Jordan Honeymoon

10 Days / 9 Nights

From USD $1800

Independent

Easy

A wonderful honeymoon nature retreat in Jordan!
Float at the Dead Sea, relax in Ajloun, a romantic candle lit escape in Feynan, tour the wonderful city of Petra, camp in Wadi Rum and explore the wonders of Amman.

NO MEALS ARE INCLUDED TODAY
ACCOMMODATION: HOLIDAY INN 
Your driver will be waiting at Amman (AMM) airport to take you directly to your comfortable resort / spa hotel by the Dead Sea (a 50-minute drive). There are no activities planned for today. You'll be staying here two nights.

Please keep in mind that hotel check-in time is typically after 2.00pm. Early check in is not guaranteed, but if you do arrive early luggage storage is available at the hotel.

MEALS: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER
ACCOMMODATION: HOLIDAY INN
Today you'll have the chance to relax by the pool and float in the warm, intensely saline water of the Dead Sea. It is an unforgettable experience! The Dead Sea is the lowest point on the surface of the earth (some 400m below sea level) and contains mineral-rich muds that have been recognized since antiquity for their curative properties. This mud costs a fortune in Europe, but in Jordan you can scoop it from the seabed and cover yourself with it! The blue water, the white salt-encrusted shore, and the red desert mountains also make this an outstandingly beautiful place.

MEALS: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER
ACCOMMODATION: AJLOUN WOODLAND RESERVE
Today you'll head north to discover one of the great Roman cities of the Middle East, Jerash. Founded at the time of Alexander the Great, Jerash flourished for around a thousand years as a trade center on the road between Damascus and Petra. The city's colonnaded streets are basically intact, as is the beautiful oval forum and the gateway built to commemorate the visit of the Emperor Hadrian. The theatre, temples, baths, and hippodrome are all well preserved, and there are some wonderful Byzantine mosaic floors from the early Christian period.

You'll continue from here to the Ajloun Woodland Reserve, where you'll spend the next two nights in one of the beautiful, secluded eco-cabins in the woods. Ajloun reserve is a protected area forested with oak, pistachio, pine, carob, and wild strawberry trees, and is a peaceful place to rest in the shade or take in the views across the Jordan Valley. On a clear day you can even see the snow-capped peaks of Jebel esh Sheikh (Mount Hermon) in Lebanon. If you're feeling more energetic there are several marked footpaths through the reserve.

On day, three, you might wish to add in the scenic Al Ayoun trail as a day activity.

OPTIONAL - WALK THE SCENIC AL AYOUN TRAIL
12KM / 4 HOURS
INCLUSIONS: HIKING GUIDE & LUNCH / PRICE PER PERSON IN USD: $80.00
Today you'll walk through one of the quietest and most beautiful parts of the Jordanian highlands, Al Ayoun - a valley of olive groves, orchards, and limestone cliffs just north of Ajloun. Beginning at the viewpoint above the village of Rasun, you'll walk through the woods and explore the ruins of early Bronze Age dolmens and a Roman wine press. In Rasun you'll have a chance to visit income-generating projects run by local women: the Calligraphy House, where you can learn to write your name in Arabic script, and the Soap House, where you can see (and buy) hand-made olive oil soap scented with flowers and herbs. A short walk brings you to the next village, Orjan, where you will enjoy lunch in the home of a local family, including taboun bread warm from the wood oven and rural Jordanian dishes rarely found in restaurants. From Orjan you'll continue your walk on a farm track, following the stream down the valley to an abandoned water mill. After a rest and a cup of tea made on a fire, you'll head back to the reserve by bus.

MEALS: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER
ACCOMMODATION: AJLOUN WOODLAND RESERVE
Today you'll head north to discover one of the great Roman cities of the Middle East, Jerash. Founded at the time of Alexander the Great, Jerash flourished for around a thousand years as a trade center on the road between Damascus and Petra. The city's colonnaded streets are basically intact, as is the beautiful oval forum and the gateway built to commemorate the visit of the Emperor Hadrian. The theatre, temples, baths, and hippodrome are all well preserved, and there are some wonderful Byzantine mosaic floors from the early Christian period.

You'll continue from here to the Ajloun Woodland Reserve, where you'll spend the next two nights in one of the beautiful, secluded eco-cabins in the woods. Ajloun reserve is a protected area forested with oak, pistachio, pine, carob, and wild strawberry trees, and is a peaceful place to rest in the shade or take in the views across the Jordan Valley. On a clear day you can even see the snow-capped peaks of Jebel esh Sheikh (Mount Hermon) in Lebanon. If you're feeling more energetic there are several marked footpaths through the reserve.

On day, three, you might wish to add in the scenic Al Ayoun trail as a day activity.

