Tour Details
  • Starts in: Amman / Ends in: Amman
  • Departs: Sundays - year round
  • No local payment required
  • Breakfast:5, Lunch: 0, Dinner: 2
  • Hotel Rating: 3 star (+ Wadi Rum camp)
  • Tour Guide: Yes

Passage to Petra - 6 days

Check out Roman ruins, crusader castles and the views across the holy lands, bob like a cork on the Dead Sea, range across the ruins at the Rose City of Petra and enjoy a desert safari at stunning Wadi Rum. All this in eight totally amazing days!

Day 1: Amman
Sunday. Welcome to Jordan and the start of an amazing adventure. Arrive Amman, included transfer to our hotel and overnight. Overnight - Amman
Day 2: Dead Sea
Amman - Dead Sea - Petra. Today, we tour the citadel, Archaeological Museum and enjoy free time in the local souq before descending from the elevation of Amman to the Dead Sea for a chance to take a dip in the mineral-rich waters. Next we head to Shobak castle to walk round the fantastic Crusader castle and admire the brilliant views (with Al Karak as an alternative) before continuing south to Petra Overnight - Petra (B)
Passage to Petra - 6 days Go Guide : :Check out the go guide for details of the tour, info on visas, climate, money, what to bring and more!
Head below sea level to swim in the mineral rich waters of the Dead Sea
Day 3: Petra
Petra. Chief among Jordan’s many archaeological riches is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Rose City of Petra. The city was first settled around the 6th century BC by the Nabataean tribe from Western Arabia. Rediscovered in 1812, it remains on the list of many travellers. We access the hidden archaeological treasures of the Rose City on a walk through a narrow, deep siq, where the rocks finally give way to reveal the famous facade of Al-Khazneh (the Treasury). It's also possible to ride a horse through the Siq. Continuing our walk, we’ll then go on to explore chunks of this fantastic once-lost city which is full of tombs, temples, an impressive amphitheatre and a Roman colonnaded street. The intrepid can ascend the hundreds of rock-cut steps to Ad-Deir. Better known as the Monastery, Ad-Deir has a similar facade to that of the Treasury, but is far bigger and the views from the nearby cliff-tops are awesome. Want to learn how to cook Middle Eastern food? Consider opting for our Petra Kitchen bolt-on tonight! Overnight - Petra (B)
Take a donkey ride from the treasury to the siq in Petra
Day 4: Wadi Rum
Petra - Wadi Rum. A chance to revisit Petra before our afternoon drive to Wadi Rum. A vast, silent landscape of ancient riverbeds, pastel coloured stretches of sandy desert and amazing rock formations known as jebels that rise from the desert floor, the desert landscape of Wadi Rum represents some of the most stunning countryside on the planet. Boarding 4x4s jeeps, we take a safari through the sand dunes, getting up close and personal to the surrounding scenery of Wadi Rum. Tonight, we enjoy a Jordanian dinner. Overnight - Wadi Rum (B, D)
Day 5: Mosaics of Um Ar-Rasas
Wadi Rum - Umm ar-Rasas - Mt Nebo - Madaba. This morning, we visit Umm ar-Rasas, a haunted deserted city on the ancient caravan routes. The village is the site of the now ruinous Roman garrison town of Kastron Mefaa, which developed during the Byzantine and Umayyad periods into a relatively important city. Large mosaic floors from two of its dozen or more churches have been painstakingly cleaned and protected. The mosaic floor of the Church of St Stephen dates to 785, over 150 years after Muslim rule was established in Jordan, and depicts the cities of the day including Jerusalem, with Palestinian cities below such as Nablus and Gaza and seven Trans-Jordanian cities including Philadelphia (modern-day Amman), Madaba and Karak.

Continuing our journey, we head to Mt Nebo - the single most important biblical site in Jordan. Having led the Israelites for 40 years through the wilderness, Moses finally saw, from this awesome vantage point, the Promised Land, that God forbid him to set foot in. We too can enjoy the excellent views offered of the Jordan River Valley, the northern shore of the Dead Sea, Jericho on the opposite bank and (on clear days) the towers on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. We then proceed to Madaba, a bustling Muslim-Christian market town and enjoy a Jordanian feast! Overnight - Madaba (B, D)
Day 6: Amman
Madaba - Amman Airport. Explore Madaba your way, before hotel check-out and included onward departure transfer to Amman airport. (B)

Passage to Petra Perseids Meteor Shower departure - 08 Aug 10

Why not combine this tour with the amazing celestial spectacle of the Perseids Meteor shower? The Perseids meteor shower is a spectacular celestial light show, that has mystified and amazed sky watchers for nearly 2000 years. The night sky is lit up by often over 60 meteors per hour! You can witness the incredible meteor shower from our desert camp in Wadi Rum, where you will spend two incredible nights star-gazing, when the meteor shower is at its peak on the 11th and 12th August. Please see the Go Guide for details of the amended itinerary. Supplement applies.

Other tours that include the Perseids meteor shower are:
Cairo to Damascus - departs 31 JUL 10
Perseid's Meteor Shower - departs 07 AUG 10
Road to Jersualem - departs 07 AUG 10
Arabian Highway - departs 07 AUG 10