Travel to Jordan: Petra Adventure

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Petra Adventure

			DAYS: 7 GRADE: I define PRICE: From $3410 per person HIGHLIGHTS: Petra Wadi Rum King's Highway Um Qais Castle of Ajloun Jerash ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotels/Lodges MEALS: As noted  [B-Breakfast, L-Lunch,   D-Dinner] Prices, Departure Dates and Included Services Send to a Friend Print this Itinerary

Our Petra-focused tour traverses the spectrum of the modern and the ancient in a land of spectacular natural beauty. We visit Jerash, Madaba, Mt Nebo and Wadi Rum. We explore the dramatic Crusader Castle of Shobak.  The highlight is extensive explorations of Petra - 'The rose-red city, half as old as time..." We relax on Aqaba's Red Sea beaches and take the ancient 'Kings Highway' following in the footsteps of such illustrious figures as Ramses II, Nebuchadnezar, the Queen of Sheba, Moses, Marcus Antonius, Cleopatra, Mohamed, Jesus, and General Allenby. Private custom designed tours to Jordan, luxury Jordan vacation packages, and extensions to Egypt are available on request.

DAY 1 :  AMMAN: MEET & HOTEL TRANSFER
On arrival we are met and transfered to our hotel. Overnight Al Qasr Metropole Hotel or similar [B]

The main street of Jerash

DAY 2 :  AMMAN: VISIT JERASH, UM QUAS
Today we take a full day excursion from Amman. Our first visit is Um Qais, or 'Gadara,' (site of the biblical Gadarene Swine story). Um Qais was a cultural center, home to poets and philosophers such as Theodorus, founder of the School of Rhetoric in Rome. Perched on a hilltop overlooking the Jordan Valley and the Sea of Galilee, Um Qais boasts an impressive colonnaded terrace and the ruins of two theaters. We also visit the nearby Castle of Ajloun or 'Qalaat Errabadh' (Arabic for "Hilltop Castle"), with another splendid view over the Jordan Valley. Built in 1184-85 ACE by Ezz Eddin Osama bin Munqethe, a nephew of the Ayyubid leader Salah ud din Al-Ayyoubi (Saladin), to protect the region from invading Crusaders, it was one of a chain of forts which lit beacons at night to pass signals from the Euphrates River to as far as Cairo. We then visit Jerash, one of the world's most extensive Roman restorations. We explore its theaters, temples and colonnaded streets. We return to Amman in the afternoon. Capital of the Ammonites in 1200 BCD and called Rabbath-Ammon in the Old Testament of the Bible, during the 3rd century BCE, Amman was renamed Philadelphia (Greek for "Brotherhood Love") after the Ptolemaic ruler Philadelphus (283-246 BCE). After periods of Seleucid and Nabataean rule, the Roman General Pompey made Philadelphia part of the Decapolis League - a loose alliance of ten free city-states bound by powerful commercial, political and cultural interests and under overall allegiance to Rome. During the Byzantine period, Philadelphia was the seat of a Christian Bishop and the city declined somewhat until 635 ACE when the region became part of the Islamic caliphate and its original Semitic name of Ammon, or Amman, was restored. We will enjoy lunch today at a popular and delicious Lebanese restaurant.  Overnight at Al Qasr Metropole Hotel or similar [BL]

	Byzantine mosaic floor, Mt. Nebo

DAY 3 :  DRIVE PETRA / VISIT MT NEBO, MADABA / PETRA BY NIGHT
Today we drive the famous Kings' Highway from Amman to Petra. Almost every historical character from the Middle East has traveled this road - from Ramses II, the Queen of Sheba, Queen Zenobia, Moses, Marcus Antonius, Cleopatra, Augustus, Mohammed, Richard Coeur de Leon, Christ, Lawrence of Arabia, Gamal Attaturk - the list goes on and on. Today, it is your turn. Original Roman milestones stand at the side of the road, their distances still relevant. Our first stop is Madaba, the "City of Mosaics."  A special Wildland Adventures walking tour not only allows a visit to view the 6th century Byzantine mosaic map on the floor of the Apostle's Church- the oldest surviving map of the Holy Land in existence - we also visit the artisans and craftsmen at the Madaba Institute for Mosaic Art and Restoration. Here we observe the meticulous work that goes into the repair of these ancient works of art. Our "behind the scenes" tour allows us to view mosaics from Hesban, Ma'in Qastal and Mt Nebo.  We have lunch today with a local family in Madaba before continuing onto Mt Nebo, where Moses first saw the Promised Land. Continuing south, the Kings' Highway plunges 600 meters (1900f) into Wadi Mujib (Arnon of the Bible), Jordan's miniature Grand Canyon. Our arrival in Petra is late afternoon. Check into your hotel then this evening, join other visitors as we walk to the gateway to Petra and into the "siq," a steep chasm illuminated by hundreds of candles nestled into the rock walls.  Our destination is the magnificent Treasury, fully illumined and breathtaking in its magical beauty.  Listen to the melancholy strains of Beduoin music, be swept onto a magic carpet ride of tales of the ancient Nabataean people as you sip hot, sweet tea.  Return to your hotel after the event.  Overnight Movenpick Petra or similar [BL]

