Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome to Jordan - Ahlan Wa Sahlan
Stop At: Amman, Amman, Amman Governorate
Welcome to Amman. Our representative will meet you at the arrivals gate, and will help you through airport formalities, later our driver will meet you and transfer you to your hotel for luggage down and some time to rest and refresh. Then we will take you on a welcome panoramic tour of Amman.
A welcome dinner at the Windmills restaurant which is one of the best traditional restaurants in Amman. Dinner tonight will be traditional Sajeyeh, which is chicken and lamb cubes cooked on coal flame with Arabian spices, served with Homus (Chickpeas with Tahini sauce), Mutabbal (roasted eggplant with tahini sauce), and traditional lamb Armenian sausages in tomato sauce, with a variety of Jordanian salads and appetizers served with freshly baked Arabian bread. These dishes reflect a mix of Jordanian, Syrian, Palestinian, and Lebanese cuisine. Later transfer to your hotel for an overnight.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in your hotel in Amman
Day 2: Amman City Tour / Al Salt Harmony Trail (Full Day)
Stop At: Amman, Amman, Amman Governorate
Breakfast at Hashems: the most famous restaurant in Amman and one of the oldest since 1956 with a long list of famous visitors from the late King Hussein of Jordan, to King Abdullah of Jordan, suited in the heart of downtown Amman where you will enjoy a traditional Jordanian breakfast that includes freshly fried Falafel (ground chickpeas with parsley, coriander, garlic, onions), freshly cooked fuul (cooked fava beans served with cumin, lemon, and olive oil) served with Arabic bread and mint tea. Hashem’s restaurant is about simplicity, and taking the true taste of downtown Amman.
After our breakfast, we head to visit the citadel of Amman, which is the highest hill in Amman and is the site of ancient Rabbath-Ammon. Occupied since the Bronze Age, it's surrounded by a 1700m-long wall, which was rebuilt many times during the Bronze and Iron Ages, as well as the Roman, Byzantine, and Umayyad periods.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: The Citadel, K. Ali Ben Al-Hussein St. 146, Amman Jordan
There's plenty to see, but the Citadel's most striking sights are the Temple of Hercules and the Ummayad Palace. We then descend to visit the Roman theater which is the most obvious and impressive remnant of Roman Philadelphia and is the highlight of Amman for most visitors.
We walk downtown where we visit the old souks and shops. We stopped at Habiba Downtown which is one of the oldest pastry shops in Amman, it’s a small shop on a narrow pathway, don’t expect anything fancy there is no place to sit down but the Kunafa - which is a Jordanian pastry based on sweet goat cheese – is totally worth it.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Al Salt, Al Salt, Balqa Governorate
We proceed later to visit As-Salt, which is a town near Amman known for its sense of unity and community, which is reflected in the long-standing mosques and churches that peacefully stand side by side.
We will take a walking tour in the city's narrow streets until we reach our destination, which is, a Jordanian home converted to a boutique restaurant, Beit Aziz, where your host, a Jordanian family, will prepare your lunch.
Lunch today is Maqlouba. Which is chicken, rice, and fried vegetables placed in a pot which is flipped upside down when served hence the name, Maqlouba which means upside down. Served with yogurt and traditional salad.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Amman, Amman, Amman Governorate
Later we are heading back to Amman, we have a night tour on the newer side of Amman, Abdoun where we will enjoy a local café, and maybe have shisha. And a Shawerma dinner which is a Levantine dish consisting of meat cut into thin slices, stacked in a cone-like shape, and roasted on a slowly turning vertical rotisserie. Later transfer to your hotel for overnight.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
• Breakfast: Buffer breakfast at your hotel in Amman
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Accommodation included: Overnight in your hotel in Amman
Day 3: North of Jordan Tour (Jerash / Ajloun / Beit Sitti)
Stop At: Jerash Ruins, Jerash Jordan
After breakfast in your hotel, we are heading to the beautiful and green north of Jordan to visit Jerash, just around 60 minutes from Amman, Jerash is a close second to Petra on the list of favorite destinations in Jordan and one of the best places to explore roman civilization outside of Italy, Inhabited since the Bronze Age, Jerash is known for the ruins of the walled Greco-Roman settlement of Gerasa just outside the modern city. These include the 2nd-century Hadrian’s Arch, the Corinthian columns of the Temple of Artemis, and the huge Forum’s oval colonnade.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Ajloun Castle, Ajloun National Park, Jerash 26173 Jordan
Lunch will be served at the Lebanese House, a traditional restaurant in Jerash where you will be served traditional lamb Kebabs, Barbeque chicken and lamb bites, Kubbeh, which is based on spiced ground meat, onions, and grain, served with Homus (Chickpeas with Tahini sauce), Mutabbal (roasted eggplant with tahini sauce), with a variety of Jordanian salads and appetizers served with freshly baked Arabian bread.
These dishes reflect a mix of Jordanian, Syrian, Palestinian, and Lebanese cuisine
We then proceed to visit Ajloun Castle, sitting on the mountaintop with amazing views! Ajloun castle is the 12th century Castle built by one of Saladin’s lieutenants in the campaign against the Crusaders.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Amman, Amman, Amman Governorate
Later back to Amman for a walking tour on Rainbow Street, till we reach Beit Sitti. Beit Sitti translated as my grandmother’s house, is a restaurant with a twist, long story short, if you don’t cook it, you won’t eat. Tonight you’re the chef! You will learn how to cook a Middle Eastern meal. Freekeh, or as the ladies at the restaurant call it, LETS GET FREAKEH. Freekeh is green-dried wheat, cooked to perfection, and served with chicken, yogurt, and assorted salads.