OPTIONAL - WALK THE SCENIC AL AYOUN TRAIL
12KM / 4 HOURS
INCLUSIONS: HIKING GUIDE & LUNCH / PRICE PER PERSON IN USD: $80.00
Today you'll walk through one of the quietest and most beautiful parts of the Jordanian highlands, Al Ayoun - a valley of olive groves, orchards, and limestone cliffs just north of Ajloun. Beginning at the viewpoint above the village of Rasun, you'll walk through the woods and explore the ruins of early Bronze Age dolmens and a Roman wine press. In Rasun you'll have a chance to visit income-generating projects run by local women: the Calligraphy House, where you can learn to write your name in Arabic script, and the Soap House, where you can see (and buy) hand-made olive oil soap scented with flowers and herbs. A short walk brings you to the next village, Orjan, where you will enjoy lunch in the home of a local family, including taboun bread warm from the wood oven and rural Jordanian dishes rarely found in restaurants. From Orjan you'll continue your walk on a farm track, following the stream down the valley to an abandoned water mill. After a rest and a cup of tea made on a fire, you'll head back to the reserve by bus.

MEALS: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER
ACCOMMODATION: FEYNAN LODGE
Morning pick-up in Ajloun and scenic drive (3 hours) to Feynan. Rated as one of the top fifty eco-lodges in the world by National Geographic magazine, Feynan's off-the-grid guesthouse is a special place to stay. The building is perfectly adapted to the climate and landscape of this desert, its water heated by solar panels and its rooms lit only by candles. Despite the remoteness of the location, this is a comfortable place to stay and makes a great base for exploring the Dana Biosphere Reserve and the ruins of ancient Feynan. The darkness of the night sky also makes this one of the best stargazing hotels on earth.

Settle in and enjoy a relaxed lunch and afternoon at the lodge. In the evening you can walk out to see the sunset over the desert. Your guides will take you on a gentle hike up to this outcrop, from where you'll be able to watch the sun go down across the Wadi Araba, lighting up the red rock mountains at your back. In the last of the light you can enjoy tea in the Bedouin camps below the rock. At this hour the men are usually bringing in their flocks from the mountain, the women are tending the evening fires, and the stars are coming out over the desert.

MEALS: BREAKFAST
ACCOMMODATION: BAIT ZAMAN
No matter how many times you've seen it reproduced on film, nothing can really prepare you for the first glimpse of Petra. The classic entry to the city takes you through the long twilight of the siq, a narrow canyon that twists for more than a mile through the red sandstone, and then stuns you into silence with the sunlit façade of the Treasury, a monument cut into the rock some 2000 years ago with a refinement that is scarcely believable.

From the postcards, you'd think this was what you'd come to see. But it's just the beginning. Petra is a vast archaeological site, most of it still unexcavated; you could spend days exploring the ruins and still not see it all. It was built by the Nabataeans, an Arab tribe who began as tent-dwelling Bedouin but soon came to dominate the most lucrative trade of the ancient world: incense. They used the money to create this city and to build an empire that extended from the Red Sea to Damascus. They also absorbed architectural ideas from Egypt, from the Babylonians, and from the Greek cities of the Mediterranean, using them to create the hybrid culture that you see in these ruins. The Temple of the Winged Lions, the High Place of Sacrifice, the Roman theatre, the Garden Tomb, the Byzantine church - any one of these monuments would be an archaeological treasure in its own right; in Petra, you can explore them one after another, and find them all set into one of the finest desert landscape in the Middle East.

MEALS: BREAKFAST
ACCOMMODATION: BAIT ZAMAN
No matter how many times you've seen it reproduced on film, nothing can really prepare you for the first glimpse of Petra. The classic entry to the city takes you through the long twilight of the siq, a narrow canyon that twists for more than a mile through the red sandstone, and then stuns you into silence with the sunlit façade of the Treasury, a monument cut into the rock some 2000 years ago with a refinement that is scarcely believable.

From the postcards, you'd think this was what you'd come to see. But it's just the beginning. Petra is a vast archaeological site, most of it still unexcavated; you could spend days exploring the ruins and still not see it all. It was built by the Nabataeans, an Arab tribe who began as tent-dwelling Bedouin but soon came to dominate the most lucrative trade of the ancient world: incense. They used the money to create this city and to build an empire that extended from the Red Sea to Damascus. They also absorbed architectural ideas from Egypt, from the Babylonians, and from the Greek cities of the Mediterranean, using them to create the hybrid culture that you see in these ruins. The Temple of the Winged Lions, the High Place of Sacrifice, the Roman theatre, the Garden Tomb, the Byzantine church - any one of these monuments would be an archaeological treasure in its own right; in Petra, you can explore them one after another, and find them all set into one of the finest desert landscape in the Middle East.

