Petra can be enjoyed in one hectic, hot day, or explored for many more. Walking down through the valley from the Treasury, we pass more tombs and rock formations, as well as the huge theatre (the Romans enlarged it and added stone roads) and market colonnades.

At the opposite end of the site from the treasury, the Monastery is said to be 800 steps up into the mountains. In the afternoon heat the climb takes up to an hour, but it is worth it. Great crevasses and gorges cut through the route, and reaching the top before turning to see the façade, similar in design but even bigger then the treasury, makes it all worth it.

We set off for the mountain-strewn deserts of Wadi Rum late afternoon and transfer to the 4WDs of our Bedouin hosts in time to race into the desert for the dramatic sunset. As the sun dips below the vertical sandstone mountains we've already been treated to a rainbow of red shades. The stillness and tranquillity that inspired TE Lawrence is broken only by the occasional distant sound of a jeep, but the area is so big that it is not hard to find complete solitude.

The thick black communal tents, in the shadows of the peaks that rise many hundreds of metres above the sea of rich red sand, are the perfect place to share dinner, a rare beer and conversation. But when it comes to sleep there's only one place worthy. Wandering away from the camp to bivouac in the moonlit shadows of the mountains, the blue sky of daylight wakes you in time to catch the sunrise and another colourful display.

Leaving Wadi Rum far too soon, it's an ear popping drive down to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth at 400m below sea level. The famed restorative powers of salty sea floating and mud caking are on offer, along with sun worship and views across the water to Israel. On a clear day you can see Jericho, and Jerusalem lights the night sky. Religious or not, you can't help being impressed by the weight of history.

The Kempinski Ishtar Hotel mimics the temples of Arabia. Named after an Assyrian goddess, there's a level of grandeur to match the lavish excesses of Cleopatra, with a disorienting number of swimming pools, and plenty of infinite edges to tumble over. Who'd have thought it - from the most basic desert living to pampering in less than four hours. In some ways it feels obscene, the unbridled luxury. But what better way to conclude a magical tour of ancient places and desert living than with sun, sea and sand - albeit in a sea that you can't convincingly swim in.

The prospect of a Dead Sea mud wrap in the hotel spa is something I don't relish. It's my first punt at a proper spa treatment, but being covered head to toe in mud and wrapped in plastic and blankets is far more pleasant than expected. Later, we mud ourselves up again (with the help of the hotel lifeguards), before rinsing it away with a surface dip in the salty soup.

If you don't enjoy being spoilt, this is not the place for you. Though the general vibe is relaxed and drinks can take an age to arrive, pool or sea-side lounging brings home the extravagance of your situation, with towels relaid each time you stand or swim and recently defrosted flannels dished out to cool the cleansed, it is easy to see how people get used to it.

One other thing that may make you less easy on the sun-lounger, after the eco-friendly slant of the rest of the trip, is the plight of the Dead Sea. Retreating by a depth of more than one metre annually, it could dry up in less than 50 years. Water is being diverted from the river Jordan away from the sea, and all the new spa hotels are exacerbating the problem.

The Jordanian and Israeli governments have finally co-operated on trying to build a canal from the Red Sea to refill it, but it will take decades and no one knows how it will affect the ecological balance. So get there while you can or avoid it, but whatever you decide, Jordan has to be visited at least once - I'll be back to roam the Rum.

NEED TO KNOW

Gareth Scurlock travelled with Royal Jordanian Airlines from Heathrow. Flights take five hours. Visa for UK passport holders available at Amman airport for £8. Passes for Petra cost £15 for one day, £18 for two or £22 for four

Places to stay

Amman

Radisson SAS Hotel
Doubles from £70

Dana Nature Reserve

Dana Guesthouse
Nine bedrooms, most with private terraces, starting at £30 per person per night.

Rummana Campsite
Tents from £13 for single occupancy to £34 for triple occupancy, including bed and breakfast

Wadi Rum

Desert camping through Mzied Atieg
mziedco@yahoo.com ; +962 (0) 777 304 501
£31 for bed, breakfast, dinner and entry to the nature reserve
Optional jeep or camel tours available at extra cost

Dead Sea

Kempinski Ishtar Hotel
Doubles from £140
Dead Sea mud wrap treatments from £30 for 30 minutes