Jordan - The Kingdom of the Nabataeans 2026-27

Departure on scheduled Royal Jordanian flights to Amman – meals on board – on arrival, transfer to the hotel – dinner at the hotel - overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – full-day excursion – visit of Ajlun and of the remains of the Ayyubid Castle, built by one of Saladin’s generals in 1184 AD to control the local iron mines and ward off Frankish invasions - continuation to Gadara, known today as Umm Qais – perched on a height overlooking the Jordan Valley and the Sea of Galilee, it boasts splendid colonnaded streets, a vaulted terrace and the remains of two theatres - Gadara was once a renowned cultural centre, home to many classical poets and philosophers, including Theodorus, founder of the school of rhetoric in Rome, so much so that one of them dubbed it the "new Athens" - lunch in a restaurant – visit of Jerash, "the Pompeii of the East", a magnificent Graeco-Roman city about 50 km from Amman - ancient Gerasa reached the height of its splendour in Roman times when, as a city of the Decapolis, it was enriched with superb monuments such as the forum, the propylaea, the amphitheatre and much more – return to Amman in the evening – dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure – tour leader on hand – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel - departure along the King’s Highway, one of the oldest routes in the world, linking Syria and Arabia – visit of Mount Nebo, from where Moses first saw the Promised Land, and Madaba with the Orthodox church of St George, home to the famous 6th-century mosaic map of Palestine – continuation to Kerak, stop to visit the fortress, a beautiful example of medieval architecture built in 1149 and later remodelled by the Arabs – lunch in a restaurant – arrival in Petra in the evening – dinner at the hotel - evening at leisure – tour leader on hand – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel - early-morning start to the visit of Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Through the Siq, the narrow cleft between the mountains that hides its entrance, we reach this most singular city, carved entirely out of the rock more than 2,000 years ago by the Nabataeans - we can admire numerous buildings hewn from the multicoloured sandstone, such as the Treasury of the Pharaoh, the Roman Amphitheatre, the Urn, Corinthian and Lion Tombs, the temples and the Monastery – lunch in a restaurant – visit with a local guide in the morning and with the tour leader in the afternoon - dinner at the hotel - evening at leisure – tour leader on hand – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Beida, known as “Little Petra” - visit of the numerous tombs carved into the rock by the Nabataeans - continuation to Wadi Rum, a desert valley and UNESCO World Heritage Site where erosion has created a unique and fascinating landscape, home to numerous Bedouin tribes - jeep tour of around 2 hours to admire the most spectacular desert in Jordan (the Nabataean Temple, Lawrence of Arabia’s spring, the Khazali dune, the Khazali Canyon, the little bridge) – lunch in a restaurant – dinner at the tented camp - evening at leisure – tour leader on hand – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – departure for the Dead Sea - lunch in a restaurant – rest of the day devoted to relaxing on the Dead Sea at 390 metres below sea level (it is the lowest point on earth and its highly saline waters have been used since antiquity to treat numerous ailments -don’t forget your swimming costume!-) - dinner at the hotel – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Bethany beyond the Jordan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site - According to the Gospel, John the Baptist lived and preached here, and since 1996 excavations have brought to light pottery, coins and architectural remains of a 5th-century Byzantine monastery, as well as an early 3rd-century building with beautiful mosaics and what is now known as the Christian "prayer room" (if this hypothesis is correct, this may have been one of the very first buildings in the world used for Christian prayer) – lunch in a restaurant in the afternoon, visit of Amman, the capital of Jordan, built on 7 hills (the ancient Roman Theatre dating from the days when Amman was called Philadelphia, the Citadel, from which you can admire splendid examples of Roman, Byzantine and Islamic architecture, the Archaeological Museum with finds from all over the country and from every era, from prehistory to the 15th century, the Folklore Museum) – dinner in a traditional restaurant – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel - transfer to the airport – departure on a scheduled Royal Jordanian flight for the return to Italy.