JordanJourneys: Explore Jordan
Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer is included. Arrive in Amman at any time, there are no planned activities. Meet your National Geographic Expedition Leader 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 Expedition Leader 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 Expedition Leader for recommendations and assistance.
Airport Transfer
You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel to start your adventure.
Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your Expedition Leader and Group
Your opportunity to meet your National Geographic Expedition Leader and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Accommodation
Below is an example of the hotel we may use in this city. For the actual hotel your specific departure will be using, please check your voucher.
Landmark Amman Hotel
Awake in the Jordanian capital and venture to Jerash, home to one of the world’s largest and most well-preserved Roman ruins. Wander amid the colonnaded streets, soaring temples, and spacious squares of this ancient city; then visit a G Adventures–supported café run by local women, where we’ll enjoy a cooking class and delicious traditional lunch. Back in Amman, visit the Jordan Archaeological Museum and explore the ruins of the Citadel—one of the oldest continually inhabited places in the world.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
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.
Your G for Good Moment: 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.
Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Women's Cooking Class & lunch
As part of an experience exclusive to National Geographic Journeys travellers – and 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.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
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.
Optional Activities - Day 2Show
Accommodation
Landmark Amman Hotel
Depart early towards Petra, driving along the scenic King’s Highway. Stop at Mount Nebo, where Moses was offered a glimpse of the Promised Land according to the Hebrew Bible. Take in stunning views of the Dead Sea from the summit, and continue to Madaba, famed for its Byzantine mosaics—including the oldest surviving map of the Holy Land. Arrive in Wadi Musa, our base for exploring Petra, and enjoy a talk by an archaeologist about the legendary sandstone city and the ongoing excavations taking place there.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
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.
Your Journeys Highlight Moment: 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.
Accommodation
Petra Moon Hotel
Rise early to discover the legendary city of Petra, carved out of sandstone cliffs by the Nabataean Arabs as early as the second century BC. Venture into the city by way of a gorge called the Siq, and enjoy a guided walking tour of the magnificent rose-red ruins. Spend some time exploring on your own before returning to our hotel. This evening, opt to experience Petra by night, when the site glows in the light of thousands of candles, and take in a performance of Bedouin music. 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.
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 Expedition Leader 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 Activities - Day 4Show
Accommodation
Petra Moon Hotel
After breakfast, continue to Wadi Rum—a vast landscape of sweeping red sand dunes and towering sandstone arches. Enjoy lunch at our desert camp, then set out on a thrilling 4x4 excursion into the desert. Drive past spectacular rock formations, look for ancient petroglyphs, and pick the perfect spot to watch the sunset. Return to camp for a typical Bedouin feast. Later, head out with your Bedouin guide for a nighttime walk, admiring the dazzling, starry skies of the desert. After breakfast, drive to Wadi Rum, a vast, silent landscape of ancient riverbeds and the largest and most magnificent of Jordan's desert landscapes. Spend the night in a simple, but comfortable desert camp; The authentic goat-wool tent provides a glimpse into traditional Bedouin living. Each tent has ensuite and is outfitted with sheets, pillows, a raised bed, towels, electricity and thick covers against the desert cold. While the accommodation is simple, it is quite comfortable and offers a truly unique experience.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
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.
Your Journeys Highlight Moment: 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.
Accommodation
Rahayeb Camp
Travel towards the Dead Sea, one of the saltiest bodies of water on the planet. Stop for lunch at a G Adventures–supported community café, located on lush green farmland surrounded by desert. Continue to the shores of the Dead Sea and settle into our hotel. Spend the rest of the day relaxing poolside, or choose to take a dip in the mineral-rich waters of the lake, long known for their therapeutic properties. 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.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Your G for Good Moment: 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.
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.
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?
Accommodation
Crowne Plaza Dead Sea Jordan
Enjoy a visit to the archaeological remains of Bethany, where Jesus is believed to have been baptized. Explore the churches, chapels, monasteries, and caves of this fascinating UNESCO World Heritage site, then travel back to Amman. Join the group for an optional farewell dinner tonight.
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.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Accommodation
Landmark Amman Hotel
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.
Departure Day
Not ready to leave? Your Expedition Leader can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.
