9 Day Health Spa Tour

of Jordan: Option # 1

Amman – Al Balad - Jebel Al Qala'a – Madaba – Greek Orthodox Church of St. George - Mt. Nebo – Dead Sea - Maeen Hot Water & Mineral Spa -– Umm Ar Rasas – King's Highway - Mujib Dam – Wadi Ibn Hamad - Karak – Wadi al Hasa – Dana Nature Reserve – Petra – Siq Al Barid (Little Petra) – Al Beidha – Wadi Rum – Aqaba

Day 1

Queen Alia International Airport or Borders – Amman – Al Balad - Jebel Al Qala'a

We will meet and assist you upon your arrival at the Airport or borders, then transfer you to Amman for a city tour.

We will take an Amman city tour to visit Jebel Al Qala’a and the Roman Theater, then back to the hotel to stay for dinner and overnight.

Day 2

Amman – Madaba – Greek Orthodox Church of St. George - Mt. Nebo – Dead Sea

After breakfast we will visit the Mosaic church of Madaba and Mount Nebo.

We shall see the most famous mosaic, which is housed at the contemporary Greek Orthodox Church of St. George and which depicts the Holy Land.

This is a wonderfully vivid 6th Century mosaic map, comprising two million pieces of colored stones showing the entire region from Jordan, Palestine in the north, and Egypt in the south.

It is fun to spend a while picking out the various cities and admiring the little vignettes the artist incorporated into the map.

The Nabataeans , governed the city during the 1st Century A.D. and Madaba was sacked by the Persians in 614.

Madaba has a long history, dating back to before 1300 B.C. It was first mentioned in the Bible as Madaba at the time of the Exodus. It was ruin was completed by the earthquake of 747.

Madaba stood abandoned for over 1000 years until around 1880 a group of Christians settled here. In the process of rebuilding the city, they discovered the mosaics under the rubble.

From Madaba we will drive 10km up the hill to reach Mount Nebo, a very important Christian site, recently visited by the Pope.

It was here, on the edge of the ridge overlooking the Dead Sea, that Moses first caught sight of the Holy Land, having led his people from Sinai . It is said that Moses also died and was buried here.

The West Bank city of Jericho is usually visible from the summit of Mount Nebo, as is Jerusalem on a very clear day.

On the highest point of the mountain, Syagha, the remains of a church and monastery were discovered in 1933.

The church was first constructed in the second half of the fourth century to commemorate the place of Moses' death.

It was enlarged in the late 5th century and rebuilt in 597 AD. We will be visiting the Christian George Church, the Christian Mosaic Church, and the Christian Prophets Church.

Then we will transfer to the Dead Sea , at 400 meters below sea level, the lowest point on earth.

At the Dead Sea we will spend the rest of the day where we can float in the mineral-rich waters, take a therapeutic black-mud massage, or just relax round the swimming pool with a drink.

The therapeutic sticky black-mud treatment, packed full of minerals and nutrients, comes highly recommended.

Visitors to the Dead Sea have an unforgettable experience as the high density of the water makes sinking virtually impossible!

Also famous for their restorative powers are the thermal mineral springs of nearby Zarqa Ma'een.

Then we will go all the way down to the Dead Sea for lunch and floating, then stay for dinner and overnight.

Day 3

Dead Sea – Maeen Hot Water & Mineral Spa – Dead Sea

After breakfast we will visit the Maeen Hot Water & Mineral Spa we will stay the for six hours to enjoy swimming there – then return to the hotel in the Dead Sea for dinner and overnight.

Day 4 -  6

Dead Sea Spa Retreat

We will spend the three full days in the Dead Sea health spa, with dinner and overnight.

Day 7

Dead Sea – Umm Ar Arasas – King's Highway - Mujib Dam – Wadi Ibn Hamad - Karak – Wadi al Hasa – Dana – Petra

After breakfast at the hotel visit Umm Ar Rasas to see the largest Mosaic in Jordan then to Karak Castle.

After lunch we will visit Karak Castle to view the 12th Century Crusader Castle.

Karak Castle soars above its valleys and hills like a great ship riding waves of rocks.

It is a typical crusader fortress, with dimly lit stone-vaulted rooms and corridors leading into each other through heavy arches and doorways. In truth the castle is more imposing than beautiful.

