The Wonders of Jordan

Itinerary:

Day 1. Arrival Amman
Upon arrival at Queen Alia Airport in the capital of Jordan, Amman, you will meet our representative assisting you through customs and immigration. Overnight in Amman

Day 2. Salt and Jerash
Departure from the hotel after breakfast to Salt, a hillside town near Amman. Its significance as an Ottoman Empire trading hub is reflected in its Ottoman architecture. The early-20th-century Abu Jaber mansion, now the Historic Old Salt Museum, has Italian frescoed ceilings. An Ottoman Mosque overlooks Hammam Street with its food market. The Archaeological Museum focuses on finds from the Chalcolithic era (4500–3300 B.C.) to the 16th century.
Jerash lies on a plain surrounded by hilly wooded areas and fertile basins. Conquered by General Pompey in 63 BC, it came under Roman rule and was one of the ten great Roman cities of the Decapolis League. The city's golden age came under Roman rule, during which time it was known as Gerasa, and the site is now generally acknowledged to be one of the best-preserved Roman provincial towns in the world. Hidden for centuries in sand before being excavated and restored over the past 70 years, Jerash reveals a fine example of the grand, formal provincial Roman urbanism that is found throughout the Middle East, comprising paved and colonnaded streets, soaring hilltop temples, handsome theatres, spacious public squares and plazas, baths, fountains and city walls pierced by towers and gates.
Beneath its external Graeco-Roman veneer, Jerash also preserves a subtle blend of East and West. Its architecture, religion, and languages reflect a process by which two powerful cultures meshed and coexisted—the Graeco-Roman world of the Mediterranean basin and the traditions of the Arab Orient.
Overnight in Amman

Day 3. Amman city tour
After breakfast, you will depart for an exciting city tour of Amman. Amman is the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; it is also known as the ancient city of Philadelphia. A city that has an interesting mix of ancient and modern ... Ammonites, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Muslims left their footprints layer upon layer in and around the city. From the top of the citadel, one of the highest hills in Amman, you have a splendid view of the old city. Visit the Citadel with the Archeological Museum and the Roman Theater.
The afternoon is at your own disposal, or join an optional excursion to the Desert Castles.
Overnight in Amman

Day 4. Free day in Amman or excursion to the Dead Sea
This day is reserved for your own experiences in Amman. You can explore the old “Souq” in the downtown or stroll down the old "Rainbow" street.
Or you can participate on optional excursion to the lowest point on Earth, the Dead Sea. Overnight in Amman.

Day 5. Amman - Madaba - Mt. Nebo - Umm Ar-Rasas - Petra
Just 30km from Amman, along the 5,000-year-old Kings Highway, is one of the most memorable places in the Holy Land. After passing through a string of ancient sites, the first city you reach is Madaba, known as the City of Mosaics.
Best known for its spectacular Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics, Madaba is home to the famous 6th century Mosaic Map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. With two million pieces of vividly coloured local stone, it depicts hills and valleys, villages and towns as far as the Nile Delta.
The Madaba Mosaic Map covers the floor of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George, which is located northwest of the city centre. The church was built in 1896 AD, over the remains of a much earlier 6th century Byzantine church.
Mount Nebo is one of the most revered holy sites of Jordan and the place where Moses was buried. A small Byzantine church was built there by early Christians, which has been expanded into a vast complex. During his visit to Jordan in 2000, the Late Pope John Paul II held a sermon here that was attended by some 20,000 faithful.
Umm Ar-Rasas is a very ancient site that is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The rectangular walled city is mostly in ruins but does still include several buildings, as well as four churches and some beautiful stone arches. The main attraction is outside the city walls within the Church of St. Stephen, which contains a very large, perfectly preserved mosaic floor laid down in 718 AD. It portrays fifteen major cities of the Holy Land from both east and west of the River Jordan. This magnificent mosaic is second only to Madabas world famous mosaic map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land.
Overnight in Petra.

