Archive for January, 2010
Getting Into and Around Jordan
All visitors to Jordan, regardless of their travel purposes or country of origin, are required to obtain a visa upon arrival. Visas can be acquired before taking flights to Jordan or may be issued at the airport. You’ll also need to present documentation and tickets for any travel you plan to do beyond Jordan. British citizens will have to show a valid passport.
Queen Alia International, the main airport in the country, is located just 35kms from central Amman. Domestic flights are limited to a single route between Amman and Aqaba, so if you plan to travel around the country it is generally easier and more flexible to hire a car. Filling stations are few and very far between, so be sure to plan ahead and fill up before heading out of the larger towns and cities. If you have held a valid driver licence in your home country, for at least a year, you will be allowed to hire a car in Jordan. Driving is on the right-hand side and road signs are in both English and Arabic. Look out for the brown signs that mark various points of interest for tourists.
If you’d rather leave the driving to someone else, you can take any of the bus routes through the major cities. Aimed at the tourist population, buses are modern and air conditioned and stop at all main tourist attractions. Bus travel is a bit pricier than hiring a taxi or renting a car, but it’s safe and comfortable.
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Northern Ireland Attractions
Flights to Belfast in the Province of Northern Ireland drop visitors into the middle of a place with so much to see that it can be difficult to choose a starting point.
To see natural beauty, visit the regal Mourne Mountains or the Sperrins region. Lough Neagh is the largest freshwater lake in the entire UK; there’s also Lough Erne; the Bann, Blackwater, Lagan, and Foyle rivers; Rathlin Island; and the Causeway Coastal Route.
Visit the Crown Liquor Saloon in Belfast for a nip of Irish whisky and to see a bit of local history. While you’re in Belfast also take a guided tour of the Shankill and Falls Roads. These Catholic and Protestant areas, divided along peace lines, give some insight into a more troubled time in the city.
In Antrim, check out the Giant’s Causeway, a cluster of more than 40,000 basalt columns. Resulting from a prehistoric volcanic eruption, this is Northern Ireland’s only World Heritage Site. Legend has it that Irish hero Finn McCool built the columns in order to reach his true love, who lived across the water in Scotland.
Take a break at the Bushmills Distillery nearby the columns. The distillery is open for public tours and is the only active Irish distillery accessible to the public.
Flights to Belfast and Northern Ireland also provide access to Florence Court in county Fermanagh. Dating back to the 18th century, the Earls of Enniskillen lived here for generations. The grounds and main house are open for tours. In County Down, you can also tour the grounds of Mount Stewart on Strangford Lough. Built in the 1920s, these grounds are thought to be some of the best in the UK.