The Grand Tour of the Middle East
A Grand 12-Day Tour of : Syria, Jordan , Israel and Palestine
We'll show you the wonders of fabled Syria, the biblical sites of
Jerusalem
and Jordan , including the Lost City of Petra, and Damascus all
in 12 days
Compare with the 11 day version
, or the 28 day in-depth edition
Add
Lebanon
Friday,
Weekly - Year Round
Day 1 - Damascus: You may arrive by air into Damascus, or by land
from Jordan , we'll meet at the Airport and proceed to your hotel.
Please secure your visa for Syria from the Syrian Consulate nearest
you . Compare
with the Best of Jordan, Syria and Egypt Tour . All transfers
are on a private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur,
extend
to Aleppo and Krak De Chevalier ? please click here .
Saturday,
Day 2 - Damascus - (BL)
Today we explore the Syrian capital, visiting the National Museum,
with treasures dating from the 1400s BC; the bustling Old Bazaar,
the Eastern Gate (Bab ash-Sharqi) in the Roman city walls;
the Street Called Straight (Via Recta); the house of Anania;
and the chapel with very the window from which disciples lowered
St. Paul so he could escape those who sought to kill him (Chapter
9:24-25) Lunch at a local restaurant is included. Dinner is included
at the hotel . Add an extra night in Damascus ? please click here.
Sunday,
Day 3 - Palmyra, Damascus (BL)
We drive to ancient Palmyra (Tadmor), in a desert oasis on the trade
route between the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia, to visit its museum,
the temples of Bel, Baal Shamin and Nebo, the Roman
baths, the Tetrapylon, Diocletian's camp, and the Valley
of the Tombs, before returning to Damascus. Lunch at a local restaurant
is included.
Monday,
Day 4 - Damascus , Bosra - Amman (BL)
We'll depart in the morning for Shahba to visit the Museum and
the Mosaic Panels , on to famous Bosra , then onward to Jordan
and Amman. Bosra was mentioned in Egyptian 18th-dynasty records
as Busrana, and became part of Seleucid domains after Alexander's
conquests. It was seized by Judas Maccabeus in 163 BC. When the Nabatean
kingdom rose to local prominence in the 1st century BC, Bosra came
within the north reaches of their control. In 106 AD, the Romans extended
direct rule and established "Provencia Arabia". It became heavily
influenced in its cultural and civic life by Roman models. Bosra was
made the hub of an important network of trade routes linking Egypt,
the Red Sea, Syria and the Mediterranean Mesopotamian regions. While
it retained its importance through the Christian era of the Later
Roman Empire, it was however a Monophysite center and thus often on
bad terms with Constantinople. You'll have lunch enroute , we'll spend
the night in Amman.
Tuesday,
Day 5 - Amman and Jerash (BL)
Today is dedicated to exploring Amman, the capital of the Kingdom
of Jordan, with its archeological and modern sites, and Ajlun
and Jerash, the best preserved Roman City of the East. Lunch
is included enroute .
Wednesday,
Day 6 - Mount Nebo - Kerak - And Petra (BLD)
We
drive south along the King's Highway, an ancient caravan route, to
Madaba to visit the church containing the oldest known map of Palestine
and the Holy Land. Continuing to Mount Nebo, we enjoy the panoramic
view of the Promised Land the way Moses saw it for the first time.
Further on, at Kerak, we tour the ruins of its romantic Crusaders'
castle of Renaud de Chatillon, one of a line which stretched from
Aqaba to Turkey. Finally, we arrive to PETRA . Lunch is included enroute.
In
the evening enjoy the visit to Petra by night , this is an awe-inspiring
experience; to experience it at night by the light of 1,800 candles
is truly an out-of-this-world experience! Walk through the Siq to
the Khazneh following a candle-lit path and enjoy the haunting music
of the Bedouin at the Treasury. Tours start at 8.30pm and finish at
10.00pm. Allow yourself plenty of time to walk through the Siq, you
don't want to miss the show.
DAY 7 - PETRA Thursday (BD)
We'll
spend the entire day at Petra, the stunning desert city hewn by the
Nabateans from solid cliffs of pink and violet sandstone. Petra was
known in the bible as Sela, and rediscovered only in 1812. You'll
feel like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark as you penetrate
into the city through a narrow sandstone gorge, the Siq, and wander
among the Temple of the Winged Lion, tombs, Roman theater, and the
imposing Treasury.
Petra
has a lot to tell. The visit starts at the visitor’s center,
where each person is assigned a Bedouin guided horse for the journey
to the entrance of the lost city. After passing some tombs which are
located outside the city, the visitor passes through the SIQ, an immense
crack in the Nubian sandstone. It is a winding, one-kilometer-long
fissure between overhanging cliffs that seem to meet more than 300
feet overhead.
Near the end of the passage, the SIQ, with great style, makes one
last turn and out of the gloom in towering brightness appears Petra’s
most impressive monument, el Khazneh - The Treasury. This is one of
the most elegant remains of antiquity, carved out of the solid rock
from the side of the mountain, is nearly 140 feet high and 90 feet
wide.
