


Jordan - Petra and the Desert Fortresses
From £3,795
Summary
Spend two days in the evocative rock-cut city of Petra
Nothing can prepare you for Petra: the scale, the colours and the grandeur. Lively, cosmopolitan and rich, with goods from every corner of the known world, Ancient Petra was an extraordinary city. Its streets were swathed in a fusion of Nabataean, and Classical architecture — elaborate tombs, colonnaded streets and temples carved into rose-red rock.
Petra’s tombs and temples are only a fraction of Jordan’s story. We explore traces of biblical tribes, Roman legions, Christian crusaders, and Islamic caliphates in this promised land of archaeology and fascinating history.
Tour highlights:




- Visit Jerash, the best-preserved (and Jordan’s largest) Roman town in the east, a site that is home to the Oval Plaza and the Corinthian columns of the Temple of Artemis
- Spend two days in the evocative rock-cut city of Petra, an iconic and instantly recognisable site that needs no introduction
- Admire the almost lunar-like desert scenery of Wadi Rum, which was immortalised on film in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ and ‘Star Wars: Rogue One’, aboard a fleet of 4x4s
- Discover the mighty crusader castle at Kerak, built in the 12th century and one of the largest in the Levant region
Today's Price
£3,795
Deposit: £500 Single supplement: £580
Includes flights
Keeping you safe on your next tour
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FREE 'Travel Safe' kits for every traveller
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COVID-19 insurance
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Enhanced Health and Safety audits
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Distanced seating on coaches
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'Get me home' service and private airport transfers
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COVID protocols at our hotels, and aboard our cruise ships
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Flexible balance payment date and COVID-friendly refund conditions
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COVID-testing and medical training for tour staff
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Constant monitoring and post-tour tracing
Meet your Experts
Nick Jackson
Guide Lecturer
Graduating in archaeology from the Institute of Archaeology at University College London, Nick later took up a research post at the University of Cambridge.
Your itinerary
Day 1 - London - Amman
We depart from London Heathrow in the afternoon and arrive at Amman airport late evening. Upon arrival, we make our way to our hotel for a much needed rest.
Snack in hotel room due to late arrival.

Hotel | Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel |
---|---|
Meals included | Dinner |
Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel
Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel is set in the hilltops and mixes philosophy with 5-star amenities of a vibrant, modern nation.
Sheraton Amman offers 268 air-conditioned rooms which act as mini retreats, filled with sunlight. Rooms include high-speed wired and wireless internet access, 24-hour room service, private terraces and the famous Sheraton Signature Sleep Experience®.
The hotel features a lounge, indoor and outdoor pools and a sundeck. There is a gym, restaurant and bar.
Day 2 - Wadi Seer - Dead Sea - Amman
After a leisurely start, we head to the valley of Wadi Seer. Here we find the remains of Qasr-al-Abd, a well-preserved Hasmonean and rare Hellenistic period Palace. Hyrcanus of Jerusalem built the palace around 200BC as part of a much larger estate, that is now covered by the village of Iraq al-Emir. We then spend time both at and in the Dead Sea. The lowest place on earth is also the deepest hypersaline lake in the world, over nine times saltier than the ocean. This salinity has created a harsh environment so it is unsuitable for any plants of wildlife, hence its name. It is however, a unique experience to be able to ‘float’ on the Dead Sea, so we make the most of this opportunity. After our time spent here, we return to Amman.

Hotel | Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel |
---|---|
Meals included | All meals included |
Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel
Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel is set in the hilltops and mixes philosophy with 5-star amenities of a vibrant, modern nation.
Sheraton Amman offers 268 air-conditioned rooms which act as mini retreats, filled with sunlight. Rooms include high-speed wired and wireless internet access, 24-hour room service, private terraces and the famous Sheraton Signature Sleep Experience®.
The hotel features a lounge, indoor and outdoor pools and a sundeck. There is a gym, restaurant and bar.
Day 3 - Gadara - Jerash
We explore two Roman Decapolis cities today as our adventure continues. We start off at the ancient city of Gadara (known today as Umm Qais), which offers views over the Golan Heights and Sea of Galilee. After lunch we continue to Jerash (ancient Gerasa) for the afternoon, which is set in the pine valleys of the biblical land of Gilead, and is one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the east. The architecture is particularly fine, and includes the impressive 2nd century Hadrian’s Arch, the Corinthian columns of the Temple of Artemis and the Oval Plaza - framed by a magnificent colonnade - a unique feature of the Forum.

