Wonders of Arabia

Our guide will meet you at Amman Airport and transfer you to your chosen accommodation. Today is free for you to settle into your new surroundings and begin exploring Jordan’s cosmopolitan capital.

Overnight:

Four Seasons Amman

Meals included:

None

One of the best places to begin a days sightseeing around Amman is the Roman Forum and this will be today’s first stop. The Roman Theatre is cut into a depression in the hillside and the huge theatre offers spectacular views of the surrounding area. The original structure was built between 169 and 177 AD whilst under the reign of Marcus Aurelius. The theatre originally seated six thousand spectators and it is still occasionally used for concerts.
From here we head to the Odeon which is located just beyond the Amphitheatre. The original structure dates slightly earlier than the large theatre and once seated around 500 and was probably used for council meetings or small scale dramas.
Following our short tour of Amman we begin our journey south along the desert highway to Aqaba. We will spend the next 2 nights in a luxury beach resort.

Overnight:

Kempinski Aqaba

Meals included:

Breakfast

We drive out of Aqaba to the spectacular desert & mountains of Wadi Rum. The desert here, with its towering rust coloured rocky ‘jebels’ awed TE Lawrence during his visits during the Arab Revolt of 1917-18, and was later made famous in the film Lawrence of Arabia. We take a jeep safari this afternoon through the stunning desert scenery to see more of the sheer cliffs and bizarre rock formations. After a Traditional Bedouin Lunch we will drive to Petra where we have an afternoon tour to visit ‘Little Petra’ which gives you a good taste of things to come tomorrow when we have our tour to visit Petra.

Overnight:

Taybet Zaman

Meals included:

Breakfast, Lunch

The ancient capital of the Nabataean commercial empire until the Romans finally took over in 106AD, Petra was largely forgotten, except by the local Bedouins, until it was ‘discovered’ in 1812 by a young Swiss explorer, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. This was partly due to its remoteness, and its situation on the edge of Wadi Aruba., whose canyon walls and surrounding hills make it almost impossble to approach except through a narrow, winding cleft in the rock, called the Siq. The city itself has very few free-standing buildings, as the Nabateans chose to carve their homes, buildings and tombs into the multi-coloured sandstone cliffs.
We have nearly a whole day today to tour this fascinating city, escorted by an expert guide (4 hour tour, then free time to explore yourselves). We start by walking through the Siq, which rises to 200m above us, and narrows to just 2m wide in places. The ancient Nabatean water channel can still be seen on one wall, as well as some remnants of the terracotta pipes that brought water into the city. All of a sudden, a now classic view appears around one corner, and one of Petra’s most impressive monuments, the Khazneh (Treasury) comes into view. Our guide will explain how this, and the other buildings here, are mainly elaborate facades carved into the rock from the top down, and also discuss the spiritual significance of the building style. From the Khazneh, the valley opens out, with tombs carved into the rock on both sides. We’ll see the ruined Roman amphitheatre, and colonnaded street, and can walk up a steep and narrow winding gorge past beautifully coloured sandstone cliff walls to the huge and imposing ‘Monastery’. The biggest of Petra’s carved monuments at 50m high and 45m wide, this is truly spectacular, as are the distant views west across Wadi Aruba and the Jordan valley.
Another climb can take us to the High Place of Sacrifice, and Lion Fountain.
All in all, this is a full & tiring, but hugely rewarding day touring one of the world’s most famous ancient sites. We spend the evening and night relaxing at our hotel

Overnight:

Taybet Zaman

Extras and options:

Petra By Candle Light - An option is available to return to the Siq in the evening for the Petra by Candlelight tour through the Siq to the Treasury.

Meals included:

Breakfast, Lunch

Today we begin our drive north to the Dead Sea up the King’s Highway (a slower, but much more interesting and beautiful drive than the busy Desert Highway). Our first stop is at the old Crusader town and castle at Kerak, which lies on the ancient Egypt-Syrian caravan routes. Built in 1132AD by the Crusader King, Baldwin 1 of Jerusalem, the castle fell to Saladin in 1188AD. It is still an impressive building with commanding views over the surrounding hills & plains.
From Kerak, we head further north crossing several deep Wadis, including the majestic Wadi al-Mujib, where the road winds down, and then up the other side of this 1km deep canyon.
Arriving in Madaba, an important Christian town in Jordan, we stop to see some of its famous and priceless Byzantine era mosaics, including one of a 6th century map of Palestine in the Greek Orthodox St. George’s church, which was laid out in 560AD on an area of well over 100square metres, using more than 2 million pieces.
Close to Madaba is the Mt. Nebo area, used as a memorial to Moses. There are 3 peaks, with spectacular views to the Dead Sea, and on a clear day, all the way to the church spires of Jerusalem.
We finish our journey today with a short drive to the Dead Sea.

Overnight:

Kempinski Dead Sea

Meals included:

Breakfast

This morning we visit Jerash which is probably Jordan’s second most visited tourist site. As with Petra, this is for good reason, as the Roman ruins here are very well preserved, and an excellent example of a Roman provincial city. Gerasa (Jerash) was founded around 170 BC and it was around this time that the idea of a Decapolis emerged. In 63 BC the Romans liberated Gerasa and the following decade saw a period of unprecedented growth – the original town plan was laid down at this time and this still survives today. At Jerash you have a guided tour and plenty of free time to explore further on your own.
In the afternoon we return to the Dead Sea where you with free time. the Dead Sea where we stop to enjoy a swim in this strange place, over 200m below sea level. The intense salinity - around 33%, of the waters here - caused by the intense evaporation rate, leads to a very strange swimming experience. In fact, normal swimming is not really possible, and it is easier (and more photogenic!) just to float, sitting or lying in the water. Be careful not to get any water in your eyes, as it will sting very strongly – you’ll also discover various tiny cuts you never thought you had. We ensure we bathe where there are clean water springs or shower facilities so that you can wash the salty water off before it dries and starts to itch!.

