The Jordan Experience

On arrival at Amman Airport, you will be met by our representative and transferred to your Hotel.

After breakfast your day begins with a city tour of Amman ,the modern and ancient capital of Jordan, formerly the Ammonite capital city of Rabbath-Ammon, and later the Graeco-Roman city called Philadelphia. Originally spread over seven hills like Rome, Amman now covers at least nineteen hills. It is a city of contrasts, it has a diverse mixture of ancient and the modern. Often referred to as "the white city", the homes of Amman are built on many hillsides and form a great canvas of overlapping beige, ochre and white. The outstanding brilliant white scenario is the result of the white stones of the country used in construction. They are rough - hewn, smooth or lightly veined, and even polished white marble. The city, with its population of over one million, is crowned by the Citadel, a hill with the ruins of the Temple of Hercules, and a museum with artifacts dating back to the earliest settlement in this region some 700,00 years ago. At the foot of the Citadel is the 5,000 seat Roman theatre.

Continue out of the city on a well maintained highway to Azraq which leads out into the eastern desert of Jordan here you will see the remains of beautiful, often lavish and still mysterious buildings dating from the early Islamic era. In the 7th and 8th centuries AD, the Umayyad dynasty´s caliphs built a series of structures known as the "desert castles". Assumed to have been luxurious hunting lodges, baths and pleasure places, their secret remains to this day. What prompted these rulers from Damascus to build out here in such arid land? How did they survive the long rainless summers and why did they suddenly appear only to be abandoned just as mysteriously less than 100 years later. There are four pure Omayyad sites at Qasr Amra, Kharanah, Tuba and Mushatta (so large it was never completed) and the black basalt Roman/Medieval Islamic fort at Azraq.

Qasr Azraq: In the arid, extensive desert lies Azraq Oasis, the only permanent body of water in 12,000 square miles and a migratory path for hundreds of species of birds. Amid the many pools is Qasr Azraq, the black basalt fort that was used by T.E. Lawrence as his headquarters during the Arab Revolt. It was originally built by Roman legionnaires in the 3rd century AD.

Qasr Amra: Qasr Amra, built in the early 8th century AD is a triple-vaulted bathhouse and hunting lodge with frescoed walls and ceilings and fragments of mosaics. The lively frescos show hunting-scenes, musicians, dancers and female acts.

Qasr Kharaneh: The large, ominous fortress of Qasr Kharaneh, built in 711 AD, was probably used as a caravansary where caravans could take refuge from fighting Bedouins. It is a square building with towers on each corner and the rooms on the first story are artfully decorated.

Return back to Amman for dinner and overnight at your Hotel

After breakfast a visit to the ancient city of Jerash.

There were settlements at the site of Jerash long before it became a major city.Tools were found that prove that Neolithic man lived here at around 6,000 BC and later Bronze Age and Iron Age villages were constructed. It's emergence as a major city took place in the second century BC, when it was founded by the Romans and became one of the cities of the Dekapolis. Jerash still is a complete Greco-Roman city with three finely carved stone theatres, monumental places, two major hilltop temples, a hippodrome, public fountains, city walls and gates, and colonnaded streets. From the centuries after Rome, Jerash retains a dozen Byzantine churches with their original floor mosaic and some early Islamic buildings. Only 40 minutes by car from Amman, this best preserved Roman town in the Middle East should not be missed. After this continue to Um Qeis(Umm Qeis) the New Testament's Gadara, scene of the miracle of the Gadarene swines, was renowned in its time as a cultural centre. Gadara was first mentioned in the 3rd century BC and most of the buildings are dating from the 2nd century BC There are archaeological remains such as an impressive colonnaded terrace and the ruins of three theatres. In 1991 a restaurant built in this antique site was opened where one may dine on the terrace with a breathtaking view of three countries. Most interesting about it is the magnificent view across the Sea of Galilee and Golan Heights to the north and down the Jordan valley to the south.After the visit.Dinner and overnight in Amman

In the morning drive along the famous Kings Highway to Madaba a favourite stop known as the "City of Mosaics", thirty kilometres south of Amman. It contains some of the finest Byzantine mosaic in the world. A Moabite town, known as Medeba in the Old Testament, has throughout history been a strong Christian influence in the area. Of great historical importance is the large sixth century mosaic map of Palestine and Egypt, representing the oldest map of the Holy Land in existence. Your journey continues onto Mout Nebo.

Fifteen driving-minutes from Madaba lies Mount Nebo, sacred to the Moslems, the Jews and the Christians. This is where Moses is said to have seen the Holy Land of Palestine which he would never enter, for he died and was buried at Mt. Nebo. The site is eternally dramatic and moving and excavations are still revealing new facts about a spot that has been revered a holy group for the last 1600 years. A truly unique experience is to have refreshment or an evening meal at Mount Nebo with a remarkable view across the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. With a little luck, on a clear day the spires of Jerusalem are visible in the distance where the sun sets over the hills.The journey then continues to Kerak.

