Itinerary

Day 1 Flight to Amman.

Our local agent will meet you at Queen Alia International Airport and transfer you to the hotel in Amman in an air-conditioned bus.

Day 2 You visit Jerash

the Pompeii of the East. You enter through the monumental South Gate, into the Oval Plaza and find yourself wandering around in a Roman city. Jerash has been covered by sand for centuries, the main reason why it is still so well-preserved. You can experience the marvelous acoustics of the amphitheatre, the stage of the Jerash music festival which is held every year. See for yourself how the Romans built the earthquake-proof columns of the colonnaded streets. Next you visit Umm Qais, where you can enjoy the impressive view over the Golan Heights and Lake Tiberias. You will have a traditional mezze lunch at the guesthouse. On the way back to Amman you visit the Islamic military castle of Ajloun. The castle was used by the Islamic armies to protect the region against the crusaders. After dinner you have plenty of time to enjoy the nightlife of Amman.

Day 3

You departs early for Madaba, where you can see the famous mosaic map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Next stop is Mount Nebo, where like Moses you overlook the Holy Land, and the Dead Sea. You travel along the King’s Highway and see WadiMujib, the grand canyon of Jordan. You stop in Karak for lunch and visit the castle. You continue along the King’s Highway to Petra, where you will stay overnight. If there is enough time, you will visit Dana Village, from where you have a great view of the Dana Nature Reserve.

Day 4

during the morning a local guide escorts you into Petra and shows you the highlights of the Nabatean city. During the afternoon you can wander around in Petra and explore the area for yourself. Maybe you will climb up the stairs to the Monastery and admire the splendid view over the Wadi Araba. In the night you will have dinner by the campfire in Little Petra.

Day 5 – 6

In the morning you drive to Wadi Rum and pass the famous seven pillars of wisdom, described by Lawrence of Arabia. You explore Wadi Rum by jeep, escorted by a Bedouin guide. You can see the house where Lawrence of Arabia lived; the inscriptions made by the Nabateans, and maybe even climb one of the natural rock bridges. After lunch at the visitor’s centre, you continue to Aqaba, where you have the rest of this day and the next day off. In Aqaba you have plenty of opportunity to relax and spend a good time at the beach. Or maybe you like to go diving or hire a glass boat and enjoy the beautiful coral reefs.

Day 7

In the morning you depart for Amman. During the afternoon you make a city tour by bus. You visit the Amman citadel, the Roman theatre and the Souq, a typical Middle Eastern market where you can buy almost everything. In the late afternoon you depart for Queen Alia International Airport and fly back home.

