Welcome to Jordan! Amman is Jordan’s capital and one of the oldest cities in the world. Inhabited since the Bronze Age, it is the country’s economic, political, and cultural center. The city has grown into a modern city with all that you might expect. Restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and art galleries continue to pop up everywhere, and a wide range of cultural events is happening daily. Despite this amazing growth, Amman has retained its character and traditions, and the cultural hospitality and generosity are still very present across the city.

This evening, we’ll meet as a group for our welcome dinner and an opportunity to get to know your fellow travelers and have your first taste of Jordanian cuisine.

INCLUDED:

— Meals: Dinner

— Airport Transfer (Est 30 min-1 hr, depending on traffic)

Overnight in Amman

We will start the day with a city tour of Amman. Beginning with the Citadel and the Roman Theatre, two archaeological sites spanning several empires, you will discover how tradition and modernity meet in the Old City. We will walk through the old markets and view the beautiful, white Al-Husseini Mosque, and stop at a local restaurant to have some authentic Jordanian street food (aka falafel and hummus).

Later, we leave Amman and descend a long, winding road over 1,000 meters to the lowest point on earth – the Dead Sea! At 400 meters below sea level, you can enjoy the afternoon floating in the uniquely salty waters, apply the famous Dead Sea mud with its countless dermatological benefits, relax by the pool, or pamper yourself with a spa treatment. It’s time to get rid of all the stress and tension that you might have been carrying around with you!

This evening, we’ll return to Amman and learn another side of Jordan, its wine industry. Winemaking in Jordan goes back centuries. Several wine presses have been uncovered by archaeologists over the years, with some said to be of industrial scale. It’s been said that the wine Jesus served during the Last Supper came from what is Northern Jordan today. We’ll have the opportunity to discover more than 40 international handpicked grape varieties that are specially crafted into more than 20 types of wine and produced from one of the most distinctive terroirs in the world, the basalt desert of Jordan.

INCLUDED:

— Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

— City Tour in Amman

— Dead Sea Experience

— Wine Tasting at JR The Wine Experience

Estimated Drive Time Amman to the Dead Sea: 1 hour

Overnight in Amman

Today, you will have the chance to get to know Jordan’s green north. After breakfast, we head to Jerash, one of the best-preserved Greco-Roman cities worldwide. Strolling through the vast site feels like walking through history, and one could easily spend a whole day discovering the ruins.

After enjoying the ruins at Jerash, we’ll have a short drive through rolling hills covered with olive trees and light forests, and we’ll arrive in Ajloun. Here, we will visit the castle dominating the town’s skyline. The mighty fort was built to ward off the Crusader armies at the key trade and pilgrimage intersection between Jerusalem, Cairo, Damascus, and Mecca.

We then head to the village of Orjan for an experience of a more traditional life. We’ll meet our local host who will first show us one of his olive groves, including trees that have provided olives for hundreds of years. After a short walk, we’ll then enter his family home, where you will be introduced to the culture and daily life of this community, and enjoy a delicious feast of traditional food cooked by his family. This visit is a great opportunity to ask questions about life in rural Jordan! After a delicious meal, we’ll return to Amman.

INCLUDED:

— Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

— Visit Jerash

— Visit Ajloun Castle

— Lunch with a local family in the Orjan village

Estimated Drive Time Amman to Jerash: 1 hour
Estimated Drive Time Jerash to Ajloun: 45 min
Estimated Drive Time Ajloun to Amman: 1 hr 45 min

Overnight in Amman

Today, you will have the option of hiking at Jordan’s natural water park or visiting the sites of Madaba and Mount Nebo.

OPTION 1: WADI MUJIB CANYON HIKE

This morning, we’ll continue to Wadi Mujib for a 2-4 hour hike that takes you through the river in the middle of a gorgeous slot canyon to a beautiful waterfall. The Wadi Mujib is a slot canyon that surrounds the Mujib river, which flows through Jordan and into the Dead Sea. This is Jordan’s natural water park and one of the best adventures you can have in the Kingdom. The trail starts at the Visitor Center near the Mujib Bridge, where you will take the cantilevered walkway over the dam and follow the course of the river between towering sandstone cliffs to the base of a large waterfall. It starts as a simple walk through the stream and quickly escalates into an all-out adventure filled with rock climbing, swimming, sliding and jumping through one of Jordan’s most dramatic slot canyons. The wadi is well equipped with bolts and metal staircases to support visitors, and ropes are fixed to aided sections that require swimming through the gorges of the canyon.

After our hike, we’ll transfer to our eco-lodge overlooking the Dana Nature Reserve, one of Jordan’s premier nature reserves with the most diverse area of plant life in the country.

HIKE INFO:

Distance: 3km, approx 1.8mi round trip

Est Time: 2-4 hours

Difficulty Level: Moderate

OPTION 2: MADABA AND MOUNT NEBO

For those not wanting to do the canyon hike, you will have the option of visiting the historical sites of Madaba and Mount Nebo and then meeting up with the rest of the group for lunch. See two of Jordan’s historical and religious highlights on a half-day tour. Walk on Mount Nebo, where Moses is said to have seen the Promised Land before he died, and view the ancient mosaics in the hilltop church. Then, visit Madaba to admire its 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land.

INCLUDED:

— Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

— Wadi Hidan Hike or Sightseeing at Madaba and Mount Nebo

Estimated Driving Time Amman to Wadi Mujib: 1.5 hours

Estimated Driving Time Amman to Madaba: 40 min

Estimated Driving Time Madaba to Mount Nebo: 15 min

Estimated Driving Time Wadi Mujib to Dana: 2 hours

Overnight in Dana

After breakfast, you will head to Little Petra where we’ll start our hike into the vast UNESCO World Heritage Site of Petra. Now one of the modern ‘Seven Wonders of the World’, Petra is a masterpiece half as old as time, the Red Rose city was only recently re-discovered by the outside world.