Hotel | Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel |
---|---|
Meals included | All meals included |
Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel
Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel is set in the hilltops and mixes philosophy with 5-star amenities of a vibrant, modern nation.
Sheraton Amman offers 268 air-conditioned rooms which act as mini retreats, filled with sunlight. Rooms include high-speed wired and wireless internet access, 24-hour room service, private terraces and the famous Sheraton Signature Sleep Experience®.
The hotel features a lounge, indoor and outdoor pools and a sundeck. There is a gym, restaurant and bar.
Day 4 - Amman
The morning is spent in Jordan’s modern capital Amman. Here we visit the Archaeological Museum and the citadel. The museum is home to artefacts from archaeological sites from across the country, including the Dead Sea bronze scroll written in Aramaic characters. The citadel is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world, and we visit the ruins of the Roman Temple of Hercules and the palace of the Omayyad Caliphs. Before lunch we visit the Memorial Church at Mount Nebo. In the afternoon, we make a short drive to the early Byzantine Church of St George in Madaba, where we view the amazing 6th century mosaic map of the Holy Land depicting biblical sites of the Middle East from Egypt to Palestine. Afterwards we spend a little time in the Madaba Archaeological Park before heading back to our hotel.

Hotel | Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel |
---|---|
Meals included | All meals included |
Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel
Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel is set in the hilltops and mixes philosophy with 5-star amenities of a vibrant, modern nation.
Sheraton Amman offers 268 air-conditioned rooms which act as mini retreats, filled with sunlight. Rooms include high-speed wired and wireless internet access, 24-hour room service, private terraces and the famous Sheraton Signature Sleep Experience®.
The hotel features a lounge, indoor and outdoor pools and a sundeck. There is a gym, restaurant and bar.
Day 5 - Umm al-Jimal
Today we head into the eastern desert to explore the dramatic basalt city at Umm al-Jimal, even the doors are made of huge black slabs and some of them still operate! After lunch we travel on to the desert castles, Qasr Azraq, Amra and al-Kharanah, with far-reaching views over the surrounding landscape. Jordan’s desert castles were so called due to their imposing stature, but they served mainly as agriculture and trade centres, and caravan stations.

Hotel | Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel |
---|---|
Meals included | All meals included |
Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel
Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel is set in the hilltops and mixes philosophy with 5-star amenities of a vibrant, modern nation.
Sheraton Amman offers 268 air-conditioned rooms which act as mini retreats, filled with sunlight. Rooms include high-speed wired and wireless internet access, 24-hour room service, private terraces and the famous Sheraton Signature Sleep Experience®.
The hotel features a lounge, indoor and outdoor pools and a sundeck. There is a gym, restaurant and bar.
Day 6 - Umm al-Rasas -Kerak
We visit the church and spectacular mosaics at Umm al-Rasas. A Roman and Byzantine site, the mosaics of the churches have fine depictions of the principal cities of the region. Before lunch we have a brief stop at a viewpoint at Wadi Mujib. On next to the mighty crusader castle of Kerak, one of the largest in the Levantine region. Overlooking the Dead Sea, it was built in 1132 as the first line of defence for the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem. It’s position also gave control of important trade routes between Damascus, Egypt and Mecca, and of the Bedouin herders of the region.

