Jordan Uncovered

Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer is included. Arrive in Amman at any time, there are no planned activities. Meet your CEO this evening for a welcome meeting to learn more about the tour and plans for the following day, choose to head out for an optional dinner at a local restaurant with your CEO and the group. Amman is a very big city and there is not one central area to stay - hotels are spread out across various neighbourhoods within the city, often on busy streets without pedestrian walkways - getting around the city, for visitors and locals, is done by car. For this reason, to move around the city in your free time, you will have to take a taxi, please feel free to ask your CEO for recommendations and assistance.

Included Experiences

• Airport Transfer: You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel to start your adventure.
• Arrival Day and Welcome Meeting: The adventure begins tonight. Feel free to explore before your welcome meeting, but make sure you’re back in time to meet the group. Check for the meeting time on the welcome note at the hotel. After introductions, your CEO will review the details of your tour. Please note that normal check-in times apply at our start hotels, but you can usually store your luggage for the day if you arrive early.

Journey to Jerash, which is home to one of the world’s largest and most well-preserved Roman ruins. After exploring the ruins, take part in a cooking class at a G Adventures–supported café run by local women and indulge in a traditional lunch. Travel back to Amman and visit the Jordan Archaeological Museum and the ruins of the Citadel.

Included Experiences

• Jerash Guided Visit: Take a step back in time visiting Jerash, one of the most well-preserved Roman sites outside of Italy. Wander amid its paved and colonnaded streets, soaring hilltop temples, handsome theatres, spacious public squares and plazas, baths, fountains, and city walls pierced by towers and gates – all in exceptional condition.
• Beit Khayrat Souf women-run cafe: Part of the G Adventures for Good program, Beit Khayrat Souf is a women-run cafe with the purpose of training and employing women to gain their own financial independence. Women manage the cafe and lead cooking classes on site. They engage more women outside the organization by sourcing and making preserves sold at the cafe.
• Women's Cooking Class & lunch: As part of our G Adventures for Good program, prepare your own traditional Jordanian meal with a lively group of women at Beit Khayrat Souf. This café is run and managed by women seeking financial independence. Here, women help prepare food along with leading cooking classes on-site. The café also sources and makes preserves which are served and sold at the café, helping to engage even more women living in the charming hills of Souf.
• National Archaeological Museum & Citadel: Visit the museum for an overview on Jordan's history and ancient sites. Continue on to the Citadel archaeological site, best known for the Roman Temple of Hercules, but used by numerous civilizations dating back to the Bronze Age.

Head east towards Petra along the King’s Highway. Take in views of the Dead Sea from the summit of Mount Nebo. Arrive in Wadi Musa and listen to an archaeologist talk about the magnificent sandstone city of Petra.

Included Experiences

• Mt Nebo Visit: Visit Mount Nebo, a historic site believed by many to be the location of Moses' death and has thus been a centre for pilgrimage since the earliest Christian times. Reach to the summit (817m or 2,680 ft), and be rewarded with views of the stunning surrounding countryside and Israel in the distance.
• Madaba Mosaics Guided Tour: Explore Madaba’s long history on this guided tour, including its role as the centre of early Christianity. See some of the finest Byzantine mosaics in the world, including the famous sixth-century mosaic map of the Middle East. Tour churches, the Archaeological Park, and the local museum that's housed in several old Madaba residences.
• Petra Archaeologist Talk: Join an archaeologist for a talk about the UNESCO World Heritage site of Petra, the ancient city that was half-built and half-carved into a sandstone landscape. Learn about the ongoing excavation taking place here, and get a better understanding of the site for when you explore it yourself.

Get started early this morning and enjoy a guided walking tour of the jaw-dropping ruins of legendary Petra. Take some time to wander through the sandstone city on your own marvelling at the majesty of this special place. In the evening choose to see Petra in the glow of thousands of candles as you witness a Bedouin music performance. The site is large so please be prepared for a lot of walking over sand and rocks for the entire day. Pace yourself, stay hydrated and be sure to have proper walking/hiking shoes.

Included Experiences

• Petra Guided Tour: Journey to Petra to explore this UNESCO World Heritage site. Wind your way through the Siq, a narrow, 1km-long (.6 mi) gorge flanked by soaring 80m-high (262 ft) sandstone walls. Take in the astounding colours and patterns of the rock, and, at the end of this passage, catch your first glimpse of Al-Khazneh, the famed treasury of Petra. Explore in depth with your CEO and get a brief history of the city, one of the greatest attractions in the Middle East. The Nabateans carved this capital from the living rock of the surrounding mountains in Petra. Visit monuments that include the Pharaoh's Column, the triumphal arch, the amphitheatre, and the monastery.
• Free Time: Continue to explore Petra on your own.

