22nd December. Welcome to Jordan and the start of your Christmas holiday! Arrive Amman, included transfer to hotel and overnight. Overnight - Amman

Amman - Jerash - Umm Qais - Amman. Driving north, we visit Jerash, one of best-preserved cities of the Decapolis, a confederation of 10 Roman cities dating from the 1st century! We’ll explore a significant number of preserved ruins including the classic Roman colonnaded street, amphitheatre, nymphaeum and forum before continuing to Umm Qais (Gadara), a dramatic black-basalt Roman city of the Decapolis with great views over the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights. Overnight - Amman (B)

Amman - Mt Nebo - Umm ar Rasas - Petra. This morning, we tour the citadel of Amman, Archaeological Museum and enjoy free time shopping in the local souq, before visiting 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, Jericho and on clear days the towers on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.

Later we visit Umm ar Rasas, a haunted city on the ancient caravan routes, important during the Byzantine and Umayyad periods. 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, Philadelphia (modern-day Amman), Madaba and Karak. Overnight - Petra (B)

Merry Christmas Jordan! Today we visit Petra. Accessing 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), we continue our exploration. Dozens of tombs, temples, an impressive amphitheatre and a Roman colonnaded street await our discovery. Later, an Anglo-Jordanian Christmas feast at the Petra Kitchen. Overnight - Petra (B, D)

Petra - Wadi Rum. This morning you have the opportunity to return to the Rose City before our afternoon drive to Wadi Rum. Late this afternoon, we enjoy a 4x4 safari across the stunning desertscape. Tonight tuck into dinner, Jordanian-style. Overnight - Wadi Rum (B, D)

Wadi Rum - Karak - Dead Sea - Madaba. This morning, we explore the vast well preserved 12th century crusader castle of Al Karak. It took the Crusaders some twenty years to erect their fortified stronghold, which through the proceeding centuries withstood countless attack and siege. Once finished in 1161, it became the residence of the lord of Transjordan, by then the most important fief of the Crusader kingdom, rich in produce and tax revenues. Note: Shobak crusader castle maybe visited as an alternative to Karak, depending upon weather and opening times.

Descending some 1300 metres to the lowest point on the earth's surface we arrive at the Dead Sea. Sitting at 422 metres below sea level we spend the afternoon swimming, lathering up with a detoxifying mud bath and bobbing about in the ever warm mineral-rich body of water. After we drive onward to the bustling Muslim-Christian market town of Madaba. Overnight - Madaba (B, D)

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, its mosaics, quaint village shops and local market are all here to explore. Overnight - Madaba (B)

Madaba - Amman Airport. Hotel check-out and included onward departure transfer to Amman's Queen Alia airport. (B)