Jordan's Ancient Wonders

Travelsphere’s escorted tour begins in Amman, Jordan’s busy capital city, where a day trip to Jerash reveals well-preserved Roman ruins like Artemis’s Temple and a mile-long colonnaded street. After taking in the city’s Roman amphitheatre and a citadel towering over the downtown, the route heads south.

On the way to Petra, you pause at Mount Nebo, where Moses is said to have glimpsed the Promised Land, and St George’s Church in Madaba, home to a Byzantine mosaic map. The Crusader fortress of Shobak hints at medieval defences before arriving at Petra. The rose-red sandstone city is approached through the narrow Siq gorge, opening onto the Treasury. Nearby, Siq al-Barid or 'Little Petra' offers a quieter taste of rock-carved homes and temples.

The tour continues to Wadi Rum, with its vast desert of sand and sandstone formations, staying overnight in a Bedouin-style tent. Finally, two nights by the salt-laden Dead Sea allow some free time, or an optional visit to the nearby baptism site along the River Jordan. It’s a straightforward way to cover some of Jordan’s oldest and most enduring landmarks.