The Road to Petra (5 nights - 6 days)

Day 1 -  Meeting and assistance by our staff at Queen Alia International Airport. Transport to hotel in Amman. Overnight at hotel in Amman.

Day 2 - Umm Qais - Jerash - Ajloun

Morning departure to visit to umm Qais (Ancient Gadara), one of the most brilliant of Greco-roman cities was built mainly out of black basalt. Here you can enjoy the impressive view over Lake Tiberias and the Golan Heights. Later head toward the city of Jerash that has been covered by sand for centuries, the main reason why it is still so well-preserved, you will enter Jerash through the monumental South Gate and find yourself wandering around in a Roman city.

You will walk in the Oval Plaza surrounded by colonnades, visit the Roman theatre and Byzantine churches with mosaic-covered floors. Enjoy a stroll along Jerash' main road the Cardo and pass by the Nymphaeum.

You may experience the marvellous acoustics of the theatre, the stage of the Jerash music festival which takes place every year. And see for yourself how the Romans built the earthquake-proof columns of the colonnaded streets. Proceed towards Ajloun to tour the 12th century Saracen castle built by one of Saladin's lieutenants in the campaign against the crusaders. Return to hotel in Amman for overnight.

Optional: The Roman Army and Chariot Experience (RACE), Jerash

The monumental hippodrome at the ancient city of Jerash in Jordan is, for the first time in over a thousand years, hosting a spectator event – authentic replica Roman

chariots racing in the Roman circus at Jerash.

...LIVE THE EXPERIENCE

Show Detail:

TWICE DAILY SHOWS

WEDNESDAY - THURSDAY AT 11AM AND 2PM

FRIDAY ONE SHOW ONLY AT 10AM

The performance lasts approximately 45 minutes.

Day 3 - Madaba - Mount Nebo - Bethany (Baptism site) –  Dead Sea

Drive southwards visiting Madaba Saint George’s church which i famous for the unique mosaic map of the Holy Land, which can be found in the church floor. Proceed to mt. Nebo, the place where Moses looked over the Holy Land and the Dead Sea. That is the place where Moses was seen for the last time, therefore we consider this place as burial place for Moses. You can visit here the memorial church of Moses. If the sky is clear Jerusalem, Jericho and Bethlehem will meet your eye at the other side of the Dead Sea.

Afterwards Drive to the site of john the Baptist's settlement at Bethany beyond the Jordan, through the lowest point on earth the dead sea and see where Jesus was baptized, back to the dead sea is one of the most spectacular natural and spiritual landscapes on earth. It lies on the western frontier of Jordan and is well-known to be the lowest spot on earth, 400 meters below sea level. The unusually salty and mineral rich water, the rich black mud along the shoreline, the thermal mineral springs are healing both for your body and your soul. They have attracted kings, emperors, traders and prophets since antiquity. Drive back to hotel  O/N Amman.

Day 4 – Petra - Full Day

Petra no visit of Jordan will be complete without having seen the capital of the ancient Nabatean kingdom, Petra. The long-lost city of Petra, carved entirely by man into the rose-red sandstone rocks, puts your imagination to the test. It's a mystic and glorious place, an eternal tribute to a lost civilization. Petra was the central meeting point of the Nabatean spice routes which originated from the Persian Gulf, Western Arabia and the Red Sea. About two thousand years ago Petra became the capital of the Nabatean Empire.

The city was so renowned that one of its kings, Aretas IV, is even mentioned in the Bible. The natural richness of the mountainous area combines in a superb way with the refined culture and massive architecture of the Nabateans, who carved their theatre, temples, façades, tombs, monasteries, houses and roads entirely into the rose-red sandstone rocks. No wonder UNESCO placed Petra on its World Heritage List.

One enters Petra by passing the Siq, a deep and narrow gorge, at the end of which all of a sudden dramatically appears the most famous monument in Petra: al-Khazneh or the Treasury. Maybe you will recognize it as the stage of the final sequence of the movie 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'. But the Treasury is just the start. Walking and climbing in Petra hundreds of buildings carved in stone and eroded through the centuries into fabulous multi-coloured walls will be revealed to you.

Optional:

Petra By Night

A glorious way to spend the evening is to head back to Petra after sunset and take it all in under the night time desert stars. Actually most of the site is closed, but you can buy a ticket that permits you to walk back through the ‘Siq’ (the scenic canyon corridor that leads down to the site) and re-visit the treasury by night.

The entire route is lined with candles, and participants are strictly told to remain silent throughout the experience. On arrival at the treasury, you’ll greeted by Bedouin music and tea, and be invited hang out until you feel motivated enough to leave. It’s very atmospheric but can seem a little gimmicky on those busier nights during peak season.

