Last updated on November 17, 2019 by Shannon
The wackiest ideas are often born from a single comment, an off-handed remark meant as a joke but then expanded into a full-fledged idea. This is precisely the case with my decision to make some Instagram-worthy photos and jump around Jordan.
My very first day in the country, fellow travel blogger Jodi joked about my travels through China, where I nailed a truly Insta-worthy jumping shot on the Great Wall of China.
And thus was born the self-proclaimed mission to jump at iconic, historic spots and wide open desert spaces around Jordan . . . pretty silly but we made it into a fun mission as we traveled from place to place!
Most Instagrammable Spots in Jordan
Jump through Petra, Jordan
The the mysterious Nabataeans built the ancient city of Petra, Jordan and the huge city built right into the towering sandstone rocks fascinates me.
I love the myth and mystery still surrounding the history of Petra. In short, the Nabataeans were industrious, creative (huge burial tombs, intricate carvings) and super smart (they landed a prime spot on the ancient trade routes).
Leap in Front of the Citadel in Amman
Jodi and I hatched the jumping plan together (along with Jordanian friends Reine and Halla), and our very first jumping pictures in the country took place on one of Amman’s seven hills.
The Amman Citadel holds the Temple of Hercules and the crumbling marble towers stand like soldiers looking over the modern life filling the surrounding six hills, hills filled with the people and suburbia of Amman.
In short, it’s the perfect spot to add some humans floating through the air!
Tower Over the Ruins of Jerash
The ancient city of Gerasa is located in Jerash and the ancient town holds some of the best preserved Greco-Roman ruins in the Near East. But it’s true, so I felt compelled to add that tidbit of history here.
The Jerash ruins sprawled over a wide area of land covered in shrubs and crumbling marble. Many ruins within the city are still intact, with the city’s “streets” and carriageways still clearly visible as you look down from a nearby hill at the ruins below you.
Make Sand Shadows in Wadi Rum Desert
Harder than it looks, I attempted to create a really cool jumping shadow picture. Unfortunately, as magical as the deserts of Wadi Rum are, they do not allow me to unattach myself from my shadow Peter Pan style!
However, that being said, spending a sunset and sunrise in Wadi Rum stands out as one of the top-ten experiences on my round-the-world travels.
Float Above the Dead Sea
No travel prose or wild tangents in my imagination prepared me for the surreal feeling of floating in the Dead Sea.
The waters in the Dead Sea maintain about 34% salinity (compare that with a mere 3.5 % in the pleasantly salty Gulf of Mexico near my hometown).
Because of the high salt and mineral content of the water it’s customary to coat yourself in brown Dead Sea mud from head to toe. Yes, I kid you not, head to toe in mud.
I joke about this, but seriously—jump with caution. I visited Jordan before the steady stream of Instagrammers falling from cliffs in search of the perfect shot. All of these shots were taken on solid ground and without teetering on cliff ledges. It’s possible to be safe and fun, so do that. Be both safe and fun. And buy some travel insurance while you’re at it—I recommend IMG Patriot—just incase you do get a bit overzealous.
Find Gorgeous Vistas on Your Drives!
Though a small country to be sure, it takes several hours between the major historic sites in Jordan and days of stretching desert sands.
Our driver and guide were oh-so tolerant to pull over at every view-point, and even joined in on the game once they knew the type of open landscapes we loved for the jumping shots.
These last couple shots show the endless desert landscapes that lodged in my memory along with the intricate carvings at Petra and Jordan’s delicious pita and fresh mezze dishes.
A big hug of thanks to Jodi, without her photography talent there would have been no jumping through Jordan and without her shouts of caution when I jumped near a ledge, there may not have been a Shannon either!
Onward travel
Having explored large swaths of Jordan, here are some guides and information about the other things to do in the region.
Locations » Dead Sea | Petra | Amman | Wadi Feynan Eco-Lodge | Wadi Rum
Safety » Is Jordan Safe? | Solo Female Travel Safety
Food + Culture » Middle Eastern Food Guide | Jordanian Culture | Bedouin Culture
The best jumping shots ever. lol. Love it!
Hah! Thanks! They are some of my best from my travels, occasionally they turn out pretty crappy no matter how hard you try. :)
YOU HAVE HOPS! Seriously, have you considered a career in jumping? You look so natural suspended in the air, so in-your-element. I love this :p
Hehe! It’s my signature jump, so I’ve been honing it for a couple of years now :) Thanks Joshua!
Jordan looks very pretty. The images are so beautiful and gorgeous..Enjoyable post…
Great jumping photos. Hope your journey was very memorable.
