Jordan Encounters
9 Days Starting and ending in 31.945367,35.928372
Visiting: Jordan
Tour operator:
Tour code:
295
Recommended For:
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
1 - 14
Age range:
8-95
Special diets catered:
Request dietary needs
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Interests:
Tour Overview
This is our signature Jordan small-group tour, mixing the classic sites of Jerash and Petra with more active hikes in Petra and Wadi Mujib, a Wadi Rum jeep safari and Bedouin experience, a Dead Sea swim, Red Sea visit and much more!
We start by heading out of Amman to discover the northern city of As-Salt where we'll take a walking tour along the Harmony Trail, a local initiative demonstrating the friendship between the local Muslim and Christian populations. We'll then return to the capital city, Amman to explore downtown, including the Citadel and Roman Theatre. We'll also sample some local cuisine with a food tasting experience.
As we begin our journey to the south of the country, we'll make a stop at the Dana Biosphere Reserve, where a short hike takes us around the restored Dana Village in the Dana Biosphere Reserve, Jordan's largest nature reserve. You'll then have some free time in Aqaba to relax, explore the reefs or even take a morning boat trip.
Leaving the coast behind, we turn our focus towards the desert, as we head to the beautiful scenery of Wadi Rum where we'll spend the night in a comfortable Bedouin camp against the towering cliffs. The next morning we take a jeep safari through the sand dunes and past amazing rock bridges before spending some time with a local Bedouin shepherd, learning about their nomadic way of life and how they look after their animals in the desert.
Our next stop is the jewel in Jordans crown, the 'lost' Nabataean City of Petra, which we reach via the lesser known back-route hike. Before embarking on our hike into Petra, we'll explore the small but equally interesting site of Little Petra, or Siq al-Barid. From here we'll take a short jeep ride to the start of the mountail trail which links Little Petra to the Monastery and main site of Petra. The back-route into Petra makes for an interesting and much less crowded way of visiting, and what's more, you'll be rewarded with incredible mountain views towards the Holy Land. Whilst hiking the back-route you'll still have the opportunity to see all of the same monuments visited on the normal route, with the addition of Little Petra and the Monastery.
Time for another change of scenery as we drive along the scenic Dead Sea road this morning, you'll have some great views of the salt-flats at the Southern end of the Dead Sea. Our first stop of the day will be Wadi Mujib, where you'll have a day of adventure, hiking through water, a climbing up small waterfalls, along the famous Siq Trail. After a day of activities, we'll make our way down to our resort right on the banks of the Dead Sea, where you have some free time to swim - or rather float - in its incredibly salty waters and to relax by the hotel pool. Don't forget a newspaper or magazine for your iconic Dead Sea photo!
On our final day of sightseeing, we'll visit the Roman mosaics at Madaba, the amazing views towards Jericho and Israel from Mt. Nebo follow and the amazing Roman site of Jerash, one of the very best preserved in the whole of the Middle East.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 : Day 1: Arrive In Amman: Airport To Hotel Transfer Included
After arriving at Queen Alia International Airport just outside Amman, one of our staff members will be there to meet and greet you before transferring you to your hotel in Amman. You have the rest of the day free to relax in your hotel or to start exploring Amman.
Day 2 : Day 2: As-Salt: Amman City And Local Food Tasting
Our first visit today is to the hilltop town of As-Salt, around 40 minutes drive from Amman. As-Salt was an important trading link between the Jordan Valley and Eastern Desert, and once the capital of Amman. The town developed its old Islamic architecture using yellow limestone, which was the finest at the time and many impressive buildings can still be seen today, as well as tiny narrow streets packed with shops and stalls. Today the town provides an example of religious and cultural friendship between the local Muslim and Christian population and we take a walking tour on its self-designed 'Harmony Trail' to learn more about the town and local life in Jordan.
Day 2 : Day 2: As-Salt: Amman City And Local Food Tasting
Our first visit today is to the hilltop town of As-Salt, around 40 minutes drive from Amman. As-Salt was an important trading link between the Jordan Valley and Eastern Desert, and once the capital of Amman. The town developed its old Islamic architecture using yellow limestone, which was the finest at the time and many impressive buildings can still be seen today, as well as tiny narrow streets packed with shops and stalls. Today the town provides an example of religious and cultural friendship between the local Muslim and Christian population and we take a walking tour on its self-designed 'Harmony Trail' to learn more about the town and local life in Jordan.