MEALS: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER
ACCOMMODATION: RAHAYEB BEDOUIN CAMPSITE
Every guidebook to Wadi Rum repeats the description written by T.E. Lawrence of Arabia almost century ago, and with good reason. "The Arab armies would have been lost in the length and breadth of it," he wrote, "and within the walls a squadron of aeroplanes could have wheeled in formation. Our little caravan grew self-conscious, and fell dead quiet, afraid and ashamed to flaunt its smallness in the presence of such stupendous hills. Landscapes, in childhood's dream, were so vast and silent."

Bedouin guides from the Howeitat tribe (the same tribe that guided Lawrence) will meet you at Rum Village and drive you by jeep into this spectacular desert. You'll spend the morning exploring Wadi Rum's mountains and sand dunes, stopping to take in the views and to look at the inscriptions chipped into the rock over thousands of years. After a picnic lunch in the shade, followed by a cup of tea and a rest, you'll drive on to the great red dune, where you can kick off your shoes and run down the soft, warm sand. In the late afternoon you'll arrive at your camp in the heart of the protected area, where there'll be time to relax and take in the sunset before enjoying a Bedouin feast of meat and vegetables cooked in the zerb, an oven of fire-heated sand and stone. If you're still not tired out by the day's adventures you can stay up round the fire, talking and laughing with your Bedouin hosts and watching the night sky.

Your accommodation is a simple but comfortable Bedouin campsite, with a traditional goat hair tent divided into twin ‘rooms.' There are proper toilets and showers on the site (go easy on the water), as well as shaded seating areas for relaxing and dining.

Your desert accommodation will be in a fixed Bedouin camp in a beautiful desert location. It is a comfortable camp with nicely furnished tents, king size bed, en-suite bathroom, open and shaded seated area.

MEALS: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER
ACCOMMODATION: CANYON BOUTIQUE HOTEL
Enjoy a relaxed breakfast in the quiet of the desert morning. Before heading back to Amman, you might want to experience a magical hot air balloon flight over the desert. This is one of the great balloon flights anywhere in the world, taking you up some 3000 feet (approx 1000m) above the red sand dunes and rock mountains of Wadi Rum. Flights usually begin early in the morning and last for around an hour, but you should allow 2-3 hours for the whole experience. At 5.45am your guides will meet you at the visitors center and take you out to the starting point. The ground crew will pick you up at the end of your flight and bring you back to the visitors' center again. The balloon needs a minimum of 5 people to guarantee the flight. In case of bad weather the flight will be cancelled and a full refund will be given.

Inclusions: transport to and from the meeting point and the balloon flight
Price per person in USD: $185 (note this price is pending availability as it is based on the balloon minimum number (5 people) required to fly).

Alternatively, spend the late morning having a look round Amman. Jordan's capital is a real, living city, full of quirky neighborhoods, friendly people, and fabulous food. You can begin up at the citadel, where you can take in the views and explore the Roman and early Islamic ruins. Just downhill is the Roman theatre, built during the reign of Emperor Antonius but now embedded into modern Amman and still used for cultural and musical events. From here you can wander through the markets, maybe stopping in a local café to take in the street scenes, watch the old men playing backgammon, and try Arabic coffee and pastries. This is also a good chance to smoke the scented tobacco of the argeelah or hubbly bubbly.

MEALS: BREAKFAST
A single group transfer will be provided from your hotel to AMM Airport - a 40-minute drive. We wish you a safe homeward journey and hope to see you again in Jordan soon.

Sorry, there are no departure dates set for this trip.

Inclusions

Transportation
Point to point transportation according to the itinerary above in a private car with an English speaking driver. Gas included. (the driver is not a guide).

Accommodation 
2nts in 4 star hotel, 2nts in 5 star hotel, 1nt in a boutique hotel, 2nts in Ajloun Reserve, 1nt in a desert camp in Wadi Rum, 1nt in an Eco lodge.

Meals
9 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch, 4 Dinners. (As per itinerary above; B= Breakfast, D= Dinner)

Activities
Sightseeing, Swimming, Jeep tour, Camel ride

Entrance fees
2 day pass to Petra, entrance fee to Wadi Rum.


Exclusions
Flights
Visa to Jordan
Travel insurance
Drinks
Tips

 

Jordan Honeymoon

Trip Duration: 10 Days / 9 Nights

Group Size : 2

Physical Rating :

Easy : Suitable for most people in good health. These trips generally include short hikes or / and cycling trips on good paths with minimal uphills.

Welcome to Terhaal Adventures. We've designed these journeys to help you explore the very best of Jordan. Don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any questions about the trip. We're here to help. Enjoy!


