Day 1 USA/Amman
Depart for our flight to Jordan on Royal Jordanian Airlines, dinner and
breakfast will be served aloft.
Day 2 Amman
Arrive in Jordan. Transfer to Amman hotel for overnight. (Optional visit to
local church to celebrate evening service.) (D)
Day 3 Amman/Jerash/Mt.Nebo/Petra
After breakfast drive north to the ancient city of Jerash. Jerash, known as
the Pompeii of the Middle East. Jerash lies on a plain surrounded by hilly
wooded areas and fertile basins. Conquered by General Pompey in 63 BC, it came
under Roman rule and was one of the ten great Roman cities, the Decapolis
League. The city's golden age came under Roman rule, during which time it was
known as Gerasa, and the site is now generally acknowledged to be one of the
best preserved Roman provincial towns in the world. Hidden for centuries in sand
before being excavated and restored over the past 70 years, Jerash reveals a
fine example of the grand, formal provincial Roman urbanism that is found
throughout the Middle East, comprising paved and colonnaded streets, soaring
hilltop temples, handsome theatres, spacious public squares and plazas, baths,
fountains and city walls pierced by towers and gates. Continue to the City of
Mosaics, Madaba see the ancient mosaic map of Jerusalem. Meet with the Greek
Meilcite Catholic community in Madaba or other local church. Visit St. George's
Orthodox Church, home to the Byzantine mosaic map of the Holy Land. Visit Mount
Nebo, where Moses saw the land of the Milk and Honey Canaan. Than continue to
the site of the famous miracle. Drive south to famous Petra for dinner and
overnight.. (B,D)
Day 4 Petra
Full day exploration of ancient Petra, with its exquisite ruins that open
doorways in time to the biblical land of Moab and the nearby Valley of Moses.
Often described as the eighth wonder of the ancient world, it is without doubt
Jordan's most valuable treasure and greatest tourist attraction. It is a vast,
unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans, an industrious
Arab people who settled here more than 2000 years ago, turning it into an
important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China,
India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. The giant red
mountains and vast mausoleums of a departed race have nothing in common with
modern civilisation, and ask nothing of it except to be appreciated at their
true value - as one of the greatest wonders ever wrought by Nature and Man.
Although much has been written about Petra, nothing really prepares you for this
amazing place. It has to be seen to be believed. St. Paul spent several years
here. Dinner and overnight in Petra (B,D)
Day 5 Petra/Amman
After a buffet breakfast and check out, get ready for an exciting day as we
drive to Wadi Rum, the most stunning desert escape in the world and one of
Jordan's main tourist attractions. Wadi Rum is a classic picture of vast sandy
desert with sandstone hills rising sheer out of the desert floor. We start our
journey taking a jeep safari tour in the vast, silent, timeless and starkly
beautiful Wadi Rum. Visit the Lawrence Springs, Khazali Mount and Jabal Rum.
Continue to Kerak for a visit to the Crusader's Castle and Ruins of Kerak. Kerak
sits 900m above sea level and lies inside the walls of the old city. The city
today is home to around 170,000 people and continues to boast a number of
restored 19th century Ottoman buildings, restaurants, places to stay, and the
like. But it is undoubtedly Karak Castle which dominates. Visit with local
Christian community near Kerak. Than continue to Amman via Shobak. Amman, the
capital of Jordan, is a fascinating city of contrasts - a unique blend of old
and new, ideally situated on a hilly area between the desert and the fertile
Jordan Valley. In the commercial heart of the city, ultra-modern buildings,
hotels, smart restaurants, art galleries and boutiques rub shoulders comfortably
with traditional coffee shops and tiny artisans' workshops. Everywhere there is
evidence of the city's much older past. Dinner and overnight in Amman. (B,D)
Day 6 Amman
After breakfast we travel to the famed baptismal site, Bethany Beyond The
Jordan, the baptismal site that St. John the Baptist came from and it have been
used by Jesus. Hold a church service or celebrate Holy Communion. Drive back to
Amman for dinner and overnight. (B, D)
Day 7 Amman
After breakfast the day is free to shop at the various shopping malls of the
city. Shop to your hearts content at the various shopping malls of Sweifieh
area, Jabal Al Hussain Area, Amman Mall, Abdoun Mall, and Mecca Mall. Shop for a
dazzling variety of 24 karat gold, Jordanian embroidery, handmade glass, Dead
Sea bath salts & beauty aids, etc. or enjoy the friendly Jordanians, return
to the Hotel in Amman for dinner and overnight. Day 8 Amman/USA Departure from
Amman for our flight home and arrive USA the same day.. or you may want to take
an optional extension to Jerusalem or Egypt.