Red Sea Resort with Excellent SCUBA Diving and Snorkelling
Southern Jordan, Jordan
South of the turn-off for Wadi Rum the mountains close in and the road drops steeply and at times dramatically to the Red Sea town of Aqaba. Here the now razor sharp mountains seem to plunge straight into the sea, below the surface of which a paradise for divers and snorkellers awaits.
Background
As with many towns and villages in this part of the world Aqaba can trace its history back to biblical times, though little remains of this period today. The town now provides Jordan’s only link to the sea and an opportunity for travellers to rest and relax whilst exploring some of the wonderful coral gardens of the Red Sea’s Gulf of Aqaba. Aqaba also provides the start point for journeys to Egypt and a ferry service links it with Nuweiba on Egypt’s Sinai coast.
Relaxing
All the larger hotels have pools and there are some good restaurants in town. Seafood is, as you would expect, good, with the local dish, sayadieh, (fish on a bed of rice spiced with tomato, onion, pine nuts spices and pepper) a speciality.