Optional Experiences

• Petra by Night: Enjoy a magical night at Petra. Sit back in the candle lit Siq and treasury, and enjoy bedouin live music show. This activity is only available to book Sunday-Thursday
• Turkish Bath: You've done some walking this tour, so take this opportunity to give your muscles some much needed attention. Enjoy this true hammam experience.

Travel to Wadi Rum in the morning and then enjoy lunch at our desert camp before setting out on a 4x4 excursion into the desert. Pick the perfect spot to watch the sunset and then return to camp for a typical Bedouin feast. Then admire the beautiful night skies on a desert night walk with a Bedouin guide. Upon finishing breakfast the group will transfer to Wadi Rum to spend the night in a simple, but comfortable desert camp. This camp will provide insight into the traditional Bedouin way of life. The tents have ensuite facilities and are outfitted with sheets, pillows, a raised bed, towels, electricity, and thick blankets to protect against the desert cold. It’s truly a unique experience.

November – February: The desert can get very cold after the sun sets and it can be cool during the days. If you are visiting during the winter months you should pack warm comfortable clothing for daytime and especially the evenings (a jacket, hat, gloves and warm pajamas). September/October & March/April: evenings can still get chilly so you should bring something warm to wear. Daytime is usually warm and comfortable but you can bring a sweater or jacket just in case. May – August: the weather is very hot during the day and the evenings are usually comfortable and warm.

Included Experiences

• 4x4 Desert Trip: Head deep into the desert by 4x4 and enjoy the amazing natural beauty and unique landscape on this unforgettable drive. Along the way drive up red sand dunes, view stunning rock formations, and visit ancient sites to view rock art and inscriptions.
• Wadi Rum Night Walk: There’s nothing quite like counting stars in the night sky from the desert below, away from the noise and light pollution of our modern world. Enjoy this experience while walking with a Bedouin who’s lived in this remote region his entire life.

Spend the morning travelling to the Dead Sea, stopping along the way for lunch at a G Adventures–supported community café. Once at our hotel, take some time to relax beside the pool or soak in the mineral-rich waters of the lake. At 423m (1,388 ft) below sea level, the shores of the Dead Sea are at the lowest land elevation on Earth. The sea is named because its salinity is so high (up to nine times that of the world’s oceans) that only a few microorganisms can live in its waters. The Dead Sea is a resort area, with chain hotels whose sole purpose are to allow access to the Dead Sea. This allows time to relax, float in the sea or opt to visit a spa. Dinner is in the hotel, as there are no local restaurants within the resort area.

Included Experiences

• Al Safi Community Lunch: Stop for lunch at Al Safi Kitchen to enjoy a traditional Jordanian meal. Take a tour of the grounds, taste a delicious meal with the freshest ingredients from Safi’s farms, and learn about how this nonprofit is working to create a sustainable future for community members near the Dead Sea. The mission of the company is to raise awareness about the importance of cultural heritage and natural resources of the area. They also offer equal job opportunities for all members of the local community.
• Free Time: Relax under an umbrella next to one of the freshwater swimming pools or enjoy the other facilities at the resort hotel. Why not indulge in an optional massage or one of the other health and beauty therapies available?
• Dead Sea Visit: Discover the legendary healing qualities of the Dead Sea, famous for its unique mineral makeup and salinity. Spot salt chunks drifting by like icebergs on the water’s surface. Take a dip yourself and float like a buoy or cover yourself in the mud along the shore, believed to have medicinal and therapeutic benefits. There are showers nearby to wash off after.

Visit the archaeological remains of Bethany today and explore the churches and caves of this UNESCO World Heritage site. Travel back to Amman and enjoy an optional farewell dinner as a group.

Included Experiences

• Bethany Beyond the Jordan: Visit the archaeological site of Bethany, thought to be the site of John the Baptist's settlement and where Jesus was baptized. Fairly recently rediscovered, the site is an important archaeological find, numerous sites are being uncovered including Roman and Byzantine Baptismal pools, ancient churches, and caves.

Depart at any time. Check-out time from the hotel is normally mid-morning, but luggage storage facilities are available. We also encourage you to book a few additional nights if you want more time to explore the city.

Speak to your CEO about arranging your transfer to the airport (additional cost).