News from the Middle East is seldom encouraging to the casual traveller.

The Arab Spring may have subsided but it has been replaced by an undertow of political disquiet, given to stormy eruptions. However the bloodshed, demonstrations and refugee camps are largely confined to certain regions. And Jordan - which thinks of itself as the Switzerland of the Middle East - remains a safe bet. Indeed, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office say around 81,000 British nationals visited Jordan in 2013 - the last year for which figures are available - and that most visits are trouble free.

Still, it is bordered by Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Israel, so it was with some trepidation that I joined an adventure tour. Our guide, Ibrahim, was born in a Bedouin tent. Perhaps it was his itinerant early days, close to the shifting forces of nature, that gifted him with an ability to connect with people across cultural barriers.

"In English all your sayings are about horses", he observed, sagely. And he was correct. If our metaphorical steeds are not bolting before the stable door is shut, they come bearing gifts and one should not look them in the mouth.

"We speak all the time of camels," said our new friend. "When we say a woman walks like a camel - it is a compliment." That one would almost certainly not have the desired effect if employed as a chat up line in a Scottish pub.

Day one found us blinking in the sunlight, surrounded by a crowd of excitable schoolgirls. We were all waiting to board a steam train on the recently restored Hejaz Railway. It was constructed by the Ottomans between 1900 and 1908 in order to convey pilgrims from Damascus in Syria to the holy places in Arabia. But during the First World War, much of the track was derailed at the instigation of Lawrence of Arabia, who wanted to impede the progress of Turkish soldiers.

Our group occupied its own carriage and we got to sip sedately on mint tea. The tables, chairs and lamps were reminiscent of times past, as was the heroic puffing of the mighty engine, periodically punctuated by a screeching whistle. It was a bit like being transported into an Agatha Christie film set.

Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Petra was unknown to the Western world until it was 'discovered' by a Swiss explorer in 1812. It is best seen at dusk when the rock is rendered rose coloured in the sinking sunlight. However, the ingenuity with which people from around 2,000 years ago used nature as an architectural foundation is worth a look at any time.

Aqueducts channel precious water into the city and deftly carved facades add ornament to naturally existing caves. The House of Treasures is richly adorned with symbols from several great civilisations and a massive amphitheatre stands as a dramatic, visual echo from another epoch. Ibrahim booked us into Petra Kitchen where we joined with a group of Nordic travellers to prepare a Jordanian meal under the tutelage of locals.

Sleep was one thing that was not big on our guide's agenda. We were awoken at 3am and taken to a remote location in the Wadi Rum desert for a hot air balloon ride. A waist high wicker basket feels perilously insubstantial at high altitude. And unsettling, sudden bursts of noisy gas jets broke the silence. However, as the sunrise moulded ancient rocks in shadow and new light and we saw a balloon shaped profile cast on the sand beneath; we were glad to have drummed up the courage to trust our safety to the charming pilot.

Later that day we found ourselves on a boat, navigating the choppy waters of the Red Sea close to Aqaba. Israel could be seen opposite this rather industrial and crowded city. It did not seem like the most promising of places to go snorkelling, so I just made a quick, cursory tour of the coral reef before heading back to the boat.

As ever, it took the input of a person with sound local knowledge and a welcoming attitude to reveal wonders which would otherwise have eluded an outsider. One of the boat's crew persuaded me to stay in the water and then took me by the hand to show me some of the natural wonders lurking beneath the waves.

Using sign language he pointed out neon coloured fish darting around colourful, brain shaped forms.

That afternoon we entered the Captain's Camp in the Wadi Rum Desert where the Bedouin style tents are made of heavy, woven fabric and each guest is supplied with candles and matches because there are no electric lights. In many respects being in the desert was the most relaxing aspect of the trip. We went on a jeep tour and explored vast sand stone structures and natural bridges with the great grandson of a sheik who was an associate of Laurence of Arabia. We went on a camel ride and sat round an open fire sipping freshly brewed mint tea as the sun sunk behind a rocky ridge.

Our trip ended with a stay at the Dead Sea Spa Hotel and a dip in the Dead Sea itself. It is evaporating by a metre a year and may completely disappear within my children's lifetimes. As with the shifting sands of international relations this should prompt us to seize the opportunity to enjoy our world when we can.

FLIGHTS

Royal Jordanian flies daily from London Heathrow to Amman. Flight prices start from £228. Visit www.rj.com or call 08719 112 112

Captain Camp Desert, Wadi Rum: Prices start from £25 per night. Private tents start from £75 per person. www.captains-jo.com /

Dead Sea Spa Hotel

Prices start from £90 per double room, per night.

www.dssh.jo +9625 3561000