Secrets of Jordan & Syria 14 days Tour

Itinerary

Day 1: Amman

On arrival at Amman's Queen Alia International Airport, you are met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. This is simply an arrival day so you may arrive in Amman at any time. Note that hotel rooms are generally only available after midday. The balance of the day is free to explore your surroundings, but normally a Welcome Meeting is held in the evening where you meet your tour leader and fellow travellers.

Day 2: Aqaba

Meals included: 1 breakfast

After breakfast you are transferred to the bus station for the JETT bus direct to Aqaba. This is a very efficient service and the journey takes around four hours. On arrival you are met and transferred to your hotel and the rest of the day is free for you to explore the town and port. In the evening you meet your tour leader along with any group members arriving from Egypt.

Day 3: Aqaba - Wadi Rum - Petra

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner

With our guide we take a brief orientation of Aqaba, Jordan's principal Red Sea resort. We can visit the old castle (time permitting) before driving to spellbinding Wadi Rum, a landscape of rugged sandstone mountains standing tall among an ochre desert floor. We head into this desolate, romantic protected area in rather rickety old jeeps, operated by the local Bedouin community. This is an attempt by the Jordanian Government to bring much-needed income into this region - an initiative we also support. We visit several of Wadi Rum's distinctive rock formations and soak in the vast silence and spectacular desert landscapes. We then continue our journey to Petra and check in to our hotel.

Day 4: Petra

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner

A regular and fully justified contender for the '8th Wonder of the World' title, the iconic Petra view – the Treasury's glorious façade, glimpsed from the narrow cleft known as the Siq – is arguably the single most striking sight of the entire region. The first sight of the exquisite craftsmanship among such stark scenery is a moment that both manage to be eagerly anticipated and also be still an unlikely and almost surreal surprise. Petra's greatest surprise, however, is its size. With our guide we explore the old Roman road, amphitheatre and several old tombs. We also climb up to the Monastery – the site's second beautiful façade – from where we have a magnificent view of the entire site. This is a memorable day exploring a truly extraordinary destination and sure to be one of the highlights of our trip. There is a cafeteria on the site, where we can enjoy a light lunch. In the mid-afternoon we return to our hotel and our tour leader will try hard to persuade us to take a Turkish bath! It's perfect timing after a day exploring Petra, as well as being his a great experience - Petra is an excellent – and safe - place to try this tradition of the region. The rest of the day is at leisure.

Day 5: Shobak - Dana - Madaba - Amman

Meals included: 1 breakfast

This morning we drive along the King's Highway, a road that pre-dates Old Testament times. We reach Shobak Castle, originally built to protect the eastern flank of the Latin Kingdom and its trade routes to the sea before it fell to Saladin in 1189. We stroll through the site and continue to the ancient village at Dana, where local artisans sell attractive silver jewellery and charms. We then reach Madaba, where we visit the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George that houses an ancient mosaic map. This is of particular interest as it clearly depicts Palestine and Lower Egypt around 550 AD. We expect to arrive in Amman in the late afternoon, where in the evening we can try one of its several fine restaurants. (Please note that Kerak Castle is not included in your tour, as it is often very congested and busy. However, if there is sufficient interest among members of the group, your leader can also arrange an optional visit to Kerak Castle. Many travellers however prefer to spend extra time in Amman.)

Day 6: Jerash - Dead Sea - Amman

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch

The Roman city of Jerash is one of the grandest ancient cities in the world, its archways and theatres, baths, public buildings and colonnaded streets constitute a striking collection and make it a beautiful place to explore. Grand ionic columns encircle the city's centrepiece, the Oval Plaza, a wonderfully atmospheric place to linger after exploring Jerash's riches. We visit the site in the morning and later drive down to spend the afternoon at the Dead Sea. Relax on the shore or take a dip like no other – the warm, highly saline waters make swimming difficult but bobbing on the water's surface a unique pleasure. Afterwards we return to Amman for the night.

