The History of Jordan & Petra

Day 1 – Amman

Scheduled flight to Amman from your preferred airport – transfer with our tour manager in our private executive coach to the 4* Amman International Hotel in Amman for a two night stay.

Day 2 – Jerash

Drive north of Amman to the Greco-Roman Decapolis city of Jerash, boasting an unbroken chain of human occupation dating back more the 6,500 years, where we visit sights such as the ruins of the Triumphal Arch, the Amphitheatre and the Forum.

Day 3 – Madaba, Mount Nebo & Kerak

Head to the ancient Moabite city of Madaba to see a selection of the mosaics for which the city was famous during the Byzantine period and visit Saint George's Church with a 6th century mosaic map of the Holy Land – Mount Nebo is the site of Moses’ last camp after the Exodus and the summit from which he surveyed the Holy Land before his death – continue south through Wadi Mujib to Kerak, the 12th century crusaders’ castle used to control the ancient caravan roads from Egypt to Syria – continue to the 5* Hyatt Zaman Hotel near Petra for a three night stay.

Day 4 – Petra

The vast rose-red city of Petra was carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans, who settled there more than 2,000 years ago – enter the city through the Siq, a narrow one kilometre gorge with 80 metres high cliffs – towards the end of the Siq we see the early 1st century Al-Khazneh, known as The Treasury, 30m wide and 43m high, carved out of the sheer rock face – spend time exploring Petra.

Day 5 – Wadi Rum

This afternoon we head south from Petra to Wadi Rum for pre-booked 4x4 wheel drive jeeps to explore the land of Lawrence of Arabia, an unusual desert terrain with towering limestone and granite cliffs.

Day 6 – Dead Sea

En route back to Amman we visit the Dead Sea, at 1,306 feet below sea level the lowest spot on earth, and enjoy the bizarre and delightful experience of ‘floating’ on the surface of buoyant waters, four times saltier than regular seawater – return to the 4* Amman International Hotel in Amman for a two night stay.

Day 7 – Desert Castles

The Desert Castles, Qasr Amra, Qasr Kharaneh and Qasr Azraq, built by the early Islamic Umayyad Caliphs in the 7th and 8th centuries AD include fortifications, baths, mosques, mosaic floors and painted wall frescoes.

Day 8 – Amman

Transfer to airport for our scheduled flight back home.