Essential Jordan

Duration:

6 day

A short, 6-day itinerary showcasing the "must-see" highlights of Jordan.

Highlights:

Amman, Mt. Nebo, Madaba, Kerak, Petra, Baptism Site, Dead Sea

Day one:

ARRIVE AMMAN

Arrive at Queen Alia International Airport. You will be met and transferred to your hotel, Amman International Hotel. Pre check-in will be arranged so that you can go directly to your room, and luggage will follow immediately.

Buffet dinner at your hotel in Amman.

Overnight:

Four Seasons Amman

Day Two:

AMMAN

Start the day with a city tour of Amman which will include the Citadel, the Archaeological Museum, the Roman Theatre, the Folklore Museum, and the Royal Automobile Museum, King Hussein's private car collection.

The capital of Jordan, Amman was known in Greco-Roman times as Philadelphia. High above the city, at the ancient Citadel, you can study the traces of Amman's many lives: the regal columns of a roman temple in silhouette against the sky, the elegant capitals of a Byzantine church, endlessly inventive carvings in the Umayyad Palace, fascinating displays in the Archaeological Museum, and digs and ruins everywhere you step. At the foot of the Citadel, take a seat in the Roman Theatre, a deep-sided bowl carved into the hill and still used for cultural events.

After the tour drive to the Greco-Roman city of Jerash (around one hour drive north of Amman).

After lunch begin your sightseeing in Jerash. Second only to Petra in tourist appeal, the ancient city of Jerash is remarkable for its long chain of human occupation. Here at a well-watered site in the hills of Gilead, remains from Neolithic times have been found, as well as Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad. Jerash's golden age, howeve,r arrived with Roman rule. 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.

When Emperor Hadrian visited Jerash in 129 AD, it was already thriving. To honour its guest, the city raised a triumphal arch Today you can walk beneath the imposing south gate and then make your way up the 'Street of Columns' – the Roman road running 600 metres north from the Oval Plaza. As you step over the tracks of chariot wheels, still visible in the paving stones, imagine prosperous citizens window-shopping beneath a covered sidewalk.

Then drive back to your hotel in Amman.

Buffet dinner at your hotel in Amman.

Overnight:

Four Seasons Amman

Day Three:

AMMAN- MT. NEBO - PETRA          

After breakfast, board your vehicle and drive to Mount Nebo (around one hour drive).

Mount Nebo is the mountain where Moses was allowed to see the Holy Land but not allowed to enter it. Nowadays the mountain is a memorial site.  Here you will find 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 kilometers away.

Continue to Madaba (15 minutes drive from Mt. Nebo). Madaba, the "City of Mosaics", stands perched on an archaeological site with more than 4,000 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.

After lunch at a local restaurant in Madaba, you will continue to the city of Kerak. to visit the Crusader's castle. Situated midway between Jerusalem and Shobak, another Crusader castle, Kerak is perched on a hilltop 1,000 metres above sea level and surrounded on three sides by a valley. After walking around the castle, proceed to Petra.

Arrive in Petra and check in to your hotel.

Buffet dinner at the main restaurant.

Overnight:

Moevenpick Petra

Day Four:

PETRA

Today enjoy 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. 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. Today Petra is Jordan's number one tourist attraction, known as the "rose-red city half as old as time". The Khazneh (the Treasury) even starred in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Back to your hotel in Petra and rest of day free at leisure.

Buffet dinner at the main restaurant.

Overnight:

Moevenpick Petra

Day Five:

PETRA - BAPTISM SITE - DEAD SEA

After breakfast check out from hotel. Board your vehicle and drive via the Desert Highway to the place where Jesus was baptised – known as Bethany Beyond or the Baptism Site (around four hours drive).

The excavations conducted at Bethany in Jordan have uncovered a first century AD settlement with plastered pools and water systems that were used almost certainly for mass baptisms, and a fifth to sixth century Byzantine settlement with churches, a monastery, and other structures most probably catering to religious pilgrims.

A survey made has documented an ancient sacred  pilgrimage  route  that linked Jerusalem, the Jordan River, Bethany, “beyond the Jordan” as it is described in the Gospels to separate it from the “within” the Jordan that is Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and Mount Nebo.

John the Baptist started his mission in the land of modern Jordan, he baptised Jesus here and it was also here that his life ended. He was arrested by Herod Antipas, imprisoned in the fortress of Machareus (modern Mukawir) and beheaded upon the request of Salome, Herod Antipas’ step daughter (Mark, 6:17-29).

After the tour drive to the lowest point on the Earth – the Dead Sea.

At 400 metres 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 2,000 years for therapeutic purposes.

Dinner will be served at your hotel on the Dead Sea.

Overnight:

Dead Sea Hotel

Day Six:

DEAD SEA - DEPART AMMAN         

After breakfast check out from your hotel and transfer to Queen Alia International Airport for your departure flight. The drive from the Dead Sea Hotel to the airport will take around 45 minutes.