Day 7: Bosra - Damascus

Meals included: 1 breakfast

Today we drive north into Syria, where we meet our Syrian tour leader/guide shortly after crossing the border. Our first stop is Bosra, a town constructed almost entirely from black basalt stone and built on the ruins of an ancient Roman city. Bosra sums up Syria succinctly - strata of history mingling together to spectacularly embellish a striking landscape. During the Middle Ages, Bosra was on the route to Mecca, bringing prosperity and the Arabian flourishes that surround the Roman remains. We visit the 2nd century Roman theatre, sensitively restored and one of the finest examples of Roman craftsmanship in the region, enclosed and protected by an Arab fort in the 12th century after continued attack by the Crusaders. We spend several hours at the site before continuing to Damascus for the night.

Day 8: Damascus - Palmyra

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner

There's nowhere quite like Damascus. A place of beauty and drama, the picaresque streets are suffused with an unparalleled history that makes exploration a stirring, endlessly exciting prospect. Once a Persian capital, it fell to Alexander the Great and became an important Greek city, then later a keystone of the Byzantine Empire. In the 7th century it fell again, this time to the Muslims and then had a chequered history before becoming part of the Ottoman Empire. The resulting jumble of architectural styles can't but fail to captivate visitors. After breakfast at the hotel we visit the superb National Museum, providing the best introduction to Syria's capital as well whetting our appetite for Palmyra, with many artefacts from the Roman city. We also see the superb 2nd century AD synagogue with its brightly coloured frescoes. In the west wing, a tiny clay tablet found in Ugarit bears the 30 characters of the Ugarit alphabet, considered one of the oldest in the world. We then head to the Old City, where we visit the Umayyad Mosque. Built on the site of a Roman temple, it is an adaptation of a Christian cathedral and is considered the fourth most holy Muslim site after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock. For those lucky enough to visit, it is a place of remarkable beauty and calm, a transcendent aesthetic experience. The courtyard is particularly beautiful with its monumental arcades and brightly-coloured mosaics. We then walk through winding streets to the Souk al-Hamidiyya, a grand covered arcade of shops and one of the most evocative places in the Middle East, where traders have sold their wares for hundreds of years. After time for lunch we set off to Palmyra, where we make our way up to the Arab castle that overlooks the site. This is the most atmospheric time and place to view Palmyra with the glowing sun and failing light casting beautiful shades and shadows on the ancient remains and surrounding parched plains. We then head out to a Bedouin tent, where we enjoy traditional desert hospitality with dinner under a blanket of stars (please note that this option may not be available in the colder months, in which case we will dine at our hotel).

Day 9: Palmyra - Krak des Chevaliers

Meals included: 1 breakfast

Palmyra's pink granite columns, rising improbably from desert plains, provide one of the Middle East's blockbuster sights. Palmyra is simply one of the most striking ancient sites – some would argue the most striking – in the world with its exquisite architecture, austere landscape and cobalt-blue skies all combining to dazzling effect. Agatha Christie's description sums up Palmyra's appeal: 'lovely and fantastic and unbelievable, with all the theatrical implausibility of a dream'. Although its history dates back to the Assyrian Empire, Palmyra's 'Golden Age' was during the first two centuries AD, first as a Greek city and then as part of the Roman Empire. It was a major link in the ancient Spice Route to India and pack-camels once arrived here laden with spices and perfumes. We visit the splendid Temple of Bel, Palmyra's principal deity, often identified with the Roman god, Jupiter, and the Greek god, Zeus. We walk along parts of the ceremonial colonnade (once the main street) and explore the various other places of interest including the Baths of Diocletian and the remains of the agora (marketplace). At the conclusion of this splendid visit we drive to Krak des Chevaliers, where our hotel is situated in a valley overshadowed by the mighty castle.

