Adventure holiday to Jordan
| country: | Jordan |
| location: | Petra and Wadi Rum |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | Up to three departures a month throughout the year |
| price: | From £495 (8 days) excluding flights, based on twin share. For an extra £2 you can offset your carbon emissions. We can arrange flights from the UK |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Jordan is a fascinating country, with spectacular old cities, Crusader castles and a sophisticated, cosmopolitan capital – Amman. Away from the more popular areas, we discover the home of the Bedouin as we explore landscapes of stark and dramatic beauty, including rocky escarpments, high fertile plateaus and spectacular desert scenery. Time is spent in the romantic desert environs of Wadi Rum where we explore by camel and foot and stay overnight in a Bedouin camp. From here, we head on to visit some of the major Jordanian sights, including Shobak Castle, Jerash and the Dead Sea. Of course, no trip to Jordan is complete without a full day exploring the amazing city of Petra.
This is a truly rewarding adventure encompassing architectural wonders and cultural experiences. Includes tour leader, professional local guides, accomodation (6 nights comfortable hotel, 1 night Bedouin camp), some meals (7 breakfasts, 3 dinners), arrival transfer, transport, sightseeing and entrance fees. For nearly 30 years, we have lead the field in small group adventure travel. See the iconic sights as well as get off the beaten track to discover the 'real' country, and come away understanding something more of the world. Our innovative and interactive itineraries include as much as possible to ensure that you get the most out of your valuable time away, but also contain plenty of time to relax and explore by yourself. Traveling in small group, and by private transport, means that you will have the company of other like-minded travelers, your holiday will be safe and stress-free and that the impact on environment and community is kept to a minimum.
As part of our responsible travel policy we also employ local leaders and actively avoid international hotel chains, preferring to give our patronage to authentic, centrally-located and owner-managed establishments whenever possible. Our locally born and raised leaders are great fun and will be a great part of your holiday because of their intimate knowledge of the sights, culture and customs, history and language of their homeland. Once you have traveled with a local leader you will understand that there is no better way!
This is a truly rewarding adventure encompassing architectural wonders and cultural experiences. Includes tour leader, professional local guides, accomodation (6 nights comfortable hotel, 1 night Bedouin camp), some meals (7 breakfasts, 3 dinners), arrival transfer, transport, sightseeing and entrance fees. For nearly 30 years, we have lead the field in small group adventure travel. See the iconic sights as well as get off the beaten track to discover the 'real' country, and come away understanding something more of the world. Our innovative and interactive itineraries include as much as possible to ensure that you get the most out of your valuable time away, but also contain plenty of time to relax and explore by yourself. Traveling in small group, and by private transport, means that you will have the company of other like-minded travelers, your holiday will be safe and stress-free and that the impact on environment and community is kept to a minimum.
As part of our responsible travel policy we also employ local leaders and actively avoid international hotel chains, preferring to give our patronage to authentic, centrally-located and owner-managed establishments whenever possible. Our locally born and raised leaders are great fun and will be a great part of your holiday because of their intimate knowledge of the sights, culture and customs, history and language of their homeland. Once you have traveled with a local leader you will understand that there is no better way!
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | (Sat) Arrive in Amman and transfer to hotel. |
| Day 2: | Drive south to Aqaba. Free time to explore the town and port. |
| Day 3: | Drive to Wadi Rum and ride camels to our Bedouin camp. Wadi Rum is a truly beautiful place, with towering sandstone mountains rising from the desert. The wind-sculpted rock formations change hue throughout the day as the sun rises and sets. It is an amazing location and connected to the enigmatic historical figure, T.E. Lawrence. |
| Day 4: | Morning hike around Wadi Rum, then drive to Petra. It is well worth rising early and watching the cliffs change colour as the sun comes up. On our morning walk we scale one of the large dunes affording sensational views of the surrounding area. |
| Day 5: | Full day exploring Petra, including the old roman road, ampitheatre and several old tombs. We also climb up to the 'Monastery' for a fine view of the entire site. We have some free time in the afternoon, we suggest you try a Turkish bath which is a great experience. |
| Day 6: | We drive along the King's Highway, a road that dates back to the time of the Old Testament, and beyond. Visit crusader castle at Shobak, the ancient village at Dana where local artisans sell attractive silver jewellery and charms. We arrive in Amman in the early afternoon and enjoy an orientation tour of the city. |
| Day 7: | Drive to Jerash in the morning and visit the Dead Sea in the afternoon. Jerash was founded in the time of Alexander the Great, and had become a centre of considerable importance by the 3rd century AD. In the afternoon we visit the Dead Sea where we can take the time to experience the warm waters. |
| Day 8: | Tour ends this morning after breakfast (Sat). |
travellers' tales
Visiting Petra and the Dead Sea was the highlight (more)
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.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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When visiting sites that attract a large number of visitors it is always a challenge to think of ways we can minimize our impact. In Petra we have achieved this by developing a walk through the back end of the site that not only avoids the crowds at the conventional entrance to this fabled lost city, but also gives travellers a dramatic walk through the surrounding hills at the beginning of their visit.
As with all our trips we have made concerted efforts to find interesting and responsible accommodation for this adventure and it doesn’t come any better than either of the Bedouin camps we use in Petra and Wadi Rum. Run by local families and preparing delicious home cooked traditional dishes, both camps are located sympathetically in spectacular desert scenery and provide us with an insight into how the local Bedouin people lives their lives.As with any trip run by this operator only local leaders will escort this trip. Many years ago this operator made the choice to support local economies by only employing tour leaders born and bred in the regions we visit. Through offering employment and steady revenue tourism can make a real positive difference to local communities. |
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. |