petra Archives - ETB Travel Photography

Must-Visit Destinations for First-Time Travelers to the Middle East

The Middle East is a fascinating destination, rich in history, diverse cultures, and stunning landscapes. While travel was challenging for a time, more and more people are now exploring its many wonders.

According to Statista, in 2023, 93.5 million international tourists visited the Middle East. The region experienced a sharp drop in tourism in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. However, since then, it has made a remarkable recovery, with visitor numbers surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

For first-time travelers, choosing where to go can be overwhelming, given the region’s wealth of incredible destinations. From bustling cities to ancient wonders, this guide highlights the most iconic locations to ensure an unforgettable Middle Eastern adventure.

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Travel Photo Challenge Day 6 – Petra

I’ve been nominated by some fellow bloggers, Tony and Margie with Back Roads and Other Stories as well as Jyothi with Travel Explore Enjoy, to post one favorite travel picture a day for ten days without explanation, then to nominate someone else to participate. That’s 10 days, 10 travel pictures, and 10 nominations. It is my understanding that the idea behind the challenge is to expose audiences to new bloggers and vice versa. I’m always up for helping fellow bloggers, so I have accepted the challenge.

That said, my rule following self is going to follow Tony and Margie’s lead and break a handful of them. First, while a picture paints a 1,000 words, I’m incapable of posting a photo without some explanation. Sometimes the story makes the image that much more special. Second, though not specified, I think the intent is to post 10 days in a row. I’ll be lucky if I post 10 weeks in a row. I also may post more than one photo at times.

TAKE THE CHALLENGE

From Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum…Jordan is Wonderful!

Places to Visit in Petra

We awoke for our second day in Petra. We had another hike planned to the High Place of Sacrifice and through Wadi Farasa. Suman and Syreeta decided that they would rather spend a more leisurely morning strolling around the theater and the Great Temple as we didn’t spend much time exploring them yesterday. Margaret and I opted for the hike that would lead us up above Petra for views down on the complex.

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From Little Petra to Petra…Phenomenal

Hiking from Little Petra to Petra

I count today as our first real day in Jordan. The forecast improved as it called for sunny weather with a temperature around 50 degrees. Much better than the fog, rain and snow of yesterday. Our guide planned to meet us at the hotel at 7:00am, so we went upstairs to breakfast when it opened at 6:30am. They cooked us tasty scrambled eggs to go with a buffet of pita bread, hummus, olives, jams, and za’atar (my new favorite spice).

We filled our bellies, met our guide (Ramiz), picked up our to-go lunch at the front desk, bought water (3 litres for only 1JD) at the convenience store and prepared for our long day at Little Petra and Petra which included a 6-mile hike between the two, not counting exploring both sites. We didn’t know what we were getting into!

EXPLORE!

Ambling Through Amman’s Citadel in Jordan

Traveling to Jordan

I wonder how many more people would travel if getting to the destination weren’t so difficult! We started out on Christmas day in Denver on our way to Amman with light snow flurries and cool temperatures, but no weather bad enough to delay our 2pm flight to Houston. We felt lucky given the havoc the recent weather has played on people. In addition, the staff in the Denver airport, both at Root Down, at the gate, and on the plane were quite nice for having to work on Christmas.

To improve their holiday, we gave them some chocolates and Starbucks gift cards. Unfortunately, our luck changed in Houston. As we boarded, one staffer pulled Suman aside and told her she needed to check her bag as it was too large to fit in the overhead bin on a 787. Really!?! We just flew a smaller aircraft to Houston, and she didn’t have a problem. But the employee wouldn’t budge so Suman ended up with a bag tag after she made specific efforts to consolidate as to not risk losing her bag in delays.

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