sLOVEnians travel

Jerash is about an hour north of Amman. The city itself isn’t anything special, but the roman ruins are incredible. It was like stepping back in time, roaming the exact same streets like people thousands of years ago and sitting in the exact same amphitheaters. I couldn’t believe how well preserved everything is and how vast the entire complex is.

When you park the car, you’ll go through security control and a winding market to the ticket counter. If you have the Jordan pass, you just proceed to the big gate on a small hill.

When entering you’ll see the hippodrome on the left and some ruins on the right. Just walk straight. Now you’ll reach the main gate, where they will check your ticket/Jordan pass.

Welcome to Jerash 😊 We walked around all the sights, saw ancient oil presses, heard music playing in the amphitheater and marveled at the temple of Artemis, where the sun finally came out.

We were really surprised how well preserved everything is and I would really suggest everyone, who is unsure if a visit is worth it – it is!

 

A good half an hour from Jerash you’ll reach the castle Ajloun. It’s known for a very good view of the surroundings, you are even able to see to Jerusalem. But bad weather followed us and we had zero view. Nothing. Just fog. It kind of reminded us of a few months back in Sri Lanka, when we “enjoyed” the same view in the tea plantations. Anyway, the castle is beautiful from the inside and if you’re in the area, it’s worth a visit (and it’s included in the Jordan pass).

 

Leaving the mountains behind, we started to descent, passing villages and soooo many greenhouses, we had to stop along the way and buy some local fruit. Funny thing was, everything we wanted was 1 JOD. We probably paid a fat tourist price for a few apples and mandarins, but we had a good road trip snack.

We ended the day at the Dead sea, where we checked in to our hotel and had a good night’s sleep. Not sure how to visit the Dead sea? Then these 10 helpful things might help you out. (comming soon) 😉

 

Rough itinerary for winter months, when the sun sets around 16:30:

9:00 Start in Amman
10:00 arrive to Jerash
10:00-13:00 have a good look at all the ruins
13:00-13:45 drive to Ajloun castle
14:00-15:00 visit the castle and enjoy some tea (there are locals selling tea outside the parking lot and at the main gate)
15:00-17:00 drive down to the Death sea
17:00 – have some food and enjoy the rest of your evening

We were also vlogging on this day. You can watch the vlog #1 from Jordan here, where you’ll find out what we were up to in Amman, see Jerash and Ajloun in moving pictures and you can watch what we did at the Dead sea.