as drivers.
Tarazi said business has plummeted by about 70 per cent since the start of the war but that he has retained all 26 full-time staff members on payroll.
“Everybody says, ‘We are in a way better position than our brethren in Palestine being massacred,’” he said. “You know, at least we’re alive, we have food.”
But as months have stretched on, Tarazi said the impact on Jordanians has become more painful, with many in tourism-related jobs no longer able to cover basic living expenses. Still, he said, life must find a way. He advises tourists to enjoy their stay in Jordan “but don’t look at it as pure fun.”
“Learn about the history, learn about the culture, meet the people and build that personal link,” Tarazi said. “Learn about what’s happening next door, and don’t turn a blind eye to it.”
If you go
Tourists in the desert of Wadi Rum.G Adventures/Supplied
As of Oct. 1, Canada advises travellers to Jordan to exercise a high degree of caution and avoid areas within five kilometres of the country’s borders with Syria and Iraq because of ongoing tensions in the region.
Most international flights to Jordan fly into Queen Alia International Airport, near Amman. From Canada, Royal Jordanian operates a 10.5-hour nonstop flight from Montreal, though most routes will require at least one connection.
G Adventures' popular eight-day Highlights of Jordan tour includes visits to Jerash, Petra, the Dead Sea and Wadi Rum, starting at $1,329, including lodging and transportation and excluding airfare.
While Jordan is considered one of the more liberal countries in the Middle East, tourists are advised to dress modestly to respect local customs. This means avoiding bare shoulders, low-cut shirts, crop tops and short shorts or skirts.
The writer was a guest of G Adventures, which did not review or approve the story before publication.