Journeys: Explore Jordan
8 days, Amman to Amman
Itinerary
Day 1Amman
Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer included.
Arrive in Amman at any time, there are no planned activities. Meet your CEO this evening for a welcome meeting to learn more about the tour and plans for the following day, choose to head out for an optional dinner at a local restaurant with your CEO and the group.
Amman is a very big city and there is not one central area to stay - hotels are spread out across various neighbourhoods within the city, often on busy streets without pedestrian walkways - getting around the city, for visitors and locals, is done by car. For this reason, to move around the city in your free time, you will have to take a taxi, please feel free to ask your CEO for recommendations and assistance.
Airport Transfer
You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel to start your adventure.
Arrival Day and Welcome Meeting
The adventure begins tonight. Feel free to explore before your welcome meeting, but make sure you’re back in time to meet the group. Check for the meeting time on the welcome note at the hotel. After introductions, your CEO will review the details of your tour. Please note that normal check-in times apply at our start hotels, but you can usually store your luggage for the day if you arrive early.
Accommodation
Below is an example of the hotel we may use in this city. For the actual hotel your specific departure will be using, please check your voucher.
Landmark Amman Hotel (or similar)
Day 2Amman
Explore Jerash, one of the largest and most well-preserved Roman ruins outside of Italy. After, visit a local café run by women, an activity exclusive to Journeys travellers and part of G Adventures for Good. Here, take a cooking class and enjoy a local lunch. After, return to Amman and visit the National Museum and archaeological site of the Citadel.
Jerash Guided Visit
Take a step back in time visiting Jerash, one of the most well-preserved Roman sites outside of Italy. Wander amid its paved and colonnaded streets, soaring hilltop temples, handsome theatres, spacious public squares and plazas, baths, fountains, and city walls pierced by towers and gates – all in exceptional condition.
Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Women's Cooking Class & lunch
As part of an experience exclusive to National Geographic Journeys travellers – and part of our G Adventures for Good program, prepare your own traditional Jordanian meal with a lively group of women at Beit Khayrat Souf. This café is run and managed by women seeking financial independence. Here, women help prepare food along with leading cooking classes on-site. The café also sources and makes preserves which are served and sold at the café, helping to engage even more women living in the charming hills of Souf.
Your G for Good Moment: Beit Khayrat Souf women-run cafe
Part of the G Adventures for Good program, Beit Khayrat Souf is a women-run cafe with the purpose of training and employing women to gain their own financial independence. Women manage the cafe and lead cooking classes on site. They engage more women outside the organization by sourcing and making preserves sold at the cafe.
National Archaeological Museum & Citadel
Visit the museum for an overview on Jordan's history and ancient sites. Continue on to the Citadel archaeological site, best known for the Roman Temple of Hercules, but used by numerous civilizations dating back to the Bronze Age.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Accommodation
Landmark Amman Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | LunchDay 3Amman/Wādī Mūsá
Visit the ancient town of Madaba, famous for its mosaics and churches. Continue to Mt Nebo where we are rewarded with stunning views from the summit. In the evening, enjoy a lecture with a local archaeologist to discuss the importance of Petra and ongoing excavations at this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Depart early today for the long but very interesting drive by way of the King's Highway to Petra. The first stop is Mount Nebo, which is believed by many to be the site of Moses' death and has thus been a centre for pilgrimage since the earliest Christian times.
Visit the town of Madaba, which has some of the finest Byzantine mosaics in the world. Arrive in the early evening at Wadi Musa, our base for exploring Petra.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Mt Nebo Visit
Visit Mount Nebo, a historic site believed by many to be the location of Moses' death and has thus been a centre for pilgrimage since the earliest Christian times. Reach to the summit (817m or 2,680 ft), and be rewarded with views of the stunning surrounding countryside and Israel in the distance.
Madaba Mosaics Guided Tour
Explore Madaba’s long history on this guided tour, including its role as the centre of early Christianity. See some of the finest Byzantine mosaics in the world, including the famous sixth-century mosaic map of the Middle East. Tour churches, the Archaeological Park, and the local museum that's housed in several old Madaba residences.
Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Petra Archaeologist Talk
Join an archaeologist for a talk about the UNESCO World Heritage site of Petra, the ancient city that was half-built and half-carved into a sandstone landscape. Learn about the ongoing excavation taking place here, and get a better understanding of the site for when you explore it yourself.
Accommodation
Petra Moon Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 4Wādī Mūsá
Rise early to visit iconic Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Enjoy a guided walking tour with your expert CEO, then opt to hike up for magnificent views from the top of the treasury or enjoy free time to explore the site on your own. In the evening, opt to return to visit Petra by candlelight.
The site is large so please be prepared for a lot of walking over sand and rocks for the entire day. Pace yourself, stay hydrated and be sure to have proper walking/hiking shoes.
Petra Guided Tour
Journey to Petra to explore this UNESCO World Heritage site. Wind your way through the Siq, a narrow, 1km-long (.6 mi) gorge flanked by soaring 80m-high (262 ft) sandstone walls. Take in the astounding colours and patterns of the rock, and, at the end of this passage, catch your first glimpse of Al-Khazneh, the famed treasury of Petra.
