Jordan The celluloid footsteps of lawrence of arabia Trip code: Group size: Number of days: SJO 4-24 8 Detailed description Welcome Home to countless Biblical stories, lost cities, baths, and oriental bazaars, Jordan offers some of the most spectacular attractions in the Middle East. We ll tour the Roman excavations at Jerash, and visit the fascinating ancient Nabataean city of Petra. We ll pass though the magnificent desert landscape of Wadi Rum and the charming city of Amman. And we ll discover not just the region but its people, some of the most hospitable in the world! Day to Day schedule Below is a summary of the day-to-day description. Transport Route Overnight stay 1 Amman Amman 2 Bus Amman / Excursion Jerash and Dead Sea Amman 3 Bus Amman - Madaba - Mount Nebo - Kerak - Petra Petra 4 Petra Petra 5 Bus Petra Wadi Rum Wadi Rum 6 Bus Wadi Rum Aqaba Aqaba 7 Aqaba Aqaba 8 Bus Aqaba - Amman End of tour - Amman Day to Day description
Day 1: Amman Welcome to Jordan! Your tour starts in Amman, where you can use your hotel room from check in time (12.00 hrs at noon) on day 1. Most of your travel companions will arrive later this first day, the exact time will be depending on their flight schedule. You will meet your English speaking tour leader at 8.00 hrs A.M. on day 2 in the lobby of your hotel. Built on seven hills, Amman is a city full of atmosphere, teahouses, shisha pipes and museums. Be sure to visit the Roman amphitheatre and the citadel. Day 2: Amman / Excursion Jerash and Dead Sea Today you will be able to make an optional excursion to Jerash and the Dead Sea. Jerash was destroyed in 78 BC and rebuilt by the Romans. There are plenty of beautiful sights including the perfect colonnade, Hadrian's Arch and the temple dedicated to Artemis. The city has survived exceptionally intact and it doesn t take much effort to imagine Roman street-life as it must have been. The Dead Sea contains 30% salt to water so you will stay afloat without effort, a strange but highly enjoyable experience. You can also undergo "health treatment," whereby you will be rubbed from head to toe with wholesome mud, which dries slowly in the sun. Day 3: Amman - Madaba - Mount Nebo - Kerak - Petra We visit Madaba, famous for its floor mosaics and its sixth-century Greek Orthodox church of Saint Gregory before moving onto the nearby mountain of Nebo with its monastic ruins, where Moses looked out over the Promised Land. We then continue to the ruins of the ancient city of Petra, the route passes along the beautiful old King s Highway, which runs through Jordan s highlands. On the way we pass the Wadi al-mujib Gully, which offers one of the most magnificent panoramic views in the country. If time permits we also stop at Kerak on the old caravan route from Egypt to Syria, used during the time of the biblical kings and later by both ancient Greeks and then the Romans. The Crusaders put the city back on the map when they built an enormous stronghold here. We arrive in the world-famous city of Petra in the evening.
Day 4: Petra Travel to the world-famous, spellbinding city of Petra and take an optional excursion to the excavations of Petra, cut out of the pink-red rocks by the Nabataeans in the fourth century BC. It is the ancient capital of the small but once-powerful Nabataean state, after being conquered by the Romans the city fell into decline, completely hidden in the mountains and known only to the local Bedouin until 1812 when the Swiss art historian Burckhardt discovered the city. The road to the heart of Petra can only be made on foot or horseback. It leads through a crevice, the Siq, which goes on and on and gets ever narrower. Finally you reach the first of more than a hundred temples, monasteries, tombs and other buildings cut out of the rocks. You have all day to look round this beautiful site and take in the breathtaking view of the Wadi Araba. The colourful rock formations make Petra into a unique place of interest, where you can still feel alone in a magical world despite the ever growing numbers of visitors. You can visit Petra as part of an optional excursion which is organised by the tour leader or you are free to visit it by yourself. If you visit Petra with the group, you must use a local guide. These costs are not included in the ticket price. If you decide to go on your own, you cannot use the service that the tour leader arranges to Petra (for the group). This sounds a bit childish, but a local tour leader can lose his license if there are people in the bus that are not going inside 'as a group'. Naturally, this is something we do not want to happen! Day 5: Petra ± Wadi Rum We drive to Wadi Rum, the desert region renowned for its splendid high rock formations in many changing pastel colours and the location for part of the legendary movie Lawrence of Arabia. Ancient inscriptions can be found in the rocks and the real Bedouin among us can visit the most beautiful parts of Wadi Rum by camel or Jeep (optional). TIP: You will spend the night in a simple desert camp; You do not need to take a sleeping bag or sleeping mat because there are mattresses and blankets provided. A sleeping bag liner is handy, because the blankets can be a little musty. Dinner is included this evening. Day 6: Wadi Rum ± Aqaba In Aqaba take a refreshing dive in the Red Sea, sunbathe on the beach, rent a snorkel and mask or diving equipment and even take diving lessons. The Red Sea is famous for its beautiful coral reefs and enormous variety of tropical fish, so don t miss out. At the end of the day, stroll along the boulevard or drink tea in the park with the locals, followed by dinner in one of the many seafood restaurants in town.