Located in the centre of the Middle East, Jordan has been and still is a bridge between the desert and the sea, between east and west. For the past 10.000 years People have traveled the historic trade routes which cross Jordan. The country abounds in culture, history and nature. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a very Ancient country, yet nowadays a modern kingdom. It offers you diversity, safety and traditional hospitality. On this 7-day trip you will see the highlights of the historical and cultural heritage of Jordan and enjoy some of the most beautiful landscapes on earth. Jordan, the holy land Traveling around Jordan is walking on holy ground. Many places named in the Bible today are located in Jordan. To name a few: along the 6.000 years old King’s Highway you travel through the kingdoms of Ammon, Moab and Edom. From Mount Nebo you can see the Dead Sea, Jerusalem and Jericho, just like Moses did when he first caught a glimpse of the Holy Land. Near the river Jordan you will find Bethany, the place where John the Baptist lived and to which Jesus fled for safety after being threatened with stoning in Jerusalem. During the Byzantine Empire, which reigned from 330 to 640 AD, Jordan’s population increased and was apparently prosperous. The most common religion in those days was that of the early Christians. Throughout the country there are still a lot of archaeological remains to be found. The famous Byzantine mosaics even now are very impressive. Mosaics were made in private homes, but nowadays it’s mostly churches which are open for visiting. During your trip you will visit Madaba and see the masterpiece: the 6th century map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Other places with Byzantine sights you will visit are Jerash and Umm Qais. Jordan also was the battleground of the crusades. When the Arabs attacked the holy places of the Byzantines, the crusaders came to their aid. Along the King’s Highway you visit the castles of Karak and Shobak, both strategically built on top of a mountain. Even if you only want to admire the view it’s worth visiting the castles. It was in Karak where Saladin and Richard Lionheart fought their battles. After the Byzantine period Islam became the most common religion in Jordan. The empire of the famous Umayyad dynasty reached from Central Asia to Spain. The Umayyad built the Alhambra in Granada, the Mezquita in Cordoba and the famous mosques in Damascus and Aleppo. In Jordan they built several palaces, mainly in the eastern desert, which in those days was far greener than nowadays and was used as hunting ground. Jordan, the historical and cultural legacy The history of Jordan dates back long time. Jordan was inhabited by people as early as the Stone Age. It has undergone influences of the Persians, the Nabateans, the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs, the Mamluks and the Ottomans. During the beginning of the 20th century the Arab tribes fought for their independence. After the battle, in which the well-known Lawrence of Arabia played an important role, finally in 1921 Britain recognized Transjordan as an independent state. After the Second World War Britain gave up its mandate on Transjordan and Jordan became the independent Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The most beautiful witnesses of this rich hiðwstory are Petra and Jerash. Petra was the meeting centre of the Nabatean spice routes, coming in from the Persian Gulf, Western Arabia and the Red Sea. About 2000 years ago Petra became the capital of the Nabatean Empire. Petra puts your imagination to the test. It’s a mystic and glorious place, an eternal tribute to a lost civilization. The natural richness of the mountains area combines with the refined culture and massive architecture of the Nabateans. The Nabateans carved their theatre, their temples, facades, tombs, monasteries, houses and roads entirely into the natural rose-red sandstone rocks. No wonder UNESCO placed Petra on its World Heritage List. You enter Petra by passing the deep and narrow gorge called the Siq. Your efforts are rewarded by the dramatic sight of the Treasury, the most famous monument in Petra. The Treasury is also the stage of the final sequence of the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. But that’s only the beginning. Various walks and climbs reveal hundreds of buildings carved in stone and eroded through the centuries into fabulous multi-colored walls. North of Amman you will find Jerash, which is sometimes called the Pompeii of the East. Jerash was part of the Roman Decapolis, the league of ten cities. Jerash is one of the best preserved Roman towns outside Italy. Its colonnaded streets, baths, theatres, plazas and arches remain in exceptional condition. A walk through Jerash is a journey in time. You can imagine yourself being a Roman commander entering in your chariot riding over the paved stone, an actor staging a play in the amphitheatre, or a priest leading a procession up the stairs of the temple of Artemis. Jordan, nature’s best when thinking of Jordan, most of us associate it with the desert. In reality however, Jordan has a very rich natural diversity. Ranging from pinewood forests in the north, to desert areas in the east and south, wetland oases in the east, to the Dead Sea and the coral reefs of the Red Sea. Jordan is home to more than 75 different species of animals, nearly 400 species of birds, more than 70 species of reptiles and nearly 2.500 species of plants. During the last decades Jordan has invested a lot in preserving the natural diversity by creating wildlife reserves. During your trip you will have ample opportunity to enjoy the Jordanian nature. The Dead Sea is the lowest spot on earth. Its leading attraction is the super salty water, of which many people say it has healing powers. The biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, where Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt, are believed to have been located close to the Dead Sea. When traveling on the southwards winding King’s Highway, you pass through very attractive landscapes. When you leave the rolling hills of Moab behind, the road plunges down 600 meters into the WadiMujib, the grand canyon of Jordan. The vast and barren landscape of WadiMujib is an unforgettable memory. Further on down the road you stop at the medieval Bedouin village of Dana, where you can admire one of Jordan’s finest nature reserves. From the viewpoint near the village you will have a wonderful view of the green mountain ranges of the Jordan Rift Valley. ‘Vast, echoing and Godlike’ is the way in which Lawrence of Arabia described Wadi Rum. It’s a journey to another world; a silent and timeless place, where you are dwarfed to insignificance. The uniquely shaped massive mountains rise out of the rose-red desert sand. If you are lucky, the local Bedouin tribes will invite you in their black tents to share their mint tea or their cardamom-flavored coffee. Aqaba, Jordan’s only port, lies on the northern tip of the Red Sea. The waters of the Red Sea are crystal clear and have an abundant marine life. In the Red Sea you will find more than 140 species of coral and countless species of brightly colored fish. It’s an ideal location for scuba diving, snorkeling and other water sports.

Included in the price:

• Meets and assist at the Sheik Hussein Bridge
• Accommodation in tourist class hotels,on H/B bases
• Tour Guide Full Knowledge (02-05 pax at the sites, 06 pax ++ full tour)
• All Lunches
• Entrance fees to all sites as per itinerary
• Transportation by air-conditioned coach, dinners, guided sightseeing excursions and entrance fees as mentioned per itinerary
• Jeep safari in Wadi Rum for two hours
• Assist with departure

Not included in the price:

• Visa costs and departure taxes.
• Insurance
• Tips
• Drinks

 Accommodation