Day 1: Amman
Upon arrival at Queen Alia Airport, our representative will welcome you, assists you through the immigration procedures and introduce you to your tour leader. You will then transfer to your hotel in Amman.
Day 2: Amman – Jerash – Anjara – Umm Qais – Amman
First, we will visit Jerash, the best-preserved example of a Roman provincial city with its theaters, churches, temples, Nymphaeum and colonnaded streets. We go on to Anjara to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of the Mountain. Here Virgin Mary and Jesus had a rest during a journey. We then head further north to Umm Qais, the ancient city of Gadara, with its Hellenistic and Roman remains. According to the Bible, Jesus cast the demons into swine here and they ran as swine into the Sea of Galilee. From Gadara you have a magnificent view over the Sea, the JordanValley and the Golan Heights. In the evening we will return to the hotel in Amman.
Day 3: Amman – Baptism Site – Elijah’s Hill – Mt. Nebo – Madaba
After breakfast, we drive to the Jordan Valley, to Bethany beyond the Jordan River. This is the place where the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist took place. We also have a look at Elijah’s Hill, where Prophet Elijah ascended to heaven. From here we journey to Mt. Nebo, the burial site of Prophet Moses overlooking the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. Here you can see 4th and 6th-century Byzantine churches with wonderful mosaics. We next visit the mosaic city of Madaba, where the oldest map of the Holy Land exists on the floor of St. George’s Church. More mosaics can be seen in the Archaeological Park, which houses masterpieces from Byzantine churches. We stay the night in Madaba.
Day 4: Madaba – Mukawir – King’s Way – Kerak – Noah’s Tomb – Petra
On the 700 meter high hill of Mukawir, known in Biblical times as Machaerus, was a great palace where Herod Antipas imprisoned and killed John the Baptist. You can still see the outline of towers, walls and baths. Along the King’s Way, which Prophet Moses walked, we drive through the lands of Edom and Moab to Kerak, the great Crusader castle and the tomb of Prophet Noah. Afterwards we head south to Petra for the night.
Day 5: Petra
The red-rose city of Petra is a unique archaeological site. More than 2000 years ago the area was settled by the Nabataeans who carved magnificent buildings into the sandstone. We walk through the Siq, an immense crack in the stone, to see at the end Petra’s most impressive monument: the Treasury. You will walk along the Street of Façades, see the Royal Tombs and Qasr al Bint, and the young at heart climb up the 800 stairs to the Monastery (Ad Deir). We return to the hotel in Petra for the night.
Day 6: Petra – Wadi Rum
Today we drive from Petra to the dramatic desert landscape of Wadi Rum. In a 4×4 jeep we drive to sand dunes, spectacular rock formations, canyons and Nabatean rock inscriptions. Dinner will be served at a Bedouin camp in the desert, where we also spend the night. Perhaps you will agree with Lawrence of Arabia’s description of Wadi Rum as ‘god-like’.
Day 7: Wadi Araba – Lot’s Cave – Dead Sea – Amman
In the morning we drive from the desert to the Dead Sea. En route we visit Lot’s Cave near the town of Safi. Here Prophet Lot lived together with his daughters after he fled Sodom and Gomorrah. We head on to the beach at the Dead Sea where you can relax for the rest of the day and float in the salty water. In the evening we drive to Amman for the night.
Day 8: Amman
Today we visit the most important places in Amman. The town was mentioned in the Bible as Rabbath-Ammon, the capital of the Ammonites. Our tour will take you to the Citadel with its remains from the Roman to the Byzantine period and later, and the Archaeological Museum housing excellent artifacts like the Dead Sea Scrolls. You will visit the Folklore Museum and the 2nd-century Roman Theater, as well as the Coptic Church. The rest of the day is free for you for to discover parts of the capital on your own. We stay in the hotel in Amman overnight.
Day 9: We transfer you to the airport and say farewell.
Prices include:
- Assistance with visas at the airport
- All transfers by air-conditioned bus with English-speaking driver
- Bed and Breakfast hotels (sharing a double room)
- Entrance tickets to the sites mentioned in the itinerary
- 2-hour jeep tour in Wadi Rum
- Wadi Rum Campsite on half board basis (sharing a double room)
- English-speaking guide in Petra for 3 hours) and in Jerash for 1.5 hours
- Lunch at the Dead Sea
- Short horse ride in Petra
- Jordanian taxes
Not included:
- Airfares
- Travel insurance
- Lunches and dinners other than those mentioned in the short itinerary
- drinks
- Additional excursions
- Tips
- Private expenses
- Any items not mentioned above