Jordan might not come out top on most of our Pioneer’s travel list, but here are our top 3 things to do in Jordan to show you why we think it’s worth a visit this May. And we’ve not even mentioned the Dead Sea or the charming capital of Amman, with its citadel and Roman amphitheater.

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3. Wadi Rum National Park
   

   

As far as deserts go, we think this is one of the best. Sandstone mountains, arches and canyons galore it’s the perfect place to go full on Bedouin and see the camel as the only true mode of transport.

You can follow in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia and drink at a spring where he visited, and you can imagine life on Mars, because it was here that the film Red Planet was filmed, being the most Martian of environments on earth!

2. Petra Ancient City

   

Most people probably would dispute Petra’s position at number 2. But anyway, this ancient city is an absolute wonder of the world. Dating back over 2000 years it was fought over by Greeks, Romans and Byzantines until it declined in importance as sea routes took away the main trade route through the desert. It wouldn’t be rediscovered to Europeans until 1812!

You enter the city via a siq – a narrow passage carved out of the rock – and then wander around the tombs, amazing architecture and by the Street of Facades. It truly is a place to get lost in for a day.

1. Jordan International Arms Fair

   

But there’s one thing to do in Jordan that doesn’t come around that often. The Special Operations Forces Exhibition and Conference (SOFEX), to call it by its official title, is a chance to mingle with a different sort of crowd; generals, kings, mercenaries you name it.

The military shows from the Jordanian armed forces are spectacular enough, as well as the ranges where you can test out small arms, but the real thrill is seeing how this business is conducted, a business that involves the smallest groups up to the largest states of all types, the Business of War.

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Join YPT for our inaugural Jordan Business of War Tour this May.