10 things to do in the village of Salt on a day out

Salt is located only 35 km outside of Amman and has recently been nominated as UNESCO world heritage site. This ancient town was once the most important settlement between the Eastern Desert and the Jordan Valley. We figured this small town is definitely worth a visit when in Amman – here are the top 10 things to do in Salt on a day trip!

 

1. Stroll down Hamman Street and Al Ein Plaza

You should not miss a stroll down Hammam Street. With plenty of small shops lining up next to each other and full of locals, there is lots to see (and taste!). Vendors offer everything: local food and produce, clothing, household goods, handmade perfumes, delicious sweets from bakeries, old Arabic beddings, traditional crafts, more clothing and more food. Back in the days, the lower half was sued to sell cattle and horses, while the upper half was filled with shops selling fruit and veggies.

Al Ein Plaza is considered the heart of the city. Here you’ll see the local old men playing a traditional game called Manqala and you’ll hear the Islamic call for praying. Most people from As-Salt come here every day to talk to others, pray in the surrounding churches or head to the markets, as part of their daily routine.

2. Eat at Salaam (Peace) Restaurant

The perfect place for lunch on a day out in Salt! Head to Salaam Restaurant, which is located close to the Archaeological Museum for some good and local food. We ordered half a chicken with bread, cucumber salad, tahina salad and pickled vegetables – very delicious!

 

3. Head up to the mosque on top of the hill for amazing views

Climb up the hill towards the mosque on top, and you can enjoy nice views over As-Salt – in every direction! Just head towards the tower of the mosque on the hill from the Al Ein Plaza, which will also lead you through characteristic, small alleyways.

Photo by: Vadim Skorobogatko

4. Check out Salt’s museums

In Salt, there is the Historical Old Salt Museum and the Archaeological Museum that are well worth a visit. The Historical Museum has free admission and is located right next to the visitor centre. In the visitor centre, you’ll also find plenty of useful brochures and maps for walking tours through As-Salt. There is also a nice cafe with a terrace, and you can buy local produce from there. The rather small Archaeological Museum is 2 JOD per person and filled with old artefacts from the surrounding region.

5. Dinner with a local family

The perfect finishing touch for a day out in Salt: Have dinner with a local family. You’ll meet them at their home, help prepare the food and learn how to prepare a traditional dish. And then, of course, you’ll eat dinner together. This is a great way of meeting locals, learning from them and discovering new food! Get in touch with us, we can organise it for you: [email protected] 

6. Empower locals by buying handmade products

The ideal place to get some souvenirs for your loved ones back home! The shop is located right next to the visitor centre and sells local products made by the people in As-Salt. It is a community project which aims to give locals the opportunity to display their items. That way, they can sell their products directly and without intermediaries, ensuring a fair price. You’ll find things like soaps, oils, jewellery, homemade jams and other produce or bags and paintings.

7. Go on a city walking tour with a local guide

A great way to get to know As-Salt is by going on a walking tour through the city with a guide, who will be able to tell you about the history and personal stories of local people. There are also several different routes, depending on your interests. The first one focuses on religious harmony in As-Salt and will take you to various mosques, churches and heritage buildings. The second trail is called Daily Life trail and is all about tasting new foods, buying unusual products and speaking to locals. Finally, you can choose to do the Educational Trail, where your guide will tell you more about the educational buildings in As-Salt, and you will pay a visit to the secondary school there. Click here for more information: http://www.saltcitytour.com/

8. Visit the churches in Salt

There are three churches you should visit in Salt: the Al-Khader Orthodox Church was built over the remains of an old chapel and Muslims as well as Christians come to pray at this church. There is also the Dormition of Virgin Mary Orthodox Church, constructed in the 16th century. The local community funded part of the refurbishment of this church. Last but not least, you should visit the Latin Church. It was designed by an Italian architect and back in the days, the basement of this church was used for storing supplies of the Turkish Army and local citizens.

