Petra, Dead Sea & Wadi Rum

We start the day with a visit to the hilltop town of As-Salt, which once served as a trading link between the Jordan Valley and the Eastern Desert. As-Salt is known for its impressive old Islamic architecture which was built using yellow limestone. Today, the town serves as an example of the religious and cultural friendship between the local Muslim & Christian population. To learn more about As-Salt, we’ll head out on a walking tour of its ‘Harmony Trail’, which will give you greater insight into the lives of the locals. We’ll have lunch with a local family today, giving you your first taste of Jordanian cuisine (this is group size dependent, if the group is too large, we will head to a local restaurant). After lunch, we make our way to the Baptism site at Bethany, which is an excavated site believed to the place where John baptised Jesus Christ. Many churches, caves and pools dating back to Roman & Byzantine periods have been found here. We’ll also visit three of its most important sites: Tell Mar Elias, the Baptism Pools and John the Baptist’s Church. We’ll return to our hotel in Amman where we’ll spend the night.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Overnight: Amman hotel

Extras: None

Today we head out on a city tour of Amman, taking in its rich history which dates back many millennia. We’ll start with a visit to the Citadel – the former home of the ancient temple of Hercules, the Umayyad Palace, Byzantine Church and the ancient Roman theatre, which is still being used today to host various cultural events. Next, we make our way to Jerash, one of the most well-preserved Roman architecture sites on the planet. Jerash was hidden underneath sand for centuries and over the past 70 years, archaeological work has uncovered that Jerash was once a fine example of Roam urbanism, boasting paved and colonnaded streets, hilltop temples, public squares and plazas.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Amman hotel

Extras: Amman evening food tasting tour

We leave Amman today, driving along the scenic King’s Highway to Petra. We’ll drive slowly, giving you time to take in the beauty of your surroundings as we pass through deep wadis, olive groves and rural villages. We’ll stop at Madaba to see the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George, which is famed for its 6th century-old Byzantine mosaic map of the Holy Land. We’ll also visit Mount Nebo, which is known to be the burial place of Moses. Next, we’ll stop at the Kerak Castle, which is one of a few Crusader Fortresses spread across Jordan. The castle was built in the 12th century and provides breath-taking views of the surrounding hills and plains. There is an option is available tonight to get a first taste of the rose-red city by booking the Petra by Candlelight tour. If this is something you would like to experience, please chat to your travel consultant.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Petra hotel

Extras: None

Today is all about exploring the Nabatean site of Petra. It was once the ancient capital of the Nabataean commercial empire until the Romans finally took over in 106AD. For a long period of time, Petra was forgotten – except by the local Bedouins – before it was rediscovered in 1812 by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. Petra can be found at the edge of the Wadi Aruba desert, where canyon walls and towering hills make it virtually impossible to reach, except via a narrow cleft in the rock, known as the Siq. There are very few free-standing buildings in Petra, as the Nabateans chose to carve their dwellings into the multi coloured sandstone cliffs. Petra has become one of Jordan’s main tourist attractions and the Jordanian Government is well aware of this. The tourism infrastructure in the adjoining village of Wadi Musa is booming, though, thankfully, once you enter through the Siq, the site is protected, there aren’t that many touts or souvenir sellers, and all the building feels miles away.

We have most of the day available today to explore this ancient city (2-3 hour guided tour, then free time to explore independently). We start by making our way through the Siq, which rises to 200 metres above us and narrows to just 2 metres wide in certain sections. Keep an eye out for the ancient Nabatean water channel which is still visible on one wall and there are remnants of the terracotta pipes that brought water into the city as well. We’ll turn a corner and suddenly – one of the most familiar sights of Petra will be in front of you – The Khazneh (Treasury) comes into view. Our guide will explain how this, and the other buildings here, are mainly elaborate facades carved into the rock from the top down, and also discuss the spiritual significance of the building style.

From the Treasury, the valley opens out, and you’ll see tombs carved into the rock on both sides. You’ll get a glimpse of the ruined Roman amphitheatre and colonnaded streets and during your free time, you can walk up a steep and narrow winding gorge to the towering ‘Monastery’ – which is 50 metres high and 45 metres wide, giving you breath-taking views of the Wadi Aruba desert and the Jordan Valley. Another climb takes you to the High Place of Sacrifice, and Lion Fountain. All in all, this is a full and tiring exercise, but hugely rewarding day touring one of the world’s most famous ancient sites.

Walking distances today are an absolute minimum of 3km through the Siq to the Treasury and back and to see a few tombs, 8km to take the trail on as far as the main basin, plus an additional few km to the Monastery and back (over 800 steps up and down). For those with less mobility or who are worried about the distance, horse carriages are available for around 20JD (USD 28) to take you on the 1.2km journey through the Siq to the Treasury and back again at an agreed time. They will also take you further in through the site for an extra fee. We do not recommend riding the horses that are available. Donkeys are available for the steps up to the Monastery – if you want to use them, we’d reommend doing this on the way up, not on the way down.

Later in the afternoon, we leave Petra and drive into the spectacular desert scenery of Wadi Rum where friendly Bedouin hosts are ready to greet us at a comfortable camp beneath the towering rocks and cliffs. We spend the evening and night relaxing at the camp, watching the stars and enjoying a delicious traditional Jordanian meal.

Meals: Breakfast, dinner

Overnight: Bedouin camp in Wadi Rum

Extras: None

We start the day with a jeep safari, exploring the rugged desert scenery of Wadi Rum. Look out for the copper-coloured rocky jebels, which mesmerised TE Lawrence during his visit to the desert during the Arab Revolt and was later featured in the movie, Lawrence of Arabia. We leave Wadi Rum later today and make our way towards the Dead Sea, which is the lowest point on earth coming in at 400 metres below sea level. The Dead Sea is also one of the world’s most spiritual landscapes, filled with dramatic, natural wonders. Numerous rivers run into the Dead Sea, including the River Jordan. Once the water reaches the Dead Sea, they become land-locked and eventually evaporates, leaving a dense, rich mixture of salt and minerals behind. We’ll stop to enjoy a ‘swim’ in the Dead Sea’s salty waters, which will be a unique experience as the salinity makes it virtually impossible to swim but rather to float or sit in its waters. We finish the day back at our hotel in Amman.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Amman hotel

Extras: Amman evening food tasting tour

You have the day free to explore Amman before being transferred to the airport. If you would like to squeeze in some more sightseeing, we can assist with optional day trips such as a visit to Aljoun Castle.I you wish to extend the tour, we can arrange a transfer to Tel Aviv either by by flight or overland for people wanting to connect this tour with our Biblical Israel tour departure which starts on Sunday.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: N/A

Extras: Pella and Umm Qais
Extra day in Amman – post-tour

Note: Options and extensions are subject to flight departure times and may require extra days adding to your tour.