Jordan on a Budget Tour

Welcome to Jordan! Upon arrival our staff will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel in Amman for the start of your trip. They'll help settle in and introduce you to the local area. The rest of your day is free. If you arrive early in the morning, then a half-day city tour of Amman is available this afternoon. Overnight Amman

We start our Jordan tour today with a city tour of Amman. We'll make our way to the Citadel - the former home of the ancient Temple of Hercules, The Umayyad Palace, the Byzantine Church before we make our way to the 6000-seater Roman theatre, which was built during the Roman Period. The ancient theatre is still in use today, playing host to numerous cultural events. Afterwards, we drive north for a visit of Jerash, one of the largest and best preserved Roman sites outside of Italy. It is a excellent example of Roman architecture including paved and colonnaded streets, hilltop temples, amphitheatres, spacious public squares and plazas, bathhouses, fountains and a city wall pierced by towers and gates. Overnight Amman

We depart Amman for a scenic drive along the King's Highway to Petra, crossing deep Wadis, including the majestic Wadi al-Mujib, olive groves, and driving through remote rural villages. En-route we see the Roman mosaics at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George in Madaba, enjoy great views of Israel from Mt. Nebo, and visit Kerak Castle, one in a chain of Crusader fortresses built across Jordan in the 12th Century. Overnight Petra

We enjoy a full day today inside the world famous site of Petra, with a 2-3 hour guided tour of this fascinating city. Carved into the rocks and left undiscovered for centuries Petra has always been an enduring attraction for explorers. We start by walking through the Siq and one of Petra's most impressive monuments, the Khazneh (Treasury) comes into view. Our guide will explain the elaborate facades carved into the rock from the top down. From the Khazneh the valley opens out and we'll see the ruined Roman amphitheatre, and colonnaded street. During your free time you can explore for yourselves and walk up a steep and narrow winding gorge past beautifully coloured sandstone cliff walls to the huge and imposing 'Monastery'. The biggest of Petra's carved monuments. Another climb can take you to the High Place of Sacrifice, and Lion Fountain. All in all, this is a full & tiring, but hugely rewarding day touring one of the world's most famous ancient sites. Later today, we leave Petra and drive into the spectacular desert scenery of Wadi Rum where friendly Bedouin hosts are ready to greet us at a comfortable camp beneath the towering rocks and cliffs. We spend the evening and night relaxing at the camp, watching the stars and enjoying a delicious traditional Jordanian meal. Overnight Wadi Rum

We start the day exploring the beautiful desert and mountain scenery of Wadi Rum. We'll take a jeep safari through the beautiful desert scenery, seeing more of the sheer cliffs and bizarre rock formations.. We say goodbye to Wadi Rum later today and head north towards the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is fed by numerous rivers, including the River Jordan. Once the waters reach the Dead Sea they are land-locked and have nowhere to go, so they evaporate, leaving behind a dense, rich, cocktail of salts and minerals. Although sparsely populated and serenely quiet now, the area is believed to have been home to five Biblical cities: Sodom, Gomorrah, Adman, Zebouin and Zoar (Bela). We'll stop along the way to enjoy a 'swim', though the intensely salty waters lead to a very strange swimming experience. In fact, normal swimming is not possible, and it is easier (and more photogenic!) just to float, sitting or lying in the water. We finish the day back at our hotel in Amman. Overnight Amman

Your time is free today until we transfer you to Amman airport for your departure flight. Alternatively you may wish to take one of a number of optional day trips. These include a half-day city tour in Amman, a full day tour to the Baptism site at Bethany and Ajloun Castle, a trip to Pella and Umm Qais, a tour of the 'Desert Castles', or a tour into Israel to visit Bethlehem and Jerusalem. We can also arrange a transfer to Tel Aviv either by flight or overland for people wanting to connect this tour with one of our Israel tours. Finally, we can also fly you to Cairo to join one of our Egypt tours. Please ask us for full details and we'll be delighted to help plan an extension to your tour.