Aqaba

Aqaba is a city defined by its geography: Jordan's only maritime window (27 kilometres of coastline, one of the shortest in the world), it opens onto the Gulf of Aqaba, the north-eastern arm of the Red Sea, at the crossroads of four countries — Jordan to the east, Israel to the west (Eilat 10 km away as the crow flies), Egypt to the south-west (Taba 20 km) and Saudi Arabia to the south-east (Haql 30 km). From Aqaba's public beach, you literally see three other countries with the naked eye — a rare and fascinating geopolitical situation. But what makes Aqaba one of the major beach destinations in the Middle East is scuba diving: the Gulf of Aqaba coral reefs are among the best preserved in the Red Sea (Jordan created in 1997 the Aqaba Marine Park extending over 7 km of coast), and biological diversity is exceptional — 510 fish species recorded, 110 hard coral species, green and hawksbill turtles, eagle rays, reef sharks, dolphins frequently observed.

The jewel of Jordanian diving remains the intentionally scuttled wrecks to create artificial reefs. The Cedar Pride (Lebanese cargo scuttled in 1985 at 25 m, covered with soft corals and parrotfish), the Tank Wreck (American M42 Duster tank sunk in 1999 at 6-7 m, accessible to snorkelers), the Japanese Garden (underwater Japanese garden with sculptures and statues), the Cessna 152 (plane sunk in 2017 at 18 m) and more recently the King Abdullah Reef (military underwater museum opened in 2019 with a C-130 Hercules, an AH-1 Cobra helicopter, tanks and armoured vehicles) make Aqaba one of the most diversified diving sites in the world. The town itself is less spectacular — it is a modern beach resort without much historic charm, with the exception of the 16th-century Mamluk castle and the restored Arab Revolt fort. But its strategic position (1h from Wadi Rum, 2h30 from Petra) makes it the essential beach stop of a complete Jordanian circuit — and one of the rare winter beach resorts accessible from Europe.