Exploration in ancient Jordan
 

Day 01– Arrive Amman, Jordan
Arrive Amman International Airport. Meet & assist at Queen Alia International Airport by your professional Jordan Beauty representative, who will assist you with visas, luggage, and customs.

Transfer in modern air-conditioned vehicle to your hotel, Amman Marriott Hotel pre-check in will be arranged, and guests will go directly to their rooms, and luggage will follow immediately.

Meals provided: None
Accommodation: Amman Marriott Hotel

Day 02 – Amman
You are collected from your hotel for a full day city tour of Amman.

Start the day by visiting the Citadel, the Archaeological Museum, the Roman Theatre, the Folklore Museum, walk down town through the bazaars and the Gold market, then on to visit Darat al Funun.

Darat al Funun is a home for the Arts and the artists of Jordan and the Arab World. Overlooking the heart of Amman, Darat al Funun is housed in three historical residences built in the 1920’s alongside the remains of a 6th century Byzantine church. It speaks of an enduring ancient legacy of urbanism, architecture and cultural identity that is now being enriched by a modern flowering of the visual arts.

Enjoy lunch at Fakher El Din Restaurant.

After lunch visit the Nature Centre of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, and walk through the oldest part of Amman located in “Jabal Amman” the 1st circle, where most of the houses of the well known families of Amman was living or still living till today. Most of the houses are built in the 1920’s or 1930’s.

Visit Jordan River Design Shop for handicraft during the waling tour.

End the tour at the “Pacha” Turkish Bath for bath with a massage and dinner at the courtyard of the Pacha Turkish Bath.

Meals provided: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Amman Marriott Hotel

Day 03 – Jerash & Ajloun
You are collected from your hotel for a full day excursion to Jerash and Ajloun.

In Jerash, the Roman excavations are of about the same size as the modern part of the town. Sometimes called the Pompeii of the East, Jerash flourished in the first century AD and thrived by trade due to the benefits of the “Pax Romana.”

Located north of Amman in the biblical land of Gilead lies this city sheltered in a fertile and well-watered valley. At its height, Jerash was home to over 25,000 people. Theatres and temples were continuously added as the city thrived under the Roman empire. In 330 AD Emperor Constantine announced that Christianity would be the new religion of the Roman Empire’s eastern half, and Jerash fell into the newly formed Byzantine segment. A spate of building ensued, some temples were transformed to churches, and many new churches were erected, with mosaic floors similar to those found at Madaba. The massive ruins are spread over a large area divided and crisscrossed by colonnaded streets whose pavements still show the grooves of chariot wheels.

Enjoy lunch at the Green Valley Restaurant in Jerash, and continue on to Ajloun.

Visit the castle of Ajloun “Al Rabad Castle.” Qalat er-Rabad, this is the name in Arabic, is located on a high peak overlooking the city of Ajloun. According to Salah-Eddin biographer, this castle was built between 1184 and 1185 by one of the Salah-Eddin nephews, to oppose the Crusaders castles of Kerak and Shobak.

Return to Amman for dinner and evening at leisure.

Meals provided: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Amman Marriott Hotel

Day 04 – Amman - Petra
Hotel checkout, depart Amman for a full day excursion to Mt. Nebo, Madaba, the King’s Highway, Kerak, and on to Petra for overnight.

Drive to Mount Nebo, the mountain where Moses was allowed to see the Holy Land… and not allowed to enter it. Nowadays the mountain is a memorial site. Here is the “Church of Moses”, built by the first Christians. Ever since the first days of Christianity this mountain has been a holy place and a destination for pilgrimage. Like Moses, you can have a great view over Jordan, the Dead Sea and Israel. When the weather is clear, you should even be able to see Jerusalem, which is about 60 kilometres away.

Continue to Madaba. South of Amman proudly stands the “City of Mosaics,” Madaba, perched on an archaeological site with more than 4000 years of history buried beneath it. The quality and quantity of mosaic flooring has made Madaba one of the most prominent cities in the world for mosaics. St. George’s Church houses the world famous mosaic floor depicting a large mosaic map of Palestine. Centrally located on this mosaic floor is a detailed map of Jerusalem as it was during the sixth century AD. At the Church of the Apostles, at the southern entrance of the city, is a mosaic floor attributed to the craftsman Salamanios, depicting the Sea, with the central figure of a woman encircled with a selection of creatures, vegetation and an inscription.

Return to your vehicle and proceed to Kerak to visit the Crusaders Castle of Kerak and lunch at Kerak King’s Castle Restaurant.