Day 10: Krak des Chevaliers - Apamea - Aleppo

Meals included: 1 breakfast

T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), having visited some 37 castles in the region, described Krak as simply 'the finest castle in the world' and it is hard to deny this sentiment. Krak rises from the floor of the desert like a fairytale fortress and is one of Syria's premier attractions. It dates back to 1031, but it was the 12th century Crusaders who expanded and extensively remodelled the castle. The Great Hall is particularly impressive and we ascend to the southern ramparts for wonderful views of the surrounding countryside. The loggia, with its Gothic façade, is the castle's most impressive structure and we also visit the chapel that was later converted into a mosque. Afterwards, we head north, stopping at the pretty town of Hama. Situated on the banks of the Orontes River, the tree-lined streets, peaceful gardens and ancient water wheels make Hama a lovely place to visit. We then continue to Apamea, known as Pharnake before the conquest of Alexander the Great, and, in its heyday, one of the most beautiful cities in the region. Today, Apamea is celebrated for its magnificent colonnaded street (Cardo Maximus) which runs for 1.85 kilometres, is approximately 37 metres wide and was once lined on both sides with civic buildings and elegant porticoes. We walk the full length of this splendid street – perhaps the most graceful stroll in all of Syria. After Apamea it's time for one of the country's lesser known treasures: the 'Dead Cities'. Abandoned 1500 years ago, these Byzantine towns are as quiet and still as the Damascus souks are bustling. Few travellers visit here, but they are an atmospheric place and show another side of Syria. We'll most likely visit Serjilla; eerie and fascinating, the condition of the stone houses, tavern and church are remarkable. It feels as though the people left last week, not 1500 years ago. A castle, a Roman city, a pretty town and an ancient abandoned one: a long day, but a superb one with many of Syria's finest sights included. We continue on to Aleppo in the late afternoon.

Day 11: St Simeon's Monastery - Aleppo

Meals included: 1 breakfast

This morning we travel to Qala'at Samaan, or Church of St Simeon, where the ascetic Simeon Stylites spent nearly 40 years sitting atop a column. We visit the superb 5th century church, which was built in a burst of brilliant architectural activity commemorating the life of St Simeon. It's a large site in a wonderful location, atop a barren hill with views to the surrounding countryside. St Simeon's Pillar can still be seen in the centre of the church's courtyard. We return to Aleppo where the rest of the day is free to explore. Aleppo's French influence may be evident in the new town's post boxes and grand boulevards, but it's the age-old bazaars that captivate here. Abraham was said to have tended his flock on citadel hill, and sometimes the atmosphere in the souks can feel straight out of earlier times, a vibrancy to the streets and alleyways that has persisted over centuries. In the great vaulted bazaar, the thick pall of ground spices hangs in the air, gold shines from stalls and textiles provide a colourful backdrop to the daily commotion. The city is also renowned for its Turkish bathhouses (hamams) and the distinctive yellow-domed Hamam Al-Nasri is a beautiful example, dating back to the 14th century. If you would like to experience a traditional bath, your tour leader will help organise a visit this evening.

Day 12: Ugarit - Saone - Tartus

Meals included: 1 breakfast

Leaving Aleppo we drive to Ugarit, which dates back to 1600 BC (around the time of Egypt's New Kingdom) when it was a major centre of trade with Egypt and Mesopotamia. It is mainly noted for the discovery of stone writing tablets (now in the Damascus Museum). These depict one of the world's first alphabets (probably introduced from the Sinai) which replaced the previous hieroglyphic script. We wander through the remains of the ancient site and continue to the magnificent castle at Saone, described by T. E. Lawrence as 'the finest example of military architecture in Syria'. Taken by Saladin's forces in the 12th century, it is more commonly known as Qalaat Saladin (Saladin's Castle) although it is doubtful he ever stayed there. We visit this splendid ruin, located on a rocky wedge-shaped ridge strategically placed between two steep canyons, before continuing on to Tartus for the night.

Day 13: Tartus - Damascus

Meals included: 1 breakfast

Located on the Mediterranean coast, Tartus is now an important port; however, some of the original walled city built by the Crusaders in the 12th and 13th centuries still remains. Here we find the old Frank cathedral, a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture, which serves as a small museum and contains antiquities recovered from nearby Amrit and many other sites in the region. After our visit we make our way back to Damascus, arriving in the afternoon. The rest of the day is at leisure to shop or further explore – with numerous historical buildings, Straight Street (visited by St Paul), and the constant allure of souk exploration, there is always plenty to see in Damascus.

Day 14: Damascus

Meals included: 1 breakfast

Your trip ends today after breakfast. Check-out time is usually around 12 noon and you are free to leave at any time. If you have arranged a private airport transfer you will be advised of the pick-up time. Additional accommodation can be pre-booked if you wish to spend more time exploring Damascus.