Day 7: Aqaba Today you can continue to enjoy the beach and join any water based activities, if you so wish. Another very popular attraction is the Turkish Bath (Hamam) built in 306AD, in which locals and visitors alike come to unwind at the close of an long sweltering day. Your room is booked for this evening at your hotel in Aqaba. The group will transfer back to Amman airport tonight for the return flight home. You can join this transfer however please check with us first to make sure your departure flight from Amman is suitable. Day 8: Aqaba - Amman The last day of your tour. We wish you a comfortable journey home and are sure you will take with you some wonderful memories of Jordan. Your personal my.shoestring page on our website is the perfect way to make contact with other travellers before and after your trip. You can read and create journals from trips and upload your photos onto the photo gallery. Visit my shoestring today. When booking your tour, please check to see whether you need any posttour nights, bearing in mind that accommodation for the night of the final day of the tour (day 8) is not included. Please note that groups of fewer than 8 people will have a combined driver/guide and that groups of 8 and more will have a driver and a separate English-speaking tour leader. More info What's included: Accommodation in hotels and desert camp (Wadi Rum); all breakfasts; dinner in Wadi Rum; all transportation with AC (mini) bus; visit 'on the way'; to Madaba, Mount Nebo and Kerak (via Kings Highway); English speaking tour leader. What's excluded: International flights; visa; all meals; optional excursions; all entrance fees; arrival transfer; booking fee; travel insurance. Attention Single room is only possible for nights in hotels.
Travel documents Travelling with the correct travel documentation is your own responsibility. Please ensure your passport is valid for a minimum of 6 months beyond the finish date of your trip. Please check this information in good time before your trip commences as this information is always subject to change. You can check this information through a site such as this one. If you have booked an arrival transfer with us then we can also arrange your visa. Please contact us about this. Your complete passport details and flight information will be required. If you have not booked your arrival transfer with us then you must arrange your visa yourself. Accommodation and transport Transport During this trip through Jordan, we have access to a private bus, so we can stop at beautiful spots along the way. All transportation and transfers between hotels are included in this trip. Our slide show gives a good impression of the transport that Shoestring use in Jordan. The arrival transfer from Amman airport is excluded. The return transfer from Aqaba to Amman airport is included, provided your flight time complies (see Day 7). Transportation is not included for any of the excluded (optional) excursions. Accommodation During the tour we stay in hotels in double/twin rooms. In Wadi Rum we sleep in tents in a simple desert camp. It is also possible to book a triple room, but this is often a double/twin room with an extra bed/mattress. Travellers who (as many do), book alone, can share a double, or sometimes a triple room. We take into account gender when making these arrangements. If you wish to have a room for yourself only, this is possible on this tour. You would pay a single supplement (at time of booking). On this trip, a single supplement ensures a single room for all nights spent in hotel accommodation, I.e not in the desert camp. Our slide show will give you a good idea about the types of accommodation you can expect on this trip. Please note that groups of less than 8 people will have a combined driver/guide and that groups of 8 and more will have a driver and a separate English-speaking tour leader. During your trip, it is possible to participate in 'single' excursions offered locally by the tour leader. These excursions are optional. To allow you to plan a budget for your trip we have provided you with an idea of the cost of these excursions. The price can change due to currency fluctuations. The amounts are therefore only meant to give you an indication of the cost. Entrance fees will often change and therefore are excluded from the prices displayed (unless explicitly stated). We display the prices in Euros/GB Pounds/US Dollars. When you are in your destination, it is possible to pay for the excursions in local currency. Excursion package
Excursion Details Single excursions Excursion Details Price Wadi Rum - sunrise tour with camel trek. 25 Book at location Amman - Jerash & Dead Sea excursion Book at location Entrance to Petra (including horse): Book at location Wadi Rum - Wadi Rum tour highlights: Book at location Destroyed in 78 BC then rebuilt by the Romans is the Hellenistic city of Jerash. After seeing Jerash you have time to float in the Dead Sea. The water consists of one third of salt, float on your back so you can read a newspaper. Entrance fees are not included. Petra is the ruined city of the Nabateans, built in the third century BC. The city nestles in huge rocky mountains and is reached by a narrow high canyon (the Siq), over one kilometer long. The 'Treasury' and the 'Monastery' are absolute highlights. You certainly need a whole day to explore the many tombs, the treasury, the amphitheater and the colonnaded street. If you visit Petra with the group, you must use a local guide. These costs are not included in the ticket price. A three-hour jeep tour to see the towering rock formations of Wadi Rum. Beautifully tinted in an array of pastel shades. 24 57 16 Festival info News General information Tour leader
