Welcome to Jordan and the start of your holiday! Arrive Amman, included transfer to hotel and overnight. Overnight - Amman

Amman - Dead Sea - Petra. This morning, tour the citadel, Archaeological Museum and local souq before driving to the Dead Sea, for a chance to take a dip in the mineral-rich waters. In the Dead Sea you’ll bob about like a rubber duck in a bath, without any effort at all. This afternoon journey south to the valley of Wadi Musa, the modern town that has sprung up beside the Rose City of Petra. Overnight - Petra (B)

Today explore Petra. Take a walk through the mysterious siq to reach the breath-taking rose-red facade of the Treasury. Amazing Nabataean and Roman ruins are on tap here at Petra, including tombs, a Roman road, temples and amphitheatre. The intrepid can ascend the many stone carved steps to the Monastery. Overnight - Petra (B)

Petra - Wadi Rum. There’s a chance to return to the Rose City before an afternoon drive to Wadi Rum and 4x4 jeep safari. Tonight a Jordanian-style dinner and evening chat under the stars. Overnight - Wadi Rum (B)

Wadi Rum - Mt Nebo - Madaba. Today we drive to holy Mt Nebo, where Moses is said to have viewed the Promised Land for the first time and then on to Madaba. Overnight - Madaba (B)

Madaba - Damascus (Syria). Famed for it’s Byzantine mosaics, including the fascinating map of the Holy Land made in the 6th century out of two million stone pieces and now housed in the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George, Madaba - the most important Christian centre in Jordan, its mosaics, little shops and cafe’s offers us gentle respite. This afternoon head north over the Syrian border to Damascus. Overnight - Damascus (B)

Today, enjoy a tour of reputedly the oldest inhabited city on earth. Thoroughly charming, compact and bustling Damascus (Ash-Sham to locals) is studded with rich examples of Islamic and Ottoman architecture. The heart of the city is Martyrs Square. In the side streets just off the square, there are lots of eateries serving shawarma and falafel and pastry shops serving sweetmeats. However, just east is probably the real beating heart of Damascus - the Old City. Surrounded by what was once a Roman wall and rebuilt several times over the last 2000 years, the Old City boasts a main thoroughfare, Straight Street which has been here since Graeco-Roman times. Just beyond the Citadel is the colourful Souk al-Hamidiyya, whilst just a stone’s throw from here is the Umayyad Mosque. Built in 705AD, the facades around the central courtyard are adorned with golden mosaics. South of the mosque is Azem Palace. This evening, enjoy a hammam at a Damascene bath house before enjoying the view and a drink on Mt Qassioun. Overnight - Damascus (B)

Damascus - Palmyra. Drive to ancient Palmyra today, for a city tour. Palmyra was an important and wealthy city from the 2nd century BC as it was located on the caravan trade routes connecting Persia, India, China and the Roman Empire. A colonnaded street leads us to the ruined city where we will see a well preserved theatre, interesting Museum, the striking Ba’al temple and the Valley of tombs. Overnight - Palmyra (B)

Palmyra - Aleppo. On the way to Aleppo – the main city of Northern Syria, stop off at the once mighty, now ruined city of Rasafeh. Climb the walls for great views of the remaining buildings and the desert. Then visit Al’Assad lake on the Euphrates river, where we take a relaxing boat trip around the pink fortress - the Ja’abar citadel. Overnight - Aleppo (B)

This morning visit the Aleppo Museum, the magnificent and huge Citadel which contains the beautifully designed Great Mosque – also known as the Umayyad Mosque and the old covered bazaar – a complicated maze of narrow cobbled streets where you can find anything from gold to clothes to various foods and spices. In the afternoon drive to the impressive Basilica of St Simeon, who became famous because he lived on a small platform on top of a pillar for about 40 years! Afterwards head back to Aleppo. Overnight - Aleppo (B, D)

Today visit the remarkably well preserved and beautifully formed UNESCO crusader castle of Krac des Chevaliers and the pretty Ma'alula village - a site of great importance in the Christian religion, where the people still speak Aramaic - the language of Jesus. We continue onto Damascus and spend the evening at leisure. Overnight - Damascus (B)

Our Arabian Odyssey concludes after breakfast and onward departure transfer to Damascus airport (B)