Travel JORDAN

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The best times to visit Jordan are October-December and April-June when it's warm during the day and cool in the evening. Summers are very warm, with temperatures running 90-110 F/32-44 C. Rain falls most frequently November-March. Winters can be very drizzly, damp and cool -- snow occasionally falls in Amman and the mountains. We suggest taking along a sweater, even during the summer , as the contrast between day and night temperatures is dramatic. Aqaba is usually a few degrees warmer than the rest of the country.

AQABA -- This barren seaport town on the Gulf of Aqaba provides Jordan's only access to the sea. It's an ancient city: Solomon, the Queen of Sheba and Lawrence of Arabia are among Aqaba's past guests. Today's visitors go there for relatively inexpensive scuba diving (although better facilities are located in Eilat, Israel, and Dahab, Egypt, both of which can be reached fairly easily). Others can enjoy deep-sea fishing and snorkeling (the Gulf of Aqaba is noted for its abundance--and variety--of coral). Above all, it's the best spot in Jordan for beaches, relaxation and a picturesque desert landscape. Try Holiday Beach or Aquamarine, where troops of traditional Arab dancers perform on a pier jutting out over the water. Boat trips can be arranged to watch dolphin, flying fish and whale sharks in the Gulf of Aqaba. After spending time on the beach, visit the 12th-century fort and the port area, do a little shopping and visit Wadi Rum. Plan to visit in early spring or late fall--it's very hot in midsummer, in December-February it's a bit cool for the beach.

One of the pleasures of touring in Jordan is that all of the major attractions are within easy reach of one another, and convenient one-, two- or three-day trips can be arranged from the capital Amman.

Undoubtedly, the country's most important site is Petra, a 3.5-hour drive from Amman. If you have the time, the best way to see Petra is to rent a car and spend a full day driving there via the Kings' Highway, stopping for lunch at the resthouse next to the Crusader castle at Kerak. Spend the second day visiting Petra, starting early in the morning, and drive to Aqaba in the late afternoon, returning to Amman the afternoon of the third day and driving through Wadi Rum on the way back. If you have a fourth day, spend the morning visiting the Amman Roman Theatre, the Citadel Hill Roman and Islamic monuments and the archaeological museum, then drive the 45 minutes to Jerash for a lunch there, an afternoon stroll through the ruins of the Roman city and see an early evening performance of the light and sound show, returning to Amman in time for dinner.

If you have only two days in Jordan, spend one day visiting Petra with the guided bus tours that operate daily and on the second day see the Amman-Jerash area. Ideally, you should spend a week at least, allowing three days for the Kings' Highway, Petra, Aqaba and Wadi Rum, one day for the Amman area, one day for Jerash and the Byzantine city of Umm al Jimal in the north, one day to see the oasis of Azraq and the Umayyad desert castles east of Amman, and a seventh day to meander through the Jordan Valley and take a swim in the buoyant, salty waters of the Dead Sea, at the lowest spot on earth.