Day 2 : Day 2: As-Salt: Amman City And Local Food Tasting
Our first visit today is to the hilltop town of As-Salt, around 40 minutes drive from Amman. As-Salt was an important trading link between the Jordan Valley and Eastern Desert, and once the capital of Amman. The town developed its old Islamic architecture using yellow limestone, which was the finest at the time and many impressive buildings can still be seen today, as well as tiny narrow streets packed with shops and stalls. Today the town provides an example of religious and cultural friendship between the local Muslim and Christian population and we take a walking tour on its self-designed 'Harmony Trail' to learn more about the town and local life in Jordan.
Day 3 : Day 3: Dana Biosphere Reserve Hike. Drive To Aqaba
Today, we'll make our way down the Desert Highway, to the Dana Biosphere Reserve where we'll stop for a relatively easy hike in the beautiful scenery and hills of the reserve. This is Jordan's largest nature reserve, and there are great views of the valleys and hills on the various trails around the restored Dana village. Spring is a particularly lovely time to visit with the terrain surprisingly green and full of flowers. We'll stop for an included picnic lunch and take a walk before continuing on to the Red Sea city of Aqaba where you'll have a free evening (and morning tomorrow).
Day 4 : Day 4: Free Morning In Aqaba And Overnight Wadi Rum Bedouin Camp
This morning is free for you to relax beside the red sea, explore Aqaba or enjoy the many water sports which Aqaba has to offer. The crystal blue waters and colourful reefs around Aqaba offer some of the Red Seas best diving. Morning boat trips to go snorkelling on the nearby reefs are available too.
Day 5 : Day 5: A Jeep Safari And Bedouin Experience In Wadi Rum: Travel To Petra
After breakfast in the camp, we take a jeep safari through the sands and beneath the towering 'jebels' of Wadi Rum, stopping to climb sand dunes and to see some of the strange rock formations, including a spectacular rock bridge.
Day 6 : Day 6: Reverse-Route Mountain Hike To Petra Via Little Petra
Today is all about exploring the Nabatean site of Petra. It was once the ancient capital of the Nabataean commercial empire until the Romans finally took over in 106AD. For a long period of time, Petra was forgotten - except by the local Bedouins - before it was rediscovered in 1812 by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. Petra can be found at the edge of the Wadi Aruba desert, where canyon walls and towering hills make it virtually impossible to reach, except via a narrow cleft in the rock, known as the Siq. There are very few free-standing buildings in Petra, as the Nabateans chose to carve their dwellings into the multi coloured sandstone cliffs. Petra has become one of Jordan's main tourist attractions and the Jordanian Government is well aware of this. The tourism infrastructure in the adjoining village of Wadi Musa is booming, though, thankfully, once you enter through the Siq, the site is protected, there aren't that many touts or souvenir sellers, and all the building feels miles away.
Day 7 : Day 7: Dead Sea Road To Wadi Mujib - Siq Trail Hike. Dead Sea 'Swim'
After enjoying breakfast in Petra, we'll head north along the Dead Sea road to Wadi Mujib, where we'll hike along the exciting Siq Trail. Along the way we'll be rewarded with great views of the Salt Flats at the southern end of the Dead Sea. As we continue along the shores of the Dead Sea we eventually reach the visitor centre of Wadi Mujib. You'll have time to have lunch here (not included) before entering the water and embarking on the hike.
Day 7 : Day 7: Dead Sea Road To Wadi Mujib - Siq Trail Hike. Dead Sea 'Swim'
After enjoying breakfast in Petra, we'll head north along the Dead Sea road to Wadi Mujib, where we'll hike along the exciting Siq Trail. Along the way we'll be rewarded with great views of the Salt Flats at the southern end of the Dead Sea. As we continue along the shores of the Dead Sea we eventually reach the visitor centre of Wadi Mujib. You'll have time to have lunch here (not included) before entering the water and embarking on the hike.
Day 8 : Day 8: Madaba: Mount Nebo And Roman Jerash
After a restful night we head to nearby Madaba, where we'll marvel at the Byzantine mosaics and the 'Madaba Map' - which is the oldest preserved map of the Holy Land. From Madaba, we'll make our way to Mount Nebo, the place where the prophet Moses looked across the Promised Land and is also his burial place. On a clear day, which is most of the time, you get great views towards Jericho and beyond from here.
Day 9 : Day 9: Free Time In Amman: Hotel To Airport Transfer Included
Your time is free in Amman today until we pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the airport for your departure. Further sightseeing tours are available today if you have a late afternoon or evening flight, including a trip to the Baptism Site at Bethany on the Jordan River. This tour also connects well with several of our Egypt and Israel tours; please contact us for ideas and help with connections.