Hotel | Petra Moon Hotel |
---|---|
Meals included | All meals included |
Petra Moon Hotel
Petra Moon Hotel is situated 150 metres from the entrance gate to Petra. It is a family run hotel and sits on the original site of the family home.
All rooms include a flat screen TV with satellite, Wi-Fi, Air conditioning/heating, safe, mini bar with soft drinks and snacks, tea and coffee making facilities, complimentary toiletries, slippers and bathrobe. The rooms beds are extra-long.
The restaurant serves local and international meals, there is also a Sun terrace.
Day 7 - Petra
Today is the first of two full days in Petra, and with the archaeological park spread across 200 square kilometres, we will easily fill out time spent here as there is much to explore. Located among mountains and rugged desert canyons, this ancient capital of the Nabatean Arabs is carved directly into a mixture of sandstone cliff face, its colours a mixture of red, white and pink hence it is also known as the “Rose City”. We walk into the site each day, both for the sense of discovery, and to experience the famous entrance to the ravine site, the Siq. As we wander along the colonnaded streets, we take in some of the ancient city’s most significant structures, such as the world-renowned “Treasury” (Al-Khazneh), a temple over 40 metres in height with a truly impressive ornate façade. The Nabateans, though essential nomadic, developed a sophisticated water technology, the remains of which we will also see here during our extensive visit. Led by our expert guide, there are optional climbs on both days to Nabatean ‘Monastery’ and ‘High Place’.

Hotel | Petra Moon Hotel |
---|---|
Meals included | All meals included |
Petra Moon Hotel
Petra Moon Hotel is situated 150 metres from the entrance gate to Petra. It is a family run hotel and sits on the original site of the family home.
All rooms include a flat screen TV with satellite, Wi-Fi, Air conditioning/heating, safe, mini bar with soft drinks and snacks, tea and coffee making facilities, complimentary toiletries, slippers and bathrobe. The rooms beds are extra-long.
The restaurant serves local and international meals, there is also a Sun terrace.
Day 8 - Petra
A further opportunity to explore the magnificence of Petra.

Hotel | Petra Moon Hotel |
---|---|
Meals included | All meals included |
Petra Moon Hotel
Petra Moon Hotel is situated 150 metres from the entrance gate to Petra. It is a family run hotel and sits on the original site of the family home.
All rooms include a flat screen TV with satellite, Wi-Fi, Air conditioning/heating, safe, mini bar with soft drinks and snacks, tea and coffee making facilities, complimentary toiletries, slippers and bathrobe. The rooms beds are extra-long.
The restaurant serves local and international meals, there is also a Sun terrace.
Day 9 - Little Petra - Wadi Rum
This morning we will visit the Neolithic site of Beidha, where 8th Millennium BC houses can still be seen, and the painted tomb at “Little Petra” (Siq al-Bahrid). Thought to have been an important suburb of Petra the site includes temples, tombs, water channels and cisterns carved out of rock. We drive to Wadi Rum, home of the largest Roman copper mine in the empire. Here we take 4x4s through spectatular scenery, made famous by the filming of “Lawrence of Arabia”. There are also several rock art sites to be explored here. Afterwards, we head back to Amman for a farewell dinner.

Hotel | Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel |
---|---|
Meals included | All meals included |
Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel
Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel is set in the hilltops and mixes philosophy with 5-star amenities of a vibrant, modern nation.
Sheraton Amman offers 268 air-conditioned rooms which act as mini retreats, filled with sunlight. Rooms include high-speed wired and wireless internet access, 24-hour room service, private terraces and the famous Sheraton Signature Sleep Experience®.
The hotel features a lounge, indoor and outdoor pools and a sundeck. There is a gym, restaurant and bar.
Day 10 - Amman - London
We fly from Amman today, arriving back into London in the afternoon.

Meals included | Breakfast |
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Tour dates & prices
Included in your cost:
- Expert Guide Lecturer
- Professional Tour Manager
- Local travel aboard a private air-conditioned coach
- Accommodation
- Meals as per the itinerary, tea or coffee with dinner
- Entries to all sites as per the itinerary
- All taxes & gratuities
- Field notes
Tour Departure | Tour ID | Departure date | Return Date | Guided by | Price | Deposit | Single supplement | Availability |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 October 2021 | AJOR211005 | 5 October 2021 (Tuesday) | 14 October 2021 (Thursday) | Nick Jackson | £3,845 (inc. flights) |
£500 | £580 | Book Now |
27 October 2021 | AJOR211027 | 27 October 2021 (Wednesday) | 5 November 2021 (Friday) | Nick Jackson | £3,795 (inc. flights) |
£500 | £580 | Book Now |
22 March 2022 | AJOR220322 | 22 March 2022 (Tuesday) | 31 March 2022 (Thursday) | Nick Jackson | £3,895 (inc. flights) |
£500 | £620 | Book Now |
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