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Tour Overview
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Short Itinerary
| DAY | SCHEDULE | SLEEPING IN | MEALS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amman airport – Amman | Amman | |
| 2 | Amman – Bethany -Dead Sea – Amman | Amman | |
| 3 | Amman – Jabbok River – Jerash – Ajloun – Amman | Amman | |
| 4 | Amman – Pella – Umm Qais – Amman | Amman | |
| 5 | Amman – Hisban – Madaba – Mount Nebo -Mukhayat – Mukawir – Ma’in | Ma’in | |
| 6 | Ma’in – Dhiban – Wadi Mujib – Rabba – Qasr -Kerak – Petra | Petra | |
| 7 | Petra – Amman | Amman | |
| 8 | Amman – Amman airport | ||
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Prices are quoted in US dollars per person.
| No. of people | 3* Hotel | 4* Hotel | 5* Hotel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 | |||
| 6+ | |||
| Single supplement |
Prices include:
- Meeting and 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 sites mentioned in the itinerary
- English guide in Petra for 3 hours and Jerash for 1.5 hours
- Lunch at the Dead Sea
- Short horse ride in Petra
- Jordanian taxes
Not included:
- Travel insurance
- Lunches and dinners other than those mentioned in the itinerary
- Additional excursions
- Tips
- Private expenses
- Any items not mentioned above
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Day 1: Amman airport – Amman
You will be met at the gate by our friendly airport staff who will provide full assistance through immigration and customs. You will then be transferred to your hotel in Amman for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 2: Amman – Bethany – Dead Sea – Amman
In the Old Testament, Amman was called Rabbath-Ammon, and in the New Testament, it is referred to as Philadelphia, named after Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 BC). Points of interest in Amman include the Citadel and the Roman Theater, as well as the Archaeological, Costume, and Folklore Museums.
Bethany beyond the Jordan, the large loop in the Jordan River opposite Jericho, has long been identified as the spot where Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist. It is called Al-Maghtas in Arabic. Less than two kilometers east of the river is another important place associated with the lives of Jesus and John the Baptist– the settlement of Bethany, where John lived and baptized. The Baptism site at Bethany beyond the Jordan is one of the most recent significant archaeological and religious discoveries.
The Dead Sea is believed to be the site of five biblical cities: Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zebouin, and Zoar. Here we will have time for bathing and relaxing in the mineral-rich waters at the lowest point on Earth before returning to Amman for dinner.
Day 3: Amman -Jabbok River – Jerash – Ajloun Pella – Umm Qais– Amman
On the way to Jerash we stop at the Jabbok (Jacob) River. Twenty years after the quarrel between Jacob and his brother Esau, Jacob came back from Padan-aram with his family and settled in this area. Here Jacob became involved in a fight with a stranger and won. Later he found out that he had fought against God and God blessed him by decreeing that forthwith he should be named Israel (1 Moses 32:22-32).
In the Bible Jerash is called Antiochea or Gerasa. According to Mark 5:1f and Luke 8:26-39, here Jesus cast the evil spirits out of a man. Today it is one of the best preserved and most complete of the Greco-Roman cities in the world.
Ajloun has no biblical significance. It is a 12th Century Saracen castle built by one of Saladin’s lieutenants and used in the military campaign against the Crusaders. It is a superb example of Arab and Islamic architecture.
Pella village, named Fahl in Arabic, a name which can be traced back to the 4000 year old Semitic name Pihilum, has a rich history and was once a member of the Decapolis. The name Pella was used during the time of its greatest prosperity during the Greco-Roman period. During the First Jewish Revolt and the Roman persecution, it was a refuge for Christians fleeing Jerusalem.
In the Bible, Umm Qais is referred to as Gadara and was also a member of the Decapolis, and alliance of cities that already existed at the time of Christ (Matthew 4:25). According to Matthew 8:28-34, here Jesus cast the evil spirits out of two men into a herd of pigs. Umm Qais is on a broad promontory 378m above sea level that enjoys a magnificent view over the Golan Heights, Lake Tiberius (the Sea of Galilee), and Jebel al Sheikh in Lebanon and Syria.
Day 4: Amman – Hisban – Madaba – Mount Nebo -Mukhayat – Mukawir – Ma’in
Hisban, biblical Heshbon, city of the Sihon (4 Moses 21:25f, 32:37), was conquered by the Israelites (Judges 11:26).
Madaba, another city of the Sihon (4 Moses 21:30), lies in what was the territory of the race of the Reubens (Joshua 13:15 – 16 or Isaiah 15:2 and 1 Chronicles 19:7). The main point of interest in Madaba is the famous mosaic map of the Holy Land from Byzantine times. Housed at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George and comprised of two millions pieces of colored stone, it depicts the entire region from Jordan to Palestine in the north and Egypt in the south.
The Bible reports that Moses climbed up onto Mount Nebo and there God showed him “all the land” which was promised to his descendants. Moses died on this mountain and some believe he was buried here. “And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pis’gah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land….. And the Lord said unto him, I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. So Moses the servant of the Lord died ….” (5 Moses 34:1 – 4). The West Bank city of Jericho can usually be seen from the summit, as can Jerusalem on a very clear day.
Scholars suppose the village of Mykhayat to be the site of the biblical city of Nebo. In the middle of the 9th century B.C. King Mescha boasted that he had slain 7000 men, women, boys and girls at this place and had taken it from the Israelites. In Byzantine times, Khirbet El Mukhayat held a monastery complex and at least four churches. Today you can visit the chapel ruins which house some beautiful mosaics.
