Jordan - Special exclusive departure

Special departure 19 July

7 nights/8 days

Scheduled flights from Rome

1ST DAY: ROME FIUMICINO / AMMAN
Departure by direct scheduled flight to Jordan. Arrival at Amman airport. Clearance of customs formalities. Meeting with local staff. Transfer to hotel. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 2: AMMAN / DESERT CASTLES / AMMAN CITY TOUR
After breakfast, visit the eastern desert. The Romans were not deterred by the desert climate and built a chain of fortresses along the Arab limes, the borders of their new Arab province. Most of the castles you can visit today were built by the caliphs during the Umayyad period. Some are decorated with valuable mosaics, frescoes, stone and stucco sculptures and illustrations. They are silent and impressive evidence of Jordan's rich history. Today you will see three of the best preserved desert castles. Qasr al-Kharaneh is the largest and most richly decorated Umayyad castle in Jordan. It is a large square fortress surrounded by walls with circular towers on each side. Qusayr Amra Its interior walls and ceilings are covered with vivid frescoes and two of its rooms are paved with colourful mosaics. Qasr al-Azraq is built of black basalt. At the end return to Amman to explore
the capital and largest city of Jordan. It is the political, cultural and commercial centre of the country and one of the best known cities thousands of years ago, called Rabbat Ammoun. You will visit the Citadel, the Roman ruins and the Roman theatre in the city's most active centre. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 3: AMMAN / JERASH / AJLOUN / AMMAN
Breakfast at the hotel and departure for a visit to Jerash. You will explore the ancient city with its impressive ruins, including the Oval Square, Roman streets, temples and theatres. Afterwards, continue to Ajloun Castle, a 12th-century Islamic castle built by one of Saladin's generals, which offers breathtaking views of the Jordan Valley.
Return to Amman, dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 4:
AMMAN / MADABA / MOUNT NEBO / KERAK / LITTLE PETRA / PETRA
Breakfast at the hotel and then depart for a visit to Madaba, located 30 kilometres south-west of the capital Amman. It is best known for its Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics, in particular a large Byzantine-era mosaic map of the Holy Land. Madaba, one of the churches most spectacular of the world; ST. George Church where you will find the mosaic map of Jerusalem painted on the floor of the church. Continue your journey to Mount Nebo, the place where Moses was buried; if the sky is clear enough, you will have a wonderful view from the mountain seeing the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea and Jericho on the other side of the Jordan River. Drive south to visit the castles of Kerak, perched atop a small hill northeast of the town of Shobak. Inside the fortress are two churches, the first of which is to the left of the entrance and up the stairs. There are ruins of baths, cisterns and conduits
for rainwater, as well as millstones for pressing olives, some arches and other works that have withstood the test of time. Continue to Siq el-Barid (Little Petra) located near the main site. Visitors can walk through the 8,000-year-old excavated Stone Age village of Beidah. This is Petra in miniature with a modest gorge but marvellous rock-cut temples, caves and multi-coloured cliffs and, being less visited, has an atmosphere all its own. Transfer directly to the hotel in Petra. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 5: PETRA
After breakfast we set off for Petra. No visit to Jordan is complete without seeing the capital of the ancient Nabataean kingdom, Petra. The lost city of Petra, carved entirely by man amidst the pink and red mountains, really challenges the human imagination. The natural riches of the mountains combine here with the culture and architecture of the Nabataeans, who carved their theatres, temples, facades, tombs, monasteries, houses and streets in the pink rock. It is no wonder that UNESCO has included the city in the list World Heritage Site! You enter Petra through the Siq, a deep and narrow gorge, which finally leads to Petra's famous monument: al-Khazneh or the Treasury. You may recognise it from the final scene of the film 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'. But the Treasury is only the beginning: as you walk and climb, you will see hundreds of buildings carved into the rock, eroded by the passage of time, with fabulous multi-coloured walls. After the guided tour, free time for independent sightseeing and return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 6: PETRA / WADI RUM
Breakfast at the hotel and departure for Wadi Rum: massive, uniquely shaped mountains rise vertically from the pink desert sand, separating one dark mass from another in a magnificent desert setting of breathtaking beauty, with imposing cliffs of weathered stone. The sheer faces of the rocks have been eroded by the wind into the faces of men, animals and monsters. Wadi Rum, the valley of the moon according to Lawrence of Arabia; here you will have the opportunity to experience a 4×4 Jeep tour to discover the most spectacular sites in the area, ending with a cup of tea prepared by the Bedouins. Transfer to the tented camp. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 7: WADI RUM / DEAD SEA
After breakfast, depart for the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, 424 metres below sea level. You will have the opportunity to swim, where you will experience a rare floating sensation while giving your skin a beauty treatment. Let yourself sink into the waves of the sea, pamper yourself effortlessly, get a massage or experience the healing properties of mineral mud on your skin. Dinner and overnight stay in a hotel in the Dead Sea.

DAY 8: DEAD SEA / AMMAN / ROME FIUMICINO
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Amman airport. Clearance of customs formalities. Departure by Royal Jordanian direct scheduled flight. Arrival in Rome.

The fee includes:
➢ Rome/Amman/Rome, with direct scheduled Royal Jordanian flights in economy class;
➢ Transfers to/from Amman airport by minibus with English-speaking driver;
➢ Tour by bus or minibus with Italian-speaking guide on tour days as per programme;
➢ 7 nights in 4- and 5-star hotels in standard rooms;
➢ Half-board (excluding drinks);
➢ Entry visa;
➢ Cancellation, medical expense reimbursement (up to 50,000 Euro) and baggage insurance**
➢ Airport taxes and registration fee

The fee does not include:
➢ Meals and drinks not mentioned, tips and extras
➢ Possible full board supplement Euro 130.00
➢ Possible single supplement Euro 375.00
Required documents:
Individual passport with a residual validity of at least 6 months from the date of departure.