8 day Christmas trip in Jordan

Gather at the airport and fly to Jordan's capital, Amman, a Middle Eastern metropolis strongly marked by its history dating back to biblical times. It is a city buzzing with life, full of colors, sounds and contrasts. Arrival, transfer and check-in at our hotel

*=Larnaka has different departure time than Athens. Click on Larnaka as a departure point if you live in Cyprus.

This morning we will be guided to the most important sights of Amman: the Ancient Roman Theater, the Archaeological Museum where finds from all eras are housed and the Hellenistic Acropolis, built on Al Qala, the highest hill in the city with a panoramic view, which once housed the colossal statue of Hercules 10 m high. This is one of the few historical sites of its kind, as it is a place with continuous settlement from the Chalcolithic period to modern times. Walking we will see ruins from the Hellenistic and Roman periods, buildings from the first Islamic dynasties, as well as cave spaces from the prehistoric period. After getting to know the historic cradle of the city, we will head out of Amman and head north. There the landscape changes, it becomes greener and more welcoming. We will proceed to Jerash, the "Antioch on the Chrysorrhoe river", discovered in 1806 buried under the sand. Its wealth was so great that it was called the "Pompeii of the Middle East". There we will be guided to its archaeological site which hosts two theaters, the temples of Artemis and Zeus, the Arch of Hadrian, the emblematic oval square, the Nymphaeum and the main street "cardo maximus", with its decorative colonnades, the "four gates" , the niches and the wonderful Roman road. We continue for a first acquaintance with the castles of Jordan. We come to Ajloun Castle, a little north of Gerasa, a 12th century castle. Overnight in Amman.

Morning departure for Madaba, Jordan's most important Christian center with the Orthodox Church of Saint George with its unique mosaic floor. Here is preserved the first map of the Holy Places, which was created with countless mosaics and artistic care in the middle of the 6th century AD. On the mosaic, we can distinguish, written in Greek, all the holy pilgrimages located in the territory of Jordan, the Holy Land and Egypt. The city of Madaba itself is known to this day for its artisans engaged in making mosaics. Our next stop is Mount Nebo, the place where Moses stood and looked over the holy land and the Dead Sea. We will visit the Franciscan church where the tomb of Moses is believed to be. But this is no ordinary church: a special blend of architecture that highlights the ruins and mosaics of an early Christian basilica and a modern inlaid structure that serves today's worship needs. From the precincts of the church, we will have the opportunity to gaze at the amazing view of the Jordan Valley, the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. Our next stop is Bethania (known as al Eizariya now. Near Palestine), across the Jordan, an important religious site for Christians, as it is where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. In the desert landscape of the Jordan Valley, we will walk along a specially designed path to reach the riverbed where there is also a Greek Orthodox church. We will be standing just a few meters away from the corresponding baptism site located in Israel, right across from us. We start a beautiful route to the South, with destination Petra, which is the most impressive archaeological site of the Middle East after the pyramids of Egypt. Since 1985 the "rose city of the desert" has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Arrival and check-in at our hotel

In Petra, the Nabateans achieved the impossible: they turned a deserted place into a rich metropolis of 30,000 inhabitants. Impressive buildings and temples, a theater and majestic burial monuments adorn this natural fortress, nestling well protected in a basin surrounded by mountains and with only access through a gorge. Occupying an important position on the spice route, it was a station for caravans on their route from Damascus to Aqaba. Our visit to this unreal place will literally shock us!!! As the canyon leads us to the imposing Treasury, we realize that everything we have heard about this place pales in comparison to everyone's personal experience! So we will walk along the street of facades, the Royal Tombs, the theater, the basilica and the Byzantine cathedral as well as the Roman side of Petra, with the columns, the mosque, the temple of the winged lion and the temple of the Pharaoh's Daughter. We continue to Al Beidha or, as it is better known, "Little Petra". We will enter the area through a narrow gorge called Siq Al-Barid. Its name means "cold" and refers to the cool conditions there, as the high walls prevent sunlight from entering the canyon and heating it. Little Petra is considered an important suburb of Petra, for the trade routes in the North. As in Petra, the buildings are impressive. We will see warehouses and tombs, water channels and tanks. In some buildings you can find the remains of the painted frescoes with birds, grapes and flowers, dating from the 1st century AD. Little Petra is a continuation, not negligible, of the central state of the Nabataeans. Another beautiful canyon with intricately carved entrances and monumental structures, with cisterns, unique frescoes and wonderful rocky landscapes. It is a necessary passage and supplement which, after all, is part of the same rocky complex of Petra. We will then head to the Wadi Rum Desert. The triumph of nature, which like a surrealist sculptor has created this panorama, captivates the visitor, just as it enchanted Lawrence of Arabia. Here the Bedouins live in isolation in large black or brown tents made of goat hair. Arrival at a traditional Bedouin camp, settling in specially designed very nice tents, traditional dinner and overnight stay under the enchanting starry sky of the desert.

Today a unique experience awaits us: our visit by custom-built vehicles into the Wadi Rum Desert, the “Valley of the Moon”, with its colorful sands and granite mountains sculpted by the hot sun and icy air. Our next destination is Aqaba, a seaside resort in South Jordan at the mouth of the bay of the same name on the Red Sea. It is known for its sandy beaches and luxury hotels and attracts many tourists. Ideal for water sports, relaxation and carefree. Enjoy the Gulf of Aqaba or Gulf of Eilat, at the northern end of the Red Sea, it is 150 km long, 20 km wide and 1,828 m deep. It washes the coasts of Jordan, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt on its peninsula Sinai. Check in at the hotel

Morning departure for the Dead Sea, which is shared between Jordan and Israel and is 423 meters below sea level - the lowest point on the Earth's surface. It is one of the most impressive phenomena on the planet: three million years ago, there was a small geological disturbance in the Jordan Valley, a fault. Within it, seawater flowed and pooled, thus forming a large continental lake. With the salinity of the water being about ten times that of the sea, no form of life can survive in its water and no object can sink into its mysterious depths, hence its name, Dead Sea. And only the landscape of this plateau captivates us. All around us are dry mountains, a warm atmosphere, while human activity is focused on tourism and the exploitation of the mineral elements of the salty lake. The Dead Sea, as a geographical destination, is one of the few places on the planet with so many natural peculiarities. Arrival and check-in at our hotel. You will be able to swim and experience the healing properties that make the skin feel beautiful. See at night the lights from the cities of Israel that are a few kilometers away from us, behind the hills is Jerusalem.

Free day to enjoy this spectacle called the Dead Sea, and to gaze at the horizon with a thousand and two thoughts about the how and why of this incomparable place.

• For those who wish, there is the option of an optional excursion to Wadi Al Mujib (excursion cost €35 - not included), an impressive canyon that, like the Dead Sea, is also below sea level, reaching its lowest point at 410 meters from the surface! By the time he gets there, there are significant altitude differences in Al Mujib, which makes the crossing special and relatively demanding: good physical condition is a must!

Morning departure for Amman airport and return flight. Same day arrival.