Photo by: L’esc Photography

9. Go paintballing at the Mountain Breeze Resort

You can also combine your day in Salt with an overnight stay or visit to the Mountain Breeze Resort. Here you can do all sorts of exciting and fun stuff: Go paintballing (the only paintball field in Jordan!), unleash your inner Robin Hood and do some archery, play volleyball or football, hire a bike, ride ponies or go on a hiking tour! Follow this link for more info: http://www.mountainbreeze.jo/about/

Photo by: Mountain Breeze Resort

10. Get Lost

You can discover many characteristic alleyways in Salt. Most likely you will get lost, which is not as bad as it sounds: You will find small local shops, old and abandoned houses, stunning architecture and lots of friendly people who are more than happy to help you to get back on track again!

Photo by: Adeeb Atwan

What’s it like doing an internship for In2Jordan?

Going to Jordan for an internship that has nothing to do with NGOs or aid organisations but for tourism sounds pretty random at first. When I tell people what I’m doing here, most people look at me in surprise and wonder “Why Jordan?”- I found that the best answer is “why not Jordan?”

 

Why Jordan?

Jordan is a great place to do an internship. It has so much to offer: from breathtaking landscapes and a warm and welcoming culture to endless activity offerings and food that makes your mouth water. Whether it’s an internship for 3 months or a year, you’ll have plenty to see and do in your free time. You can, for instance, go diving (or snorkelling), abseil from waterfalls, go on exciting hikes through canyons, sleep in Bedouin camps, join Arabic classes, see the world wonder Petra, float in the Dead Sea or race on a camel through the desert. From Jordan, it is also easy to pay a visit to the surrounding countries like Israel, Egypt, the UAE or Lebanon for example on a slightly longer weekend.

 

Why In2Jordan?

In2Jordan is a fantastic company to work for. Everyone in the company is incredibly friendly, doesn’t hesitate to help, give advice and share their knowledge. I always felt very comfortable and when working and enjoy going to work every morning.

Moreover, I was able to learn a lot from my internship with In2Jordan. Through the fact that I was involved in so many different and varied tasks, I feel like I gained more experience in several areas at the same time. Like, for instance, sales, product development or social media.

If there is a conference or seminar taking place, In2Jordan will send you to go there if possible. I, for example, was able to visit the women cooperation in Iraq al Amir, which was a great day and gave me a better insight of what they are offering.

When I arrived and before coming here, In2Jordan was very helpful with getting things organised. They helped me in finding a place to stay as well as pickup, transfers and accommodation in the first few days. They also assisted me with visa renewals and helped me to get a Jordanian phone number.

Last but not least, for some periods during my internship, I was able to work from home – or where ever I was. One day I worked in Wadi Rum!

 

My role during the internship

My duties in my role were varied and wide-ranging. I communicate directly with clients about what they want and how they imagine their holiday to be like, and create an itinerary accordingly. Part of that is also to calculate quotations and look after the payment procedure. I also book the hotels and activities for them, which means that I am in direct contact with suppliers. I am also available while customers are travelling, in case there are any issues or they have questions. Although colleagues who are from Jordan or lived here longer are often more useful in that as they know the country better.

Further duties include doing the monthly accounting, keeping up with posts on our social media channels, writing blog posts for our website or creating new trips and uploading them to our various sales channels. Lately, I have also started translating our itineraries into German, as we will soon be offering our customised holidays to the German market. This will be very exciting…

 

Options for after the internship

If the internship goes well for everybody and you enjoy the work, there are several possibilities for once the internship finishes.

You can, for example, continue working for In2Jordan as a travel consultant, but be based outside of Jordan. That means that you can choose to live where ever, as the job can be done from your laptop. Also, you might happen to be in the same country as some of the clients, which is also an advantage.

There is also the possibility of staying with the company as a fully trained travel consultant and living in Jordan. You can choose to base yourself in Amman, Aqaba, Petra or which place you would like best.

So, all in all, it might have been a bit of a lucky coincidence for me to have ended up in Jordan. I did not assume that this was the country I would work in after my studies, and before coming here I would not have thought that I would decide to stay in Jordan after my internship. But I have to say, I had a great time in Jordan and with In2Jordan, and I can only recommend it.

To see what vacancies we have at the moment, check out the career section of our website: https://in2jordan.com/about/careers/