Later transfer back to your hotel for overnight.
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast: Breakfast at your hotel in Petra
• Dinner: Dinner in your hotel
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Accommodation included: Overnight in your hotel in Amman
Day 4: Amman / Madaba / Mount Nebo / Shoubak / Petra
Stop At: Madaba, Madaba, Madaba Governorate
After breakfast, we take a 40 minutes drive south of Amman to visit Mount Nebo and the memorial of Prophet Moses where he saw the Promised Land, later to visit the town of Madaba and the St George Church which contains the oldest surviving original cartographic depiction of the Holy Land and especially Jerusalem on mosaic.
In Madaba, there is a family house that has been converted into a small restaurant that serves MEAN traditional Maharshi.
The question is, what is Mahashi? Mahashi my friend is Zucchini and Eggplants stuffed with rice and minced meat, along with rolled Vine leaves with the same stuffing, slow-cooked in either yogurt-based or tomato-based sauce. We are not saying that it is one of the top 10 things to ever happen to humanity, but if the list was a little longer it would be right after Mansaf.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Shoubak, Shoubak, Ma'an Governorate
Then we take a longer drive (around 2 hours) to reach the town of Shoubak, there, on the "royal mountain" Montreal or Mons Regalis as it used to be called, was the first Crusader fortress in a line of strongholds in Oultrejourdain, the territory East of the river Jordan. Baldwin I King of Jerusalem ordered its construction in 1115 to control the caravan routes between Syria and Egypt.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Petra - Wadi Musa, Petra - Wadi Musa, Ma'an Governorate
Later we proceed for a 60-minute drive to Wadi Mousa, the homeland of the site of Petra. And the reason why you didn’t have Jordanian Mansaf till now.
Mansaf is based on dried yogurt which is called Jameed. You see, Bedouins in the past didn’t have refrigerators to keep their yogurt, so they dried it. Drying intensifies the yogurt taste and gives it a tangy twist that spreads joy into the lamb meat while it's boiling in it. The meat is served on a bed of rice, garnished with fried almonds and parsley. Mansaf is the national dish of Jordan, served at our weddings and occasions, and is a sign of hospitality. Mansaf is enjoyed with strangers, not in a restaurant. For that, we will be visiting a Jordanian home tonight. For a real authentic cultural experience, and a real authentic Jordanian Mansaf. Overnight in Petra.
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast: Breakfast in your camp in Wadi Rum
• Dinner: with local family
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Accommodation included: Overnight in your hotel in Petra
Day 5: Petra / Wadi Rum (Full Day)
Stop At: Petra - Wadi Musa, Petra - Wadi Musa, Ma'an Governorate
After breakfast, we are heading to Jordan’s crown jewel and travelers' ultimate destination, the ancient lost city of Petra! The Nabateans carved this city in stone with simple tools 1500 years ago, and nothing will prepare you for the beauty and sheer size of Al Khazna! Mark my words when it starts peeking at you by the end of the Siq (the pathway to Petra)! airport for departure.
Duration: 4 hours
Stop At: Wadi Rum Village, Wadi Rum Village, Wadi Rum, Al Aqabah Governorate
After our visit, we proceed for a 90-minute drive to Wadi Rum! The valley of the moon, we arrive at the camp (and we bet you’re hungry by then) for a Bedouin specialty dinner: ZARB. What’s that you may ask? Well, it’s a mix of meat like lamb and chicken, rice, potatoes, and carrots, placed in a hole in the ground, which is filled with flaming coals. The hole is then covered, and after a few hours, the meat and rice are all smoked, steamed, and grilled, all at the same time!
After dinner, you can enjoy a night of stargazing since there is no light pollution in the area. Overnight in your camp in Wadi Rum.
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Your Camp in Wadi Rum
Day 6: Wadi Rum / AQABA / Dead Sea
Stop At: Wadi Rum Village, Wadi Rum Village, Wadi Rum, Al Aqabah Governorate
pick up for a couple of hours, we visit Al Khaza’ali which is a natural rock formation that mimics the Siq in Petra, Lawrence Spring, and enjoy Bedouin tea with local Bedouins.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Aqaba, Jordan
Later we are off to Aqaba, Jordan’s only sea gate by the Red Sea. We tour the city and reach the Royal Yacht Club for lunch. Lunch today is called Sayadeyah. The fisherman’s traditional meal in Aqaba is a seasoned fish and rice dish from Levantine cuisine, made with cumin and other spices.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Dead Sea Region, Dead Sea Region
we proceed for 3 a half-hour's drive to the lowest point on Earth, the Dead Sea where we will enjoy an international buffet lunch at your resort and sometimes by the beach.
Overnight in the Dead Sea
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight at your hotel in Dead Sea
Day 7: Dead Sea
Stop At: Dead Sea Region, Dead Sea Region
Free day by the Dead Sea beach. The Dead Sea water is so rich in minerals and has high therapeutic value. We enjoy a day of relaxation by the Dead Sea beach. Overnight in your Dead Sea resort.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight at your hotel in Dead Sea
Day 8: Departure
Stop At: Queen Alia International Airport, Desert Highway, Amman, Jordan
Transfer to the airport with assistance
Duration: 45 minutes
Meals included:
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No accommodation included on this day.