Itinerary Disclaimer

The holiday itinerary set out below offers a good overview of the trip, but should be taken as a general guide only. We're continually improving these tours, and it's possible we will adjust the itinerary to take advantage of new opportunities or to avoid adverse weather or difficulties with transportation. We recommend that you print out a copy of the trip details a couple of days prior to departure, in case there have been any changes that may affect your plans.

The information in this document does not form part of the contract between the client and Terhaal Adventures.


Meeting Point
QAI Airport - Amman


Finishing Point
QAI Airport - Amman


Arrival Complications

We don't expect any problems (and nor should you!) but if for any reason you are unable to begin your trip as scheduled, please contact us immediately at one of the following numbers:
+962(0)77 751 5919
+962(0)79 879 5680


Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 : ARRIVAL AND TRANSFER TO DEAD SEA RESORT

NO MEALS ARE INCLUDED TODAY
ACCOMMODATION: HOLIDAY INN 
Your driver will be waiting at Amman (AMM) airport to take you directly to your comfortable resort / spa hotel by the Dead Sea (a 50-minute drive). There are no activities planned for today. You'll be staying here two nights.

Please keep in mind that hotel check-in time is typically after 2.00pm. Early check in is not guaranteed, but if you do arrive early luggage storage is available at the hotel.

Day 2 : RELAX BY THE DEAD SEA

MEALS: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER
ACCOMMODATION: HOLIDAY INN
Today you'll have the chance to relax by the pool and float in the warm, intensely saline water of the Dead Sea. It is an unforgettable experience! The Dead Sea is the lowest point on the surface of the earth (some 400m below sea level) and contains mineral-rich muds that have been recognized since antiquity for their curative properties. This mud costs a fortune in Europe, but in Jordan you can scoop it from the seabed and cover yourself with it! The blue water, the white salt-encrusted shore, and the red desert mountains also make this an outstandingly beautiful place.

Day 3 : JERASH AND AJLOUN

MEALS: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER
ACCOMMODATION: AJLOUN WOODLAND RESERVE
Today you'll head north to discover one of the great Roman cities of the Middle East, Jerash. Founded at the time of Alexander the Great, Jerash flourished for around a thousand years as a trade center on the road between Damascus and Petra. The city's colonnaded streets are basically intact, as is the beautiful oval forum and the gateway built to commemorate the visit of the Emperor Hadrian. The theatre, temples, baths, and hippodrome are all well preserved, and there are some wonderful Byzantine mosaic floors from the early Christian period.

You'll continue from here to the Ajloun Woodland Reserve, where you'll spend the next two nights in one of the beautiful, secluded eco-cabins in the woods. Ajloun reserve is a protected area forested with oak, pistachio, pine, carob, and wild strawberry trees, and is a peaceful place to rest in the shade or take in the views across the Jordan Valley. On a clear day you can even see the snow-capped peaks of Jebel esh Sheikh (Mount Hermon) in Lebanon. If you're feeling more energetic there are several marked footpaths through the reserve.

On day, three, you might wish to add in the scenic Al Ayoun trail as a day activity.

OPTIONAL - WALK THE SCENIC AL AYOUN TRAIL
12KM / 4 HOURS
INCLUSIONS: HIKING GUIDE & LUNCH / PRICE PER PERSON IN USD: $80.00
Today you'll walk through one of the quietest and most beautiful parts of the Jordanian highlands, Al Ayoun - a valley of olive groves, orchards, and limestone cliffs just north of Ajloun. Beginning at the viewpoint above the village of Rasun, you'll walk through the woods and explore the ruins of early Bronze Age dolmens and a Roman wine press. In Rasun you'll have a chance to visit income-generating projects run by local women: the Calligraphy House, where you can learn to write your name in Arabic script, and the Soap House, where you can see (and buy) hand-made olive oil soap scented with flowers and herbs. A short walk brings you to the next village, Orjan, where you will enjoy lunch in the home of a local family, including taboun bread warm from the wood oven and rural Jordanian dishes rarely found in restaurants. From Orjan you'll continue your walk on a farm track, following the stream down the valley to an abandoned water mill. After a rest and a cup of tea made on a fire, you'll head back to the reserve by bus.

Day 4 : JERASH AND AJLOUN

MEALS: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER
ACCOMMODATION: AJLOUN WOODLAND RESERVE
Today you'll head north to discover one of the great Roman cities of the Middle East, Jerash. Founded at the time of Alexander the Great, Jerash flourished for around a thousand years as a trade center on the road between Damascus and Petra. The city's colonnaded streets are basically intact, as is the beautiful oval forum and the gateway built to commemorate the visit of the Emperor Hadrian. The theatre, temples, baths, and hippodrome are all well preserved, and there are some wonderful Byzantine mosaic floors from the early Christian period.

