Discovering Jordan - Hiking and Culture

Arrive at Amman Airport, where we will meet you, assist with immigration and then transfer you to your hotel. Amman is one of the oldest cities in the world, inhabited since the bronze age. The city is growing into a modern city, but retains its character and history. The drive from the airport in Amman takes around 30 minutes to 1 hr depending on traffic. We will met in the lobby at 5pm and after introductions and orientation to the trip head to an early dinner. (D)

We will start our visit to Jordan with a tour of the old city of Amman exploring the Citadel and the Roman Theatre, two of the most popular archaeological sites in the city and the Jordan Folklore Museum. We will explore the local markets with our guide and explore downtown. Afterward we will visit one of Amman’s oldest neighborhoods, Jabal al- Weibdeh, passing by several art galleries, like Darat Al-Funun and Dar Al-Anda, museums, and local antiquities and handcraft shops. During the evening we introduce you to another side of Jordan with a wine tasting and dinner. Overnight Amman (B, L, D)

In the morning we drive north to Jerash, the best example of a Roman provincial city outside of Italy. We visit the spectacular Forum, Roman colonnaded street, the Nymphaeum and Artemis Temple. Then head to a small town in Jerash called Souf, where you will spend a few hours in the company of the local women of Khayrat Beit Souf. The goal of Khayrat Beit Souf is to provide local women with a means to support themselves. They specialize in delicious traditional food made with local products, seasonal jams, and brewing a secret blend of decaffeinated acorn coffee with medicinal herbs. After a briefing about the project we will watch as the women begin to prepare jam, which you can then take home with you. As your jam cooks, we will learn about the local ingredients and traditional dishes. We will have lunch before we drive to Ajloun and visit the castle, which dominates the Ajloun skyline. It was built in the 12th century to ward off the Crusader armies at the key trade and pilgrimage intersection between Jerusalem, Cairo, Damascus and Mecca. After our visit we will drive to our hostel in Ajloun. Drive time total of 1hr & 40min. Total Walking: 3-4 miles Overnight Ajiourn (B, L, D)

Today we will explore the town of Madaba and discover the amazing Byzantine mosaics excavated from throughout the town. The Madaba Map is the oldest preserved mosaic map of the Holy Lands. The map depicts Jerusalem in prior to the year 570. It is part of a floor mosaic in the early Byzantine Church of St. George. We will also visit the Shrine of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist. You can climb via narrow stairs to the highest point of the church, the bell tower overlooking the city of Madaba. The bell tower is the highest vantage point in Madaba, where you will have a wonderful panorama view of Madaba and its surroundings. Later we will drive to Mount Nebo and wonder at the view where Moses looked across to the Promised Land and later died and was buried. We will have a chance to visit La Storia Tourism Complex in Mount Nebo, it was well established to tell the main bible stories and onward to show the Jordanian culture past to present, an exciting journey through history to experience Jordan’s religious, historical and cultural heritage. After a busy day we will head to Dana Nature Reserve overlooking the Wadi Dana. There will be time to tour the Dana Village. Drive time Ajloun to Madaba 2 hours and Madba to Dana 2 hrs and 30 min. Overnight Dana Guest House or similar. Total Walking: 2-3 miles including the village tour (B, L, D)

Our first full day of hiking will start from Dana Guest House, 1,200m above sea level, and head west into Dana valley with your trekking guides. The trail drops steeply at first and then levels into a more gradual descent through the Dana Biosphere Reserve towards the eco-lodge at Feynan. The reserve, Jordan's largest, includes four distinct bio-geographical zones, which means that Dana supports an astonishing diversity of birds, plants, and animals. On your way down the valley you may see Griffin Vultures overhead as well as hyrax and copper-blue lizards on the rocks; if you're lucky you might even catch a glimpse of an ibex or a desert fox, or see the footprint of a wolf in the dust. Finish at the highly acclaimed Feynan Eco-Lodge. Every day, a guided sunset walk leads from the lodge on a short walk (around 20-30 min) up to a nearby hilltop, for freshly Bedouin tea and stunning views westwards as the sun sets over the vast Wadi Araba deserts. The sunset walk is well worth the visit! Ascent 230 m descent 1140 meters – Total hiking: 8.7 miles Overnight Feynan Ecolodge (B, L, D)

