Jordan & Israel with Luxury & Style (11 Days): A Sample Itinerary
ID #: DT-JI-11-3-11-10-BESI
DavidTravel Itinerary Highlights include:
• Visit the town of
Ajloun and its
main attraction — Qala'at ar-Rabad — a 12th-century Arab castle
• Travel to
Jerash, a third-century city known as "the Pompeii
of the Middle East" for the extraordinary insight it gives into
the ancient world
• Continue to the Valley of the Moon —
Wadi
Rum, one of the most starkly beautiful landscapes on
earth
• Spend a full day exploring "rose-red"
Petra, a city carved
from a mountain by the Nabateans more than two millennia ago
• Stop at
Madaba — the "City of Mosaics," so named for its
famous sixth-century mosaic map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land.
With two million pieces of colored stone, the map depicts hills
and valleys, villages and towns as far as the Nile Delta
• Continue to
Mount Nebo, where the Bible says Moses lived out
his remaining days and viewed the Promised Land which he would
never enter
• Spend a day at the
Dead Sea. The waters are rich in salts and
minerals and are widely renowned for their healthful properties
• Cross the Allenby Bridge and view Herod's palaces and baths in
Masada before continuing to Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea
scrolls were discovered.
• View the
Dead Sea Scrolls at the Israel Museum
Overview:
Once an important trading centre
of the Roman Empire, and straddling the ancient Holy Land of the
world's three great monotheistic religions,
Jordan is a tiny desert kingdom wrapped in history.
Stand on Mt Nebo and survey the land promised to Moses; unwrap a
scarf or two at Mukawir, where Salome cast a spell over men in
perpetuity; float in the Dead Sea, beside a pillar of salt,
reputed to be Lot's disobedient wife; go just about anywhere in
Jordan and you'll find every stone bares a tale, and those of
Madaba's legendary mosaics tell more tales than most.
Petra, the jewel in the crown of Jordan's antiquities, is one of
the New Seven Wonders of the World. The magnificent rock-hewn
city of the Nabateans has been a favourite destination for
Europeans since the 19th century, and at sunset on a winter's
day, when the rose-pink city catches alight, it is easy to see
why this enchanting place has charmed generations of visitors.
Israel means many things to many people. For millions of travellers around the world, this is the ‘Holy Land',
spiritually sacrosanct for the three great monotheistic
religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Archaeology buffs,
eco-tourists and beach bums all find their own reasons to visit.
For others, Israel evokes images of war, suicide bombings and
broken peace treaties. However you view the country; Israel is
an undeniably beautiful slice of the world, with alternating
scenes of sea, desert, ancient towns and verdant nature
reserves.