Beyond el Khazneh the visitor is surrounded on both sides by hundreds
of Petra’s carved and built structures, soaring temples, elaborate
royal tombs, a carved Roman theater, large and small houses, burial
chambers and much more. The Victorian traveler and poet, Dean Burgon,
gave Petra a description which holds to this day - “Match me
such a marvel save in Eastern clime, a rose-red city half as old as
time.” After that, we will return to the hotel to get prepared
for a Moonlight dinner served at a Bedouin camp. This evening we have
a fantastic traditional dinner under the stars in a Bedouin camp,
at a site that dates back more than 2,000 years.
DAY
8 - Petra - Dead Sea - Friday (BL)
Breakfast at the hotel then off to the
DEAD SEA / GALILEE
After breakfast, . Continue northwards to Pella in the Jordan Valley.
Visit Um Qais, Gedara of the Bible (Matthew 8:28-34) for a
spectacular view of the Sea of Galilee, the Yarmouk River drive down
to the lowest spot on Earth and experience floating in the waters
of the Dead Sea and your resort such as the Mövenpick Dead Sea
, the Ishtar Dead Sea Kempinski Resort for Deluxe category , or similar
. Lunch is included enroute
. Add Wadi Rum ? Please click here.
Saturday,
Day 9 - Jerusalem (B)
Drive to the border with Israel/ Palestine . Go through passport formalities,
change vehicles and continue on to Jerusalem where we take you to
your hotel , Expect one hour on the border to go through formalities
and change cars from the Jordanian to the Israel . No visa requirement
for Israel for specific nationalities as listed , when in doubt please
call the Israeli consulate nearest you . private
basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.
Sunday,
Day 10 - Old City of Jerusalem, Bethlehem (BL)
Enter the Old City, walking through the reconstructed Jewish
Quarter. Visit the newly excavated Cardo and continue to the
Western Wall, the only remaining portion of the Second Temple.
Walk along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher
and through the colorful bazaars. Continue via Ramat Eshkol to Bethlehem,
birthplace of King David. Visit Rachel's Tomb and the Church
of the Nativity, site of Jesus' birth. Return to Jerusalem.
Today 's tour : private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private
chauffeur, private guide . Lunch
is included at a local restaurant .
Monday,
Day 11 - Megiddo, Nazareth, Tiberias (BL)
Depart Jerusalem and drive to Nazareth to see the Church
of the Annunciation. Drive to the Sea of Galilee and ride
the waters to Tabgha. Visit Cana. Continue to Tiberias
for a short tour. Visit Capernaum, on the Sea Of Galilee ,
to see the ruins of the Synagogue and Church of St. Peter.
Stop at the renewed baptismal site on the Jordan River. Overnight
in Jerusalem. Today
's tour : private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private
chauffeur, private guide .
Lunch is included enroute .
Tuesday,
Day 12 - Departure From Tel Aviv (B)
Transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport for your return flight.
Today's
transfer private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur
Bon Voyage !
Hotels
Used (or similar)
| Category |
Jerusalem
|
Amman
|
Petra
|
| Deluxe |
Renaissance |
Marriott
Hyatt
or Similar
|
Movenpick
Taybet Zaman |
| First |
Mercure
Grand Court Hotel
or
similar
|
International
Imperial Hotel
or similar |
Petra Plaza |
Rates
are per person, in US$:
| Category |
Deluxe
Class |
First
Class |
| In
Triple Occupancy |
4890. |
4406. |
| In
Double Occupancy |
5088. |
4525. |
| In
Single Occupancy |
6716. |
6012. |
Extra
night rates are available for those who wish to stay longer in Damascus,
Jerusalem, Amman or Petra.
Included
are the following services:
-
All transfers within Israel , Jordan and Syria. Always on a private
basis.
-
Guided
sightseeing as per itinerary including all entrance fees.
-
Meals
as listed: cB: Continental breakfast, L: preset menu lunch, D:
Dinner.
-
Hotel accommodation as indicated, including all tax & service
charges.
-
Local guides escorting the group at all times during sightseeing
at all times in Israel , Jordan , Palestine and Syria .
-
Jordanian
visa fee is included in our rate , visa is issued at the border
for limited number of nationalities : American, Canadian, Australian,
NZ, EU, and Japanese. It
is your responsibility to ensure that you have valid passport
.
Not
included :
- Gratuities
to guide and driver : Suggested : $ 5 USD per person per day
for the driver.
$10 Per person per full day for the guide
- Air
fare from/to your home country
- Any
beverages. i.e. bottled water etc.
- Any
services not mentioned above.
- Visa
for Syria, easily secured from the consulate nearest you .
More
Choices :
Shahba
(Sweida Province)
In
the Jabal al-Arab region 90 kilometres south-east of Damascus. Shahba
stands in an oasis of orchards and vineyards. Renowned as the birthplace
of the Syrian Emperor Philip who ruled the Roman Empire between
244 and 249 A.D. to honour him, the city bore the name Philipopolis
during the Roman period. He took a personal interest in the city,
planned it after the Roman style, built numerous palaces and temples
in it, erected triumphal arches and public baths, a theatre and
a great wall surrounding it. He is said to have wanted to turn Shahba
into a replica of Rome itself.
Visitors to the Shahba museum can see the immense mosaic panels
representing ancient Greek myths; the god of wine and fertility
Dionysus, the goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite, and the legendary
poet and musician Orpheus. Another collection of Shahba's mosaic
panels is in the National Museum in Damascus.
Remains of the city temple (Philipon), some public baths, parts
of the old wall and its four gates, as well as the two intersecting
thoroughfares and the Roman Canal can still be seen in the town.
|