Mukawir, biblical Machaerus, is situated on a mountain the shape of a truncated cone. On it can be seen the imposing remnants of the fortress Qasr El Mashneqh, which means “Castle of Gallows” in Arabic. The castle was built by Alexander Jannaeus and the historian Josephus reports that it was here that John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded (Matthew 14:3 – 11).
Twelve kilometers south of Madaba lies Ma’in, an early center of the Bezant-East-Jordan-Land. Belemunim, the Christian settlement, has a name similar to that of the biblical village Baal-Meon. Baal-Meon is mentioned in 4 Moses 32:38 as a city of the Reubens and is also to be found under the names Beth-Ba’al-Meon (Joshua 13:17) and Bet-Meon (Jeremiah 48:23). Today, Ma’in is best known for its hot springs. We will stay in Ma’in overnight.
Day 5: Ma’in – Dhiban – Wadi Mujib – Rabba – Qasr -Kerak – Petra
Dhiban appears in the Bible as Dibon. The town was taken from the Moabs by the King of the Amorites, King Sihon, who later lost Dibon to the Israelites (4 Moses 21:25 – 31). The ruins of ancient Dibon can be seen on the outskirts of the modern village.
In biblical times, Wadi Mujib, aka the River Arnon, formed the natural border between the territories of the Moabs in the north and the land of the Edomites (later the Nabateans) in the south. Even now it acts as the border between the two administrative districts of Balqa and Karak. The boundary is mentioned in the Old Testament (at the time of King David) as the river which flows through the valley to the Dead Sea. Here you can hike up the river through deep canyons and pools where you can swim and enjoy the beautiful scenery and wildlife.
Rabba is an old settlement with modern buildings. The history of Rabba probably began with the city Ar or Ar-Moab, which is mentioned in 4 Moses 21:15 and 5 Moses 2:9. While the Israelites of the Exodus spared Ar and the whole land of Moab, the Amorite King Sihon ransacked the city in an attack launched over the Arnon River (4 Moses 21:28).
Today, Qasr is a village with the remnants of an old Arab castle probably built in the 2nd century A.D.
Kerak appears as Kir, Kir-Moab and Kir-Heres in the Old Testament (Isaiah 15:1, 16:7 and 16:11 and Jeremiah 48:36). In the time of the Judges, the Moabite King Eglon may have resided in Kir-Moab. In 850 BC, one of his successors, King Mesha, was surrounded by the united Israel-Judah forces of Kings Jehoram and Jehoshaphat in Kir-Heres and could only escape defeat by sacrificing his first-born son. An inscription found during excavations in Karak in 1961 bears the name Mesha. Today, the Crusader castle at Kerak still soars above the surrounding valleys. Inside is a maze of dimly-lit stone-vaulted rooms and corridors.
We will drive from Kerak to Petra, arriving in time for dinner.
Day 6: Petra
In the Bible, Petra is the city of the Nabateans, the descendants of the Nebajots (1 Moses 25:12-18 and 1 Chronicles 1:29 and Isaiah 60:7). The first King of the Nabateans was Aretas (2 Makkabar 5:8). In biblical times the Nabateans were Bedouins, even though Petra was a focal point for them (2 Makkabar 12). Later Petra became the royal city of the Nabateans. The earliest historical records for the Nabateans date back to the year 312 BC and the last sign of life in Petra was in the year 328 AD. We will begin with a short horse ride down to the Siq. Here we will walk through the winding narrow canyon until the breathtaking Treasury appears before us. We will visit the Theatre, Royal Tombs and the Street of Façades, then you will have the remainder of the day to wander on your own around the many monuments, including the High Places of Sacrifice, Qasr al Bint, the Byzantine church and the Monastery. Late in the evening, we go back to the hotel
Day 7: Petra – Wadi Rum – Amman
Start your day with breakfast at your hotel and then travel to the spectacular desert wilderness of Wadi Rum. Sometimes known as the ‘Valley of the Moon’ for its lunar-like landscapes, this protected region of mountains, dunes and canyons was where TE Lawrence, known as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ fought alongside the Bedouin locals in World War I.
The locals have named many of the sites in Wadi Rum after Lawrence and numerous scenes from the iconic movie, Lawrence of Arabia, were filmed on location here. Enjoy an exhilarating 2-hour trip by 4×4 through this majestic place to immerse yourself in its serene beauty and ever-changing colors. Rumble along desert valleys, through narrow gorges and past red dunes and mountains and stop to take photos along the way back to amman .
Day 8: Amman -Amman airport
You will be transferred to Amman airport and will have our assistance during departure formalities.
Note: We can extend or shorten the number of days upon your request.
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Prices
Prices are quoted in US dollars per person and are valid until September 2014.
Prices for Children
- Children under 2 are free of charge.
- Children aged from 2 to 5 pay 25% of the adult price.
- Children aged from 6 to 11 pay 50% of the adult price.
- Children 12 and over pay the full adult price.
Payment Policy
Reservations should be made as far in advance as possible so we can make the appropriate arrangements.
The booking will be secured upon receiving a deposit of 25%, or, during the Christmas and New Year holidays, a deposit of 50%. This deposit is part of your final payment. Deposits can only be made by wire transfer or through Western Union.
Jordan Entry Visas
To enter Jordan, your passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond your scheduled departure date. Visas can be obtained in advance from the Jordanian Consulate in your country of origin, or upon arrival at a Jordanian airport for USD 30. Please check for any special conditions attaching to your nationality beforehand.
Tipping
It is customary in Jordan to express satisfaction and gratitude for good service by giving a tip. A tip is much appreciated by guides, drivers, cleaning staff, etc., but tipping is not obligatory and the amount given is up to the tipper’s discretion.
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Jordan Religious Tours: walk the same ground as the Prophets and their disciples walked in ancient times and learn about historical sites mentioned in Bible.