NILE 2 - TOUR OF JORDAN AND PETRA
Notable Incredible Luxurious Egypt"
Custom luxury tour arranged by Brown and Keene Travel and Ker & Downey
Escorted by Ken Hutyra and Ngaire Keene Hutyra

March 19, 2012 to March 24, 2012
 

The Jordan tour at a glance

Highlights of Jordan: Amman Citadel - view the dead sea scrolls, Jerash, Dead Sea, Madaba, Mt.Nemo,
Petra (full day) Wadi Ram with visit to a Bedouin tent, Aqaba

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Link here for the Egypt tour itinerary

Link here for comments from some guests on Nile, March 2010

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        Ker & Downey and Brown and Keene
Jordan and Petra Tour Itinerary
 

March 19, 2012
Cairo/Amman
Grand Hyatt

This morning, you will fly from Luxor to Cairo and continue on to Amman. Upon arrival in Amman, you will be transferred to your accommodations at the Grand Hyatt. The rest of the day is at leisure. Amman, a bustling city of 2 million people sits atop seven hills. Amman is known as the White City: all its buildings are finished in the local white limestone. It is a safe, friendly city for walking, with a busy commercial and administrative center. While much of it has been built over the past 50 years, significant archaeological remains give testament to this ancient city’s place in history. Arabic is the official language, but English is widely spoken.

At the Grand Hyatt you’ll enjoy contemporary decor with arabesque touches and a king bed featuring plush pillows, the softest of sheeting and duvet. Magnificent views welcome you to an elegant retreat offering every amenity, including marble bath with separate walk-in massaging shower, generous work area and high-speed Internet access.
Overnight Grand Hyatt 

March 20, 2012
Amman/Jerash/Dead Sea
Movenpick Dead Sea Resort

After breakfast, you will be met by your guide and visit the Citadel in Amman for a spectacular view of the area and see the small museum housing the Dead Sea Scrolls. We then proceed to the Ancient Roman City of Jerash which is located north of Amman and nestled in a quiet valley among the mountains of Gilead.  It is one of the largest and most well preserved sites of Roman architecture in the world outside Italy.  Its paved and colonnaded streets, soaring hilltop temples, handsome theaters, spacious public squares and plazas, baths, fountains and city walls pierced by towers and gates remain in exceptional condition. 
You will see the Elliptical Forum, the Street of Columns, the Temple of Artemis and Roman theaters. 

A stop will be made at Bethany.   John the Baptist's settlement at Bethany beyond the Jordan, where Jesus was baptized, has long been known from the Bible and from the Byzantine and medieval texts. Here came the words, " This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."  The site has now been identified on the east bank of the Jordan River, in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and is being systematically surveyed, excavated, restored, and prepared to receive pilgrims and visitors since early 2000.

One of the world’s most amazing place, the Jordan Rift Valley is a dramatic, beautiful landscape, which at the Dead Sea, is approximately 1,312 feet below sea level, making it the lowest point on the face of the earth.  Many tributaries and other rivers flow towards the Dead Sea; however, once the waters reach the Dead Sea, they are land-locked with nowhere to go, leaving behind rich deposits of salts and minerals that supply industry, agriculture and medicine with some of its finest products.  The Dead Sea is flanked by mountains in the east and the large, rolling hills of Jerusalem to the west.  And although this area is sparsely populated and serenely quiet now, the area was once home to five Biblical cities: Sodom, Gomorrah, Adman, Zebouin and Zoar.

As such a captivating and spiritual landscape, the Jordanian east coast of the Dead Sea has evolved into a major hub of both religious and health & wellness tourism in the region. Plenty of good roads, excellent hotels with spa and fitness facilities, as well as archaeological and spiritual discoveries make this region as enticing to today’s international visitors as it was to kings, emperors, traders, prophets and pilgrims in antiquity. 
Overnight at the Movenpick Dead Sea Resort

March 21, 2012
Dead Sea/Petra

After breakfast, you will be met by your private guide and driven south to Petra.

Stop at Mount Nebo where Moses was buried and which is the most revered holy site in Jordan.  When atop this mountain, one can see as did Moses, the vast panorama that encompasses the Jordan River Valley, the Dead Sea, Jericho and Jerusalem.  The Serpentine Cross, which stands just outside the sanctuary, is symbolic of the brass serpent taken by Moses into the desert and the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.

 Stop for lunch in Madaba, a city of breathtaking mosaics. Madaba has a long history, being first mentioned in the Bible at the time of Exodus, about 1200BC.    Madaba’s chief attraction can be found in the contemporary Greek Orthodox Church of St. George.  It is a wonderfully vivid, 6^th century Byzantine mosaic map showing Jerusalem and other holy sites.  With two million pieces of colored stone and a full 25 x 5 meters in its original state – most of which can still be seen today, the map depicts hills and valleys, villages and towns as far away as the Nile Delta.

Continue down the King’s Highway to Petra and the Movenpick Hotel, arriving in time for dinner.

Arguably Jordan’s most famous attraction, the 2,000-year-old red sandstone city of Petra is an extraordinary and compelling sight. Carved from sandstone cliffs by the ancient Nabateans in the third century BC, it was forgotten for 1,000 years and only rediscovered in 1812. The red rose city of Petra is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Located directly at the entrance to the historical Nabatean city of Petra, the luxurious Movenpick Resort Petra is certainly one of the most notable hotels in the Middle East. The resort is renowned for its intricate Arabesque interior design, and collection of antiques and artwork.

Boasting 183 rooms and suites, seven restaurants, lounges, bars, attractive roof garden, library and gift shop, the resort also offers a wellness center with outdoor swimming pool, steam bath and gymnasium.
Overnight Movenpick Petra Resort

March 22, 2012
Petra

This morning embark on a tour of the incredible rock cut ancient Nabatean “Rose Red” city.  Walk with your guide through the narrow winding defile (the Siq), between towering cliffs and enter at the “Treasury.”   As the hidden valley opens before you, see the Amphitheatre and the multi-hued sandstone rock cut houses and official buildings.  Sturdy footwear is recommended for normally fit persons who climb the sides of the valley for a closer look. 
Overnight Movenpick Petra Resort

March 23, 2012
Petra/Wadi Rum/Aqaba/Amman

After breakfast, we will drive south to Wadi Rum; vast, echoing and godlike" is how a captivated T.E. Lawrence described Wadi Rum. Massive pillars of sandstone rock rise from the rose-red desert floor. Uniquely weathered these majestic cliffs tower over 4,900 feet high. Dawn and dusk bring an amazing spectacle of changing colors of light on the rock and sand. Wadi Rum is a protected area, with plans in place to create a 193-square-mile national park.

On arrival you will transfer to four wheel drive vehicles with Bedouin drivers. Set out over the dunes to visit ancient rock carvings, view the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, and take tea in a Bedouin tent. You will also view Lawrence’s Jail, the remains of a partly closed off wadi, and descend to the flat plain, crossing the old railway immortalized by Lawrence in his campaign to successfully drive the Turks from Aqaba in the early part of the last century.  We will visit the Wadi Rum Antiquities Museum before departing.

After your tour, drive to Aqaba stopping for lunch at a local restaurant.  Catch an early evening flight arriving in Amman at approximately  7.30 pm.  A  room has been reserved for your relaxation until your international flight departs later this evening or the next morning.
Grand Hyatt

March 24, 2012

Fly home from Amman to USA