Aqaba
Jordan · 0 m
Description
Aqaba (العقبة) is Jordan's only coastal city and its single seaport, wedged into the head of the Gulf of Aqaba between the Sinai and the mountains of Saudi Arabia. Its reefs are the northernmost coral in the Red Sea, and because the drop-off runs close to shore much of the diving and snorkelling starts from the beach rather than a boat. The best-known site is the Cedar Pride, a freighter sunk deliberately in 1985 and now covered in soft coral, with an underwater military museum and a scatter of reef gardens along the same coast. On land the ruins of Ayla mark an early Islamic port town, the Mamluk-era Aqaba Fort guards the corniche, and the giant flagpole beside it commemorates the Great Arab Revolt. Aqaba is a duty-free zone, which gives its markets and waterfront a different feel from the rest of the country. Summer is fiercely hot, while the winter months bring mild days and the clearest water.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 3 days (optimal 2 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: March – April or November – December
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Aqaba Marine Park
- Aqaba Fort
- Cedar Pride Wreck
- Aqaba Flagpole
- South Beach
- Aqaba Corniche
- Ayla, the Old Islamic City
- Great Arab Revolt Plaza
- Japanese Garden
- Glass-Bottom Boat Trip
- Aqaba Archaeological Museum (House of Sharif Hussein bin Ali)
- Sharif Hussein bin Ali Mosque
- Aqaba Souk
- Al-Ghandour Public Beach
- Berenice Beach Club
- Tala Bay
- Underwater Military Museum
- The Tank
- C-130 Hercules Wreck
- Lockheed L-1011 TriStar Wreck
- Yamanieh Reef (Ras al-Yamanieh)
- Seven Sisters
- New Canyon
- Eel Canyon
- King Abdullah Reef
- Black Rock
- Rainbow Reef
- Coral Garden
- Gorgonian I and II
- Blue Coral
- Kiwi Reef
- Moon Valley
- Power Station
- First Bay
- Aqaba Aquarium at the Marine Science Station
- Sunset Sailing on the Gulf of Aqaba
- Fresh Seafood on the Waterfront
- Souk by the Sea
- Saraya Aqaba Waterpark
- Ayla Golf Club
- Fishing Trip on the Red Sea
- Aqaba Bird Observatory (March - May)
Getting there
- Airports:
- AQJ
- Seaport:
- Reachable by ship or ferry
- Border town:
- Jordan