Active Jordan

Arrive at Queen Alia airport, Amman where you will be met by our representatives and escorted through arrival procedures. You will then be transferred by comfortable air-conditioned car to your hotel in Amman.

Amman, the capital of Jordan, is a city of contrasts, offering both ancient ruins and thriving modern life.  Begin your tour by stepping back in time with a visit to The Citadel – a reminder that Amman has been inhabited for thousands of years, and was once a major Roman city. Although not as impressive as the Colosseum in Rome or the Acropolis of Athens, the Citadel does impose on the modern city’s landscape, and provides a constant reminder of the rise and fall of civilisations. The Citadel is home to a small but extremely interesting museum which is well worth a visit, before exploring the modern aspects of the city and understanding a little about how modern Jordanians live, shop, eat, work and pray in this large, modern city.

Continue to the shops, bazars and cafes of busy downtown Amman where you will be treated to various street food bites in order to get a taste of the city.

This afternoon enjoy some downtime, or alternatively enjoy a local Arabic cooking class. You will learn about the Arabic kitchen and how to prepare a traditional Arabic meal. Most importantly you will then get to eat the food that you prepared, in a traditional grandmother’s house found in one of Amman’s oldest neighborhoods, Jabal al weibdeh.

Start this morning by travelling about an hour North for a good stretch of your legs.  This wooded area is a rarity in Jordan, it has a Mediterranean climate and is home to a great variety of flora and fauna including the reintroduced roe deer and a large number of bird species.   Hike the Soap Trail, a gentle forest walk of about two or three hours through evergreen forest trails, pistachio trees, oaks, and fruit trees, which gives way to wonderful view points.  The trail brings us out into the little village of Orjan where the village ladies make their own soap out of local ingredients and pure olive oil.  These exotic smelling soaps are a great gift to take home which also support local communities.  Following Aljoun you will be ready for lunch and we have included lunch at a hand picked, authentic and delicious Middle Eastern restaurant.

Second only to Petra in tourist appeal, next we visit Jerash. Jerash was a member of the Decapolis, a dynamic commercial league of ten Greco-Roman Cities. Today it is acknowledged as one of the best-preserved province cities of the Roman Empire. Today you can walk beneath the imposing south gate and then make your way up the ‘Street of Columns’ the Roman road running 600 meters north from the Oval Plaza. As you step over the tracks of chariot wheels, still visible in the paving stones, you are invited to imagine prosperous citizens window-shopping beneath a covered sidewalk, and as you visit the theatres and temples you can imagine the throngs of crowds enjoying dramas unfolding before them. Jerash is a large site, so come prepared to not only learn, but also walk!

This morning you will depart your hotel in Amman and travel South with your guide and driver to Petra.  En route you will visit the Dana biosphere area which is the largest national park in Jordan and takes in a huge array of landscapes and biodiversity.  Arriving at the Dana nature area you will meet your local guide and stretch your legs hiking the Nawatef Trail which is about two kms long and takes about two hours to hike.  This circular trail begins from the Al-Barrah area and takes you to the scenic mountains, springs and ancient ruins in the Nawatef area.

Today you will visit Petra – perhaps one of the most stunning and impressive ancient sites which one can visit anywhere in the world today.  You will start at Little Petra and hike the stunning mountain scenery for about four hours to enter Petra by the back entrance at the Monastery.  Your private guide will escort you through the site in the opposite order to how most people do this – arriving at the monastery you will end at the Treasury and then the Siq.  Along the way your guide will reveal and explains the highlights of the Nabatean city, including the stunning Treasury, the theatre, the tombs and facades and the colonnaded street. Full historical background will be provided, together with information about the Nabatean civilisation. If you are particularly interested in archeology please let us know as we will have an expert archeologist join you and reveal not yet published information and artefacts from the Petra site, as well as plans for its future.

This morning you will continue your active Petra tour by hiking up to the High Place of Sacrifice.  This climb involves about a forty five minute ascent up steps to arrive at this ancient alter site where animals were dedicated to the gods, and their blood drained away through the stone.  The hike winds back down to Petra over another hour and a half or so, and along the way you will see various burial sites.

Following your tour transfer to Wadi Rum.  Wadi Rum offers extraordinary desert landscape, and one can well understand how T.E. Lawrence was inspired by the seemingly endless rolling colours and shapes of sand and rocks which surrounded him, and in which the famous film Lawrence of Arabia was later filmed. Your tour of the area will be by adventure jeep which will be driven by a local Bedouin guide and you will explore the desert from sand dunes to weird and wonderful rock formations, some of which you will have the opportunity to scale.

Wadi rum

If you can drag yourself out of bed early enough, we have a very special way to start the day!  If you want to feel at one with the desert, and in the role of a desert nomad, there is no better place to get into role than on top of a camel. Camels have been throughout history a source of riches and indeed survival for nomadic desert tribes.  Your ride today will last about an hour during which time you will take in the extraordinary desert scenery as the sun rises and explore the desert of Wadi Rum from an alternative angle.

Bedouin camps are evident in the Wadi, which is still home to a number of Bedouin families, and you will have the opportunity to learn about this way of life, so different from ours. The best way to learn about these amazing and hardy people is to spend time with them and of course to break bread together.  You will enjoy a delicious traditional Bedouin meal – the food is truly a treat but please note that authentic Bedouin camps are extremely basic (there may not be bathroom facilities), and you will be invited to sit on the floor as is customary. Men are not permitted to sit inside the womens’ camp, so couples will be invited to sit in the mens’ tent.

Following lunch you will continue to the Dead Sea.

The Mujib Biosphere Reserve is the lowest nature reserve in the world, with a spectacular array of scenery near the east coast of the Dead Sea.  If you’re looking to experience the reserve in an adrenaline packed way, while taking in the beauty of the surrounding scenery, canyoning is just the answer.  You will hike, scramble, wade, explore hidden gorges, slide and jump down water falls, rappel and depending on the water levels most likely swim through the breathtaking sandstone canyons of Wadi Mujib.  This is especially recommended during the summer season when the cool water will be a delight.  You must be 18 years or older to do this experience and a strong swimmer.  We are happy to recommend alternative adventures as needs be!

Today is at your leisure to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere and mineral rich air of the Dead Sea, and to take advantage of the spa facilities at your hotel.

You will be transferred by comfortable air-conditioned car from the Dead Sea area to Queen Alia airport in Amman. Our representative will assist you with procedures. We wish you a safe and comfortable journey.