Jordan & Lebanon Express

Once you've landed at the airport, we'll be there to meet you and transfer you to your hotel in Jordan's bustling capital city of Amman. After helping you check in and pointing you to any local shops, cafes or restaurants, you're free to explore Amman independently before our sightseeing starts tomorrow.

We start the day by heading north out of Amman to nearby Jerash, one of the largest and most well-preserved sites of Roman architecture in the world outside Italy. Fondly referred to as the 'Jewel of the North', Jerash boasts an unbroken chain of human occupation dating back more than 6,500 years.

Jerash was hidden for centuries in sand, evacuations and restorations over the past 70 years have revealed a fine example of the grand, formal provincial Roman urbanism that is found throughout the Middle East.

After returning from Jerash we spend the afternoon exploring Amman, commonly known as the 'white city' due to its sheer number of white limestone buildings. Amman's rich history dates back many millennia, with numerous excavations and renovations uncovering remains from the Neolithic period as well as the Hellenistic and late Roman to Arab Islamic Ages.

Our tour will include the Citadel - the former home of the ancient Temple of Hercules, The Umayyad Palace and the Byzantine Church. We'll also visit the 6000-seat Roman Theatre - which dates to the Roman period, when the city was known as Philadelphia.

We leave Amman behind us today as we drive along the scenic King's Highway to Petra. The drive is a beautiful one as we cross deep wadis, pass through olive groves and remote rural villages, giving you a unique insight into the daily lives of the locals.

Our first stop will be at Madaba, as we visit the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George - famed for its 6th century Byzantine Mosaic map of the Holy Land and other biblical sites. Next, we'll venture up Mount Nebo, which offers breath-taking views of the Holy Land.

We'll hit the road once more, this time crossing the beautiful Wadi al-Mujib, which winds through olive groves before it traverses up over a deep canyon until we reach Kerak Castle, which forms part of several Crusader castles built during the 12th century on the Egypt-Syrian caravan route.

Upon arrival in Petra, we'll check into the hotel and the evening is free for you to relax and explore. An option is available to get a first taste of Petra itself with the atmospheric Petra by Candlelight tour through the Siq to the Treasury.

Today is all about exploring the Nabatean site of Petra. It was once the ancient capital of the Nabataean commercial empire until the Romans finally took over in 106AD. For a long period of time, Petra was forgotten - except by the local Bedouins - before it was rediscovered in 1812 by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. Petra can be found at the edge of the Wadi Aruba desert, where canyon walls and towering hills make it virtually impossible to reach, except via a narrow cleft in the rock, known as the Siq. There are very few free-standing buildings in Petra, as the Nabateans chose to carve their dwellings into the multi coloured sandstone cliffs. Petra has become one of Jordan's main tourist attractions and the Jordanian Government is well aware of this. The tourism infrastructure in the adjoining village of Wadi Musa is booming, though, thankfully, once you enter through the Siq, the site is protected, there aren't that many touts or souvenir sellers, and all the building feels miles away.

We have most of the day available today to explore this ancient city (2-3 hour guided tour, then free time to explore independently). We start by making our way through the Siq, which rises to 200 metres above us and narrows to just 2 metres wide in certain sections. Keep an eye out for the ancient Nabatean water channel which is still visible on one wall and there are remnants of the terracotta pipes that brought water into the city as well. We'll turn a corner and suddenly - one of the most familiar sights of Petra will be in front of you - The Khazneh (Treasury) comes into view. Our guide will explain how this, and the other buildings here, are mainly elaborate facades carved into the rock from the top down, and also discuss the spiritual significance of the building style.

From the Treasury, the valley opens out, and you'll see tombs carved into the rock on both sides. You'll get a glimpse of the ruined Roman amphitheatre and colonnaded streets and during your free time, you can walk up a steep and narrow winding gorge to the towering 'Monastery' - which is 50 metres high and 45 metres wide, giving you breath-taking views of the Wadi Aruba desert and the Jordan Valley. Another climb takes you to the High Place of Sacrifice, and Lion Fountain. All in all, this is a full and tiring exercise, but hugely rewarding day touring one of the world's most famous ancient sites.

Walking distances today are an absolute minimum of 3km through the Siq to the Treasury and back and to see a few tombs, 8km to take the trail on as far as the main basin, plus an additional few km to the Monastery and back (over 800 steps up and down). For those with less mobility or who are worried about the distance, horse carriages are available for around 20JD (USD 28) to take you on the 1.2km journey through the Siq to the Treasury and back again at an agreed time. They will also take you further in through the site for an extra fee. We do not recommend riding the horses that are available. Donkeys are available for the steps up to the Monastery - if you want to use them, we'd reommend doing this on the way up, not on the way down.

Later in the afternoon, we leave Petra and drive into the spectacular desert scenery of Wadi Rum where friendly Bedouin hosts are ready to greet us at a comfortable camp beneath the towering rocks and cliffs. We spend the evening and night relaxing at the camp, watching the stars and enjoying a delicious traditional Jordanian meal.

We start the day early, exploring the beautiful desert and mountain scenery of Wadi Rum. Keep an eye out for the copper-coloured rocky 'jebels', which mesmerised TE Lawrence during his visits to the desert during the Arab Revolt and was later famed in the movie Lawrence of Arabia. We'll take a jeep safari through the beautiful desert scenery, seeing more of the sheer cliffs and bizarre rock formations.