Visit the Crusaders Castle of Kerak, famous of its crusader fortress in the center of underground galleries, rooms and secret passageways and its thick defensive walls pierced by narrow arrow slits where crusader archers held out bravely but in vain for over 100 years. It was the crusaders who made Kerak famous. Payen Le Boutellier, the lord of Montreal, built the fortress in 1142. He made Kerak the new capital of the province because it was situated on the king’s highway, where it could control all traffic from north and south.

Return to your vehicle and proceed to Petra via the Desert Highway, for hotel check-in and dinner this evening.

Meals provided: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Petra Marriott Hotel.

Day 05 – Petra
You are collected from your hotel for a full day tour of Petra.

Start the visit with a horse ride from the main gate of Petra to the entrance of the old city. Then walk on foot along the to visit the rose-red city of Petra.

The ancient city of Petra was built from 800 BC to 100 AD by Nabetean Arabs. In this era Petra was a fortress, carved out of craggy rocks in an area, which was virtually inaccessible. In the first and second century, after the Romans took over, the city reached the peak of its fame. Petra covers an area of about 100 square km, where over 800 monuments can be found. When shipping slowly displaced caravan routes, the city’s importance gradually dwindled; it fell into disuse and was lost to the world until 1812, when it was re-discovered by the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. Nowadays Petra is Jordan’s number 1 tourist attraction, known as the “rose-red city half as old as time”. The Khazneh (the Treasury,) starred in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Buffet lunch inside Petra at Basin Restaurant.

Meals provided: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Petra Marriott Hotel.

Day 06 – Petra & Wadi Rum
This morning, enjoy a return visit to the site of Petra. After lunch, drive to Wadi Rum, pick up your 4x4 vehicle and driver for a 3-hour drive inside the beautiful desert of Wadi Rum and enjoy the sunset.

Wadi Rum. Otherwise known as Valley of the Moon, the landscape of Wadi Rum with its immensity, color and awe-inspiring shapes creates an almost supernatural atmosphere. The setting for the film Lawrence of Arabia and the actual location where T.E. Lawrence set his camp, whose book “The Seven Pillars of Wisdom” was named after the seven natural columns varying in height located in route to Wadi Rum.

Bedouin camps are evident in the Wadi, which is still home to a number of Bedouin families, who welcome visitors with the hospitality and generosity that Bedouins are so famous for. Enjoy a special dinner under Bedouin tents with local music entertainment.

Meals provided: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Petra Marriott Hotel.

Day 07 – Petra - Dead Sea
Check-out and transfer to Little Petra for a half-day visit.

Return to your vehicle and drive to the Dead Sea Marriott Resort via the Desert Highway.

Arrive the Dead Sea Marriott Resort and check in, enjoy the balance of the day at leisure.

Dead Sea, at 400-meter’s below sea level, the Dead Sea is infinite in what it has to offer. Ever since the days of Herod the Great, people have flocked to the Dead Sea in search of its curative secrets. Due to high annual temperatures, low humidity and high atmospheric pressure, the air is extremely oxygenous, and the high content of oxygen and magnesium in the air make breathing a lot easier. With the highest content of minerals and salts in the world, the Dead Sea water possesses anti-inflammatory properties, and the dark mud found on The shores have been used for over 2000 years for therapeutic purposes.

The Jordan Valley Marriott Resort & Spa is an exceptional resort located on the east shore of the Dead Sea. It is situated in one of the most unique places and is on the lowest point of earth, 400 meters below the sea level. Most rooms are facing the sea. The hotel offers an upscale treatment spa with renowned dead sea salt and mud treatment.

Meals provided: Breakfast
Accommodation: Dead Sea Marriott Resort

Day 08 – Dead Sea
Enjoy the day at your at leisure for swimming and using the Sanctuary Spa. This afternoon you are collected from the hotel for a drive to the Baptism Site.

The Baptism Site: The excavations conducted at Bethany in Jordan have uncovered a I Century A.D. settlement with plastered pools and water systems that were used almost certainly for mass baptisms, and a V-VI Century Byzantine settlement with churches, a monastery, and other structures most probably catering to religious pilgrims. Return to the hotel late afternoon and enjoy the evening at leisure.

Meals provided: Breakfast
Accommodation: Dead Sea Marriott Resort

Day 09 – Dead Sea - Amman - Depart
After breakfast, check out from hotel and luggage will be stored at your vehicle.

Transfer to Queen Alia International Airport for your departure flight. The drive from the Dead Sea Movenpick Resort to the airport will take around 45 minutes. Our representative will assist you with in check in and immigration procedures.

Depart Amman International Airport.