I’ve rounded up seven of the best things to do in Jordan for you, all tried and tested by me. Yes, I know I usually wax lyrical, bringing you poetry, interviews, dreams and more but I also know you’re busy. So here’s a shortcut to all that lyrical stuff, all nicely packaged up.

Go live, love, travel and enjoy! (Psst – too busy to read it all now? Pin it now and read it later.)

7 of the Best Things to Do in Jordan

1) Witness Petra by Night

Lit only by candles and a shower of stars overhead, Petra’s passageway to the Treasury hides its main attraction beneath a reverential darkness. The curves and ripples of raspberry-rust rock that mesmerize by day disappear at night, lost in the inky silence. Petra by night wasn’t beautiful and it didn’t move me. Amid the half-light in Jordan, it overwhelmed me. PS – Petra by day isn’t bad either.

2) Take flight over Wadi Rum

From the ground, the desert wilderness of Wadi Rum mesmerises. From the skies above looking down , it provides the kind of views that make you feel lucky to be alive.

3) Taste Knafeh in Amman

Knafeh , like the stone and sand of the city of Amman itself, has a deliciously rich history (and taste). Delirious with calories, this butter-soaked streetside snack presses cheese between syrup-soaked angel hair and then sprinkles it with rosewater and pistachios. It’s also a great example of Jordanian food you can learn to make yourself.

4) Float about in the Dead Sea

Let’s face it, the Dead Sea has a depressing name. However, it does make adults act like children as they flip about like penguins on an oil-slicked underwater escalator and slather themselves in black mud to create a slick human wetsuit. And who wants to miss that?

5) Go canyoning in Wadi Mujib

If wading through the Dead Sea seems too tranquil, a short trip to Wadi Mujib will soon get your pulse racing again with a spot of canyoning . Don’t be fooled into thinking canyoning is only for those insanely fit folk; it’s an inclusive sport which is demonstrated beautifully by this article . Get a taste for canyoning in Wadi Mujib with this video .

6) Write your name into history

At Mount Nebo , there’s an incredible mosaic in production. It depicts The King’s Way, a route that runs from Aqaba and the Red Sea north to Bosra Sham. When complete, it will run for more than 30 metres involving more than 3.5 million pieces and expects to earn the record of being the largest mosaic in the world (if you look closely, you’ll find a piece with my name on it. And one there from the Queen). We’re not special, though. The city of Madaba invites every guest to take part in the project, no matter your birthplace or background.

7) See the stars with the Bedouin

Free from light and sound pollution, the Feynan Eco-Lodge ‘s green credentials stretch beyond simply not washing your towels every day and printing out lots of leaflets to tell you about it instead. Get back to basics under the stars of the Jordanian desert with an engaging storyteller, roaring fire and arabic coffee for company.

What have I missed? What do you think are some of the best things to see and do in Jordan?

Disclosure – I visited each of the things to do in Jordan over a period of three years. I visited Jordan as a guest of Visit Jordan, but as usual, as always, as ever, kept the right to write what I like here on Inside the Travel Lab. Otherwise, there’s just no point.