What's Included
What's Not Included
Mode of Transport
AC minivan/minibus
Bedouin jeep
Accommodation
3 to 4-star hotels
Red Sea resort
Bedouin camp
Check out our Q&As
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Are the local guides on the tour English speaking?
To accompany you on the tour we provide an English speaking local tour leader/driver and specialist guides in Jerash, Amman and Petra. Groups of 6 or more will have both a driver and a professional guide throughout the trip.
At Encounters Travel we only use local Jordanian guides and reps. We feel this gives you the best experience of the country and the sites you are seeing. -
Are all entrance fees included in the price?
The tour price does not include entrance fees to the sites visited on the tour.
We strongly recommend that you purchase a Jordan Pass prior to your travel to Jordan. This is a special package that has been designed by the Jordanian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities for tourists visiting Jordan. As well as including a discounted package of entrance fees covering all the sites in Jordan that you will visit on this tour (plus many others), the Jordan Pass also provides free downloadable digital brochures on each attraction, plus a free tourist visa for entering the country (40JD if obtained on arrival in Jordan). It also allows us to speed up our entry to each site as if everyone has the Jordan Pass we won't need to queue for tickets.
A handful of sites that we visit on our tours are not covered by the Jordan Pass (eg. Mt. Nebo, St. George's Church at Madaba, and the Shawmuri & Azraq Reserves), so to keep things simple for you while you are in Jordan, where these are visited in our itineraries, the entry fees are included in your tour price. If you visit any other sites not covered by the Jordan Pass during your free time or on additional tours you arrange while in Jordan, you will need to pay the entrance fee at the site.
The cost for the Jordan Wanderer Pass which is suitable for all our tours which visit Petra on one day is JD70 (approx. US$99). You should also check if your tour visits the Baptism Site at Bethany and if it does, add on the supplement for this site (an extra JD8, discounted from the JD12 payable at the site). Passes are available by completing a simple online form before you travel, taking care to make sure your passport details are entered correctly as this doubles as your visa application. Your Jordan Pass will then be emailed to you as a pdf document, which you should print out and bring with you. You will then need to show this print out at the immigration desk on arrival in Jordan to obtain your free entry visa, and also at each attraction where it will be scanned to confirm your entry. Obtain your Jordan Pass here
If you do not obtain the Jordan Pass before arriving in Jordan, you will need to pay the entry fees when you arrive at each site and also pay JD40 for your Jordan visa when you enter the country (or arrange your visa in advance).
More information about the Jordan Pass. -
Are all the relevant entry visa’s included in the price of the tour?
Visa arrangements are the responsibility of the traveller, and requirements are subject to change by the local authorities.
To promote tourism to the country, the Jordanian government has designed the Jordan Pass. This provides adults of most nationalities with a free single entry Jordan visa (for stays of 3 nights or more), a discounted package of entrance fees, and free digital brochures for the various sites in Jordan. Please check the Jordan Pass tour note for more information.
Double or multi entry visas for Jordan are no longer available and you will need to arrange two visas if you are doing a combination tour (eg. with Egypt and/or Israel) that visits Jordan more than once. Exceptions may occur if you are crossing to and from Israel via the King Hussein Bridge - please contact us for details.
If you wish to arrange your visa separately in advance, or if your stay will be shorter than four days/3 nights, then a visa fee of 40JD (approx. USD 57) will be due.
Families with children under 12 are recommended not to purchase the Jordan Pass for the children as entrance fees are not charged in Jordan for children under 12. Instead, the adults should purchase a Jordan Pass and we will arrange a free visa for the children which you will receive when we meet you on arrival into Amman airport.
Other nationalities may require a visa prior to arrival and to obtain this in advance, please contact your local Jordanian embassy or consulate or a visa agency for details. In addition, if you plan to enter Jordan via the southern Wadi Araba crossing (Eilat-Aqaba) or the Allenby Bridge/King Hussein border with Israel in the north, you will need to obtain your Jordan visa in advance as these are not available on arrival at the border. -
Are airport transfers included in this tour?
Your airport transfers are included on the first and last day of the set tour itinerary, plus on any additional days if you book your hotel room with us. If you make your own arrangements for additional accommodation at either the beginning or the end of the tour then you will need to arrange your own airport transfers on these days. We will provide detailed instructions of where to meet us in the airport, along with international and local emergency contact numbers, when we send you your final tour confirmation voucher about 2 weeks before departure.
