Jewels of Jordan

Welcome to Jordan!

On arrival you will be greeted and transferred to your hotel. In the evening we shall enjoy a welcome dinner together in a local restaurant.

Amman, the capital of Jordan is amongst the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and is a fascinating city where the very ancient and the brand new collide.

If you arrive early, you may wish to take a taxi to Rainbow Street, popular with Ammanis and tourists alike. This narrow, cobbled road is lined with cafés, souvenir shops, restaurants and bars. Rainbow Street is a lovely place to walk around, soak up the ambiance and perhaps enjoy fresh, homemade falafel.

After breakfast we drive North to ancient Jerash. Populated for over 6,500 years, the city's golden age was in Roman times when it was conquered by General Pompey and became one of a confederation of ten important Middle Eastern cities, known as the Decapolis League.

We shall take a walk around the colonnaded streets, hilltop temples, and the chariot-racing stadium. It is very easy to imagine Roman life carrying on around you!

After lunch we return to Amman to discover the delights of the Citadel Jabal al-Qal'a; the highest point in Amman. Artefacts found at the site signify it has been a royal city for thousands of years and it is believed to have been fortified during the Bronze age some 3,000 - 4,000 years ago.

Two pillars of the Herculean Roman temple stand proudly and have withstood centuries of earthquakes and invasions, as have some buildings of the 7th century Umayyad Palace which can still be explored.

After an early breakfast we check out and depart for the Dead Sea, officially the lowest point on the earth's surface.

The water’s high salt content (33%) allows swimmers the unique experience of floating naturally on the calm sea without sinking. After a couple of hours relaxing here, (there are facilities to shower and get changed) we shall have lunch together.
After lunch we visit Madaba, a town with a strong Christian heritage known as the 'City of Mosaics' as it exhibits hundreds of Byzantine-era mosaics.

The most famous is the 6th century map of Jerusalem, created from two million pieces of vividly coloured local stone. It is believed to be the oldest surviving map of the Holy Land.

The following morning, we visit nearby Mount Nebo; referenced in the Old Testament as the mountain where Moses looked down upon the Promised Land. This location is sacred to many devout pilgrims and on clear days offers views across the Dead Sea, Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

We continue our journey along the King's Highway to Kerak, a 5,000-year-old route used for centuries by traders, armies and pilgrims. Here we will visit an ancient Crusader Castle, built on a rocky outcrop and containing a maze of stone-vaulted halls and passageways. It is the jewel among a chain of fortresses built for the Holy War against Islam.

After a short drive we arrive in Petra, Jordan's most valuable treasure. We check-in and enjoy dinner togerther. We may arrive in time to take an optional candlelit tour of the ancient city (supplement applies). Abandoned centuries ago, this other-worldly place is enhanced by the play of light and shadow to create an altogether magical experience.

Petra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the new wonders of the world. Over the next two days we get the opportunity to discover Petra and to soak up this ancient city that is carved upon distinctive pink rocks.

After a guided orientation tour highlighting the key areas of interest, we have the rest of the day to explore independently. Most of what can be seen today was built by the Nabataeans - an industrious Arab community who settled here more than 2,500 years ago, growing wealthy on tax proceeds from passing silk and spice trade.

Petra's spectacular setting deep inside a narrow desert gorge adds to it’s majesty. The site is accessed by walking through a kilometre-long chasm (known as the Siq), the walls of which soar to a height of 200m. Petra's most famous monument, the Treasury, appears dramatically at the end of the Siq, carved out of the sheer, dusky-pink rock face earning the poetic moniker ‘a rose-red city half as old as time’.

Miraculously well preserved, this massive 43-metre-high facade dwarfs everything around it and perfectly represents the engineering genius of local people. The existence of this site had been kept secret for centuries by the local Bedouins and only revealed to the West by the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812. After the city declined due to shifting trade routes and a series of earthquakes, the Bedouins continued to use the sophisticated water system created by the Nabataeans to capture the perennial stream and occasional flash floods, a precious oasis in the middle of an inhospitable desert.