You'll continue from here to the Ajloun Woodland Reserve, where you'll spend the next two nights in one of the beautiful, secluded eco-cabins in the woods. Ajloun reserve is a protected area forested with oak, pistachio, pine, carob, and wild strawberry trees, and is a peaceful place to rest in the shade or take in the views across the Jordan Valley. On a clear day you can even see the snow-capped peaks of Jebel esh Sheikh (Mount Hermon) in Lebanon. If you're feeling more energetic there are several marked footpaths through the reserve.

On day, three, you might wish to add in the scenic Al Ayoun trail as a day activity.

OPTIONAL - WALK THE SCENIC AL AYOUN TRAIL
12KM / 4 HOURS
INCLUSIONS: HIKING GUIDE & LUNCH / PRICE PER PERSON IN USD: $80.00
Today you'll walk through one of the quietest and most beautiful parts of the Jordanian highlands, Al Ayoun - a valley of olive groves, orchards, and limestone cliffs just north of Ajloun. Beginning at the viewpoint above the village of Rasun, you'll walk through the woods and explore the ruins of early Bronze Age dolmens and a Roman wine press. In Rasun you'll have a chance to visit income-generating projects run by local women: the Calligraphy House, where you can learn to write your name in Arabic script, and the Soap House, where you can see (and buy) hand-made olive oil soap scented with flowers and herbs. A short walk brings you to the next village, Orjan, where you will enjoy lunch in the home of a local family, including taboun bread warm from the wood oven and rural Jordanian dishes rarely found in restaurants. From Orjan you'll continue your walk on a farm track, following the stream down the valley to an abandoned water mill. After a rest and a cup of tea made on a fire, you'll head back to the reserve by bus.

Day 5 : THE DESERT AT FEYNAN

MEALS: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER
ACCOMMODATION: FEYNAN LODGE
Morning pick-up in Ajloun and scenic drive (3 hours) to Feynan. Rated as one of the top fifty eco-lodges in the world by National Geographic magazine, Feynan's off-the-grid guesthouse is a special place to stay. The building is perfectly adapted to the climate and landscape of this desert, its water heated by solar panels and its rooms lit only by candles. Despite the remoteness of the location, this is a comfortable place to stay and makes a great base for exploring the Dana Biosphere Reserve and the ruins of ancient Feynan. The darkness of the night sky also makes this one of the best stargazing hotels on earth.

Settle in and enjoy a relaxed lunch and afternoon at the lodge. In the evening you can walk out to see the sunset over the desert. Your guides will take you on a gentle hike up to this outcrop, from where you'll be able to watch the sun go down across the Wadi Araba, lighting up the red rock mountains at your back. In the last of the light you can enjoy tea in the Bedouin camps below the rock. At this hour the men are usually bringing in their flocks from the mountain, the women are tending the evening fires, and the stars are coming out over the desert.

Day 6 : EXPLORING PETRA

MEALS: BREAKFAST
ACCOMMODATION: BAIT ZAMAN
No matter how many times you've seen it reproduced on film, nothing can really prepare you for the first glimpse of Petra. The classic entry to the city takes you through the long twilight of the siq, a narrow canyon that twists for more than a mile through the red sandstone, and then stuns you into silence with the sunlit façade of the Treasury, a monument cut into the rock some 2000 years ago with a refinement that is scarcely believable.

From the postcards, you'd think this was what you'd come to see. But it's just the beginning. Petra is a vast archaeological site, most of it still unexcavated; you could spend days exploring the ruins and still not see it all. It was built by the Nabataeans, an Arab tribe who began as tent-dwelling Bedouin but soon came to dominate the most lucrative trade of the ancient world: incense. They used the money to create this city and to build an empire that extended from the Red Sea to Damascus. They also absorbed architectural ideas from Egypt, from the Babylonians, and from the Greek cities of the Mediterranean, using them to create the hybrid culture that you see in these ruins. The Temple of the Winged Lions, the High Place of Sacrifice, the Roman theatre, the Garden Tomb, the Byzantine church - any one of these monuments would be an archaeological treasure in its own right; in Petra, you can explore them one after another, and find them all set into one of the finest desert landscape in the Middle East.

Day 7 : EXPLORING PETRA

MEALS: BREAKFAST
ACCOMMODATION: BAIT ZAMAN
No matter how many times you've seen it reproduced on film, nothing can really prepare you for the first glimpse of Petra. The classic entry to the city takes you through the long twilight of the siq, a narrow canyon that twists for more than a mile through the red sandstone, and then stuns you into silence with the sunlit façade of the Treasury, a monument cut into the rock some 2000 years ago with a refinement that is scarcely believable.

