Road to Jerusalem - 11 days

Saturday. Welcome to Jordan and the start of an amazing adventure. Arrive in Amman and enjoy an included transfer to our hotel. The remainder of today is at your leisure to independent explore or simply relax.

Amman - Jerash - Umm Qais - Amman. Heading north, we visit Jerash, the Graeco-Roman city known as the ‘Pompeii of the East’. Built over 2,000 years ago, Jerash is widely regarded as the best-preserved city of the Decapolis, a confederation of 10 Roman cities dating from the 1st century! We explore the site taking in the colonnaded street, amphitheatre, nymphaeum, forum and more, before continuing to Umm Qais (Gadara), a dramatic black-basalt Roman city of the Decapolis with panoramic views over the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights. Tonight, we head out for a meal and a stroll along Amman's famed Rainbow Street.

Amman - Madaba - Mount Nebo - Umm ar Rasas - Petra. Today we tour the citadel and Archaeological Museum of Amman before we take a walk through the bustling local souk to enjoy typical Jordanian street treats of falafel and hummus at the country’s most popular local street stand. As the pictures on the wall will prove, the unglamorous food stand was a great favourite of the late King Hussein. Leaving Amman, we stop first at Mt. Nebo, the site from which Moses saw the Promised Land. Having led the Israelites for 40 years through the wilderness, Moses finally saw them from this awesome vantage point. This amazing panorama includes the Jordan River Valley, the Dead Sea, Jericho and the spires and domes of the Mt. of Olives and Bethlehem on the Judean hills just across the wide valley. Later, we visit Madaba en route to Petra where we see the Church of St George, the Madaba Archaeological Park, Apostles Church and Madaba Museum. Our next port of call is Um ar-Rasas, one of Jordan’s World Heritage sites and once an important stop on the busy caravan routes. The impressive mosaic floor of the St. Stephen Church features medallions commemorating all the early Christian pilgrimage sites of the region, and the extensive ruins also include one of the area’s earliest Stylite towers, where a Byzantine hermit lived atop the tower and preached to the pilgrimage visitors.

Our final stop of the day is Petra. Consider doing the Petra by Night excursion (payable locally) for a tantalizing candlelight stroll through Petra’s Siq…. a romantic preview of things to come.

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 6th century BC by the Nabataean tribe from Western Arabia. Rediscovered in 1812, it remains on the list of many travellers bucket lists. We access the hidden archaeological treasures of the Rose City on our walk through a narrow, deep siq, where the rocks finally give way to reveal the famous facade of Al-Khazneh (The Treasury). Continuing our walk, we go on to explore parts 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 breathtaking. Want to learn how to cook Middle Eastern food? Consider our Petra Kitchen Add-on tonight!

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 desertscape of Wadi Rum represents some of the most stunning countryside on the planet. Boarding our 4x4 jeep, 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 and take in the starry night sky.

Wadi Rum - Shobak – Wadi Mujib - Dead Sea. After breakfast at our campsite, we head north along the Desert Highway to visit Shobak Castle, which is perched dramatically on a hill top and was built by the Crusader king Baldwin I in 1115. After exploring the castle we descend some 1300 meters to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on the earth’s surface. More than 400 meters below sea level, the mineral-rich Dead Sea is the world’s original health and beauty spa. Drift out and bob in the waters and slap on some of the famous black Dead Sea mud to give your skin an invigorating boost. For departures between April and October we head up the King’s Highway to Wadi Mujib and embark on a moderate–paced two hour trek along the Siq Trail. Measuring 500 metres in depth and spanning 4kms across, the impressive Wadi Mujib is one of Jordan’s most remarkable natural landscapes. This dramatic canyon features sheer rocky walls and sparkling waterways that range from puddle height to depths that are perfect for swimming (chest height or deeper) depending on the rainfall. When the water level is high you should be prepared for having to climb up ladders, clamber across boulders and be happy to wade through water. The canyon is just one feature of the Mujib Biosphere Reserve, the lowest nature reserve in the world, home to a surprising diversity of wildlife and plant species. For those not interested in taking the full hike, you can walk part of it or wait by the Visitor Centre until the group returns. After our trek we make our way to the Dead Sea.

The lowest point on the earth's surface at more than 400m below sea level, the Dead sea is a natural phenomenon and high on most travellers must experience lists. Lucky for us, we have a whole day to spend here, whiling away the time bobbing in its mineral-rich buoyant waters and lathering up with a detoxifying mud bath. Later today, there is an optional visit to the Ma'in hot springs - a series of waterfalls and hot springs, and a sacred baptism site where Jesus Christ is thought to have been baptised (payable locally).

Dead Sea – Jerusalem (West Bank). This morning you are picked up at 9:00am and transferred to the Jordanian border, where after immigration formalities you travel by a border public shuttle bus between the borders, into Israel. Here you are met by a driver and escorted to your hotel in Jerusalem. This afternoon and evening offers free time. Today is the Sabbath, which offers good opportunity to explore the World Heritage Listed city on foot without the usual crowds.

Today, we enjoy a guided tour of Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the West Bank. Our first stop is the holy Mount of Olives where there are amazing panoramic views of the old city. We take a walking tour of the atmospheric old city; wander through the Armenian and Jewish quarters to the Cardo (ancient Roman road). We continue, through the old City and the Christian Quarter, visiting the famous Wailing Wall - a place of constant prayer and one of the most revered Hebrew sites. Retrace the final laboured steps of Jesus, burdened under the weight of the cross, along the Via Dolorosa to the hallowed Church of the Sepulchre; the site of the crucifixion, Jesus’ tomb and the resurrection.

A short drive from Jerusalem is Bethlehem – the birthplace of Jesus, where we visit Manger Square and the Church of Nativity, which is reputed to be the oldest Church in the world and the site where Jesus was born. Spend the evening at leisure in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem – Haifa – Caesarea – Jaffa – Tel Aviv. We bid farewell to Jerusalem today and head north to the port city of Haifa. Here, we visit the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Bahai Shrine and the beautiful tropical gardens set on the slopes of Mount Carmel. Travelling down the coast, we stop in the historic city of Caesarea where Roman and Crusader-era ruins are strewn along the sea front. Continuing south, we reach Jaffa, an ancient port where we enjoy a walking tour of the picturesque fortified town and marvel at the hilltop views. Then, it's just a short drive to the vibrant, modern and cosmopolitan city of Tel Aviv, where we spend our final night. Dubbed "the city that never sleeps" Tel Aviv is renowned for its hedonistic nightlife and the city also has a plethora of trendy bistros, high-end restaurants and delicious street food stalls to choose from.

Tuesday. Our tour ends today with an included transfer from Tel Aviv to Ben Gurion Airport at any time of day. There's so much to see and do in Tel Aviv that we highly recommend extending your stay to enjoy its beautiful beaches, art galleries and markets, including the popular Nachiket Benjamin market, which is only open on Tuesdays. We can arrange post tour accommodation, please enquire.