8-Day Jordan Tour with Petra, Wadi Rum and Dead Sea

Arrival in Amman, Jordan.

Amman, the modern and ancient capital of Jordan, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The city's modern buildings blend with the remnants of ancient civilizations.

Distance: 20 kilometres from the airport to the hotel.

Overnight in Amman.

Dinner if required.

This morning, we leave Amman by bus for a tour of the extensive Roman site of Jerash, about 45 kilometres away.

We visit the famous elliptical Forum, the beautiful amphitheatre with its superb natural acoustics, and the site of the huge Temple of Artemis.

This afternoon, we travel east from Amman into the Jordanian Desert.

Here, we see some of the Desert Castles built by the Umayyad Caliphs in the 8th century AD.

Of particular interest is Qasar Amra, with its unique frescoes of hunting scenes and dancing girls.

We also visit Qasar Azraq, built entirely of black basalt, which was used as a base by Lawrence of Arabia in his later campaigns against the Turks.

We return to Amman via a road that is one of the main trade routes between Jordan and nearby Iraq.

Overnight in Amman.

Meals: breakfast and dinner.

This morning, we tour Amman, visiting the Roman amphitheatre, Folklore Museum, Museum of Popular Traditions, Archaeological Museum, and the ruins of the Hercules Temple.

From Amman, we travel about 35 kilometres to Madaba, a small city famous for its magnificent mosaic floors.

A unique mosaic covers the floor of St. George's Church and consists of a huge map of the Holy Land as it appeared in the 6th century AD.

Half of the population of that city are Greek Orthodox Christians.

Driving to the edge of the Jordan Valley, we reach Mount Nebo, from where Prophet Moses first saw the Promised Land.

On a clear day, you can look down to see the Dead Sea and the River Jordan. On the other side of the valley is the city of Jerusalem.

Here, we see a huge mosaic of hunting scenes covering the floor of a ruined Byzantine church.

We leave Mount Nebo and travel south via the Dead Sea Highway, making a stop at the Dead Sea en route.

King David, King Herod, Jesus, and John the Baptist were closely linked with the Dead Sea and its surroundings.

During the Egyptian conquest, it is said that Queen Cleopatra obtained exclusive rights to build cosmetic and pharmaceutical factories in the area.

Later, the wily Nabateans discovered the value of bitumen extracted from the Dead Sea, which was used by the Egyptians for embalming their dead.

The Dead Sea contains 10 times more salts and minerals than the Mediterranean Sea.

The high salt and mineral concentration enables everyone to float in its waters, but does not allow the proliferation of fish and other marine life.

We continue to Petra, arriving in the late afternoon.

Overnight in Petra.

Meals: breakfast and dinner.

Petra was the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom from the 4th century BC to the 2nd century AD.

Today, the 'rose red city half as old as time' is probably the most impressive archaeological site in the Middle East, rivalling the temples and pyramids of Egypt in grandeur.

This morning, on our way into the hidden valley of Petra, we will see the Obelisk Tomb and the irrigation system that carried water from a dam throughout the desert city.

Access to the monuments of Petra is through a narrow gorge in the towering rocks called the 'Siq'.

As we emerge from the 'Siq', you stand in awe in front of the 'Treasury' (El Khazneh), a graceful structure carved from the living rock.

After pausing to admire the elegant columns and carvings, we carry on into the valley, where elaborate tombs are carved into the multi-coloured walls.

Everywhere, the sandstone swirls and twists in shades of red, orange, yellow, pink, and white.

Next, we will see the Roman amphitheatre, carved directly out of the mountain, with space for over 3,000 spectators.

Further on in the main valley of Petra are the Royal Tombs, including the Palace Tomb and the Silk Tomb.

We visit the temple of the Nabateans' main god, Dushara, and we also see the Temple of the Winged Lion.

Our formal guided tour of the site ends with a visit to the Petra Nabatean Museum.

At this point, you may explore further on your own, or return to our hotel to relax and/or shop.

You may also take a strenuous walk up a narrow pass to see the magnificent Monastery building, El Deir.

The walk is steep, mostly on steps carved into the rock, and will take approximately one hour up and 30 minutes down.

This evening after dinner, you may like to go for a drink in a bar partly built into a 2,000-year-old Nabatean tomb.

Note: Access to Petra is by footpath only. The main sites occur near ground that is level and well worn, though the overall site is huge.

Note: Our pace is leisurely with frequent breaks; however, to fully experience Petra, you must be prepared for a considerable amount of walking and little shade.

Overnight in Petra.

Meals: breakfast and dinner.

This morning, we take a bus tour to the nearby site of el Beidha, known as Little Petra.

We will also see a settlement dating from the Neolithic period, some 8,500 years ago.

We return to our hotel by bus.

This afternoon, you can either relax or re-enter the breathtaking main site of Petra (the entrance fee today is at your own expense).

You may wish to explore on your own, or join your Tour Leader on a steep walk to the High Place, which some believe was the site of human sacrifice to the Nabatean gods.

From here, it is possible to see the tomb of the Jewish prophet Aaron.

This site offers the best views of the entire site of Petra, but should be attempted only by the fit.

Overnight in Petra.

Meals: breakfast and dinner.

Leaving Petra, we stop briefly at the Spring of Moses, which is supposed to have magical properties.

We continue down the Desert Highway to Jordan's only port, Aqaba, on the Red Sea.

We will have time this afternoon to relax or visit the Red Sea beaches.

Later this afternoon, we make an excursion to Wadi Rum, where Lawrence of Arabia conducted many of his campaigns during the First World War.

While at Wadi Rum, we take four-wheel-drive vehicles out into the desert, where the sand is red and the rocks look like gigantic multi-layered chocolate cakes melting in the setting sun.

We may be invited into a goat-hair tent to share a glass of tea with some Bedouin tribesmen - the nomadic herdsmen of the desert who made up Lawrence's army.

Running along the floor of the valley is the Hejaz Railway that Lawrence blew up repeatedly.

After sunset, we return to Aqaba.

Overnight in Aqaba.

Meals: breakfast and dinner.

Today, we travel along the historic King's Highway from Aqaba to Amman.

The first castle we come to is Shobak Castle, built by the Crusaders in 1115 and sacked by Muslim forces under Saladin in 1189.

Farther north, we explore Kerak Castle, also a 12th-century Crusader fortress.

The castle's huge water cisterns and commanding position on a hilltop allowed it to hold out against many sieges.

We continue to Amman, arriving in the late afternoon.

Overnight in Amman.

Meals: breakfast and dinner.

Departure from Amman.

Meals: breakfast.