Day 6. Petra - Wadi Rum - Wadi Rum
After departure from the hotel awaits more experiences in the famous site.
Petra, the world wonder, is without a doubt Jordan's most valuable treasure and greatest tourist attraction. It is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome.
Entrance to the city is through the Siq, a narrow gorge, over 1km in length, which is flanked on either side by soaring, 80m high cliffs. Just walking through the Siq is an experience in itself. The colours and formations of the rocks are dazzling. As you reach the end of the Siq, you will catch your first glimpse of Al-Khazneh (Treasury).
The Treasury is merely the first of the many wonders that make up Petra. As you enter the Petra valley, you will be overwhelmed by the natural beauty of this place and its outstanding architectural achievements. There are hundreds of elaborate rock-cut tombs with intricate carvings - unlike the houses, which were destroyed mostly by earthquakes, the tombs were carved to last throughout the afterlife and 500 have survived, empty but bewitching as you file past their dark openings. Here also is a massive Nabataean-built, Roman-style theatre, which could seat 3,000 people. There are obelisks, temples, sacrificial altars and colonnaded streets, and high above, overlooking the valley, is the impressive Ad-Deir Monastery a flight of 800 rock-cut steps takes you there.
Wadi Rum is a stupendous, timeless place, virtually untouched by humanity and its destructive forces. Here, it is the weather and winds that have carved the imposing, towering skyscrapers, so elegantly described by T.E. Lawrence as vast, echoing and God-like..."
Also known as The Valley of the Moon, this is the place where Prince Faisal Bin Hussein and T.E. Lawrence based their headquarters during the Arab Revolt against the Ottomans in World War I, their exploits intrinsically woven into the history of this amazing area.
Camp overnight under the stars in Wadi Rum.

Day 7 Wadi Rum camp - Aqaba
Enjoy this timeless place or take an optional 2 hours Jeep tour in the Desert of Wadi Rum. From Wadi Rum you’ll continue to Aqaba for the last overnight.

Day 8. Aqaba departure
After breakfast transfer to Aqaba Airport in time for your flight.

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PRACTICAL INFORMATION:

• Excursions: You can pre-book/pay the optional excursions to the Desert castles and the Dead Sea in advance - min. 2 persons (see prices below). 
  The Desert Casles: Jordan's desert castles, beautiful examples of both early Islamic art and architecture, stand testament to a fascinating era in the country's rich history. Their fine mosaics, frescoes, stone and stucco carvings and illustrations, inspired by the best in Persian and Graeco-Roman traditions, tell countless stories of life as it was during the 8th century. Called castles because of their imposing stature, the desert complexes served various purposes as caravan stations, agriculture and trade centres, resort pavilions and outposts that helped distant rulers forge ties with local Bedouins.
  The Dead Sea: Without a doubt the world's most amazing place, the Jordan Rift Valley is a dramatic, beautiful landscape, which at the Dead Sea, is over 400m (1,312 ft.) below sea level. The lowest point on the face of the earth, this vast stretch of water receives a number of incoming rivers, including the River Jordan. Once the waters reach the Dead Sea they are land-locked and have nowhere to go, so they evaporate, leaving behind a dense, rich, cocktail of salts and minerals that supply industry, agriculture and medicine with some of its finest products.
  One of the most spectacular natural and spiritual landscapes in the world, the Jordanian east coast of the Dead Sea has evolved into a major hub of both religious and health & wellness tourism in the region.
  The leading attraction at the Dead Sea is the warm, soothing, super salty water itself – some ten times saltier than sea water, and rich in chloride salts of magnesium, sodium, potassium, bromine and several others. The unusually warm, incredibly buoyant and mineral-rich waters have attracted visitors since ancient times, including King Herod the Great and the beautiful Egyptian Queen, Cleopatra. All of whom have luxuriated in the Dead Sea's rich, black, stimulating mud and floated effortlessly on their backs while soaking up the water's healthy minerals along with the gently diffused rays of the Jordanian sun. 
  Jeep tour in the Desert of Wadi Rum: The desert adventure in Wadi Rum is carried out by the locals and done in pick-up vehicles owned by the Bedouins of the area; these are usually older models and not in top condition. We cannot take any liability for this tour. The Jeep tour in Wadi Rum can only be booked during the tour through the guide. No advance booking possible.