3. Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan
Sitting 19 kilometers north of the Dead Sea’s northern tip, this archaeological and religious site is one of the most important and meaningful pilgrimage sites for Christian visitors to Jordan.
Most scholars believe that this is the site where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. During Pope John Paul II’s Holy Land tour in 2000, the site’s claim was officially sanctified by him.
Rubbing right up against the border with Israel and the Palestinian Territories, archaeological work to uncover the ruins here only began in the mid-1990s after Jordan’s peace deal was signed with Israel, and the area’s landmines could be cleared.
4. Hammamat Ma’in
The thermal springs of Hammamat Ma’in are secreted between barren high hills, within the lush valley of Wadi Zarqa Ma’in.
Here, steaming waterfalls gush down the cliffs into pools where people soak in the hot, mineral-rich water.
There are a variety of gender-separated public pools for bathing. The indoor pools are basic and a bit institutional, so best avoided if you’re here to soak up the ambience as well as bathe.
The best option is the outdoor family pool (men-only groups cannot enter), with its little waterfall plunging into the steaming water.
