Day 4: Madaba - Mount Nebo - Bethany Beyond Jordan - Dead Sea - Madaba
Saturday, May 2, 2009
We start the day having breakfast at the Hotel Marian, the truth is that breakfast is quite short, but it is already good for us to start the day and to explore the Biblical places in Jordan: Mount Nebo and Bethany, which will be the places we travel today, after arriving yesterday in Madaba through the Desert Castles.
We had been highly recommended this hotel, but to honor the truth, it has disappointed us a bit. The room is quite small, the tiny sink and cleanliness, really is not what you can call "cleaning”In the broad sense of the word (at the end of the day we will have another reason, to give this opinion of the hotel)
Punctual, with the taxi we hired yesterday, we left at 8 in the morning towards Monte Nebo, where we have to pay 1 dinar per person located 8 kilometers from Madaba.
A good option is to book this excursion to Madaba and Monte Nebo with a guide in Spanish or book this excursion to Bethany and Dead Sea with a guide in Spanish, in both you will be picked up at the hotel in Amman.
Biblical places of Jordan. Mount nebo
The location of the Mount nebo It is spectacular offering fantastic views of the Dead Sea and the "Promised Land" from the viewpoint (which we will meet years later on our trip to Israel and Palestine. A dream destination at the time we made this trip to Jordan for free) .
Views from Mount Nebo to Israel
While we were preparing this trip we already knew the amount of things what to see in Jordan, but we are really surprised at how incredible these places are.
Biblical places of Jordan. Mount nebo
But as everything cannot be perfect, we find a "nasty" surprise in the Mount nebo and it is that they are under construction and we can not visit anything else on the premises.
So we have to settle for the viewpoint where we have been and a visit to the small museum that is on the premises.
Mosaic in the museum of Mount Nebo
After this visit we set out for other of the Biblical places of Jordan, Bethany Beyond Jordan. We have a half-hour ride from Mount Nebo, traveling along a spectacular road that runs through film landscapes, dotted with Bedouin tents in the middle of that arid landscape.
We arrived to Bethany beyond the Jordan, where we pay 7 dinars per person and they tell us that we have to get on a small bus to make the tour.
Biblical places of Jordan. Bethany beyond the Jordan
Along the way they explain the things we see and then on foot the rest of the route is done: place where it is believed that Jesus was baptized, the Jordan river (which surprises us by being totally brown), the Orthodox-Greek church, the views of Jericho in the distance, where to place Jerusalem behind some mountains (at this moment my idea of traveling next year to Israel begins to be reinforced ( something that in the end we will not do until after a few years ...) and the only point where civilians are allowed to touch the river.
Biblical places of Jordan. Bethany
It is striking to see how in the part where you can touch the Jordan River in Israel they are building a totally ornate baptism, so different from what we can see in this part in Jordan.
Biblical places of Jordan. Bethany
The visit to Bethany beyond the Jordan lasts approximately 1 hour and from here we go to the Dead Sea, our next destination today.
The taxi driver leaves us in Amman Beach, where we had read in some places that it was free, in others that were 5 dinars per person, because no, in the end neither one nor the other, 12 dinars per person give access to the swimming pools, showers and changing rooms.
More practical information to prepare your trip to Jordan
- 10 essential places to see in Jordan
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Jordan
And how could it be otherwise, we took the opportunity to experience the sensation of floating on the water and take the typical photo.
Dead Sea in Jordan
Today we had a cloudy day and this has been one of the reasons why we have not finished seeing how fantastic this landscape can be. But we have to say that this is a unique experience and that it must be had, at least once in a lifetime.
We are about 2 hours enjoying the Dead Sea and after looking at a gift shop, we return to Madaba.
We arrived past noon and stopped to eat in front of the St. George's Church, in Ayola coffee, recommended by Lonely: a couple of sandwiches (quite large) and a couple of drinks for 6 dinars all.
From here we start a walking tour, which indicates the guide, to see other points of the city, also important.
At the end of the tour we went to buy some souvenirs and we ended up buying some hand-painted eggs (that without seeing them I would think they are a tacky, we will not cheat you) and that however I loved them yesterday and I knew that I could not come without one of these!! A slightly expensive souvenir, 80 dinars each, but we pay with pleasure.
Today we have the idea of taking the afternoon in peace, so we return to the cafe where we were yesterday for a drink and in the afternoon we return to the hotel to rest.
When we arrive we will confirm our departure tomorrow and our taxi (it has to take us from Madaba to Petra, along the King's Road, stopping at the Castles of Karak and Sobak) and what is our surprise when they did not even point it and even we They ask what price they had given us !!
Book the best rated Spanish tours and excursions in Amman by travelers:
- Excursion to Amman, Gerasa and Ajlun Castle
- Excursion to Petra
- Excursion to the Desert Castles and Dead Sea
- Excursion to Madaba and Monte Nebo
- Excursion to Bethany and Dead Sea- Many more excursions and tours here
They try to put us in a bus that does the same route but that takes longer and does not make the stops we want and for more inconvenience, it leaves at 10 in the morning, time that for us is already late for everything we want to see. Imagine the difference. We had booked a taxi for 2 people to take us from Madaba to Petra, along the King's Road, stopping at the Castles of Karak and Sobak, starting the tour at 8 in the morning.
After showing them the reservations and their confirmation, they finally solve it and tell us that tomorrow at 8 in the morning we will have our taxi.
The truth is that our opinion about this hotel is leaving to be desired and that the opinions were really good in the forums! Surely we are the "exception that confirms the rule."
Calmer to have this issue solved, we will rest for a while and at 8 pm we go back to the center to go to dinner at the same restaurant where we were yesterday.
We return to the Hotel Marian, our hotel in Madaba, wanting to spend the night soon and start the tour to one of the great reasons for this trip to Jordan: Petra.
Day 5Madaba - Wadi Mujib Gorge - Karak Castle - Petra
