AMMAN

Amman, the capital of Jordan, is a fascinating city of contrasts – a unique blend of old and new, ideally situated on a hilly area between the desert and the fertile Jordan Valley.  In the commercial heart of the city, ultra-modern buildings, hotels, smart restaurants, art galleries and boutiques rub shoulders comfortably with traditional coffee shops and tiny artisans’ workshops. Everywhere there is evidence of the city’s much older past. Due to the city’s modern-day prosperity and temperate climate, almost half of Jordan’s population is concentrated in the Amman area. The residential suburbs consist of mainly tree-lined streets and avenues flanked by elegant, almost uniformly white houses in accordance with a municipal law, which states that all buildings must be faced with local stone.  The downtown area is much older and more traditional with smaller businesses producing and selling everything from fabulous jewellery to everyday household items. The people of Amman are multi-cultural, multi-denominational, well-educated and extremely hospitable. They welcome visitors and take pride in showing them around their fascinating and vibrant city.

PETRA – A ROSE RED CITY

The giant red mountains and vast mausoleums of a departed race have nothing in common with modern civilization, and ask nothing of it except to be appreciated at their true value – as one of the greatest wonders ever wrought by Nature and Man. Petra, the world wonder, is without a doubt Jordan’s most valuable treasure and greatest tourist attraction. It is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. Entrance to the city is through the Siq, a narrow gorge, over 1km in length, which is flanked on either side by soaring, 80m high cliffs. Just walking through the Siq is an experience in itself. The colours and formations of the rocks are dazzling. As you reach the end of the Siq you will catch your first glimpse of Al-Khazneh (Treasury).

DEADSEA

Without a doubt the world’s most amazing place, the Jordan Rift Valley is a dramatic, beautiful landscape, which at the Dead Sea, is over 400m (1,312 ft.) below sea level. The lowest point on the face of the earth, this vast stretch of water receives a number of incoming rivers, including the River Jordan. Once the waters reach the Dead Sea they are land-locked and have nowhere to go, so they evaporate, leaving behind a dense, rich, cocktail of salts and minerals that supply industry, agriculture and medicine with some of its finest products. The Dead Sea is flanked by mountains to the east and the rolling hills of Jerusalem to the west, giving it an almost other-worldly beauty. Although sparsely populated and serenely quiet now, the area is believed to have been home to five Biblical cities: Sodom, Gomorrah, Adman, Zebouin and Zoar (Bela).

AQABA

With its wealth of other attractions, Jordan’s splendid Red Sea resort is often overlooked by modern-day visitors. But apart from being a delightful place for discerning holidaymakers, this is actually a great base from which to explore various places of interest in southern Jordan. Aqaba is a fun place and offers a fascinating history with some outstanding sites, excellent hotels and activities, superb visitor facilities, good shopping, and welcoming, friendly people, who enjoy nothing more than making sure their visitors have a good time.  Aqaba’s greatest asset is the Red Sea itself. Here you can experience some of the best snorkeling and diving in the world.

WADI-RUM

This is a stupendous, timeless place, virtually untouched by humanity and its destructive forces. Here, it is the weather and winds that have carved the imposing, towering skyscrapers, so elegantly described by T.E. Lawrence as “vast, echoing and God-like. A maze of monolithic rockscapes rise up from the desert floor to heights of 1,750m creating a natural challenge for serious mountaineers. Hikers can enjoy the tranquility of the boundless empty spaces and explore the canyons and water holes to discover 4000-year-old rock drawings and the many other spectacular treasures this vast wilderness holds in store.

JERASH

Jerash lies on a plain surrounded by hilly wooded areas and fertile basins. Conquered by General Pompey in 63 BC, it came under Roman rule and was one of the ten great Roman cities of the Decapolis League. The city’s golden age came under Roman rule, during which time it was known as Gerasa, and the site is now generally acknowledged to be one of the best-preserved Roman provincial towns in the world. Hidden for centuries in sand before being excavated and restored over the past 70 years, Jerash reveals a fine example of the grand, formal provincial Roman urbanism that is found throughout the Middle East, comprising paved and colonnaded streets, soaring hilltop temples, handsome theatres, spacious public squares and plazas, baths, fountains and city walls pierced by towers and gates.

MADABA

Just 30km from Amman, along the 5,000-year-old Kings´ Highway, is one of the most memorable places in the Holy Land. After passing through a string of ancient sites, the first city you reach is Madaba, known as the “City of Mosaics.” Best known for its spectacular Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics, Madaba is home to the famous 6th century Mosaic Map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. With two million pieces of vividly coloured local stone, it depicts hills and valleys, villages and towns as far as the Nile Delta.

• • Jordan Through the Ages- Get under the skin of Jordan visiting all the key sites as well as some of the lesser visited but important cultural sites in the Kingdom. As with all our tours of Jordan this tour includes plenty of cultural interaction and lots of street food and drink.
  • Culture and Beach – Why not mix Jordan’s cultural sites with its own little bit of Red Sea Riviera in Aqaba. More cost effective than finishing on the Dead Sea and with plenty of restaurants and shops to keep you busy.
  • Bedouin and Villagers – Walk and visit with the villagers of Orjan in Northern Jordan, the Bedouin of Wadi Feinan and the Bedouin of Wadi Rum, whose fathers and grandfathers fought with Lawrene of Arabia in the Great Arab Revolt.
  • Walking and Trekking – A diverse walking tour of Jordan; from the highlands of the north to the red sandy desert of Wadi Rum. A must for all walking clubs and enthusiasts. Each walk is the perfect day walk with comfortable fixed overnight accommodation
  • The Young Ones – An ideal program for families with younger children. There is enough culture to satisfy the parents but plenty of adventure and outside fun for the kids. This experience is guaranteed to bring out the child in both young and old.
  • In the Footsteps of the Phophets – This program still visits all the key sites but it also includes a free day for Reteat in the Jordanian Wilderness at Wadi Feinan, where the early Christians were persecuted in the Copper Mines. This program is ideal for Church Groups who wish to spend some time meditating and praying together.
  • Kingdoms of Ancient Jordan – This experience offers the main Christian Pilgrim sites in Jordan along with some of the lesser known but equally important secondary sites. In any other country these secondary sites would be part of the main itinerary but such is the depth of Jordan’s ancient history that this is not always possible in Jordan.
  • Film Tours – Visits the sites and sights featured in some of Hollywood’s most famous films, including Indianna Jones, Lawrence of Arabia and Transformers. As well as these famous films the itinerary also visits the places used in two of Jordan’s most successfully produced films. Captain Abu Raed, staring Nadim Sawalaha and Theeb staring three unknown Bedouins from Wadi Rum filmed in the spaghetti western style.