Aqaba is a city in Jordan on the Red Sea, it is located almost opposite the Israeli Eilat. This is an ancient city, people have lived here since ancient times, and now one of the attractions is the ruins of the Mameluk fortress - it was built in the 16th century. The city became a resort quite recently, but now it is actively developing the tourism industry. There is something to see here: the underwater world of the Red Sea is extremely rich, and corals with fish are no less colorful here than in neighboring Eilat. You can relax and sunbathe all year round, although in January-February it can be cold to swim. The best time to relax in Aqaba is spring and autumn - when the sea has already warmed up, but not yet too hot.
From Aqaba, the easiest way to get from here is the most beautiful and famous place in Jordan: the ruins of the ancient city of Petra in the desert. Its most ancient structures were erected in the 18th century BC. The path to them leads through a narrow canyon, behind which opens a view of the world famous Al-Khazneh temple, the facade of which is carved right into the reddish limestone.
And besides the sea, Jordan has a stunningly beautiful Wadi Rum desert, the landscape of which most resembles a Martian one - people go here on jeep safaris, "Bedouin evenings" and just walking excursions.
Areas of Aqaba
Aqaba is divided into several municipal areas, but travelers are only interested in those that are close to the sea and where you can stay for relaxation. In the city itself there are two municipal beaches, a plot of prestigious hotels, and a rather interesting historical center that is worth exploring. In addition, the popular resort village of Tala Bay is actually a suburb.
So, consider the hotel base in the following tourist areas of Aqaba:
- Northern beaches;
- Al Ghandour Beach;
- Al Hafayer Park Beach;
- Historical city center;
- Tala Bay.
Northern beaches
There are several large resort hotels in the northern part of Aqaba, three of which have their own private beaches. Hotels occupy a large green area (and in these arid places this is a very big plus). Most of the rooms in these hotels have panoramic sea views. It has its own restaurants, shops, SPA centers; all these hotels are designed for family vacations, and they have children's infrastructure: playgrounds, children's clubs, shallow pools. All hotels have not only currency exchange offices, but also their own ATMs. All of them work on the all inclusive system, their beaches are closed to everyone except their own. So you can relax here without getting out into the city.
But its center and attractions are only 10-15 walk away, so for those who prefer a combination of high service with the opportunity to get out for a walk, this is the best accommodation option. Nearby is the Royal Yacht Club Jordan, a private club that provides various types of yachting and runs regular races.
Al Ghandour Beach
It is part of the public beach between two of Aqaba's most famous buildings. From the north, the main attraction of the city is located - the snow-white mosque Sharif Hussein Bin Ali. It is built of white marble and is illuminated in the evening. This is far from the only mosque, there are many of them here - but the most beautiful.
From the south, the beach adjoins the Aqaba fortress. This is a 16th century fortress in ruins: it was badly damaged during the First World War by British bombing. The fortifications are in the shape of a square with round towers at the corners. This fortress, in turn, stands on the ruins of ancient times - buildings from the Roman period have been preserved here. The Aqaba Fortress is an open-air museum; history buffs will find it very interesting. Next to it there is an archaeological exposition of the finds found here during excavations.
In this area, a little in the heart of the city, there is Princess Salma Park - this is the second large park in the city, besides the seaside one. This is a large quiet green area where whole families come to relax from the heat.
There are several hotels along the embankment, they are quite simple and they do not have their own territories on the beach. But they are inexpensive, and if you are primarily interested in sightseeing and diving, and not just swimming in the sea, then this area can be very successful.
Al Hafayer Park Beach
The park starts from another famous sight of Aqaba, from a huge flagpole on the very shore. It is visible from everywhere: the height of the flagpole is 137 meters, and the largest flag in the world, 60 by 30 meters, flies on it. This flag is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. The beach ends at the port: Aqaba is the only seaport in Jordan, and the port is large and picturesque, and the road to it lies through a small shopping area, next to which there is a bus station.
The local population spends a lot of time on public beaches. But for European women, who are accustomed to relaxing in swimsuits, and not in full vestments, swimming here can be very uncomfortable, and sunbathing is completely impossible. Here even men barely undress, it is not customary, mostly children splash in the water, and adults only go up to the waist. If you want to swim and sunbathe in Aqaba, then this is possible only on the northern closed beaches at the hotels.
But in Aqaba you can go snorkeling. The city has a large diving center, there are diving centers at the hotels. One kilometer from Aqaba is the famous King Abdullah Reef, named after the reigning king of Jordan, a diving enthusiast. The second most popular reef on this coast is the Japanese Garden, an amazingly beautiful underwater rock garden. The world of Jordan's coral reefs is no less rich than that of Egypt.
From the beaches you can take an excursion to Pharaoh's Island - a small island in the northern part of the bay, where the remains of a 12th century fortress have been preserved. From the observation deck on the tower of this fortress, you can see the coasts of three countries: Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Hotels in the Seaside Park area are also quite simple, but many of them have windows overlooking the port or fortress. From some hotels there is a free shuttle to the beaches in the village of Tala Bay, so there is an opportunity to combine an urban budget vacation with a beach vacation in Aqaba.
Historic city center
At first glance, the center of Aqaba can make an unfavorable impression. There are no beautiful buildings here: mostly the most ordinary two-three-storey houses. It is not very clean here, even the very center does not give the impression of being licked by tourists: somewhere it is just dirty, somewhere shabby, goats can graze right on the streets. On the outskirts, there are Bedouin areas that are extremely poor.
At the same time, if you just live in the city and do not find fault with the service, it may seem good here. Aqaba has a very good infrastructure: there are many shops and cafes, and the prices are quite affordable. On the embankment closer to the port there is even a familiar McDonald's. Behind the mosque there is a small market where you can buy inexpensive fruits and vegetables, as well as tea, coffee with cardamom and much more. A little further away is the largest shopping center in the city - City Center Mall.
The local population is quite friendly towards tourists and does not seek to earn money at their expense, the tourism business is not too developed here.
Where to stay: Alrafek apartment, Maswada Plaza Hotel, Aqaba tourism, Dreams Hotel Apartments, L Jawad Suites.
Tala Bay
A village entirely consisting of hotels and private villas. This is the main resort of Aqaba. It is located 14 kilometers from the city itself. Tala Bay was founded in 1992, and in 2000 it was bought out by the Egyptian company Orascom Development. So this particular place, the only one in Jordan, is a full-fledged replacement for Egypt. It is here that there is a fairly long wide beach, on which there are more foreigners than the local population, and you can feel comfortable in swimsuits. It is here that the only coastal store that sells alcohol even in Ramadan is located - this is Marina Liquor store.
The place itself is very beautiful and decorated in a more or less uniform oriental style. It has its own pier in a small artificial bay, around which you can stroll along the embankment lined with pink stone. The bay is lined with luxurious yachts - there are almost more of them here than in the royal yacht club. There are several shopping streets - they are decorated in the Middle Ages: not wide, with arches, transitions from one to another, decor and many small shops. The total area here is huge, you can walk on it endlessly, hotels were built on a grand scale: the area in front of them is larger than the entire city center of Aqaba itself. At night there are beautiful lighting, singing fountains - in a word, this is a truly pleasant place. It has its own diving club and surfing center (the waves in the Red Sea are low, but great for beginners), there is a golf club.
Perhaps the only drawback is that there are no really large stores and supermarkets here, just a couple of small shops, where prices are greatly inflated, and the assortment is very poor. The rest is just souvenir goods: clothes, hookahs, beautiful ceramics, etc. It is very quiet here at night: some hotels, of course, have evening bars and discos, but still Jordan is not a hangout place at all.