To avoid the majority of the other tourists, we’ll walk in the footsteps of the ancient Nabataeans through canyons, along cliffs, and across desert plains and enter Petra through the ‘Back Door.’ Petra is an ancient ruined city – hand-carved into the region’s reddish sandstone thousands of years ago, then forgotten by the outside world for a long time, and rediscovered by European archaeologists at the beginning of the 20th century.

We’ll enter the site through the Siq, a narrow gorge guarding the city’s entrance. At some point, the high stone walls will open up, and the magnificent Treasury, definitely the county’s probably most photographed monument, comes into view. Take your own share of pictures, then we’ll continue into the city to discover the many caves and tombs, and other structures.

After lunch, there is time to explore off the beaten path. You can visit some of the hidden treasures of Petra, such as the Monastery or the High Place of Sacrifice, or climb up to Jabal Khubthaa, to gain an amazing view of the Treasury from above.

Continuing through Petra, we’ll descend over 800 steps through slot canyons where we’ll easily see how daily life thrived over 2,000 years ago. Local Bedouins sell their handmade goods and detailed handicrafts to hikers traveling through the passageways of Petra to The Treasury.

We’ll stop for lunch in the main city center of Petra where daily life once thrived. After lunch, you’ll wander through elaborate tombs carved into the sandstone walls with our local guide as she explains the history of the architecture and the intricate aqueducts which allowed civilizations to thrive in a desert climate.

Last but certainly not least we’ll visit The Treasury, one of the most iconic archaeological sites in the region. Originally used as a temple, it received its name from the misbelief that it contained treasures. After exploring this beautiful site, we’ll exit Petra via a narrow slot canyon to our hotel and have a well-deserved dinner!

HIKE INFO:

Distance: 14 km (8.7 miles)

Ascent: 496m (1,627 ft)/ Descent: 519m (1,702 ft)

Est Time: 6-7 hours

INCLUDED:

— Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

— Hike from Little Petra to Petra

Estimated Driving Time Dana to Little Petra: 1 hour

Overnight in Petra

Today, spend the day visiting other trails and sites inside Petra. If you’re feeling adventurous, and want to avoid the crowds and discover some less visited monuments in Petra, you can visit sites such as the Khubtha Mountain or the High Place of sacrifice.

To reach Khubtha Mountain you will enter the Siq, exploring the ancient rock-carved ruins of Facades Street before following a steep climb up ancient Nabataean steps to near the summit of Al Khubtha to enjoy the magnificent panorama overlooking the Treasury, then descending to the main entrance of Petra. This forty-minute hike is strenuous but highly recommended, on a trail that is steep, but not difficult. When you think you’ve reached the summit of Jabal Al Khubtha but don’t yet see the Khazneh, turn left descending a bit, and you will make out the colorful tent of a Bedouin family with a sign posted “Treasury’s Best View,” where you can sit on carpets, have a relaxing tea with them, and enjoy the scenery.

Alternatively, you can hike up 30-40 minutes to the High Place of Sacrifice and enjoy breathtaking panoramic views and some of Petra’s most extraordinary rock coloring. This is the most accessible of Petra’s High Places and is a well-preserved site built atop Jebel Madbah, with cliffs that drop an almost sheer 558 ft (170m). The obelisks here are more than 19ft (6m) high and are remarkable structures carved out of the rock face, not built upon it.

Whichever route you choose, you will make the most of your two-day exploration of one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

INCLUDED:

— Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Box, Dinner

Overnight in Petra

Are you ready for a desert adventure? After breakfast, we will depart Petra and head to Wadi Rum. On arrival, you will start your desert adventure with a camel ride out into the magical mountainous desert.

Afterward, we will meet our Bedouin hosts and set out on a 4×4 jeep safari to explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site, exploring its valleys and narrow gorges, discover ancient rock inscriptions, climb sand dunes and a rock bridge, and generally enjoy the majestic desert landscape. At each step, you’ll have the opportunity to hike, scramble and explore at your own pace.

You’ll return to camp this evening to enjoy the famous Bedouin hospitality and a night under the starlit sky.

INCLUDED:

— Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

— Wadi Rum 4×4 Excursion

— Sunset Camel Ride

Estimated Drive Time Petra to Wadi Rum: 2 hours
Overnight in Bedouin Camp in Wadi Rum

After waking up to the sunrise and a simple breakfast in the desert, you’ll leave Wadi Rum and head to Aqaba. Jordan’s southernmost city is located at the Red Sea and hosts the country’s only port with access to the Red Sea.

Enjoy a boat ride on a glass bottom boat, enjoy views of the coral, and also views across Jordan, Israel, Egypt, and Saudia Arabia. You’ll have the chance to relax on the sun deck, jump into the cool waters, swim, and snorkel, and enjoy a delicious lunch on board before returning to Amman.

INCLUDED:

— Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

— Boat Ride & BBQ at Aqaba

Estimated Drive Time Wadi Rum to Aqaba: 1 hr 15 min

Estimated Drive Time Aqaba to Amman: 4 hours

Overnight in Amman

Unfortunately, all great things must come to an end. Today we will say goodbye to Jordan and our new travel friends and at the appropriate time, a driver will pick you up to take you to the airport for your travel home or to your next destination.

INCLUDED:

— Meals: Breakfast

— Airport Transfer (Est 30 min-1 hr, depending on traffic)