Petra’s colonnaded streets offer historic tombs and temples, and one could easily imagine the caravans of old laden with frankincense, spices and textiles travelling through the Siq.

Petra is excellent for photography; notably in mid-morning and late afternoon when the angled sun highlights and enhances the natural red, pink and orange colours of the rocks.

Today is a free day for you to explore more of Petra's beauty. You may choose to climb the steep path to the 'High Place of Sacrifice' for a stunning desert view or perhaps trek to the impressive Monastery - Petra's largest monument.

This evening we shall visit a local, family-run restaurant for a Bedouin cookery demonstration. The chef will show us how to cook a traditional main meal and Jordanian sweet before we share dinner together.

Today we shall experience the lifestyle of the nomadic Bedouin people and embrace the true Wadi Rum desert.

This morning we leave Petra by bus and head to Wadi Rum Visitor Centre where we transfer into 4WD vehicles for an exhilarating jeep drive through the desert. This is a great chance to see the most spectacular and untouched parts of Wadi Rum.

Wadi Rum occupies a region of 74,000 acres and as described by T.E. Lawrence, is 'vast, echoing and God-like...'. Monolithic outcrops of granite rock and sandstone rise from the desert with a drifting blanket of sand between them. The sands are at their most impressive at dawn and dusk when the soft light and blue sky create a coppery effect on the sand. The Bedouins learnt to live with this hostile environment 3000 years ago, with camels a key support to their lifestyle. The Bedouins understood the importance of a nomadic lifestyle, constantly interpreting the elements in order to find food and water. This afternoon we shall experience a camel ride and learn about this precious alliance between the dromedary and the nomads.

After sunset, we will enjoy Bedouin hospitality around the campfire; a great setting to share stories while sipping mint and sage tea. A traditional zarb, consisting of a chicken or a goat meat (vegetarian options available) cooked under the desert sand, is served as well as a delicious selection of mezze. On clear nights the blanket of stars above are mesmerising.

The campsite offers the experience of traditional Bedouin living arrangements in a large communal goat-hair tent. This provides ideal protection against extremes of hot and cold weather and superb desert views. The tent is laid out with rugs, mattresses, pillows and blankets and is where each tribe would commune to eat, sleep and socialise. There is also a fire pit to sit around and enjoy local sweet tea. The camp is intimate, set within the protected area of the Wadi Rum and remote from the tourist hubs and arterial roads. A toilet and wash block with limited washing facilities is available during our stay. Private tents can be paid for locally should you wish, subject to availability.

Today we will leave the desert and drive to the coast, for some fun, sun and relaxation. Aqaba is Jordan’s only town on the sea, and we stay in this Red Sea beach resort for the next three nights.

After breakfast we head South of town, where the warm and relatively shallow waters of the Red Sea offer a series of untouched corals reminiscent of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. It provides one of the best snorkelling experiences you can find on the Red Sea. You will be provided with snorkelling equipment and can submerge yourself and admire nature’s colourful reefs.

If you don't have your sea legs, there are several beaches to choose from or you can spend the afternoon drinking tea in one of many seaside cafes.

The afternoon is free personal time, and we will meet again in the evening for dinner.

Today is a free day. You might take a boat trip on the Red Sea, enjoy a long walk along the shoreline, perhaps enjoy another day snorkelling amongst the local aquamarine life, or simply relax by the pool and reflect on a wonderful holiday.

If you are interested in more history, there is the 14th century Ottoman Fort to explore. This is where T.E Lawrence embarked for Cairo with big news about a revolt. There are also plenty of cafes and restaurants where you can sit back and enjoy the local cuisine.

We rejoin in the evening for a farewell dinner together, to round off a wonderful journey through Jordan.

After breakfast, it's sadly enough time to bid farewell to Jordan. You will be transferred to the airport in time for your flight home.