It’s Safari Saturday.  Every Saturday I’ll post a blog on specific places in the world that can be fun to travel with kids and/or toddlers and babies that might be less traditional than, say, a trip to Disney.  Readers are encouraged to reply with their own experiences traveling to unique, or perhaps challenging, places in the world (or in the U.S.) with babies or kidlets, or email me about your traveling experience and it could be featured on the next Safari Saturday.

The Dead Sea in Jordan is a very kid-friendly destination, and is a short 30 minute drive from Amman.  Pretty much the only way to enjoy the Dead Sea is either staying overnight or buying a day pass at one of the resorts, such as Movenpick, Holiday Inn, or Crowne Plaza which grants access to the sea and all of their facilities.

Day passes are a bit expensive at about US$60 each, but you receive a sort of temporary charge card with $40 on it to use for drinks and food at various beach front bars and restaurants within the resort (so you basically pay $20 entrance fee, then are forced to spend $40 on food/ drink).  Plan on spending at least a morning or afternoon ( 3-4 hours) to make the fee worth it, and there are often times overnight specials which might end up being more economical than day passes.

Babies and small children are NOT allowed in the Dead Sea itself (so we had to take turns enjoying spreading Dead Sea mud on our bodies and floating weightless on the surface of the sea, but you don’t stay in it for longer than 20 minutes, anyway).  However, there are playgrounds for kids, baby pools, and kids’ pools with shallow ends and little beach areas with views of the Dead Sea.  Yes, it is definitely a resort experience, but a nice one with beautiful views.  Veda loved going there and splashing around in the pool and playing on the sandy beaches both times we went.  The Movenpick is an especially great place to hang out and enjoy with babies.

Related Pages:

Jordan

Destinations

Waddling through Wadi Rum Desert