‘Petra By Night’ runs three times a week,  Ticket: 12 JDs

Tours start at 8.30pm and finish at 10.00pm every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Turkish Bath

A favourite way to unwind after a tough day trekking around the ruins is to head to one of the town’s Turkish Ottoman baths. Similar to those found in other parts of the Middle East, the Jordanians offer a slightly more gentle version of the often quite brutal massages famously dished out in Turkey. On arrival you’ll be asked to strip off (to whatever level you’re most comfortable. Usually a swim suite/trunks) and head to the steam room. After you’re feeling suitably warm and relaxed you’ll be summoned to another cooler room for a wash and scrub. Finally, and most rewardingly of all you’ll find yourself laid out on a stone slab while expert masseurs get to work on those tired muscles.

Price: 20 JDs for the full works.

Day 5 – Wadi Rum - Full Day

Visit to Wadi Rum is a journey to another world, a silent and timeless place where you will be dwarfed to insignificance. 'Vast, echoing and Godlike', that's how Lawrence of Arabia described. The uniquely shaped massive mountains rise out of the rose-red desert sand. This desert is the home for the local Bedouin tribes.

Camel trek through the massive desert, desert excursions by 4x4 in its moon-like landscape, Overnight in a Amman

Optional:

Camps

Al Hillawi Camp: 35 JD Per Person.

Oasis Desert Camp : 25 JD Per Person.

Price includes Breakfast and Dinner

Jeep Safari

2-Hour Jeep Safari

Upon arrival you are welcome to drink tea . The tour starts with a jeep safari visiting Nabataean Temple, Lawrence Spring, the sand dune and Jabal Khazali (inscriptions). You will then arrive at the Bedouin tent at the Camp where you can relax with traditional Bedouin food and music. The best place to see the sun set and rise is Umm Sabtah. The following morning you can have your breakfast at the camp.

Price: for 4-6 people 30 JD per person.

4-Hour Jeep Safari

Upon arrival you are welcome to drink tea. The trip starts with a jeep safari visiting the same places as Tour 2H Tour as well as the following places: Little Bridge, Um Frouth Rock Bridge, the white and red desert and the Cow Stone. You will be invited to drink tea in the middle of the desert. After that you will arrive at the Bedouin tent at the Camp where you can relax with traditional Bedouin food and music. The best place to see the sun set and rise is Umm Sabtah. The following morning you can have your breakfast at the camp and then return to the Wadi Rum village.

Price: for 4-6 people 35 JD per person, including lunch and a Bedouin jeep driver.

6-Hour Jeep Safari and Trekking

Upon arrival you are welcome to drink tea. The tour starts with a jeep safari visiting the same places as Tour 2H Tour as well as the following places: Jebel al Faishiyya (inscriptions), Lawrence House, Barrah Canyon (one hour trekking inside the canyon), Burdah Bridge and Um Frouth Rock Bridge. A packed lunch is provided. After that you will arrive at the Bedouin tent at the Camp where you can relax with traditional Bedouin food and music. The best place to see the sun set and rise is Umm Sabtah. The following morning you can have your breakfast at the camp and then return to the Wadi Rum village.

Price: for 2 people 50 JD per person, 4-6 people 40 JD per person, including lunch and a Bedouin jeep driver.

7-Hour Jeep Safari

Upon arrival you are welcome to drink tea. The tour starts with a jeep safari visiting Nabataean temple, Al Shallaleh, Lawrence Spring (where T. E. Lawrence used to wash), Khazali Canyon, Siq Um Al Tawaqi, the Map, the sand dune area, the Anfashieh inscriptions, Lawrence House, Burdah Bridge, Um Frouth Bridge, the white and red desert (one hour hiking in the desert), the Cow Stone and the red sand dune. A packed lunch is provided and tea is served in the middle of the desert. After that you will arrive at the Bedouin tent at the Camp where you can relax with traditional Bedouin food and music. The best place to see the sun set and rise is Umm Sabtah. The following morning you can have your breakfast at the camp and then return to the Wadi Rum village.

Price: for 4-6 people 50 JD per person.

4-Hour Camel Tour

Upon arrival you are welcome to drink tea. The tour starts at Wadi Rum Village, stopping at Lawrence Spring, the sand dune and Jebel Khazali (inscriptions). A packed lunch is provided. You will then arrive at the Bedouin tent at the Camp where you can relax with traditional Bedouin food and music. The best place to see the sun set and rise is Umm Sabtah. The following morning you can have your breakfast at the camp and then return to the Wadi Rum village.

Price: for 2-4 people 60 JD per person, including Lunch and a Bedouin guide.

Camel Ride can also be done for 1 Hour around the camp.

Day 6 - Departure

Breakfast. Transfer to Queen Alia International Airport, and assistance with departure formalities.

Optional: Amman City Tour *

Visit Amman's downtown market and city center, its traditional souks, coffee shops, restaurants selling local food and sweets, churches and mosques amongst other popular places.

Amman is also the ancient city of Philadelphia with its Roman theater and many other monuments that can be visited like the Citadel. Then drive to the other side of the city where you can see the beautiful houses made of white stones of the higher class in Abdoun.

You will see the pubs, international restaurants, and discotheques as you become familiar with the contrast in infrastructure and life style from the old and traditional, to the new and modern.

*. Depends on Departure time