Explore in depth with your CEO and get a brief history of the city, one of the greatest attractions in the Middle East. The Nabateans carved this capital from the living rock of the surrounding mountains in Petra. Visit monuments that include the Pharaoh's Column, the triumphal arch, the amphitheatre, and the monastery.
Free Time
Continue to explore Petra on your own.
Optional Activities - Day 4 HideShow
Petra by Night
17JOD per personEnjoy a magical night at Petra. Sit back in the candle lit Siq and treasury, and enjoy bedouin live music show.
Turkish Bath
30JOD per personYou've done some walking this tour, so take this opportunity to give your muscles some much needed attention. Enjoy this true hammam experience.
Accommodation
Petra Moon Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 5Petra/Wadi Rum
Continue to Wadi Rum in the heart of Jordan's desertscape. Enjoy lunch at our camp and an exciting 4x4 excursion into the desert where we pick the perfect spot to watch the sunset. Return to camp for a traditional Bedouin feast and after, take a walk in the desert admiring the night sky with a local Bedouin.
After breakfast, drive to Wadi Rum, a vast, silent landscape of ancient riverbeds and the largest and most magnificent of Jordan's desert landscapes. Spend the night in a simple, but comfortable desert camp; The authentic goat-wool tent provides a glimpse into traditional Bedouin living. Each tent has ensuite and is outfitted with sheets, pillows, a raised bed, towels, electricity and thick covers against the desert cold. While the accommodation is simple, it is quite comfortable and offers a truly unique experience.
November – February: The desert can get very cold after the sun sets and it can be cool during the days. If you are visiting during the winter months you should pack warm comfortable clothing for daytime and especially the evenings (a jacket, hat, gloves and warm pajamas).
September/October & March/April: evenings can still get chilly so you should bring something warm to wear. Daytime is usually warm and comfortable but you can bring a sweater or jacket just in case.
May – August: the weather is very hot during the day and the evenings are usually comfortable and warm.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
4x4 Desert Trip
Head deep into the desert by 4x4 and enjoy the amazing natural beauty and unique landscape on this unforgettable drive. Along the way drive up red sand dunes, view stunning rock formations, and visit ancient sites to view rock art and inscriptions.
Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Wadi Rum Night Walk
There’s nothing quite like counting stars in the night sky from the desert below, away from the noise and light pollution of our modern world. Enjoy this experience while walking with a Bedouin who’s lived in this remote region his entire life.
Accommodation
Rahayeb Camp (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 6Wadi Rum/Dead Sea
Visit a G Adventures-supported community café for a local lunch in a stunning green farming area surrounded by the desert. Continue to the famed Dead Sea. Opt to swim and use natural sea salts and mud as your own personal spa.
At 423m (1,388 ft) below sea level, the shores of the Dead Sea are at the lowest land elevation on Earth. The sea is named because its salinity is so high (up to nine times that of the world’s oceans) that only a few microorganisms can live in its waters.
The Dead Sea is a resort area, with chain hotels whose sole purpose are to allow access to the Dead Sea. This allows time to relax, float in the sea or opt to visit a spa. Dinner is in the hotel, as there are no local restaurants within the resort area.
Note: Due to major road works in the area, access to Numeira Cafe can be limited and sometimes inaccessible. if we are unable to visit during your departure, your CEO will advise, and take the group to a different area for the included lunch.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Your G for Good Moment: Numeira Community Cafe Lunch
Stop for lunch at Numeira Environmental Cafe to enjoy a traditional Jordanian meal. Take a tour of the grounds and learn about how this small nonprofit is working to create a sustainable future for community members near the Dead Sea. "
Dead Sea Visit
Discover the legendary healing qualities of the Dead Sea, famous for its unique mineral makeup and salinity. Spot salt chunks drifting by like icebergs on the water’s surface. Take a dip yourself and float like a buoy or cover yourself in the mud along the shore, believed to have medicinal and therapeutic benefits. There are showers nearby to wash off after.
Free Time
Relax under an umbrella next to one of the freshwater swimming pools or enjoy the other facilities at the resort hotel. Why not indulge in an optional massage or one of the other health and beauty therapies available?
Accommodation
Crowne Plaza Dead Sea Jordan (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 7Dead Sea/Amman
Enjoy a visit to the archaeological site of Bethany, thought to be the site where Jesus was baptized. Continue back to Amman and join our CEO for an optional farewell dinner.
Bethany Beyond the Jordan
Visit the archaeological site of Bethany, thought to be the site of John the Baptist's settlement and where Jesus was baptized. Fairly recently rediscovered, the site is an important archaeological find, numerous sites are being uncovered including Roman and Byzantine Baptismal pools, ancient churches, and caves.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Accommodation
Landmark Amman Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 8Amman
Depart at any time.
Check-out time from the hotel is normally mid-morning, but luggage storage facilities are available. We also encourage you to book a few additional nights if you want more time to explore the city.
Speak to your CEO about arranging your transfer to the airport (additional cost).
Departure Day
Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.