The Crusaders were in Jordan for nearly 200 years, leaving two especially spectacular remains at strategic points along the King's Highway - the massive 11th Century fort at Kerak.The defensive walled fortress encompassing tiered vaults, galleries, chapels, cathedrals, living quarters, wells, and fortification walls pierced by narrow arrow slits with virtually everything still intact.Your journey then continues to the Nabatean capital Petra.Dinner and overnight in Petra

After breakfast enjoy a 2 hour tour of Petra and in the afternoon just spend time exploring it by yourselves.The 2000 year old Nabatean capital of Petra has been known throughout the world, from its creation, for its architectural splendour. Petra is the legacy of the Nabateans, an industrious Arab people who settled in southern Jordan more than 2,000 years ago. From a hidden staging post, they dominated the trade routes of ancient Arabia, levying tolls and sheltering caravans laden with Indian spices and silks, African ivory, and animal hides.

The Nabatean Kingdom endures for centuries, and Petra became widely admired for its refined culture, massive architecture, and ingenious complex of dams and water channels. Ultimately, however, the Roman Emperor Trajan annexed the kingdom, and myriad rulers followed in his wake. By the sixteenth century, Petra was completely lost, and so it remained for almost 300 years. Then in 1812, a Swiss adventurer named Johann Burckhardt persuaded his guide to take him to the site of the rumoured lost city. Secretly making notes and sketches, he wrote, "it seems very probably that the ruins at Wadi Musa are those of ancient Petra".

Today Petra is famous for housing one of the most spectacular tourist sites in the world. Carved out of the pink and cinnamon-coloured sandstone of the mountains, Petra contains over 800 monuments. The interplay between the serene beauty of the surrounding nature and the masterful carvings of the Nabateans is truly remarkable and always breath-taking.

The city comprises a complete urban infrastructure which includes temples, baths, private houses, high places, paved streets, public buildings, markets, a theatre, reservoirs and cisterns. Its entrance, a one-kilometre-long fissure through the towering cliffs, the "Siq", provides a dramatic approach and induction to the city. The narrow winding path through the canyon dramatically opens up to expose the awesome facade of the el Khazneh, the "Treasury". This monument, used in the final sequence of the film "Indiana Jones and the last Crusade", is Petra´s most famous building.

To reach the city the visitor travels on foot, or by horse-drawn carriage through the awesome "Siq". Since 1995 horse riding is only possible between the Tourist Centre and the entrance of the "Siq".Dinner and overnight in Petra

After breakfast enjoy a drive to Wadi Rum were you can enjoy an optional Jeep tour or Camel Ride. The road south from Petra leads to Wadi Rum, another of nature's wonderlands that has attracted human beings for thousand of years. Wadi Rum is an unusual desert terrain that resembles a pastel pink lunar landscape, with towering limestone and granite cliffs shooting out of the sandy desert floor.

Here both the legend and the film of "Lawrence of Arabia" were made. Wadi Rum is a beautiful sight to enjoy and an adventure ground to conquer. Serious trekkers will be drawn to Wadi Rum, with challenging climbs some 1750 meters high, but casual hikers can also enjoy an easy course through the colourful hills and canyons. Tourists with a high sense of adventure will want to try a hot air ballooning over Rum. Those with a calm disposition will choose a camel ride or use four-wheel-drive vehicles to explore Rum's vast interior.

Everywhere there are signs of people who have lived or passed through Wadi Rum in ancient times - dams, water channels, benches near springs, Nabatean temples, rock art with pictures of warriors, human hands and feet, stickmen and desert animals.

Naturalists are drawn to the desert in springtime, when rain brings about the greening of the hills and an explosion of wildflowers. Much of the rugged terrain is an ideal habitat for wildlife. Sinai rose finches, desert larks, and redstarts can be sighted in Rum.Continue onto the beach resort of Aqaba famous for it's coral and magnificent fish.

Dinner and overnight in Aqaba

In the morning drive to the Dead Sea for a morning of swimming and enjoying the Dead Sea.In the afternoon drive to Bethany.

The most significant event associated with the Jordan River is undoubtedly the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist. Interestingly Picture of Baptismal Ceremony in Bethany Beyond Jordan Baptism Site Jordan Holy Land enough, this also took place very close to Beit ‘Abara, where Joshua, Elijahand Elisha crossed the river. In New Testament times, it became known as Bethany beyond Jordan, the village of John the Baptist. Today you will visit this important site. - one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th Century.

In the afternoon continue to Amman for Dinner and overnight.

Your tour comes to an end after breakfast with a transfer to the airport for your onward flight.

Our Pilgrimage Tours

Pilgrimage to Israel and Jordan

In the Footsteps of the Holy Family and the Desert Fathers

The Jordan Experience