Itinerary Details
1 Arrive Amman, Jordan
All desert roads lead to elegant, youthful Amman, gleaming like an opal in the sand. World-class museums showcase treasures from this corner of the Middle East, while the Citadel is the capital’s crowning glory, holding seventh-century Umayyad ruins high above the city’s minarets and markets.
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2 Amman | Jerash
To the north of Amman, ancient Jerash beckons, triumphant pillars and arches hinting at the city’s glorious Roman heyday, along with the chariot ruts still remaining in the ancient paving stones.
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3 Amman | The Kings’ Highway
The ancient Kings’ Highway leads you to Mount Nebo, followed by the Church of Moses and Madaba, the “City of Mosaics” that preserves 4,000 years of history at your feet.
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4 Petra | City Half As Old As Time
Though its name evokes one single, iconic sight, Petra is more than just Al-Khazneh (The Treasury). It is an entire city of 800 monuments, temples and tombs carved into coral-pink sandstone canyons in the third century BC. The ancient capital of the Nabateans was unknown to the West until 1812, but even after all this time, it still awes; nothing prepares visitors for the sight of Al-Khazneh emerging at the end of a narrow gorge like a glorious, golden, ornately chiseled dream.
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5 Wadi Rum | Little Petra
Explore the lesser-known treasures of Little Petra nearby, considered an ancient suburb to the main city, hidden in the mountains. Restored frescoes include one full of grapes and vines, painted in homage to the Greek god of wine, Dionysus. With its mysterious petroglyphs, fire-red desert sands and vast rocky canyons: Wadi Rum is the poster child of desert escapes, in no small part to its role as the backdrop to 1962’s Lawrence of Arabia. By day, explore the dramatic, almost-Martian landscape by private four-wheel-drive vehicle, and brave the chill of dusk to see it transformed by night, when Bedouin campfires crackle in the dunes and stars become ancient tools of navigation.
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6 Wadi Rum | Red Desert
The red dunes of Wadi Rum beguile in the morning light as the sun reclaims the desert from night’s chill. Back in Amman, the city transforms after nightfall into a lively collection of bars, clubs and cafes.
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7 Amman | Castles & Dunes
Escape into the dunes to discover some of Jordan’s iconic desert castles, some of which have stood sentinel in the sands as early as the fifth century, their walls still gilded with beautiful mosaics, frescoes and stucco.
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8 Depart Amman
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