Peaceful beach in Aqaba, Jordan

Jordan lies to the south of Syria, sandwiched between Israel to the west and Saudi Arabia to the east. It has a very small coastline on the southern tip, where the town of Aqaba lies cradled at the northern end of the Red Sea. From its beaches, the observer can see three other countries: Egypt across the water, Israel to the right (west), and Saudi Arabia to the left (east). Strange to think that in 1967 these waters teemed with military craft in a war with Israel (in which Jordan, Syria, Egypt, and Iraq fought against Israel). Since this time, however, both Egypt and Jordan have opened up their borders with the latter and enjoy a fairly peaceful relationship with their neighbour.

How did I get here… I found myself in the snow without a coat on Easter Sunday in London, heading towards Heathrow to board a plane to Amman and then Aqaba, on this southern Jordanian coastline. I had an 8-hour overnight layover in the capitol, Amman which became a mini-adventure. An Iraqi sitting next to me on the plane insisted that the Intercontinental hotel lobby would be more comfortable than an airport transit lounge in which to spend the night. It was. Definitely one of those risky stories I don’t like to tell my parents, though…

The Intercontinental Hotel in Amman

First observations of Jordan: everybody smokes like a chimney, it is dry and hot, and the people are quite friendly. Travelling as a woman here is not so bad – I was expecting much more hassling from men. While there are certainly stares and comments to be had, I would put the badgering on par with or even less than the south of France, Italy, and Spain.

Touristy is not a word that comes to mind in Aqaba. Here you see locals living their daily lives and the occasional traveller who clearly enjoys getting off the beaten path, wandering in and among brightly lit shops in the evening. It is definitely a town with tourist potential, but it seems to be overshadowed by their glitzy Israeli neighbour, Eilat. From the serene waterfront, where couples stroll silently in the evening, you can see hotels seemingly stacked one upon the other and looming over the far-side beach. I tend to prefer the quiet realism and organised chaos of places like Aqaba, so I think I made the right choice, although given a bit of extra time I think it would have been worth crossing the border just to check it out.

Evening street scene in Aqaba

Activities in Aqaba revolve mainly around the water, with diving and snorkeling being the main draw. There are 22 dive sites in the area and most are accessible from the beach. I took a pair of dives with Arab Divers, walking in from the beach and swimming to a gigantic wreck off shore, where a Lebanese ship called “Cedar Pride” was scuttled for divers by King Abdullah 23 years ago. Our next dive was in the “Japanese Gardens,” full of fish and coral as any good diving spot would be – I’d say it was on the plus side of average. I’m sure there are better locations, but it certainly was not bad.

Me and my dive buddies/guides from Arab Divers

Overall, I wouldn’t say Arab Divers are the most professional outfit, but it was a good day out nonetheless. If you are new to diving, I would suggest doing some research on the other 10-15 dive operators, but experienced divers would have no problem with Arab divers.

Doing anything during the heat of the day other than diving or snorkeling is not ideal, even in March at a “comfortable” 30-35 degrees. The town livens up considerably in the evening when things cool off – the kebab stalls fire up and you can find a good cold beer at restaurants such as Ali Baba.

Bedouin Garden Village, Aqaba

I stayed at a budget guesthouse called Bedouin Garden Village in a double ensuite room for about 10 GBP per night. There are also communal tents and camping spots available. The site boasts a small pool and lounging areas, and is situated across the street from a prime snorkeling location, “Japanese Gardens,” (the same as mentioned earlier). Drawbacks included: at 12km it is far from town and requires a taxi or hitching to get into Aqaba proper, the food left something to be desired, and the toilets smelled of urine. Overall, however, it was satisfactory and cheap. Has potential to be much more than it is, though.

At just over a four hour flight away, Jordan is far more accessible as a UK city break than most would think, and it takes you worlds away. As a budget option, it isn’t a bad way to go.

This article originally appeared in MSN UK Travel