Am planning to travel to egypt, jordan and possibly syria. wondering if these places are safe for a westerner?

Question

Hate to sound ignorant, and don't mean any offence, just doing my research. Also, any sugestions of places to visit in these amazing countries?

Answer 1

Jordan is completely safe for tourist.

Depending on how much time you'll have, I recommend you to see

1. Petra (must!)

2. The Dead Sea (must!)- can be combined with Madaba and Mt. Nebo

3. Wadi Rum (must!) - sleep 1 night in the desert if you can

4. Jerash

5. Aqaba for 1-2 day to relax

6. Wadi Mujib - if you are into canyon trekking

I personally do not like Amman, but you will probably have to include it.

There is a new hop-on hop-off tourist bus service in Amman that takes you along the main attractions for 10 USD.

Info here: http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=8157

Answer 2

Nope.  I wouldn't go there.  I got lost and ended up in the muslim quarter of Jerusalem and had a close call.  Luckily I'm a big guy and people don't generally mess with me.

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Answer 3

of course they are, i go to jordan and egypt every summer, i love it there....They will definately welcome you because your a tourist and your putting money into their system....but of course there are going to be those people who will dislike the fact that your a westerner but that just because theyre ignorant- its shouldnt bring conflict. People are really more than happy to have a westerner in their country- every year those countries become more westernized themselves lol. You will get people starring at you in curiosity not hatred...and you have to understand taht in that culture starring at people is not rude.

In jordan i recomment Amman for city life, of course Petra day trip, and the dead sea- the dead sea is amazing (if you go stay in the marriot resort, its much nicer that some of the others)  in jordan you can also go to Aquaba but i wouldnt recommend that because im going to recommend a similar place in egypt

In Egypt go to Sharm El' Sheik, its a strip of land in the red sea that is made up of many resorts all next to a strip called Naama BAy which has many clubs, restaurants, etc. (lots of fun)

Sharm is pretty much a toursit place and there is so much to do- last summer i went deep sea diving, snorkleing, parasailing, riding 4wheelers in the desert, water skiiing, dancing at clubs you name it....my favorite place to go....

As far as resorts there i would recommend the Hyat its absolutely huge, it has its own disco lol. but the downside to the Hyat is that you have to take a taxi to naama bay and sometimes the taxi drivers will try to rip of tourists unless u know how to bargain. Some of the other resorts are in a 10-15 walking distance along a trail designed for that purpose. I enjoyed saying at the hyat anyways- they have much better snokeling than any other resort, but to get the best they have a snorkeling boat day trip out in the middle of the sea (they take you to this sunken battle ship) well worth the money...

At naama bay just try the chinese food ahaha, its pretty d**n good.

Ive never been to syria, not much there taht cant be offered in Jordan or Eygpt

have fun maybe ill see you there : )

Answer 4

i dont know about jordan. But egypt and syria are great, comewhat commercial, modern places

Answer 5

Of course. In fact, Syria and Jordan are among the safest countries in the world for tourists.

In Egypt there are the obvious sights all tourists visit- the Pyramids. However, you will find the Pyramids swarming with other tourists and countless would-be tourguides who, if given the proper chance, will hound you until you give in. During Mark Twain's trip to Egypt, he was so pestered by one guide that he offered him $100 if he would throw himself off of the Pyramid first. Luxor and Karnak (down the Nile in Southern Egypt) will probably be less crowded than the Pyramids. In general, you'll find Egypt hot, crowded, and noisy so you probably won't want to spend more than a week there.

Jordan is far quieter than Egypt, with fewer tourist-traps too. However, asside from Petra (a city carved out of living rock, famous as the sight of the filming of the third Indiana Jones movie) Jordan has little to offer. Three or four days is all that you'll need in Jordan.

Syria is similiar to Jordan in many respects. However, out of all the countries in the Middle East, Syria is probably the best destination for tourists. Syria's long fight against Globalization and Westernization have allowed it to preserve much of its culture. At the same time, Syria is a veritable treasure-chest of history. Damascus (the oldest continuously habited city on earth) contains such ruins as the Roman Temple of Jupiter, the Byzantine Citadel, Ummayed Mosque (the 4th holiest site in Islam), Straight Street (which isn't straight), the tomb of Saladin, and the house of Ananias (now a church). Near Damascus is a village called "Maaloula", famous as the last place on earth that Aramaic (the language of Christ) is still spoken. In addition to this there is the Crak de Chevalliers, the largest and strongest Castle ever built and the best preserved Crusader castle in the Middle East. Aleppo contains the reknowned Aleppo Citadel. Not far from Aleppo is a village called Daer Semaan (Simeon's Village), above which are the ruins of a fortified church reffered to as "St. Simeon's Citadel". Until the construction of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, St. Simeon's was the largest church in the world.

I have claimed that these countries are safe, however, there are still rules that tourists should follow.

1. Dress modestly to respect the culture. Long, loose slacks; full length sleeves; and loose shirts are usualy good for both modesty and comfort.

2. If heckeled or annoyed by a guy, simply call for help or make a scene and everyone within a quarter mile radius will come to your aid.

3. Never, under any circumstance, voice support for the state of Israel.

4. Never walk into a mosque with your shoes on or walk behind the altar of an Orthodox church.

Answer 6

Hi... yes!!! You will be fine!!! A friend I know has just come back from from Jordan and she experienced no problems and felt completely safe.... while you are there you MUST see the Ancient City of Petra!!! Syria I'm not sure about but I'm pretty sure you will be safe..... Egypt... well this I can advise you on.... I have been to Egypt 9 times and you will be more than safe!! I often travel alone to Egypt and I doubt very much you will experience any problems... while you are there some must see places are:

Luxor Temple - Luxor

Karnak Temple - Luxor

Valley of the Kings & Queens- Luxor

...including Tutankhamun

Pyramids- Giza/Cairo

The Mosque of Muhammad Ali- Cairo

The Azur Mosque- Cairo

Abu Simbel Temple- Aswan

Other places to visit and perhaps party in Egypt,,, also diving!!

Alexandria

Huhgarda

Sharm el Sheikh

Taba

Im sure you will have a great time!!! if you need any more info on Egypt feel free to email me... also appartments are sometimes cheaper than hotels and i have a few contacts out there if needed!

x

Answer 7

I have traveled to both Egypt and Jordan and never had a problem in either.  The only thing I would add to the list of places that others have given you is if you get a chance to go to a concert at the Roman theater in the heart of Amman do it.  If anything is going on there it will be on a Thursday night.  Also, I found that learning a few phrases in Arabic goes a long way.  People are really nice to you, but if they see that you have taken the time to learn a little of the language, they are even more helpful.  The only bad thing I found in Egypt was the vendors at the sites..  They are in your face and do not take no for an answer.  Do not make eye contact, do not speak to them and do not feel bad pushing past them.  The vendors in Jordan are much nicer. As I do not know about Syria since I have not made it there yet.