The ruins of the upper level are attributed to the Crusader period, and the staircases leading to the underground level of the upper courtyard provide access to Mamluk architecture complexes, most of which were probably associated with a palace.

This was the famous scene of the Battle of Mutah (629 AD).

Visiting the scenic sites around the Dana Natural Reserve and continue for overnight in Petra.

Day 8

Petra – Siq Al Barid (Little Petra) – Al Beidha - Wadi Rum

Today we will take a full-day tour of Petra , the rose-red city half as old as time which is one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

Petra is a city which was carved out of the Sharah Mountains by the Nabataeans , an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2,000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice, and other trade routes that linked China, India, and southern Arabia with Egypt , Syria , Greece, and Rome.

Petra fell into obscurity for hundreds of years, its location and very existence kept a closely guarded secret by the local Bedouin, before being re-discovered by the Swiss explorer Burkhardt in 1812.

We will enter the city through the Siq, a narrow gorge over a kilometer in length, flanked on either side by soaring, 80 meter high cliffs to be confronted by Al Khazneh (The Treasury), Petra's most elaborate monument. Local legend has it that the rock-cut Treasury once held the gifts of Queen Sheba to Solomon.

As you enter the Petra valley you will be overwhelmed by the natural beauty of the place and its outstanding architectural achievements.

There are hundreds of elaborate rock-cut tombs with intricate carvings as well as obelisks, temples, sacrificial altars, colonnaded streets, and high above, overlooking the valley, is the impressive (Al Deir ) Monastery, reached up a flight of 800 stone stairs.

After lunch we will drive to Siq Al Barid (Little Petra), a suburb of the main ancient city.

Little Petra provides an atmospheric summary of Nabataean architecture.

The area was once a caravanserai stop for the capital and comes complete with its own mini-Siq, a 350 meter fissure in the rock crammed with tombs, triclinums, water channels, and cisterns.

It is still easy to imagine the sounds and smells of the old days when traders, caravan masters and drovers lived and traded here.

We drive a short distance on to Al Beidha, or 'the white one' on account of the color of its rock.

Al Beidha contains the remains of a Neolithic site, dating back to 7,500 BC which makes it one of the earliest known co-operative villages on earth.

Mediterranean trees such as Oak, Juniper, Carob, and Pistachio thrive in this small sandy valley.
 

We will take a small tour before driving on to Wadi Rum Then we will enjoy a Jeep Safari amongst Wadi Rum's enchanting pink and white desert sands.

Travel in Wadi Rum is a journey to another world, where one can escape the worries of everyday life and return to nature and the simple life. In this immense space, man is dwarfed into insignificance.

Vast, silent and timeless, Wadi Rum possesses one of the most beautiful desert scapes in the world. Rock carvings mark the passage of ancient tribes in pre-history.

Thamud inscriptions, burial mounds, ancient megaliths and ruined buildings abound, Nabataeans rock carved stairways, dams, and temples can still be found throughout the area.

Wadi Rum is perhaps best known because of its connection with Lawrence of Arabia and we follow in the enigmatic British officer's footsteps as we drive through the surreal moonscape.

We will stay in Wadi Rum until the late afternoon to explore the area in detail and to watch the gorgeous desert sunset.

Then we will eat the traditional, freshly prepared, Jordanian dinner provided by our genial Bedouin hosts and staying overnight in a deluxe campsite with clean comfortable beds and hot showers.

Local Bedouin tribes have now inhabited this area for a number of generations.

Visitors who are invited to share mint tea or cardamon coffee in a traditional Bedouin black tent, or perhaps sitting by the fire under a starry desert sky, will have an experience not to be forgotten.

Day 9

Wadi Rum – Aqaba - Queen Alia International Airport or Borders

Aqaba is Jordan's only port city and beach resort.

The majority of today is free to do as you please.

Perhaps you would like to simply relax on the beach with a drink?

Maybe take a boat ride on a glass-bottomed boat?

We would recommend that you take advantage of the unbelievably clear water in the area to snorkel or dive to see the myriad coral reefs and colorful fish.

In the late afternoon we drive north to Amman Airport or borders for departure.