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(415) 440-1124, 459 Fulton Street # 108 , San Francisco, CA 94102 USA




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
and the Lost City of Petra, and the majesty of Damascus in 12 days .
Add Lebanon

 

The Turkish Hamam is a tradition that still thrives in Damascus

En Italiano - Compare with the 11 day version

 

Compare with : Egypt and Dubai Tour , or Egypt, Dubai and Jordan in 16 days

Compare with the 1001 Arabian Nights Tour of Egypt and Jordan a la Indiana Jones in 17 days
Add Morocco, in a Grand North African Crossing . Best of Jordan and Syria in 11 Days

 

 

 

 

Friday, 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. For guests who have sent us early on their passports details , then we will have the visa ready for you at the airport. This applies to specific limited number of nationalities, such as USA, Canada, Australia , NZ, EU etc. You can begin your exploration of this "Arabian Nights" city just after you arrive.
Compare with the Best of Jordan, Syria and Egypt Tour .
All transfers are on a private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.

 

 

 

Saturday, Day 2 - Damascus - (BLD)
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.

Complimentary Dinner is included at a local home:
We are proud to be the only ones that are able to afford you such window on the true warm and hospitable Syrian people , come and meet the locals
,
you may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family ( T shirt , small souvenirs of your home town):
This evening we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right into the homes of some of the people of Syria l! You'll be invited to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties, you'll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new friends, they're sure to have questions about your own background. Once the ice is broken, you'll enjoy a lively evening, and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. As some have inquired after they returned , feel free to ask about the recipes for the local dishes you will enjoy tonight , please let us know in advance of you prefer vegetarian meals.
Of course, you may enjoy a quiet evening with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

 

 

 

Sunday, Day 3 - Palmyra, Damascus (BLD)
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, and dinner is served at your hotel.

 

 

 

Monday, Day 4 - Damascus, Bosra and Amman (BLD)
We'll depart in the morning for 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 and dinner at the hotel in Amman , we'll spend the night in Amman.

 

 

 

Tuesday, Day 5 - Amman and Jerash (BLD)
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 .
Evening dinner and folk show in Amman.

 

 

 

 

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 (BLD)
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
. Dinner is included at the hotel..

 

 

 

Saturday, Day 9 - Jerusalem (BD)
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. Dinner is included at the hotel.

 

 

 

Sunday, Day 10 - Old City of Jerusalem, Bethlehem (BD)
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 .
Dinner is included at the hotel.

 

 

 

Monday, Day 11 - Megiddo, Nazareth, Tiberias (BD)
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 . Dinner is included at the hotel.

 

 

 

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 Hote

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.

 

 


Important
Syria will not issue visas for any passport holder that may carry any stamp or visa for Israel. Border crossings may take some time, depending of several circumstances (traffic, police, documentation, visas, etc.)

 

 

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 and Syrian 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 .Please send us your passport details via e.mail at least 45 days prior to your arrival . Passport number , date and place of issue , date it expires on. Date and place of birth. Your name must match your name listed in your passport.

 

 

 

Not included :

  • Travel Insurance

  • 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

 

 

Sample Charming Boutique Hotels in Syria :



Talisman Hotel:
Damascus
Talisman is more than an hotel: it is more like a home. We will provide you all the services and luxury of a five stars residence. Two wide opened courtyards with outdoor swimming
pool. Private and exclusive Turkish Hammam. Read More .

 


Zenobia hotel: Palmyra
built in 1920 … Agatha Christy was one of the welcomed guests , the Zenobia Hotel is ideally located in the middle of Palmyra archeological site; rooms offers a wonderful view of the traces of past civilizations, which you can explore at your ease, read more .

 

 

 


Beit Wakil Hotel: Aleppo
A true example of the distinguished 16th century Aleppine architecture,is a charming palace situated just outside the old city walls.This perfectly preserved structure which has stubbornly defied the destructive elements of time,ranks among the most elegant and
beautiful palaces in the region, read more .

 

What our guests say about our service :
Trip Reviews : Touring Syria and Jordan:


From: ......... I.... [mailto:d.......oc@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 07:03 AM
To: info@travelinstyle.com
Subject: Re: Mr. and Mrs. Il...n- Syria and Jordan Damascus March


Dear Ms. Boga,

We had such a delightful journey. Your personnel, schedule
and hotels were all top notch. Thanks so much. I am very impressed with your
organization. .

Sincerely,

Dwain and Marilyn I.......

 

 

More Choices :

 

 

 

 

 

DAMASCUS : By Dr. Illman : Syria and Jordan 2009

1. It was disorienting arriving in the old city at midnight. Nearly all the shops were closed, streets dark and wandering as we walked to our hotel.
2. Amazing hotel. Our room had fancy light fixtures. The furniture was covered with inlay mother of pearl. The hotel had two lovely courtyards with reflecting pools.
3. Everywhere there was smoking.
4. Our guide and driver were terrific – Walid and Fadi.
5. The House of Ananias and the church built around it was a real highlight. Read Acts 9 to refresh your memory on the scriptural significance.
6. Next door to Ananias we stopped at a shop. The shopkeeper knew someone from Ellettsville, Indiana. He is Mark Vanest. Mark went to school with the kids and taught this man English for several years during the time Mark lived in Damascus.
7. It was cool in Syria with highs in mid-50’s to low 60’s.
8. I was thrilled to walk the Street called Straight.
9. The Souk had shops for everything. I took a lot of video.
10. The Large mosque – Umayyad Mosque was really crowded as it was Mother’s Day and a holiday from school. Marilyn had to wear a full robe with a hood. She looked like a Star Wars’ cast member.
11. The call to prayer is 5 times a day. There are so many mosques and the calls all seem to start a few seconds apart and are sung at slightly different tempo. We saw the muezzin at Umayyad do his call.

 

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