HOLY JORDAN

Our representative will personally meet you when your plane lands at the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman. He will arrange your free Jordan Entry Visas for you, assist you with collecting your luggage and will introduce you to your guide in the Arrival Hall. Your guide and driver will then transfer you to your hotel in Amman to rest and refresh. Afterwards you will have a welcome dinner at a local restaurant as a group. (Meals: dinner)

“I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites,” declares the Lord. – Jeremiah 49:6

Today you will get to know the city of Amman by seeing the historical sites of Amman including the Citadel (the capital of the Biblical Ammonites and battle site where King David sent Uriah the Hittite to his death) and Roman theater in the heart of the city. You’ll then walk through the fruit and vegetable market, experiencing all sorts of new sights, smells and sounds. Afterwards  you will make your way for lunch to meet with a guest speaker who has lived in the Middle East for the last 15 years. You will connect and learn about regional issues impacting the Holy Land today. Topics range and can be tailored to your group’s interest – from the Refugee Crisis, Israel/Palestine Conflict, and other topics impacting the Middle East. (Meals: breakfast, lunch)

“And when you approach the territory of the people of Ammon, do not harass them or contend with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot for a possession.” – Deuteronomy 2:19

This morning you will stay in Amman and meet with local faith leaders, meet with the The Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies, or attend a local Arab church service (depending on arrival day). It’s a day to dive deeper into the heart beat of Jordan and wrap yourself in culture and perspectives not found on other small group tours.

For dinner, at 6pm, your driver will take you to a local home where you will learn how to cook a 4 course Jordanian meal overlooking downtown Amman. (Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner)

This morning you will tour Jerash (the ancient city of Gerasa of the Decapolis), one of the best-preserved Roman cities outside of Rome. After visiting Jerash, your driver will take you to the village of Umm Qais for a locally prepared lunch in a home. After relaxing over tea, tour the nearby ruins of the ancient city Gadara and the place of the biblical story of Jesus & the demoniac. You will continue through the ruins and eventually end up on a nearby hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee at sunset.

Return to your private guesthouse set in the hills of Umm Qais within walking distance from the archeological site. For dinner you will going to a local home and learn to cook a traditional meal or have a local meal brought to your guesthouse. (Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner)

And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” – Matthew 8:28-29

Your path to the Baptism Site of Jesus will take you on a scenic route along the length of the Dead Sea, also known as the Salt Sea and the Sea of Arabah in the Bible. Your visit to the Baptism Site, or “Bethany Beyond the Jordan,” will have you winding your way through paths and ancient churches on your way to the Jordan River. From there you will head to Mt. Nebo, where Moses looked out across the Holy Land and soon after passed away.

After your visit to Mt. Nebo you driver will escort you to Madaba, home to a mosaic map of the Holy Land dating back to the 6th century. You first stop will be a St George Church, home to the mosaic map.  Afterwards you will make your way down the King’s Highway towards Petra. Your driver will take you to the Ammarin Bedouin Camp (option to stay in a hotel as well), located within the Petra archeological reserve. Tonight you will have a local meal at the camp under the large goat-haired tent, and enjoy tea by the fire under the same blanket of stars Moses would have seen on his Exodus journey with the Israelites. (Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner)

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. – Matthew 3:13

This morning your camels await you. Mount up and aim your caravan towards the ancient city of Petra, one of the new 7 Wonders of the World.  A marvel of natural beauty and jaw-dropping engineering, Petra is incredible. After an hour ride, your camels will reach the foot of a mountain. There, you’ll begin your hike with a Bedouin escort to Petra’s Monastery which is on the far side of the city. Entering the site away from any other tourists, you’ll feel like you’ve discovered Petra for yourself. After your day of exploring your driver will take you back to the Bedouin Camp. Tonight, your group dinner will be in a Bedouin home in the nearby town of Al-Beidah. Come prepared to exchange riddles (or solve some) with your hosts or discuss what life is like being from a prominent Bedouin tribe from around Petra and Wadi Araba.  (Meals: breakfast, dinner)

“Do not despise an Edomite, for the Edomites are related to you.” – Deuteronomy 23:7

Today you have options. 1. Spend time in reflection and solitude at the camp, 2. Hike and explore the area around the camp. Little Petra is within walking distance as well as Neolithic ruins of Al-Beidha dating back as one of the oldest archaeological sites in the Middle East or 3. Explore Petra for a second day. 

If you are visiting Petra you will enter through the main entrance this time through the Siq, a mile long canyon that ends at the Treasury, Petra’s most famous carved facade.  Spend the rest of the day exploring this ancient city. Feeling energetic and looking for a deeper pilgrimage? You can make the trek up to Mount Hor – the burial place of Aaron, the brother of Moses. This afternoon, you will meet your group at the main gate and head south to Wadi Rum and take in the Mars-like landscape on a desert jeep tour. Our local guide will share his love for the desert with you and over tea you will take in the other-worldly sunset. (Meals: breakfast, dinner)

They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the border of Edom. At the Lord’s command Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor, where he died on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. Aaron was a hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor. – Numbers 33:37-39

Today you will learn traditional skills from locals in Ghor al Mazra’a, a village on the southern shore of the Dead Sea. In one of Jordan’s most impoverished areas, locals will teach you how to make traditional eye-liner, bread over a fire, and lunch in a home. All proceeds for this portion of your tour go directly to the village. After lunch, head to the Dead Sea for some much needed rest and relaxation. Spend the afternoon floating in the remarkable waters of the Dead Sea, laying by the pool, or relaxing in the spa. (Meals: breakfast, lunch)

“He said to me, ‘This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea.” – Ezekiel 47:8