Family adventure holiday to Jordan, Lawrence of Arabias Adventures
| country: | Jordan |
| location: | Petra and Wadi Rum, Middle East |
| departures: | 2010: 4 Apr, 30 May, 1 Aug, 22 Aug, 19 Dec 2011: 17 Apr, 29 May, 31 Jul, 21 Aug |
| price: | From £1186 - £1287 (9 days) per adult and from £1125 - £1226 per child including flights from the UK, from £735 - £765 excluding flights. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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introduction to Family adventure holiday to Jordan, Lawrence of Arabias Adventures
Roman Ruins & Kerak Castle
We firstly explore the preserved ruins of Jerash which is widely considered to be one of the most impressive Roman sites of the region and part of the 'Roman Decapolis', a confederation of ten prosperous trading cities that arose across the region. Next we travel south along the historic King's Highway to Petra, visiting Mount Nebo and the imposing Kerak Castle en route.
City of Petra & Traditional Cooking Lesson
We spend a number of days at the impressive site of Petra which allows for time to explore the 'Wonder of the World' on foot and on horseback. The beauty of this 'lost city' with its narrow gorges and half hidden rock-cut stairways have scarcely changed in 2000 years and the mountain of multi-coloured striated sandstone carvings and structures are visually stunning. The afternoon allows for the teenagers to be lead to the market to shop and barter with the local traders for food that they will assist in cooking a traditional dinner with for the whole group - a great way to pick up some Arabic phrases and sharpen your bargaining skills!
Desert Camp & The Red Sea
We continue by 4WD into the desert to the landscapes of Wadi Rum - exploring the heart of 'Lawrence of Arabia' country. We sleep in a Bedouin-style encampment beneath a star-filled desert sky and amongst the echoing granite cliffs that surround the area. Trekking on camels through the twisting Siq al Barrah gorge is one of the best ways to fully appreciate the beauty of the desert which can be both humbling and inspiring. The teenagers are then taken into the desert by a local Bedouin tribesman who will teach the ways of survival in this arid landscape which includes tracking animals, identifying which food to eat and how to live in a waterless landscape. We then continue onto the Red Sea, with its crystalline waters and amazing undersea life before returning back to the capital via the lowest point on earth: the Dead Sea. Its here that we enjoy the bizarre sensation of floating on the surface of the water in this unique natural wonder.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Join tour Amman. |
| Day 2: | Visit Jerash. |
| Day 3: | Drive on King's Highway via Kerak Castle to Petra. |
| Day 4: | Full day in Petra with walking guide. |
| Day 5: | Free in Petra; PM teenagers visit local market and cook traditional dinner. |
| Day 6: | Travel by 4WD to Wadi Rum, via ancient Humeimah; camel trek through Siq al Barrah and camp overnight in the desert; learn Bedouin skills in the desert. |
| Day 7: | Drive to Aqaba, on the Red Sea; PM swimming and snorkeling. |
| Day 8: | Drive to and float in Dead Sea; continue to Amman. |
| Day 9: | Tour ends. |
small group family holiday - teen
This is a 'small group family adventure' - specifically for families with teenagers. They are imaginative, fun and challenging itineraries, designed specifically with teenagers in mind. The minimum age on these Teenage tours is 11 (‘teen’ used with poetic licence!) and typically you will join several other families and travel in a group of approx. 16 people. The trips are great value and a great way for you and your family to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is also some flexibility and you'll have plenty of time to yourselves. highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society, and BBC World News. Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Community
As a company we aim to encourage interaction with local communities whilst showing respect for local culture, beliefs and traditions. This is particularly relevant on a family tour as travel is a huge opportunity to educate children about the world around them in a fun way. We’ve created plenty of opportunities to not only meet the people on this tour - our local guides, cameleers and Bedouin during our stay in Wadi Rum - but to learn some of their traditions and skills and really enjoy quality time with our crew. Our leaders ensure the interactions are respectful and fun for both sides. As well as respecting local people, we also like to be an economic benefit to them. We do this by using locally owned hotels, spreading our business to a variety of local restaurants (which is a great way to sample delicious Jordanian food!) and employing local guides where we can. Our tour leader is Jordanian, meaning that you’ll get that in-depth information only a local can give. We like to support local development though business but there are always some who are out of reach of the tourist pound and where we can, we like to extend some support to them. Our agent in Jordan supports the Petra School for the Deaf and our groups have raised funds for equipment for the school in the past. Environment Conscious that we are travelling in a fragile environment, we try to minimise our impact on the areas we are travelling through by adhering to strict environmental guidelines and educating crew and customers on the ‘do’s and don’ts’ As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
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