Jordan: Royal Tour of Jordan 2014

Itinerary:

DAY 01 – Sunday - AMMAN from USA or Canada

Arrival at the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, where our representative will meet you, assisted through customs and formalities and escorted your hotel in Amman.

DAY 02 – Monday -             AMMAN

A morning city tour of Amman, visiting the Roman Theater, the Citadel, the Archeology and Folklore Museums, old and modern Amman. Afternoon at leisure. Tonight we will take a tour to Kan Zaman Village for dinner. (Breakfast, Dinner)

DAY 03 – Tuesday -           DEAD SEA - PELLA - UMM QAIS

After breakfast we proceed to the Dead Sea for a swim in the salty waters of this lowest spot on earth. Here you will experience the ultimate sensation of trying to swim, while you can actually only float. You have free time at the Dead Sea for swimming and relaxing at the beach. Continue on to Pella, another city of the Decapolis, in the Jordan Valley. Most of the visible structures date from the Roman, Byzantine and Islamic periods (2nd to 14th Centuries A.D.) and there is ample evidence of human occupation during the earlier Hellenistic, Persian, Iron, Bronze, Chalcolithic, Neolithic and Paleolithic periods. Then proceed to Umm Qais or Gadara of antiquity. Gadara commands a magnificent view over the northern Jordan Valley, the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias), the Yarmouk River gorge and the Golan Heights. In the evening we return to the hotel in Amman for overnight. (Breakfast)

DAY 04 – Wednesday -     AMMAN - JERASH - AJLUN

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, enjoy an orientation tour of Amman, the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom. Often referred to as the "White City" because of the white stone used to build houses, Amman offers a contrast between oriental and cosmopolitan. Proceed to the North of Amman for a 45-minute drive to the best-preserved example of Roman civilization, the city of Jerash. Jerash, part of the Decapolis (the ten big Roman cities of the East) has been called the “Pompeii of the East” for its unique state of preservation. The city features theaters, churches, temples (Zeus and Artemis), a Nymphaeum and colonnaded streets. After the visit, proceed to the Saracen castle at Ajlun. This 12th Century castle was built by Saladin in his successful campaign to drive the Crusaders from Jordan in 1189 and is an outstanding example of Arab/Islamic military architecture. In the late afternoon, return to you’re hotel in Amman for overnight. (Breakfast)

DAY 05 – Thursday -         MADABA - MT. NEBO - KERAK

After breakfast depart Amman to Petra via the Kings' Road. En route, visit the mosaic city of Madaba, where the oldest map of the Holy Land exists on the floor of Saint George's Church. Madaba, or Medeba in antiquity, features many famous mosaics that exist in public and private buildings. After Madaba, a short drive will bring us to Mt. Nebo, the alleged burial site of Moses overlooking the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. Here Franciscans have built a structure that protects a 4th and 6th Century Byzantine church. After visiting this site, we continue on via the scenic canyons of Wadi Mujib (Arnon's Valley in the Bible) to the Crusader castle at Kerak. This 12th Century hill top fortress features galleries, towers, and chapels and ramparts that recall the gallantry of the Crusaders themselves. Then proceed to Petra and check in at your hotel. (Breakfast)

DAY 06 – Friday -                PETRA

After breakfast, depart on a full day tour of Petra. Once the ancient Nabatean capital, this city has a lot to tell. The visit starts at the visitors center, where we are assigned a Bedouin guided horse for the journey to the entrance of the lost city. After passing some tombs that are located outside the city, we will pass through the Siq an immense crack in the Nubian sandstone. It is a winding, one-kilometer-long fissure between overhanging cliffs that seem to meet more than 300 feet overhead. Near the end of the passage, the Siq, we will make one last turn and out of the gloom into a towering brightness, where Petra's most impressive monument, el Khazneh - “The Treasury”, stands. This most elegant remains of antiquity is carved out of solid rock from the side of the mountain. It is nearly 140 feet high and 90 feet wide. Beyond el Khazneh we are surrounded on both sides by hundreds of Petra's carved and built structures, soaring temples, elaborate royal tombs, a carved Roman theater, large and small houses, burial chambers and much more. The Victorian traveler and poet, Dean Burgon, gave Petra a description which holds to this day - "Match me such a marvel save in Eastern clime, a rose-red city half as old as time." (Breakfast)

DAY 07 – Saturday -          PETRA - WADI RUM - AMMAN

Visit the Wadi Rum Desert (a short ride in 4x4 vehicle) and its awesome moonlike landscape, where the film “Lawrence of Arabia” was shot. Time permitting we may have a short visit to Aqaba. Return to Amman on the Desert Highway. Overnight in Amman. (Breakfast)

DAY 08 – Sunday -              AMMAN - USA or Canada

Morning bid farewell to this ancient city as you are escorted to Amman Airport in time for your return flight to the U.S.A or Canada (Breakfast)