On some of our group tours we do offer an optional upgrade to a higher level of hotels. If some people in the group take this upgrade, this will mean that there may be two pick-ups and drop-offs each day. We do endeavour to ensure that all hotels used are close to each other and to streamline and time arrangements to limit any extra driving time as much as possible. -
What should I know before traveling?
It is important when considering and preparing to travel anywhere in the world that you have a good understanding of the country you are visiting, its laws and customs, and the possible risks and situations that may occur. This includes specific risks related to your itinerary (eg. does it involve water & can you swim, are you fit enough for the activities included), as well as more general risks such as terrorism and natural disasters.
General details and links to more information about health risks, visa requirements, money, and travel insurance are given in these tour notes. We recommend that you re-read all these before your departure as well as the small print of your travel insurance policy so you know exactly what is covered and what is not.
You should take copies of your important travel documents with you and ideally also store them online securely as a backup. Make sure that you have given us your emergency contact details and told that person where and when you are travelling. Ensure you take enough money with you and that you have access to emergency funds.
Finally, you should read through and stay updated with the current official government travel advice for your destination. We are registered partners with the UK Foreign Office's 'Travel Aware' campaign which provides further useful and invaluable information.
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Are vaccinations required for this tour?
You should ensure you are fully insured for medical emergencies including emergency evacuation and repatriation.
Recommended vaccinations and other health protection measures vary according to the country you are visiting and where you are travelling from. We recommend you contact your GP/medical practitioner or a travel clinic for current information on vaccinations needed for your destination. You should ensure that you are up to date with vaccines and boosters recommended for your normal life at home, including for example, vaccines required for occupational risk of exposure, lifestyle risks and underlying medical conditions.
In addition, additional courses or boosters normally recommended for the countries in this region are:
Egypt: Tetanus, Typhoid, Hepatitis A
Jordan: Tetanus, Hepatitis A
Israel: Hepatitis A, Poliomyelitis
Lebanon: Dipheria, Hepatitis A
Malaria is not generally present unless it has been contracted abroad; you do not need to take malaria prophylactics.
More information is available here: Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon -
Is travel insurance compulsory?
Yes! Travel insurance is compulsory on all of our tours and needs to cover personal accident & liability, medical expenses and repatriation, travel delay & abandonment. We also strongly recommend that you take out cover against cancellation and lost/stolen baggage. Personal medical insurance does not normally provide sufficient cover and is generally not suitable for travel on our tours. You will not be able to join your tour if you have not provided us with details of your insurance or if you arrive without cover in place (no refunds will be due in this event).
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What happens if I need to change my holiday date once I’ve booked?
You are always able to change your travel date. However, some charges may apply depending on how long before your departure you make the change. Our flexible booking conditions and reduced charges will apply if you are changing date because of a Covid-19 reason or because your government is advising against travel to your destination. Please check our detailed booking conditions for full details.
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When is my balance payment due?
60 days prior to departure
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
On most of our group tours, solo travellers may choose to form a temporary 'tour bubble' and share a room with another traveller of the same sex in the group. If a room share is not available then a single room supplement may be payable, with the costs for these kept as low as possible. We have also removed compulsory single supplements from many of our tours, and are reducing the cost by 50% on s
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Can I transfer my booking to someone else?
Customers may transfer their booking or any Credit on File to another person who satisfies all the relevant conditions to the tour, provided that we are notified not less than 7 days before departure, and the transferee agrees to these booking conditions and all other terms of the contract between us. The Client and new booker are jointly and severally responsible for any outstanding payments and a transfer administration fee of GBP50 / USD75 / CAD100 / AUD100 / NZD100 / EUR75 / ZAR1000 / INR5000 or GBP100 / USD150 / CAD200 / AUD200 / NZD200 / EUR150 / ZAR2000 / INR10,000 if the transfer is made less than 60 days before departure. Important Note: Certain arrangements may not be amended or transferred after they have been confirmed (for example flight tickets, Gorilla Permits) and any alteration could incur a cancellation and rebooking charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements.
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Transfer as credit to Future Tours
Encounters Travel allows you to transfer existing payments to a future tour to avoid cancellation fees if you can't travel and inform encounters travel, 60 days before departure.
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Low Deposit
Encounters Travel requires a minimum deposit of 150 GBP per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 60 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of encounters travel charges.
Up to 61 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 60 days before tour starts: Forfeit 35% of booking price.
At 41 days before tour starts: Forfeit 70% of booking price.
At 27 days before tour starts: Forfeit 90% of booking price.
At 14 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.