Our tours are led by trained, local English speaking tour leaders. We know that our travellers appreciate being accompanied by these local tour leaders who, compared to their counterparts (living outside of the destination) have more detailed knowledge of their country. He/she knows the area well, can provide background information and ensure that the trip goes smoothly. He/she knows what to do if something were to go wrong, but is not a "walking encyclopedia". Therefore we would like to refer you to study a good travel guide (book) in advance of travel. Your tour leader understandably expects a tip at the end, if she/he has completed the job well. Shoestring pay the tour guides a wage which is higher than that of most adventurous travel companies. Our guideline for tipping is between 1, - and 2, - per passenger per day (the equivalent thereof). Sustainability We know that travelling to remote corners of this planet has its effects. At Shoestring we really try to make an effort to keep our impact to a minimum. We try to avoid the use of plastic water bottles on our treks through Nepal and we do not dump our litter during our trips through Africa. All of our staff have been trained to take special care to ensure we make as little impact on the environment as possible. Furthermore we support a lot of local projects which are mostly related to clean drinking water or making sure that children get vaccinated against illnesses such as tuberculosis. On most tours you will be able to visit some of the projects we support through our local agents. Find out more about the different projects Shoestring are involved with, how you can make a difference and our environmental policies here Further important info...
We recommend preparing well before you go on this trip so please read about your destination and carefully check which vaccinations and other medications you might need. Here are a few important points. Prior to the trip After making your booking, if you have not heard whether your trip is definitely going ahead then it is safe to assume that this is the case. If we unexpectedly have to cancel the trip, we will let you know no later than three weeks prior to your departure. It is not common for a trip to be cancelled, so please do not worry unduly. Incidentally, even if the minimum number of participants is not reached, Shoestring can still choose to let the trip proceed anyway. Guarantee Shoestring offers a unique guarantee, but what does a "guaranteed price" mean? It simply means that you pay the price that appears on the website at the time of booking. We guarantee that price. Any price increases made later will not be passed on to you! Personal Information Make sure when completing your booking to fill all details in correctly. This includes your passport and personal information (such as gender, date of birth and first and last name as stated in your passport). These details are necessary for confirming any domestic flights or transportation tickets and at some hotels that form part of your itinerary. Check your (digital) receipt of your booking confirmation details to make sure they are listed correctly. You are responsible for providing correct information. Incorrect information can lead to you not being admitted onto a train or into a hotel! Further information for your trip No later than one week prior to departure you will find your departure letter on your personal myshoestring site. Any tickets for local flights/other transportation will be controlled by your tour leader and provided locally. Single travellers About a third of our travellers are single travellers. This does not have to cost more as you can share with one of the other travellers in your group. We of course keep in mind to pair you with someone of the same sex. If you would prefer a room to yourself then this is usually possible. Please indicate this when booking and the applicable supplement will be added. Feedback While we put a lot of effort into the execution of your trip, it still occurs that travellers have comments about various aspects. To ensure that these observations can be addressed immediately we ask that they are notified to the tour leader in writing whilst on tour. If comments are not communicated in writing to the tour leader during the trip then this will affect how we are able to handle any potential complaint after the trip has concluded. Newsletter We regularly send out a digital newsletter, our E -zine. Here you can read stories, offers, tips and latest news about our travels. Do you receive this newsletter? Sign up easily through this link. Kuoni Specialists Ltd Shoestring is part of Kuoni Specialists Ltd, a group of adventure travel companies that interact in various ways to ensure that the traveller gets true value for his/her money. Behind the scenes, there is cooperation in the field of purchasing and handling of the trips and for the traveller, it means that we have an enormous amount of extra resources behind us, in the event they should be required. Have fun with the preparations for your trip! Insurance
Travel insurance, including medical repatriation insurance, is mandatory. It is not included with our packages and it is your responsibility to purchase suitable travel insurance. Make sure that it covers all the activities that you are likely to undertake, such as rafting and trekking. Many free insurances that come with banking packages, credit cards etc, are quite often inadequate to cover you on our tours, so make sure you check the policy before you travel. You should enter your travel insurance details via your my.shoestring account and you are required to give a copy of your insurance policy to your tour leader upon arrival. Without proper insurance like this, you will not be allowed to join the tour as we will not be able to respond adequately in case of an emergency if you do not have the right insurance. Address Shoestring International Entrada 223 1114 AA Amsterdam-Duivendrecht, The Netherlands. www.shoestring.com You can call us on number +31 20 6850203 or +44 (0)1306 744797 and email us at info@shoestring.com Opening hours Monday to Saturday 10 AM to 5 PM (Local times in Netherlands).