Day 1. Arrival to Amman Airport, Transfer to hotel in Amman.
Upon arrival at Amman Airport you will be met and transferred to your hotel in Amman.
Larsa Hotel or similar
Day 2. Amman - Jerash - Dead Sea - Amman.
Drive 50 kilometres north of Amman to Jerash which is considered one of the largest and most well-preserved sites of Roman architecture outside Italy. To this day, its colonnaded streets, baths, theatres, plazas and arches remain in exceptional condition. Within the remaining city walls, archaeologists have found the ruins of settlements dating back to the Neolithic Age, indicating human occupation at this location for more than 5000 years. This is not surprising, as the area is ideally suited for human habitation. The history of Jerash is a blend of the Greco-Roman world of the Mediterranean basin and the ancient traditions of the Arab Orient. Continue down to the area called al Aghwar until we reach what they call the deepest point on earth about 410m under the sea level, the Dead Sea; 75 kilometres long and from 6 to 16 kilometers wide. It is fed by the Jordan River, but it has no outlet. As its name suggests, the Dead Sea is entirely devoid of plant and animal life. This is due to an extremely high content of salt and other minerals - 350 grams of salt per kilogram of water, 33% saltier than other seas. These natural elements give the waters of the Dead Sea certain
curative properties, recognised since the days of Herod over 2000 years ago. In addition to its historical significance, today the Dead Sea is an important and rich source of minerals essential for the treatment of various medical conditions such as psoriasis. Visitors to the Dead Sea come away with an unforgettable swimming experience, as the high density of the water makes sinking virtually impossible. Indeed, swimming is also difficult, as one is lifted
too high in the water to be able to stroke properly. More appropriate is the often-photographed pose showing a visitor reclining in the water, leisurely reading a perfectly dry newspaper.
Larsa Hotel or similar
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 3. Madaba Visit - Mt. Nebo - Kerak - Petra.
After breakfast visit Madaba, famous for its exquisite 6th century mosaics. Its history dates back at least 3500 years. However, Madaba, which was known in the Bible as the Moabite town of Medaba, is also mentioned in the Old Testament account of Moses and the Exodus. Madaba’s most famous mosaic is located in the Church of St. George in the middle of town. The Mosaic Map of Palestine represents the Holy Land and its surrounding regions. The mosaic was made around 560 CE, originally composed of over 2.3 million pieces, and measured a staggering 25 by 5 metres. It is thought that 11,500 man-hours would have been required to lay the entire mosaic. The church is the property of the Franciscans since 1933 and contains beautiful icons. This visit is followed by a visit to the Madaba Archaeological Park to learn about the city’s fascinating past. Continue to Mount Nebo, the place where you can enjoy the breath-taking views from which Moses last looked upon the Holy Land. The King’s Highway takes you over one of Jordan’s most spectacular sights, Wadi Mujib. About 50 kilometres north of Karak, this canyon is over 1000 metres deep. Wadi Mujib was a natural boundary which separated the Moabites in the south from the Amorites in the north. Drive to Petra where you will spend the night.
Al Anbat Hotel 3* or similar
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 4. Petra Full Day Visit.
Petra; inhabited since prehistoric times, this Nabataea caravan-city, situated between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, was an important crossroads between Arabia, Egypt and Syria-Phoenicia. It is one of the world's richest and largest archaeological sites set in a dominating red sandstone landscape. Petra is half-built, half-carved into the rock, and is
surrounded by mountains riddled with passages and gorges. The outstanding universal value of Petra resides in the vast extent of elaborate tomb and temple architecture; religious
high places; the remnant channels, tunnels and diversion dams that combined with a vast network of cisterns and reservoirs which controlled and conserved seasonal rains. In the Rose City you have to walk through the "Siq", a narrow throat of more than 1 kilometre in length, bounded on both sides by abrupt cliffs which amount to more than 80 metres. This experience is breathtaking! You will feel tiny next to this impressive pink facade cut out of the rock. Although much has been written about Petra, nothing really prepares you for
this amazing place. It has to be seen to be believed!
Al Anbat Hotel 3* or similar
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 5. Petra - Wadi Rum (4x4 Tour).
After breakfast take the road to the desert of Wadi Rum, also known as ‘The valley of the Moon’. Wadi Rum is a unique desert situated between Petra's historic site and the Red Sea. The walls of stones are sculpted at the extreme and adorned with colour, including all the nuances of yellow, black, red and purple. This is a timeless place, virtually untouched by humanity and its destructive forces. Here, it is the weather and winds that have carved the imposing, towering skyscrapers, so elegantly described by T.E. Lawrence as “vast, echoing and God-like..." Wadi Rum has been inhabited by many human cultures since prehistoric times. The Bedouins of the region has kept their semi-nomadic lifestyle. They are very welcoming and often invite you to enjoy a coffee or a meal with them.
Fixed Camp
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6. Wadi Rum - Aqaba and free time to enjoy the Red Sea.
After a magnificent night in the desert and a nice breakfast we head to Aqaba. With its mild winter climate and idyllic setting, Aqaba is Jordan’s year-round aquatic playground. In winter, while Amman shivers around 5oC, the temperature hovers steadily at about 25oC in Aqaba. In 1965, King Hussein traded 6000 square kilometres of Jordanian desert to Saudi Arabia for another 12 kilometres of prime coastline to the south of Aqaba. This gave Jordan’s only port room to expand and added the magnificent Yamanieh coral reef to the Kingdom’s list of treasures. The thriving underwater marine life and the crystal clear waters of the Gulf of Aqaba make diving conditions there some of the best in the world. Conditions are ideal for underwater photography, and a lavish assortment of exotic fish and plantlife make it excellent for snorkelling and diving. Over 140 species of coral have been identified in Aqaba’s waters. Other water sports are also popular there.
Zaituna Hotel 3* or similar
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 7. Aqaba - Amman and visit of the city.
Today we go back towards the north of the country, to the Capital Amman, a fascinating city of contrasts – a unique blend of old and new, ideally situated on a hilly area between the desert and the fertile Jordan Valley. The seven hills of Amman are an enchanting mixture of ancient and modern. Amman has served as the modern and ancient capital of Jordan. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with a 1994 excavation uncovering homes and towers believed to have been built during the Stone Age, circa 7000 BCE. The city was renamed Philadelphia after the Ptolemaic ruler Philadelphus in the third century BCE. After coming under the Roman vassal King Herod in 30 A.D, the city became part of the Decapolis League. During the Byzantine period, Philadelphia was the seat of a Christian bishop, and several expansive churches were built. After the Great Arab Revolt secured the state of Transjordan, Emir Abdullah bin al-Hussein made Amman his capital in 1921 and since then, the city has grown into a modern, thriving metropolis of well over a million people. Visit the Amphitheatre, the traditional museums and the Citadel.
Larsa Hotel 4* or similar
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 8. Transfer to Airport for flight back.
Today you will be transferred to Amman Airport for your onward flight.
Meals included: Breakfast