The Siq, a kilometer long crack in the plateau and main entrance to Petra

DAY 4 :  GUIDED TOUR OF PETRA
Today we embark a four hour guided tour of Petra. Inside Petra valley there are caves, tombs, baths, funerary halls, temples, arched gateways, and colonnaded streets carved from the kaleidoscopic-colored sandstone. We explore the valley with our guide and learn that for more than 400 years Petra was the fulcrum of the ancient world's spice and incense route; a city hidden behind an almost impenetrable barrier of rugged mountains, approachable only through the 'Siq', the kilometer long sheer-walled chasm that a force of twenty could hold against an army of ten thousand. Built by an industrious Arab people called the Nabataeans who moved up the Red Sea coast of Felix Arabia (Saudi Arabia) to settle in southern Jordan more than 2000 years ago-the Nabataeans dominated the Frankincense Trade Route from Sheba to their capital at Petra. Petra bacame the center for trade goods arriving via the Red Sea from the Far East and which came north overland on the Frankincense Route from Sheba (Yemen) and from Africa (Somalia, Abyssinia, etc). All these goods were distributed throughout the Mediterranean and Europe. A tax  was exacted from each camel and wagon that entered or left the city, and Petra flourished for 400 years as the premier trading city of its age. But then, out of the blue, someone designed a shallow bottomed dow-rig sea-going felucca. After that, trade goods from the Far East could be shipped up the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers then transported overland across Syria to the Mediterranean. This halved the time it took for the long sea journey around Felix Arabia. Palmyra (Tadmore) in the middle of the Syrian desert quickly became prominent as a trading city. As Palmyra grew, so Petra declined. Soon Petra fell altogether, occupied by Roman legions under Trajan (106 ACE) who even then was unable to storm the city, instead cutting off the water supply. Today Petra is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World. Lunch is taken within the valley at the Basin Restaurant, the rest of the afternoon is free to explore on your own.  Overnight Movenpick Petra or similar [BL]

DAY 5 :  FREE MORNING IN PETRA / SHOBAK CASTLE
Today the morning is entirely free to explore the valley on our own steam; you have the freedom to embark on a personal adventure in the valley. There are many things to see and places to explore, including the Monastery and the High Places. Outside the main valley, a short drive from your hotel, lies Baida, a Neolithic site of great importance, and Mini Petra the northern gatepost of the Petra Valley. Seldom visited, Mini Petra has some beautiful carvings and facades and is on a much smaller and more intimate scale than the main valley. This afternoon, join your driver for an excursion to the Crusader fortress of Shobak, the first to be constructed by the Crusaders in Transjordan.  The original fortress has been rebuilt many times by subsequent conquerers - Mamlukes and Otomans - delicate 13th century calligraphic inscriptions telling the stories.  The castle boasts secret passages and mysterious stairwells descending into the cliffside.  Return to Petra in time to prepare for a fun dinner activity at the Petra Kitchen!  This is an active, hands-on cooking class with other travelers learning the secrets of Jordanian cuisine.  You may be assigned to chop vegetables for salad, you may do something more complex.  The point is to have fun, meet like-minded travelers, and enjoy a delicious Jordanian meal!  Overnight Movenpick Petra or similar [BD]

DAY 6 :  DRIVE AQABA / VISIT WADI RUM
This morning we drive to Aqaba via a visit to Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum (the valley between Jebel Um Ishreen and Jebel Rum) has always been known for its good spring water; the Bedouin frequently pitched their tents here to water their flocks and so Rum has long been a central gathering point for local bedou. The lands to the south are also well watered and were a valuable asset to the tribe - well worth fighting for if necessary. The enigmatic British officer T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) accompanied the Arab irregular cavalry as it attacked and captured Aqaba from the Turks during WWI's Great Arab Revolt of 1917-18 ACE. Wadi Rum was the setting for the film "Lawrence of Arabia" which depicted these events and made Wadi Rum famous. It also gave birth to the mythology that T.E. Lawrence and the Arab irregulars actually rode through Wadi Rum en route to attack the Turks at Aqaba. Unfortunately, this never happened. The Arab force quite logically took the more direct, faster and easier route, on which the highway to Aqaba today lies. However, this legend has brought many to Rum, and when they arrive, it matters not who has been here before - for Rum is one of the earth's truly beautiful places. On arrival at the road's end Resthouse, we take 4x4 vehicles deep into Rum and explore this beautiful valley for two hours. We will enjoy lunch at the Hillawi Beduoin Camp before we re-board our road vehicle and continue to Aqaba, arriving mid-afternoon. Overnight Movenpick Tala Bay Hotel or similar [BL]

DAY 7 :  AQABA: FREE DAY ON BEACH
Today is left entirely at leisure for you to relax on Aqaba's beaches and to rest up before departure. The hotel offers facilities for swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving. Consult with your hotel concierge to arrange these activities independently.  Overnight at Movenpick Tala Bay Hotel or similar [B]

DAY 8 :  DEPARTURE
Fly home or continue your trip into Egypt [B]

Questions? Ask Our Program Directors.

. C o n t a c t Sherry Howland 1(800)345-4453