Day one: Amman airport, Amman overnight
Tour leader will meet the group at Queen Alia International Airport and assist with formalities. Proceed to hotel for overnight



Day two: Amman, Desert castle, The Dead Sea, Amman overnight
Dotted throughout the semi-arid, steppe-like terrain of eastern Jordan and the central hills are numerous historic ruins including castles, forts, towers, baths, farming estates, caravan inns and fortified palaces which have traditionally been known as desert castles Widely varied in function, architectural style and creative embellishment, most were the domain of Omayyad princes in the first half of the 8th Century.

The Dead Sea, or the "Sea of Lot" lies in the Jordan Valley, the lowest point on the surface of the earth, some 400 meters below sea level. As the name suggests, the Dead Sea is devoid of life, due to its high salt and mineral content. But it is these natural elements which give the waters their curative powers and, try as one may, it is impossible to sink in the thick brine which is four times as salty as regular sea water.



Day three: Amman, city tour, Jerrash, Kan Zaman, Amman overnight
Amman, the capital city of Jordan, is a city of contrasts, a mixture of ancient and modern. The city is crowned by the Citadel, a hill with the ruins of the Temple of Hercules, and a museum with artifacts dating back to the earliest settlement in the region some 700,000 years ago. At the foot of the Citadel is the 5,000 seat Roman theatre. Still rapidly growing, Amman is a busy commercial and administrative center with many modern facilities, restaurants, shops, hotels, and night clubs.

The Graeco-Roman city of Jerash is considered the best preserved and most complete city of the Decapolis, a confederation of ten Roman cities dating from the 1st Century BC. Today's visitors may wander among the original temples, theatres, plazas, baths and colonnaded streets, all enclosed within the remaining city walls. Nestled in a green and well-watered valley in the biblical land of Gilead, here in Jerash you will find remains from Neolithic, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Omayyad and other times.
The walled village of Kan Zaman, just outside Amman, dates back to the turn of the century. This fortress has since been transformed into a restaurant and handicraft complex, with small shops offering a wide variety of traditional hand-crafted products and workshops in which you can see glassblowing and wood carving. The popular restaurant, with its vaulted ceilings, specializes in authentic Arabic cuisine, and an additional treat is the nightly performance of Arabic music and dancing.



Day four: Amman, Madaba, Mount Nebo,  Karak, Petra overnight
Madaba, the "City of Mosaics" is home to a wonderfully vivid, sixth century Byzantine mosaic map, the earliest surviving original map of the Holy land, showing Jerusalem and other holy sites. Scattered throughout Madaba's churches and homes are literally hundreds of other mosaics from the 5th to the 7th centuries.

10 kilometers to the west is the most revered site in Jordan, Mt Nebo, a hilly district with a spectacular view across the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea, believed to be the final resting place of the prophet Moses. Protecting the ruins of a 4th and 6th Century church, whose floor is still covered with marvelous mosaics, is a building constructed by the Franciscans who started excavating the site in 1933.
Approaching Karak, you pass first through Wadi Mujib, a precipitous canyon some 1000 meters deep, guaranteed to set the mood for your visit to Karak Castle, the largest late Islamic castle in Jordan. The fort is a dark maze of stone-vaulted halls and endless passageways, an authentic medieval 12th century Crusader hilltop fortress, whose galleries, towers, chapels and ramparts recall the gallantry of the Crusaders themselves.



Day five: Petra visit, Aqaba overnight
Petra, "the rose red city, half as old as time" is a must-see for the visitor to Jordan. Carved entirely out of solid rock and hidden amongst the ancient canyons of Jordan's south is this most mystic and glorious of Jordan's national treasures.
Petra, the once lost Nabataean city, includes temples, roman theaters, monasteries, houses and roads as well as the world famous Treasury Monument, featured in the closing shots of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Greatly prized as Jordan's window to the Red Sea, Aqaba brings a refreshing release from the rose-coloured desert to the north. Its sandy beaches and coral reefs are the most pristine on the Red Sea. Healthy and thriving, Aqaba's reefs are adorned with untold variety in its coral and fish.
For the history enthusiast, there are sites reflecting human habitation in Aqaba for at least five and a half thousand years. Of special interest are the early Islamic city called Ayla, the Aqaba Fort and a museum at the house of Sharif Hussein bin Ali, the great, great grandfather of King Abdullah.



Day six: Aqaba, Wadi Rum visit, Aqaba overnight
Wadi Rum, the "Valley of the Moon" is one of the most beautiful deserts in the world. Imposing wind-sculpted mountains of granite and pink sandstone loom high above ever-shifting dunes of rust coloured sands.

Carved by the elements over many thousands of years, these extraordinary natural sculptures, coupled with the arid and barren nature of the desert, are truly reminiscent of the lunar landscape of the moon. Home to some of the last remaining traditional Bedouin families in Jordan, Wadi Rum is a once in a lifetime experience, not to be missed.
For the history enthusiast, there are sites reflecting human habitation in Aqaba for at least five and a half thousand years. Of special interest are the early Islamic city called Ayla, the Aqaba Fort and a museum at the house of Sharif Hussein bin Ali, the great, great grandfather of King Abdullah.



Day seven: Full day trip to Pharaoh Island Including Lunch, Aqaba Overnight



Day eight: Aqaba, Aqaba airport
Tour leader will collect the group from their hotel, proceed to Aqaba Airport, and assist with departure formalities.


Round trip 1: Jordan ¬

Round trip 2: Jordan ¬

Round trip 3: Jordan Highlights ¬

Round trip 4: Jordan, Syria and Lebanon ¬