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Field notes, travel stories & platform updates from the ActivGate community.

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Showing 11–20 of 56 results
#Aqaba #C130 #Jordan

The C-130 Hercules wreck, Aqaba: a 30-metre military cargo plane scuttled at 16 m for divers

In 2017, the Royal Jordanian Air Force scuttled a decommissioned C-130 Hercules transport plane in Aqaba's Underwater Military Museum. Now …

Anas Hu · 4 min read
#Aqaba #Jordan #Power Station

The Power Station dive, Aqaba: a deep wall with the densest soft-coral cover on the Jordan side

Adjacent to the Aqaba thermal power plant, this site combines a steep reef wall with the warm-water outflow that grows the densest soft-cor…

Anas Hu · 4 min read
#Castles #Crusader #Jordan

Karak vs Shobak: comparing the two big Crusader castles on the King Highway

Both built in the 12th century, both held against Saladin until 1188-1189, both sit on the King Highway. Practical comparison of which to v…

Anas Hu · 5 min read
#Dead Sea #Jordan #Practical

Dead Sea skin care best practices: how to use the mud and minerals without damaging your skin

The mineral-rich mud has documented dermatological benefits but it also has caveats — psoriasis, sunburn, broken skin, and the salt that's …

Anas Hu · 4 min read
#Aqaba #Jordan #Mamluk

The Aqaba Saraya: the Mamluk-era fort that became a cinema and is now a museum

On the Aqaba seafront, the small Saraya building has been a Mamluk way-station, an Ottoman fort, a 1950s cinema, and a heritage museum — ea…

Anas Hu · 4 min read
#Bortle 1 #Dark Sky #Eastern Desert

Eastern desert dark sky: Bortle-1 stargazing 80 km from any town

Beyond Azraq, the eastern Jordanian desert opens to one of the darkest reachable skies in the Middle East. No towns within 80 km, no Bedoui…

Anas Hu · 5 min read
#Dead Sea #Hot Springs #Jordan

Hammamat Main hot springs: where mineral water cascades down a 130-metre cliff into the Dead Sea valley

South of the Dead Sea resort strip, the Zara Ma'in hot springs cascade from the cliffs in a series of waterfalls. The Six Senses lodge is b…

Anas Hu · 4 min read
#Azraq #Birding #Jordan

Azraq Wetland Reserve: the shrunken oasis at the heart of the eastern desert

Once a year-round wetland that supplied water to a 12,000 km² desert region, Azraq is now a fraction of its former self — but a critical mi…

Anas Hu · 4 min read
#Dead Sea #Jordan #Practical

Dead Sea spa resort comparison: which of the nine major hotels actually deserves your booking

Nine resorts, one strip of beach, very different price points and very different experiences. Practical comparison of the major Dead Sea ho…

Anas Hu · 5 min read
#Bedouin #Etiquette #Jordan

Bedouin storytelling night in Wadi Rum: how the evening actually works

After dinner at most Wadi Rum camps, the host gathers everyone around the fire and the storytelling begins. Practical guide to what's offer…

Anas Hu · 4 min read