From the postcards, you'd think this was what you'd come to see. But it's just the beginning. Petra is a vast archaeological site, most of it still unexcavated; you could spend days exploring the ruins and still not see it all. It was built by the Nabataeans, an Arab tribe who began as tent-dwelling Bedouin but soon came to dominate the most lucrative trade of the ancient world: incense. They used the money to create this city and to build an empire that extended from the Red Sea to Damascus. They also absorbed architectural ideas from Egypt, from the Babylonians, and from the Greek cities of the Mediterranean, using them to create the hybrid culture that you see in these ruins. The Temple of the Winged Lions, the High Place of Sacrifice, the Roman theatre, the Garden Tomb, the Byzantine church - any one of these monuments would be an archaeological treasure in its own right; in Petra, you can explore them one after another, and find them all set into one of the finest desert landscape in the Middle East.

Day 8 : WADI RUM

MEALS: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER
ACCOMMODATION: RAHAYEB BEDOUIN CAMPSITE
Every guidebook to Wadi Rum repeats the description written by T.E. Lawrence of Arabia almost century ago, and with good reason. "The Arab armies would have been lost in the length and breadth of it," he wrote, "and within the walls a squadron of aeroplanes could have wheeled in formation. Our little caravan grew self-conscious, and fell dead quiet, afraid and ashamed to flaunt its smallness in the presence of such stupendous hills. Landscapes, in childhood's dream, were so vast and silent."

Bedouin guides from the Howeitat tribe (the same tribe that guided Lawrence) will meet you at Rum Village and drive you by jeep into this spectacular desert. You'll spend the morning exploring Wadi Rum's mountains and sand dunes, stopping to take in the views and to look at the inscriptions chipped into the rock over thousands of years. After a picnic lunch in the shade, followed by a cup of tea and a rest, you'll drive on to the great red dune, where you can kick off your shoes and run down the soft, warm sand. In the late afternoon you'll arrive at your camp in the heart of the protected area, where there'll be time to relax and take in the sunset before enjoying a Bedouin feast of meat and vegetables cooked in the zerb, an oven of fire-heated sand and stone. If you're still not tired out by the day's adventures you can stay up round the fire, talking and laughing with your Bedouin hosts and watching the night sky.

Your accommodation is a simple but comfortable Bedouin campsite, with a traditional goat hair tent divided into twin ‘rooms.' There are proper toilets and showers on the site (go easy on the water), as well as shaded seating areas for relaxing and dining.

Your desert accommodation will be in a fixed Bedouin camp in a beautiful desert location. It is a comfortable camp with nicely furnished tents, king size bed, en-suite bathroom, open and shaded seated area.

Day 9 : OPTIONAL BALLOON FLIGHT OVER WADI RUM - TRANSFER TO AMMAN

MEALS: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER
ACCOMMODATION: CANYON BOUTIQUE HOTEL
Enjoy a relaxed breakfast in the quiet of the desert morning. Before heading back to Amman, you might want to experience a magical hot air balloon flight over the desert. This is one of the great balloon flights anywhere in the world, taking you up some 3000 feet (approx 1000m) above the red sand dunes and rock mountains of Wadi Rum. Flights usually begin early in the morning and last for around an hour, but you should allow 2-3 hours for the whole experience. At 5.45am your guides will meet you at the visitors center and take you out to the starting point. The ground crew will pick you up at the end of your flight and bring you back to the visitors' center again. The balloon needs a minimum of 5 people to guarantee the flight. In case of bad weather the flight will be cancelled and a full refund will be given.

Inclusions: transport to and from the meeting point and the balloon flight
Price per person in USD: $185 (note this price is pending availability as it is based on the balloon minimum number (5 people) required to fly).

Alternatively, spend the late morning having a look round Amman. Jordan's capital is a real, living city, full of quirky neighborhoods, friendly people, and fabulous food. You can begin up at the citadel, where you can take in the views and explore the Roman and early Islamic ruins. Just downhill is the Roman theatre, built during the reign of Emperor Antonius but now embedded into modern Amman and still used for cultural and musical events. From here you can wander through the markets, maybe stopping in a local café to take in the street scenes, watch the old men playing backgammon, and try Arabic coffee and pastries. This is also a good chance to smoke the scented tobacco of the argeelah or hubbly bubbly.

Day 10 : DEPARTURE

MEALS: BREAKFAST
A single group transfer will be provided from your hotel to AMM Airport - a 40-minute drive. We wish you a safe homeward journey and hope to see you again in Jordan soon.

Inclusions

Transportation
Point to point transportation according to the itinerary above in a private car with an English speaking driver. Gas included. (the driver is not a guide).

