Jordan
A JOURNEY TO JORDAN
7–14 November 2023
Tuesday, November 7, 2023:
04.30 Meeting at Sofia Airport, Terminal 2
06.00 Flight to Jordan;
10:00 Landing in Aqaba, time for breakfast and refreshment, departure to Wadi Rum, check-in at the desert camp. In Wadi Ram we will have one of the most memorable experiences of this trip. Wadi Rum is a unique natural landmark (a valley carved into the rocks and sand), untouched by man and located in the middle of the desert.
They call it the Valley of the Moon. This is followed by a 4 hour jeep tour through the desert during which we will enjoy the unique landscape of the one-of-a-kind pink sand and rock formations with inscriptions left by the Nabateans more than 7000 years ago, the shifting sands and we will enjoy on the dark red desert colored by the sunset. A delicious dinner of traditional local food and a cup of aromatic Arabic tea under the star-studded desert sky.
Wednesday November 8, 2023
7:30 Early breakfast
Optional camel riding at sunrise
Departure to Wadi Musa (Valley of Moses), where the Petra complex is located. We will begin the exciting adventure in the kingdom of the Nabateans with the so-called "Little Petra", which very few travelers to Jordan get to.
Little Petra (Siq Al Barid ) is a picturesque canyon stretching 350 m in length, which hides in itself buildings carved into the rocks, remaining from ancient Nabatea (1st century AD) From there, along a little-known route, we will move to one of the highest points of the pink city of Petra - the Monastery. Petra is located in a narrow rocky valley, with the facades of the buildings carved into the rocks themselves, which have a pink hue. We will go down 1000 steps, then we will go through the entire complex - the amphitheater, the treasury, a natural gap in the rocks called the Sik, etc. Our guide will take us through some of the most interesting routes inside the complex. Return to the hotel, walk and have dinner in the city center in a restaurant with local cuisine.
Thursday, November 9
Early breakfast. Departure to Amman, the capital of Jordan. We will travel along one of the most famous roads in the Middle East, the Royal Highway, which winds from the north to the south of the country and offers a large number of stops and wonderful views from Roman ruins and columns, mosaics, places of worship, Crusader castles to spectacular landscapes of Wadi Mujib. We will stop to walk through the Dana Biosphere Reserve, which encompasses a system of wadis descending to Wadi Araba, north of Petra, and is home to wildlife, stunning scenery and thousands of years of history. Stop in the Christian town of Madaba, visit the Church of St. George, whose floor mosaic is breathtaking.
This mosaic is the oldest map of Palestine, but it also shows other places such as Jerusalem, Gaza, the Dead Sea or the Nile Delta. There is a lot to see in Madaba and depending on the time we have we will visit two archaeological parks, the King Hussein Mosque, the city of carpets, the Roman Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist, where we can climb to the top of the tower to see the city with a bird's eye view from the Church of the Apostles.
Mount Nebo. Mount Nebo is a place of great importance because this place is mentioned in the Bible, and according to it, Mount Nebo is the hill that Moses climbed and saw the Promised Land from here for the first time.
Arrival in Amman, hotel check-in. Dinner in the city center
Friday, November 10
Depart for the holy city of Jerash, Ajloun Castle and known as Umm Qays, the city of Gadara, situated on a magnificent hill overlooking the Jordan Valley and the Sea of Galilee. Gadara boasts an impressive colonnaded street, a vaulted terrace and the ruins of two theaters. The Golan area in the north of the country and Lake Tiberias, which is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth and the second lowest lake in the world (after the Dead Sea, a saltwater lake) The lake is partly fed by underground springs, but its main source is a river Jordan, which flows through it from north to south and exits the lake at the Degania dam. Return to Amman, dinner
Saturday, November 11
A tour of Amman, a walk through the small markets and picturesque streets of the city. Amman, the Citadel, the Desert Castles around Amman - a group of Muslim castles built around the 7th-8th century AD.
Return to Amman, time for shopping, dinner.
Sunday November 12
Breakfast, departure for Ma'in Hot Springs - a series of hot mineral springs and waterfalls located between Madaba and the Dead Sea. Water has a beneficial effect on the skin, bones, circulatory system and muscle pain. Afternoon - departure for the Dead Sea, time for beach and mud treatments as desired (if time remains), overnight at the Dead Sea.
Monday, November 13
08:00 Breakfast, beach and healing procedures at the Dead Sea, and departure to Aqaba; On the way we will stop at the train station to see the original train on which Lawrence of Arabia, a famous diplomat and politician, traveled. Arrival in Aqaba and hotel check-in Free time and a walk through the small markets, filled with shops for spices, sweets and handmade jewelry.
FREE PROGRAM IN THE EVENING
Tuesday, November 14
Breakfast at the hotel, departure from the hotel Around 8.45 transfer to the airport. Departure for Sofia