These sure are some places to be joyous of after you take a flight to Jordan for spending your holidays. These spectacular locations surely give a traveller what he wants from the Middle East.
Love all of your jumping photos! So fun! :)
The Dead Sea looks amazing!
What was your favorite place?
Thank you Jillian! It’s tough to choose just one place, but Wadi Rum had a peace and beauty nearly impossible to describe and when I ever visit Jordan again, I will spend longer in the desert :)
So cool! Greatest jumping pictures ever!
Thank you Christina! They are epicly fun to take :)
What a cool concept!
Would love to visit Jordan – these pictures just make me want to go more (I mean, who doesn’t want to be covered in mud! :D)
Thanks Nicole! I really love having a classic shot that’s the same at most of the iconic places I visit :) And Jordan ranks up there as neat with the ability to play in mud as an adult–rarely are we given that chance carte blanche! Safe travels!
Love it! It looks like you can jump a lot higher than I can!
Thanks Christy! I bet you can jump that high…it’s all about the angle :)
These kinds of photos are great to share with others and really indicate how much you were enjoying yourself! I travelled with a few friends a couple of years ago who were awesome at figuring out posed photos. I wish I would remember to do more of these myself :)
It really does help when you are traveling with other people because you not only have the group dynamic of people feeding off of each other with fun photo ideas, but logistically for the photo too! :)
Looks like a lot of fun!
You are a seriously awesome jumper! (And Jodi is a seriously awesome photographer for capturing it all!)
Thanks Amy! Props definitely go to Jodi for capturing it all…no easy task because as much as I can jump, I am actually fairly terrible at capturing it for others! :)
Ha! You’ve been brain washed by the power kick crew haven’t you!?
Great photos, Jordan looks lovely – been on my list for ages as one of my future destinations!
Hah! It is a lot like a power kick and as much fun as that too! Jordan is beautiful and a top ten for me…there is really no way for anyone to not enjoy the country, there is so much history! :)
Awesome post, Shannon! :) The photos totally made me smile. I’ve tried jumping shots, but they never turn out this great. I’d love to see a how-to post. (Like, “How to jump like a rockstar AND catch it in a photo.”) :)
That is a fantastic idea Bridgid…I will have to see if the Jodi can do a how-to on the photography side, because she is far better than I am at that! Also, if you guys make it back to CM I can give you an in-person tutorial :)
This is the happiest blog I think I’ve ever seen…I love it!
And kudos to your mad jumping skillz! :)
Aww, thanks Sarah! It does make me smile to even look back at the jumping shots! Do you do any signature moves in each place? :)
Ahh – I LOVE this post!! And we had so much fun jumping our way around the country too. I’m thrilled to see how well the photos turned out, but I wish we had Ali take a photo of the people watching us jump because that would have been epic too. All those funny “what are those crazy girls doing?!” looks ;)
Great roundup!
Thank you Khun Jodi! Our epic shenanigans must reunite in the next six months or so we can make more people stare and scratch their heads. Best moment of it all though was the 50s-ish woman who wanted you to take one of her too!! :)
You two bring me glee!
Aw, thank you Roxanne, Jodi is a really fun co-traveler…together we seem to cook up some wacky ideas! :)
Thanks for sharing these beautiful and happy jumping photos, they just brought a smile to my face. I especially love the one of you covered in mud :)
– Lily
Thank you Lily! The mud one was hilarious to take because everyone around us at the show was baffled as to why we were leaping around! :)
I was waiting for this post…thought you had abandoned the idea! Awesome pictures :)
Definitely not abandoned, but I wanted it to be near the end of my main stories so it could kind of cap it all off with happiness! :)
I love jumping photos, which recently have been replaced with planking or owling or whatever they new fad is. However I’ll stick with jumping. Very nice jumping locations.
I second you on the jumping…I am baffled by this new planking trend…although one of my pregnant friends posted her at 9 months planking and I have to say, maybe the most awesomely hilarious planking photo I’ve seen! Cheers and thanks Sheila :)
What I love about jumping photos is the pure joy that always shines through–how can you not being having fun when mid-air in an iconic spot? Gorgeous photo essay!
Thank you Christine! It really is one of those moments where it’s hard not to be having a fun time when you’re leaping around (and giggling at the dozens of terrible ones we captured of me mid-take off) :) Do you have any signature moves?
What a great collection. Nice to have them from all of your travels. I take a self-photo at each site, which I’m saving in a special folder for a funny imovie later!
The self-photos work too! I love the idea of compiling them into a movie at some point…I have seen similar type videos and they always turn out really fun to see the same type of image but with different iconic sites just over your shoulder! :)
You are good at that!