Accommodation 
2nts in 4 star hotel, 2nts in 5 star hotel, 1nt in a boutique hotel, 2nts in Ajloun Reserve, 1nt in a desert camp in Wadi Rum, 1nt in an Eco lodge.

Meals
9 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch, 4 Dinners. (As per itinerary above; B= Breakfast, D= Dinner)

Activities
Sightseeing, Swimming, Jeep tour, Camel ride

Entrance fees
2 day pass to Petra, entrance fee to Wadi Rum.


Exclusions
Flights
Visa to Jordan
Travel insurance
Drinks
Tips

 


What to Take

During the trip your baggage will be carried by bus and by 4WD vehicles. The only baggage weight limit is that imposed by the airline. However, we ask that you restrict your luggage to one main bag plus a small daypack. In general we recommend that you travel as light as possible as this will make transiting between airports and carrying your bag to hotel rooms a lot easier for you. You may find that wheeled luggage is more convenient on a trip of this nature.

Temperatures in Jordan can be hot, with little rain from late spring through until late autumn. The heat can become extreme during the summer months of July and August. In the months of November to March it can be cool at night, particularly in the desert where the temperatures can drop to 5C or even less. Even in the hot months out in the desert it can get cold at night.

Jordan is a predominantly Muslim country and tends to be quite conservative, so you should dress accordingly. As a general guideline, shoulders and knees should be covered at all times.

A light water and windproof jacket is useful and a hat is essential. From mid November to late February, a sleeping bag is essential for your nights in the desert. At other times a sleeping sheet will suffice. Loose, lightweight, long clothing is both respectful and cool in the heat.

Check List

> Travel documents: passport, visa, travel insurance, air tickets etc.
> Health requirements arranged
> Money: travelers cheques/cash/credit card
> Money pouch
> First aid kit
> Backpack to carry your personal needs during the day(the type with a lower-back pad support and waist strap are very much recommended)
> Alarm clock and torch/flashlight (headlights are best)
> Insect repellent
> Ear plugs can be useful
> Tampons can be difficult to buy in rural areas or in the desert
> Lock for your bag
> Bedding - a bed sheet to be used over the mattress provided in the desert- the travel bed sack is even better
> Sleeping bag if you wish - mattresses and blankets are available in the desert
> Small travel towel - for use in the desert
> Your personal hygiene kit
> Toilet paper
> Eye shades
> Hiking shoes
> Foot powder or Vaseline can be useful against blisters.
> Sandals
> Light clothes; long sleeves and light colors are advisable in summer time
> A hat or head dress that also covers the neck
> Warm clothes for cooler nights
> Sun protection lotion
> Dates, fruits, or candy bars (to provide instant calories during outdoor activities)
> Water flask

> Insect repellent

 


Health
It is recommended that all travelers be in good physical health prior to embarking on a Terhaal trip as all our trips are active/adventurous. We also advise all our guests to consult their doctor beforehand. Group leaders reserve the right to exclude any guest from a trip whom they believe may be of an unjustifiable risk to themselves or to the rest of the group without refund.
Physical Preparation
This is an active holiday. It involves cycling and hiking in hilly country. That will require a decent level of fitness to be enjoyable. We recommend you objectively assess your fitness level in conjunction with reading the itinerary to ensure this trip is right for you.

Safety
Jordan is generally considered to be a very safe country however we recommend that you bear the following in mind when visiting:
Be sensible how you store or carry around your passport, wallet and any valuables.
During some parts of the trip you will be given some free time to wander around on your own, relax or explore at your own leisure; at these times we recommend that you use your good judgment as to what activity(s) you choose to do. Our Group Leader / guide will be ready at all times to help you decide how you spend your time.
Please make sure you have adequate footwear and clothing for the hiking trips you will be taking. Helmets will be provided during the trips when required.


Safety

Jordan is generally considered a safe country. There is very little petty crime here, especially in rural areas. However, we recommend you take normal precautions to ensure your safety and that of your belongings, as you would for any other destination. Take good care of your passport, wallet, and other valuables. In crowded streets, keep your bag closed and in front of you. There will be free time during this trip - you can always ask your local guides for their advice about where to go and what to avoid. Please make sure you have adequate footwear and clothing for the hiking trips you will be taking.


Hospitality 

Jordanians are famously friendly and welcoming towards guests, especially in rural areas. It is quite normal for Jordanians to invite foreigners in to drink tea or have a meal in the family home. Meeting the local people in spontaneous encounters of this sort is one of the great pleasures of travelling in Jordan.