Overnight:

Kempinski Dead Sea

Meals included:

Breakfast

This morning we drive north and cross the border into Syria, from here we continue to Damascus. After settling in we begin our sightseeing today with a visit to Syria’s National Museum. The National museum is home to an immense collection spread over 2 wings. We include a guided tour here where our guide will point out some the museums treasures before allowing you some free time to explore on your own. From here we have a short walk to visit the Tekkiye Suleymaniye Complex. The Tekkiye Mosque is one of Damascus’ most attractive spots; the beautifully designed complex was created by the famous Ottoman architect, Sinan.
After a short break for lunch we head to the Old City where we continue our sightseeing with a visit to the historic Azem Palace. The former home of the Azem family is the oldest and most palatial Ottoman residence in Damascus. Despite being converted to the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions in 1954 it retains much of its original architecture. Close to the Azem Palace is the Great Umayyad Mosque whose impressive minarets tower over the surrounding buildings, the modest tomb of Saladin is located within the complex. Our day concludes with a drive along ‘Straight Street’ and a stop for shopping at Hamidiye Souq.

Overnight:

Talisman

Extras and options:

Arabic Story Telling - At the Nawfara Café close to the Umayyad Mosque, Arabic story tellers recount traditional folk tales. This will give you a great insight into the Arabic language – very interesting even for non-arabic speakers.

Meals included:

Breakfast

After a little free time in Damascus we continue our journey towards the ‘Bride of the Desert’ – Palmyra. After checking into your hotel we begin our sightseeing tour. Palmyra is one of Syria’s most famous and most visited sites, here you will find one of the worlds most complete classical cities with ruins dating back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Our tour includes visits to the most important and best preserved ruins including the Colonnaded streets, Roman Forum, Theatre, Temple of Bel and much more. You will also have plenty of free time here to explore a little further on your own.

Overnight:

Tadamora Palace Hotel

Extras and options:

Desert Camping – As an alternative to spending the night in a hotel at Palmyra, tonight can be spent with the local Bedouin at a desert camp.

Meals included:

Breakfast, Lunch

We bid farewell to Palmyra after breakfast and head through the desert. Our first stop will be at the ruins of Qasr el Hir a former palace and important stop of the ancient caravan routes. Continuing north, our second stop will be at the ‘Dead City’ of Rasafa which dates back to the 9th Century BC when it was an important stop of the trading routes between Palmyra, Europos, Dura and Aleppo. We make our final journey for today to Aleppo where you will check into a 5 star hotel. This evening is free, why not visit the Jdeideh District where evening meals are often accompanied by live music.

Overnight:

Mansouriya Palace

Extras and options:

Euphrates Boat Trip – En-route from Palmyra to Aleppo there is the opportunity for you to take a short boat trip on the Euphrates river.

Meals included:

Breakfast, Lunch

Today we have a full day of tours around this historic city and the Basilica of St Simeon. Our first visit is to the National Aleppo Museum. The museum houses an impressive collection, notably from the early Iron Age sites around Syria. From here we drive to Bab Antakya – the western gate of the old walled city which dates back to the 13th century we will begin our walking tour here. After passing through Bab Antakya we will emerge onto Souq Al-Attareen; the perfume sellers souq which continues for 1200m to the foot of the Citadel. There are 12km of souqs in this area waiting to be explored and you will have free time later today to explore on your own. After walking just over half way along Souq Al-Attareen we reach the Great Mosque. The mosque was built in the 8th century a decade after the construction of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus and features a beautiful 50m tall minaret. Continuing on along Souq Al-Attareen we reach our final destination, the mighty Citadel. The Citadel dates back to the 13th century and is a magnificent demonstration of Arab Military architecture. We will tour the Citadel before giving you free time to explore the Citadel and Souq further.
In the afternoon we head north to visit the 5th century basilica of St Simeon. The basilica took 14 years to build and at the time it was the largest and probably the most important church in the world. This was surpassed by Haghia Sophia in modern day Istanbul.

Overnight:

Mansouriya Palace

Meals included:

Breakfast

From Aleppo we head south to Krak des Chevaliers – the worlds best preserved Crusader Castle.
The original fortress at Krak des Chevaliers was built in 1031 by the Emir or Aleppo and later extended by the Knights Hospitallers between 1150 and 1250. We have an extensive guided tour followed by free time. After departing Krak des Chevaliers in the afternoon we continue to Damascus via the Aramaic speaking village of Ma’loula where you have the opportunity to explore and visit the monasteries of Mar Sarkis and Mar Taqla.

Overnight:

Talisman

Meals included:

Breakfast,

Your time in Syria comes to an end today. You have some free time in Damascus today before our guide transfers you to the airport for departure.

Extras and options:

Extra Nights in Damascus
Day trip to visit Beirut and Baalbek
Overnight trip to visit Beirut, Baalbek and Byblos
Day trip to visit the southern cities of Bosra, Shahba and Swaida.

Meals included:

Breakfast