Ahlan wa sahlan, and welcome to Jordan!
Populated by hypnotic desert landscapes and captivating ancient sites, Jordan owes its unique beauty to both humans and nature in equal portion.
Arriving in Amman, the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, you will be met and transferred to your accommodation. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure before joining your fellow travellers for a quick welcome meeting and delicious dinner at a local restaurant.
After breakfast, join your guide on a tour of downtown Amman, with a noteworthy stop at Amman Citadel, with its monumental Temple of Hercules and Umayyad Palace. Visit the fascinating Jordan Archaeological Museum for a closer look at Jordan’s antique history, take in panoramic views from the top of one of Amman’s seven jabals (hills) and make your way back down to the colossal Roman Theatre.
Continue with a visit to Jerash, an ancient city founded by Alexander the Great, to marvel at its remarkable Greco-Roman ruins. Walk the Roman Cardo, viewing grooves made by chariot wheels, and visit the city's ampitheatre, temples and vast Roman Forum. Jerash was once known as the 'City of One Thousand Pillars.' It was hidden for centuries beneath desert sand before being excavated and restored, and it's now considered one of the best-preserved Roman provincial towns in the world.
Return to Amman and enjoy a festive dinner at a local restaurant.
Set off this morning for Madaba to see the spectacular mosaic map of this Holy Land embedded within the floor of the Greek Orthodox Church. Continue to the legendary Mount Nebo, where Moses was said to have seen the promised land and later laid to rest. Travel towards 12th-century Shobak Castle, strategically built on top of a small hill northeast of the town of the same name. The site is filled with interesting features: baths, cisterns, rainwater pipes and millstones.
Later, make your way to Petra, a most magnificent ancient city, where you’ll check into your hotel for the evening.
Strike out after breakfast toward the magnificent ruins of Petra, the ancient capital of the Nabateans. Spend a full day exploring this UNESCO World Heritage-listed site, passing through the Siq to view the majestic Treasury, the Temple of the Winged Lions and the Palace Tomb. Once a rich merchant city and a stop for camel caravans bringing spices, silk and slaves from Arabia to the Mediterranean, Petra was lost for 1,000 years, emerging from antiquity in 1812 when it was rediscovered by the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt.
Spend the night at a local resort, surrounded by antiquity.
After breakfast, enjoy another day of exploration, focusing on Little Petra, an area of ruins filled with old tombs, water containers and channels that directly connects to Petra via the Siq Al Bared canyon.
Later, depart for Wadi Rum — the Valley of the Moon — which, with its immense size, colour and awe-inspiring shapes, creates an almost supernatural atmosphere. Travel by SUV vehicles driven by local Bedouins who will show you the Lawrence of Arabia Spring, small villages and notable ruins along the way. Tonight, experience a traditional nomadic dinner and stargazing at your comfortable desert camp.
Enjoy a full buffet breakfast at your desert camp before departing for the Dead Sea. One of the planet's most spectacular destinations, the Dead Sea is not only the lowest point on Earth – its surface sits at 400 metres below sea level – but it's also considered one of the world's most spiritually profound landscapes, filled with dramatic, natural wonders. Restorative saline waters and mineral-rich mud are certain to leave your skin feeling silky smooth. The ancient Romans once prized the region for its abundance of natural bitumen, which occasionally floated to the top of the water like a supernatural gift.
Spend the rest of your day floating effortlessly in the buoyant blue waters of this tranquil oasis, just steps from your resort. This evening, enjoy a hearty dinner at your hotel.
Rise early and depart for Salt, historically a vital Ottoman Empire trading post between the eastern and western deserts. Follow the town's storied 'Harmony Trail,' moving from Al Hammam street (named for an important Turkish bathhouse once located there), Bait Abu Jaber and Madafat Al Khalili for a glimpse into two of the city's oldest preserved mansions.
Enjoy lunch in Salt before continuing to Amman, where you'll enjoy a traditional Jordanian cooking class and dinner to celebrate your final evening in the Kingdom.
After one final breakfast at your hotel, it’s time to transfer to Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) where your Jordan journey ends.