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What do the
Roman Emperor Hadrian, the Prophet Moses, and Lawrence of
Arabia have in common? These are just three of the many
historical personalities who passed through Jordan in
ancient times, and whose itineraries now attract adventure
seekers and action vacationers from throughout the world.
Jordan has great comparative advantage in this sector, based
on several assets: guaranteed sunshine for eight months of
the year; a base of powerful, unique cultural attractions
such as Petra, Jerash, Jesus' baptism site, and the early
Islamic desert castles; and, a wide range of very different,
often stunning natural environments that are easily
accessible and virtually undiscovered by the tourism
industry. Quality hotels and restaurants throughout the
country mean that thrill-seekers who want to pamper
themselves in between adventure treks have a wide range of
facilities to choose from.
Jordan already caters to the more traditional vacationer who
likes to combine a visit to an ancient site in the morning
with a swim, a round of golf, or a game of tennis or bowling
in the afternoon. The exciting new horizons in action
tourism allow visitors to push themselves to new levels of
adventure and endurance while soaking up natural marvels and
dramatic cultural attractions from the ancient world.
For example, a small group of people in 4-wheel-drive
vehicles can retrace the journey of the Emperor Hadrian from
north to south Jordan, taking in biblical cities and
legionary fortresses. Or, more ambitiously, a caravan of 25
people on camels or donkeys can set off to retrace the
journeys of Lawrence of Arabia in the central highlands and
eastern deserts of Jordan, spending a week en route and
camping in a different place every night. Parts of these
itineraries can be done along the edge of the desert in
steam-powered World War One-vintage trains, the same as
those that were attacked by the forces of the Great Arab
Revolt and Lawrence nearly a century ago.
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