Classic Jordan

Catch an early evening flight to Amman where you’ll be met and given every assistance before being taken to your luxury hotel, just 30 minutes from the airport.

The next morning you’ll embark on a private tour of Amman’s atmospheric old town, including visits to the Roman Theatre and Nymphaeum, not to mention the enchanting Citadel which dates back to the time of the Ammonites. In the afternoon you tour Jerash, which rivals Petra in its appeal. This ancient city has been constantly occupied for over 6,500 years – probably because of its favourable position in a fertile basin amidst wooded hillsides. After being conquered by the Romans in 63 BC it became a member of the Decapolois League – one of ten of the greatest Roman cities.

Stay: Two nights in a standard room at the Marriott Hotel.

Today you travel to Petra along the King’s Highway, and discover that the journey can become the destination. You’ll stop off to see the spectacular Byzantine and Umayyad Mosaics, and the 6th century map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, at Madaba. Then it’s on to the Moses memorial atop Mount Nebo – with eye-stretching views over the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea and the Jordan River – before stopping again at the Crusader Fort of Karak.

Your hotel stands at the gateway to Petra, so it’s the ideal base for exploring. Over the next few days you’ll have the option of candlelit tours of the ancient city, and by day you’ll visit the magnificent monuments carved into the sheer cliff faces some 2000 years ago. You’ll see the gorge known as the Siq and Al-Khaznek, originally carved as a royal tomb, whilst private tours will take you to Little Petra, still a great commercial centre, as well as Wadi Rum, justly called the Valley of the Moon. It’s an unearthly, untouched place with a history that includes the exploits of Prince Faisal Bin Hussein and Lawrence of Arabia during the First World War. You also have the option to stay out overnight at Wadi Rum in a romantic, eco-friendly, tented camp and experience the desert in the manner of the Bedouins.

Stay: Three nights in a standard room at the Movenpick Petra.

A two and a half hour drive takes you to the Dead Sea where you’ll be staying on the northern shore in a luxurious resort arranged in a traditional village-style setting. You’ll have plenty of time to explore the lowest point on Earth and experience the famous buoyancy of the Dead Sea – as well as the superb facilities of your hotel. Not least its excellent pools and fitness centre and, of course, its nine renowned restaurants and bars.

Stay: Two nights in a standard room at the Movenpick Resort and Spa.

You’ll be driven from the Dead Sea to Amman in time to board your midday flight, arriving home late afternoon.