Luxury 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.

SPECIALIST TOUR: Middle Eastern food is a major highlight of travelling the region, and our Amman based street food tours are not to be missed in order to get off the beaten track and switch on your taste buds. Spices feature heavily including the heavenly zaatar, and plenty of thyme. There are plenty of vegetarian options such as hummus, falafel and local cheeses, as well as traditional grilled meats for those so inclined. Arab sweets tend to be very sweet, but the halva and kunafa are definitely worth a go and are delicious with strong, bitter Arabic coffee. Many will be surprised to know the although Jordan is a Muslim country, there is a long history of wine making and we will be happy to introduce you to a sip of the local nectar – just for cultural reasons of course!

EXPERT LED BRIEFING: We have arranged an expert briefing where a member of our speaker’s bureau will set out for you the current state of affairs in Jordan, including questions around Jordan’s very particular political system, the path to democracy, reformers versus conservatives, the history and evolution of the monarchy, and the impact of the various waves of refugees in Jordan. Our speakers are prominent journalists, risk analysts and think tank people, and offer deep expertise in their areas of knowledge. This will be a chance to step away from the ruins of the past and probe deeply into the Jordan of today.

This evening you are invited for a truly unique and exclusive visit to one of the most interesting homes in Amman – the home is interesting both for its outstanding architecture and its fascinating hosts who will share with you all sorts of details about life in Jordan today, it’s opportunities, development and challenges.

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.  Time allowing you will then visit Aljoun Castle, an impressive structure from Crusader times.  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 Madaba and Mount Nebo, and we are happy to include lunch at a great restaurant too.

According to tradition, Mount Nebo is the mountain from which the prophet Moses looked over into the Promised Land, and understood that he would not be permitted to enter it. Indeed, when the weather is kind, views are extraordinary and you can see Jerusalem which is about 60 kilometers away. Today Mount Nebo is a memorial site, and the Church of Moses was build by early Christians in honour of the site and its history, and indeed the site has attracted pilgrims since the earliest days of Christianity.

South of Amman you will also find Madaba, affectionately called the “City of Mosaics” by those who know it – the sheer quantity as well as the quality of the mosaics has ensured Madaba its place on the visitors’ map. Madaba is in fact a 4000 year old archaeological site, and takes in monuments such as St. George’s Church which is home to the famous ancient mosaic map of the Holy Land. You will view the detailed map of sixth century Jerusalem, Madaba’s main attraction, and time allowing you will also visit the Church of the Apostles with its beautiful mosaic depicting the sea and her creatures.

Today you will visit Petra – perhaps one of the most stunning and impressive ancient sites which one can visit anywhere in the world today.  Your private guide will escort you into Petra through the Siq and reveal the highlights of the Nabatean city, including the stunning Treasury. Other sites include the theatre, the tombs and facades and the colonnaded street. Full historical background will be provided, together with information about the Nabatean civilisation.

EXPERT ARCHEOLOGIST BRIEFING:  We have also included a special experience meeting an expert archeologist at one of Petra’s live dig sites.  He or she will join you and reveal not yet published information and artefacts from the Petra site, as well as plans for its future.

If you love hiking we would offer an alternative today in which you start at Little Petra and hike the stunning mountain scenery for about four hours to enter Petra by the back entrance at the Monastery.

This evening the archeological site of Little Petra will be privately dedicated to your party for an extraordinary experience and dinner.  As you arrive at this major archeological site, the desert around you will be dark, and your path will be lit by candlelight, and conditions allowing the stars above. An intimate table will be set up for you in front of the Nabatean monument, beautifully lit for your three-course dinner.  Traditional musicians will set the scene with local sounds. All in all, tonight may go down as one of your most interesting, memorable and atmospheric dinners ever.

This morning you will visit Little Petra. This site is a natural gorge housing a number of remarkable Nabatean tombs, divinity blocks, cisterns, and dining halls complete with benches and hand washing sinks used for commemorative meals. Among the dining halls is the painted Biclinium which contains the remains of a Nabatean wall-painting. The large number of broken dishes found during excavations in Little Petra suggests that breaking dishes was a ritual at the end of commemorative meals.

Following your tour continue to Wadi Rum by jeep.  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 adventure jeep 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.

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.

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.

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.

The Dead Sea

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.