DAY 1. ARRIVAL IN JORDAN
Arrival in Jordan (Queen Alia Airport) and welcome by our local representative. Transfer to hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY. AMMAN – JERASH – AJLOUN – UM QAIS – AMMAN
Departure towards Jerash through the fabulous Judean mountains. Guided tour of the ruins of the Roman city: its forum, its theatre and its baths. Lunch. We continue the tour with a visit of the Arab citadel of Ajloun, built by Saladin. We then proceed towards Umm Qais where we visit the ancient Gadar of the Decapolis, where we find a host of Roman and Byzantine remains. On the way back to Amman we also admire the splendid views on the Sea of Galilee and the Yarmouk valley. Return to hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 3. AMMAN – BAPTISM SITE – DEAD SEA – AMMAN
After breakfast, we start our tour with a visit at the baptism site just east of the Jordan river about 9 kilometres north of the Dead Sea. We then proceed towards the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, where we will also have the opportunity to bathe in these unique salty waters which are renowned for their therapeutic qualities. In the late afternoon we return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 4. AMMAN – MADABA – MOUNT NEBO – UMM RASSAS – PETRA
A day dedicated to the Kings route, the ancient Silk Road. We stop at Madaba, the city of mosaics, where one finds a unique mosaic dating back to the fifth century. We proceed towards Mount Nebo which offers a spectacular view of the Holy Land. Lunch followed by a visit at Umm Rassas, an important archaeological site that was declared World Heritage Site in 2004. In the late afternoon we drive towards Petra where we check-into hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 5. PETRA
A day dedicated to the visit of Petra, the old Nabatean city, nicknamed the “Rose of the desert” also due to the to the natural pink hues in the rock. This site dates back to the second century BC, the capital of the Nabataeans who carved countless monumental tombs, stairs, palaces and temples in the rock. We venture along the Siq, a gorge between majestic rock walls, arriving at Al-Khazneh (Treasury) where we discover the city of Nabataeans with temples, theatres and tombs dug in the mountains. Lunch on site after which we continue the discovery of the other treasures which Petra has to offer including the climb to the monastery. Dinner and overnight in Petra.
DAY 6. PETRA – LITTLE PETRA – WADI RUM – AMMAN
In the morning we make for Little Petra, an old Nabataean caravanserai (a roadside inn where travelers or caravaners could rest and recover from the day’s journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering Asia, North Africa and Southeast Europe, especially along the Silk Road). We then proceed towards Wadi Rum where the desert offers an almost lunar landscape. Lunch in a Bedouin camp followed by a ride on 4×4 in the Jordanian desert. In the late afternoon we proceed towards Amman where we check-into our hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 7. AMMAN – DESERT CASTLES – AMMAN
After breakfast, we visit the ancient and modern capital of Jordan, Amman, built on seven hills, where we admire: the citadel, the Roman theatre, the archaeological museum and the museum of folk traditions. Lunch. In the afternoon we proceed to the desert castles: Qasr Al Kharaneh, Qasr Amra and Qasr Al-Azraq. These structures were built by the Umayyad Caliphs of Damascus in the eighth century. Return to hotel in Amman for dinner and overnight.
DAY 8. DEPARTURE FROM JORDAN
Breakfast and transfer to airport in time for return flight.