After breakfast enjoy one of the local community activities offered in the eco-lodge such as: Hiking, biking, cooking classes, making kohl (Bedouin eye makeup), Arabic coffee, baking earthy “Arbood” bread or weaving goat-haired tents. What we do will depend on what is offered that day at Feynan Ecolodge. We will transfer you to little Petra where you will hike around 8 miles, there will be a couple of miles with amazing views across the Araba mountains and all the way to the Negev desert before we enter Petra via “The Back Door” avoiding most of the tourists. This way follows a Nabataean route out of the valley and skirting round the final mountain on a natural rock terrace which has been “improved” for the safety of walkers. Even so, it still narrows slightly before reaching a hidden plateau high above the impressive chasm of Wadi Siyyagh. Just beyond, carved into the cliff face, “The Monastery” suddenly comes into view, where there is a Bedouin café for refreshments if you would like. We will take the 850 Nabataean steps down into ancient Petra. We will have our first introduction into this amazing place as we walk through it to our hotel. We will finish the day with a cooking class where you will be guided through how to prepare a traditional Jordanian meal, from dips and appetizers, to a main course and dessert. Then sit and enjoy the meal you have made. Drive time: 2 hours Total Hiking: 8 miles Overnight Petra (B, L, D)

After breakfast we will spend the morning back in the Nabatean Red Rose City of Petra, one of the 7 world wonders. We will enter the city through the same 1km long narrow gorge that we left yesterday, which is flanked either side by 80m high cliffs! The site is massive, and contains hundreds of elaborated rock-cut tombs, a treasury, Roman-style theatres, temples, sacrificial altars and colonnaded streets. We explore and learn more about these before leaving. After leaving Petra we will drive to Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum is a desert valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock. It has been occupied to the Zalabia Bedouin people and known for its red sand and shots of it are in the 1962 Lawrence of Arabia movie. We will enjoy the wilderness adventure of a 4x4 (2 hour) jeep tour of Wadi Rum to watch the sunset, following in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia, climbing sand dunes and rock bridges. After the Jeep tour we will drive you back to the camp where you will enjoy the legendary hospitality of the Bedouins. Drive from Petra onto Wadi Rum takes around 2 Hours. Overnight in a Bedouin Camp. Hiking Approximately: 4-5 miles (B, L, D)

We will start our day with a 1-hour camel ride to watch sunrise in the dessert. We will return to camp for breakfast. After breakfast we will have to say good-bye to Wadi Rum and head to the Dead Sea. It’s a 4 hour drive but we will stop along the way for a short hike to explore the area and stretch our legs. We will arrive at our lovely hotel by the Dead Sea in the late afternoon. Drive time: 4 hours Hiking: 1-3 miles Overnight Dead Sea (B, L, D)

After a very busy week we can spend the day floating and relaxing at the Dead Sea at one of the resort hotels. Enjoy the sunshine at the lowest point on earth or try out the invigorating mud bath to cleanse the skin, check out the spa, schedule a spa treatment, walk through the hotel’s gardens or grab a book and relax by the pool or the Dead Sea. In the late afternoon we will head out to the Panorama Dead Sea Complex/Musuem to checkout the exhibits, have dinner and watch the sunset. Overnight in Dead Sea

Sadly, it is time to leave this beautiful country. Transportation is provided to the Amman airport. For planning purposes, it takes approximately 1 hour to get to the airport, and you will need to be there 3 hours in advance of your flight. Check out time is 12pm at our Dead Sea Hotel. If your flight is in the evening a hotel for day use can be arranged in Amman. Transportation to the airport will be arranged from that hotel.