We say goodbye to Wadi Rum later in the morning and head north towards the Dead Sea, one of the planet's most spectacular destinations. Not only is it the lowest point on earth, coming in at 400 metres below sea level, it's also considered to be one of the world's most spiritual landscapes, filled with dramatic, natural wonders.

The Dead Sea is fed by numerous rivers, including the River Jordan. Once the waters reach the Dead Sea they are land-locked and have nowhere to go, so they evaporate, leaving behind a dense, rich, cocktail of salts and minerals that supply industry, agriculture and medicine with some of its finest products.

The Dead Sea is flanked by mountains to the east and the rolling hills of Jerusalem to the west, giving it an almost otherworldly beauty. Although sparsely populated and serenely quiet now, the area is believed to have been home to five Biblical cities: Sodom, Gomorrah, Adman, Zebouin and Zoar (Bela).

We'll stop along the way to enjoy a 'swim', though the intensely salty waters lead to a very strange swimming experience. In fact, normal swimming is not possible, and it is easier (and more photogenic!) just to float, sitting or lying in the water. Be careful not to get any water in your eyes, as it will sting.Showers will be available where we swim to clean off the salt water afterwards.

We finish the day back at our hotel in Amman.

We leave Jordan today and transfer you to Amman airport for your flight to Beirut. Once you arrive, we'll meet you at the airport, and then transfer you to your hotel for the start of your trip. We'll help you check in before giving you some free time to relax or explore Beirut independently.

Note: the Amman-Beirut flight is left out of the set tour price as it is often more cost effective for you to include this flight as part of your main international flight ticket. We are happy to book all your international flights, just this Amman-Beirut flight, or none of them at all, whichever works best for you. Direct flights are available with both Egypt Air and Middle Eastern Airlines. You can fly at any time during the day - all transfers in Amman and Beirut are included.

After leaving the capital city of Beirut behind this morning, we begin our journey north, making our first stop to explore the awe-inspiring Jeita Grotto. Here you’ll get a chance to explore part of the system of limestone caves which span a total distance of almost 9km. The caves contain one of the worlds largest collections of stalactites and stalagmites and was one of the finalists in the New 7 Wonders of Nature competition; it’s no wonder the caves are considered a symbol of Lebanon. Moving on, our next stop is Harissa, which is famous for the mountain top Christian shrine, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. We’ll take the cable car up to visit the church and enjoy the stunning views of the coastline.
Our final stop of the day is the unique Baatara Gorge sinkhole, where in spring and after rainy periods a 255 meter waterfall cascades down into the enormous cavern. We’ll have time for a short hike here and we’ll also explore a nearby Douma Village, where a traditional lunch is included.
The day finishes with a short drive to the beautiful Qadisha Valley where we spend the night in the Monastery of St. Anthony, in a separate building with simple but comfortable en-suite accommodation (a nearby guesthouse will be used if the monastery is closed to visitors or unavailable).

For those early risers, you have the opportunity to join the monks for their early morning prayers in the monastery. After breakfast, there will be time to explore some of the Qadisha Valley, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Qadisha Valley is known as the Holy Valley, and the Holy River, the Nahr Qadisha flows through it. There are many caverns to be found on its steep cliffs which were used for shelter during ancient times.
After leaving the valley behind, our first stop will be the village of Becharre, famous for being the birthplace of the iconic poet and novelist, Kahlil Gibran. In the village there is a small museum dedicated to him where you'll be able to see some of his paintings and manuscripts displayed.
Next, we'll visit the Cedars Ski Resort, famous as being one just a few ski resorts in the Middle East. The area often referred to as the Cedars of God is also found nearby, which contains some of the last groves of the cedar forests which once thrived in this region. The Cedrus Libani, Cedars of Lebanon are even mentioned in the Old Testament and have become a national symbol of Lebanon.
Later today we arrive in Byblos, an ancient Phoenician city that is thought to have been inhabited for up to 7000 years. Locally, the city is known as Jbeil and is another UNESCO World Heritage site. Byblos is filled with significant historical and archaeological sites, and also features a lovely Phoenician harbour.

This morning you'll have some free time to explore the markets and coastline of Byblos further before we head back in land to continue our journey.
Our destination today will be the village of of Zahle, however we'll be making a stop along the way at the Ksara Winery which is possibly the oldest winery in Lebanon. The caves and tunnels have a total length of approximately 2 miles and have been unsed for generations as wine cellars. You'll have a guided tour of the caves and winery before sampling (and buying if you wish) some of the produce in a wine tasting session.

You're in for real a treat today as we'll be visiting the incredible site of Baalbek. Referred to as 'Heliopolis' or 'City of the Sun' by the Romans and Greeks, it is home to a sanctuary dedicated to worshipping the Heliopolitan triad of gods; Jupiter, Venus and Mercury. In ancient times, thousands of pilgrims would flock to the temple in order to venerate the triad. Today, the temple remains remarkably well preserved.
After leaving Baalbak we'll make a stop at the nearby Umayyad city of Anjar, located within the Bekaa Valley. Caliph Walid founded the city in the 8th century and what remains of the city today, gives great insight into the excellent town-planning which must have taken place. You'll see mosques, palaces and baths. There were also up to 600 shops within the city in ancient times, demonstarting how important of a trading post Anjar must once have been.
We end the day with a drive back to Beirut where we'll spend the night.

Today is the last day of the tour and your time is free to explore Beirut some more until you are transferred to the airport for your departing flight home.