Ramadan

During the month of Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating or drinking during daylight hours. Business hours are shortened, including opening hours at all tourist attractions. Alcohol is not permitted during daylight hours [except in 5-Star Hotels] and many restaurants will be closed. While you definitely need to expect some delays and inconveniences during this period, the month of Ramadan is a fantastic time to travel to Jordan as you'll be able to participate in the feasting and holiday atmosphere that follows the breaking of the fast as sunset each day. You'll also get to taste special sweets that are only baked for Ramadan. You do not have to fast, and no-one will expect you to; however, you should try to eat and drink discreetly, if possible, rather than in crowded public places.


Visas

Most nationalities are able to obtain a single-entry visa at the airport, at the land borders, or at the port in Aqaba, valid for 14 days and costing JOD 40. However, you should consult the Jordanian embassy in your home country to make sure you are not subject to any special visa requirements.


Departure tax

You will be required to pay a JOD 5 Departure Tax upon leaving Jordan (does not generally apply when exiting through airports, but travellers on some budget airlines may be required to pay it).


Money Exchange

The Jordanian Dinar is fixed at a rate of JOD 0.709 against USD 1.


Spending Money

It is difficult to say how much spending money you should bring as each person is different! However, you'll need some cash for any meals not included in the itinerary, plus snacks, drinks, gifts etc.


Emergency Funds

It is a good idea to have access to extra funds in case of any emergency (urgent healthcare / travel costs etc.). This is highly unlikely, of course, but best to be prepared.


Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is compulsory for all our trips. We require that, at a minimum, you are covered for medical expenses including emergency repatriation. We strongly recommend that the policy also covers personal liability, cancellation, curtailment, and loss of luggage and personal effects. When travelling on a group trip, you will not be permitted to join the group until evidence of travel insurance (and the insurance company's 24 hour emergency contact number) has been seen by your trip leader. If your insurance is provided through your credit card, your tour leader will require proof of purchase of the trip (a receipt or credit card statement) with the credit card in your name. Contact your bank for details of their participating insurer, the level of coverage and emergency contact telephone number.


Emergency Contact

In case of an emergency Terhaal's Amman Office can be reached on -

+962(0)77 751 5919
+962(0)79 879 5680

+962(0)79 778 4433
+962(0)79 5536351

Alternatively you can email [email protected]


Your Fellow Travelers

Group trips entail all the pleasures and occassionally some of the frustrations of travelling in a group. Your fellow travelers will probably come from all corners of the world and likely a range of age groups too. We ask you to be understanding of the group's needs and preferences. Patience and flexibility really help to create a relaxed and happy atmosphere. Please remember that you have responsibilities to the group. If you are requested to be at a place at a certain time, please don't keep the rest of the group waiting. We have found time and again that the best trips are those where the dynamics within the group work well - this takes just a little effort on your part. Many thanks in advance!


Responsible Travel

We believe in low impact or ‘positive impact' tourism. Broadly speaking, this means that we try to minimize the negative aspects of tourism on the local cultures and environments that we visit, while maximising the positive aspects of the encounter. Jordan is a small country with few natural resources. Water scarcity is a big issue in the region, so please go easy on the water. Terhaal designs these tours in a way that maximizes benefits for local communities. Whenever possible we hire local staff in the areas where we operate, and our guests stay in locally owned hotels. We also include some volunteering activities where appropriate, such helping farmers to harvest their olives. Terhaal also contributes towards efforts that strengthen environmental advocacy and the environmental education of Jordan's children.


A Couple of Rules

Illegal drugs will not be tolerated on our trips. Possessing or using drugs not only contravenes the laws of the land but also puts the rest of the group at risk. Our philosophy of travel is one of respect towards everyone we encounter, and in particular the local people who make your destinations such special places. Our group leader has the right to expel any member of the group if drugs are found in their possession. It is also unsafe to drink alcohol while out hiking / cycling, so please wait until you're back at the hotel to enjoy a drink.

 


Feedback

After your trip we hope you will send us your photos and any stories or feedback you may have. Your feedback not only helps us to improve the trips, but also helps other travelers to decide on the right tour for them. We would appreciate it if you could take a couple of minutes to complete our feedback form, just follow this link: http://www.terhaal.com/feedback-form 


Our blog

Our blog - ‘Treks & Trails of Jordan' - is a collection of stories posted by a variety of people that reflect the natural, environmental and cultural aspects of Jordan. It is also a great way to give feedback and to share your Jordan experience with others. All you need to do is write one or two paragraphs about your trip with Terhaal, attach some photos if available and send it to us at this email: team[at]terhaal.com
You can find the blog here -
blog.terhaal.com


Single Travelers

Our trips are designed with shared accommodation in mind whereby single travelers are paired with individuals of the same sex in twin shared accommodation. Forced singles are free of charge.
Single accommodation is available on request pending availability.