Jordan Culture & Nature Explorer

Touch down in Amman, Jordan’s lively capital, where our journey begins. A complimentary transfer brings us from Queen Alia International Airport to the start hotel. With many flights arriving late, nothing is scheduled today – ideal for a rest before the experiences ahead. If you’d like extra time in the city, you can arrange pre–tour nights through your sales representative.

After breakfast, we meet our tour leader and fellow travellers to hear about the days ahead before setting out mid–morning to explore Amman. We walk to the second–century Roman amphitheatre, carved into a hillside when the city was known as Philadelphia, then continue by vehicle to the hilltop Citadel, where layers of history reveal Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad remains. We round off at the Jordan Museum, the country’s largest, where we encounter treasures including the Ain Ghazal statues and select Dead Sea Scrolls.

We depart Amman early for As–Salt, a town spread over three hills and recognised by UNESCO for its traditions of tolerance and urban hospitality. We visit the As–Salt Archaeological Museum, the splendid Abu Jaber House museum, and stroll Al Hammam Street with its handsome architecture. Continuing about an hour and a half to Pella, we explore remains largely from the Byzantine era before heading north to Umm Qais. Here we share a home–cooked lunch with a local family, then wander the extensive ruins of ancient Gadara – a Decapolis city with sweeping views to the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights. We conclude the day in Ajloun, overnighting in comfortable cabins within the Ajloun Forest Reserve.

We begin at Ajloun Castle, a 12th–century stronghold built under Saladin, once reached only by drawbridge. We then drive to Jerash to uncover the grand ruins of Gerasa – Jordan’s most impressive Roman site – with colonnaded avenues, theatres and temples, including the striking Temple of Zeus. By mid–afternoon we cross the eastern desert to Azraq for the night at Azraq Lodge, part of a former 1940s British field hospital, where local staff reflect the town’s diverse communities and dinner is prepared by a Chechen family.

We start at the Azraq Wetlands Reserve, an RSCN–managed haven for migratory birds with boardwalks and hides. Next comes Azraq’s black–basalt castle, once headquarters for T. E. Lawrence during the Arab Revolt, before continuing to the Desert Castles. At UNESCO–listed Qasr Amra we admire remarkable frescoes depicting courtly life, hunting and learning, and at Qasr Kharana we consider the purpose of this early Islamic structure. We then visit Iraq Al Amir to see Qasr Al–Abed and meet artisans at the women’s co–operative supported by the Noor Al–Hussein Foundation. Later we reach Bethany Beyond the Jordan – a UNESCO World Heritage site of Roman and Byzantine remains associated with the baptism of Jesus – before skirting the Dead Sea to peaceful Mujib Chalets for a sunset float. Today involves around four hours of driving.

We drive about 40 minutes to the Al Numeira Environmental Association to learn about local water conservation initiatives, then continue south for roughly four hours to Aqaba. At Berenice Beach we pause for a couple of hours by the Red Sea before pressing on to Wadi Rum, an awe–inspiring UNESCO landscape of sandstone massifs and soft sands. We stay in a private Bedouin camp reserved for our group, sharing traditional zarb – dinner slow–cooked underground – and an evening of Bedouin culture and music.

With our Bedouin hosts, we venture deep into Wadi Rum on a 4×4 journey of around four hours, pausing for views and Bedouin tea. If you wish, you can take an optional camel ride here. In the afternoon we drive about two hours to Wadi Musa, gateway to Petra, and visit the Petra Museum to set the scene for tomorrow. Please note that hotel standards in Petra can vary more than elsewhere on this trip. Some departures use a superior hotel for the three–night stay, as indicated in the Dates and Prices.

Over two days we delve into Petra, the fabled Red Rose City founded by the Nabataeans and later embellished under Rome. Entering via the narrow Siq, we emerge at the Treasury – the first of many show–stoppers. We continue through tombs and temples towards the city centre carved into glowing sandstone. If you have the energy, you can tackle the 750 steps to the Monastery, El Deir, for a grand facade and desert vistas. On our second visit, our guide leads us back into the site; you can hike unaccompanied to the High Place of Sacrifice or explore further corners at your own pace – the climb is demanding and exposed but the views reward the effort. One evening there is usually the option to dine with a local family (payable locally).

We begin with a short hop to Little Petra, likely a satellite of the main city used by visiting traders, before re–entering the UNESCO landscape of Wadi Rum. We then drive about 45 minutes along the King’s Highway to Shobak Castle, a Crusader stronghold dating from 1115 with catacombs, a watchtower and inscriptions. Another 40 minutes brings us to Dana Village in the Biosphere Reserve, where we walk among terraced gardens and craft workshops, admiring original Ottoman–era architecture, and overnight in RSCN–run accommodation.

Leaving Dana, we follow the scenic King’s Highway for around two hours to Kerak, whose formidable Crusader castle hides a warren of halls and passageways and, on clear days, far–reaching views towards the Dead Sea and the Mount of Olives. We continue about an hour and a half to Umm ar–Rasas, a little–visited UNESCO site evolving from a Roman camp into a later town, renowned for the exquisite mosaic floor of the Church of St Stephen. We then head to Madaba to admire the famed sixth–century mosaic map in St George’s Church before driving up to Mount Nebo – a 700m vantage point over the Dead Sea towards Palestine and Israel.

After breakfast our Jordan journey concludes. A shared transfer takes us back to Amman airport for homeward flights. If you’d like to extend your time, you can arrange post–tour options such as extra nights or relaxing by the Dead Sea with your sales representative.