Day 01: Arrive Amman

Ahlan Wasahlan is Arabic for “Welcome”. Upon our arrival at Amman International Airport we are warmly welcomed and transferred to our hotel. Check in from 1500 hrs. The balance of the day is free for you to recover from your flight.
Overnight: The Sanrock by Le Reve Hotel (1 night)

Day 02: Amman/Madaba

To get a good feel of Jordan, we start with an orientation tour of the capital city, Amman.  Our guided tour will take us to the ancient Roman Theater, the medieval Citadel and the old & modern parts of the city.  Then we continue to visit the market and historical town of Madaba. Madaba is best known for a unique collection of Byzantine-era mosaics. The most famous of these is the mosaic map on the floor of St George’s Church. In the afternoon we take delivery of our professional mountain bikes and have time with our biking guide to go over logistics for the next few days.
Overnight: Madaba Grand Hotel (1 night) (B, D)

Day 03: Madaba/Mt. Nebo/Dead Sea

Today is a big day. We start on this exciting biking adventure with our cyclist guide abd support vehicles all geared up. Our first destination is Mt. Nebo, which is a short easy 10Kms ride.  This is the place where, according to the final chapter of the book of Deuteronomy, Moses ascended to view the Promised Land. According to Christian tradition, Moses was buried on the mountain, although his place of burial has not been specified. A serpentine cross sculpture, which is on top of Mount Nebo was created by Italian artist Giovanni Fantoni. It is symbolic of the Bronze serpent created by Moses in the Wilderness and the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. After lunch we continue our cycling to the world famous Dead Sea – a 29 Kms. ride. We check in to the resort and enjoy the many amenities it has to offer including a very unique experience where you get to float in the Dead Sea.
Overnight: Dead Sea Ramada Hotel (1 night) (B, L, D)

Day 04: Dead Sea/Kerak/Petra

Today we cycle southbound along the Dead Sea Road to Kerak (90Kms) – this road is an uphill, winding/zigzag road.  The scenery is spectacular and we will have multiple photo stops. Our next major sightseeing stop will be at the medieval Kerak Castle – one of the larges crusader castles in the Levant. Construction of the castle began in the 1140s.  After a lunch break we switch to the vehicle for what is rightly called, the most incredible site in the Middle East, Petra.  To get there, we will descend into the Valley of Moses. Petra was established as early as 312 BC as the capital city of the Nabateans. It is Jordan’s most visited tourist attraction and has been a UNESCO world Heritage site since 1985. The site remained unknown to the western world until 1812, when Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burkhardt re-discovered it.
Overnight: Petra Grand View Hotel (2 nights) (B, L, D)

Day 05: Petra

No visit to the Middle East is complete without an exploration of this incredible site. This morning we will start with a walking tour of Petra. Entering through a narrow gorge carved in sandstones. At the end of the path, we will be rewarded with the most stunning view of the treasury, made famous in the movie “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”. The Petra Basin boasts over 800 individual monuments including buildings, tombs, funerary halls, temples, arched gateways and colonnaded streets.  The afternoon is free to stroll through Petra town, meet the locals and maybe have a cup of Arabian coffee. (B, L, D)

Day 06: Petra/Roberts Rock

We start with a short drive to Taybeh. Here we switch back to our bikes and ride on a fairly comfortable terrain for 40 kms to the small town of Massudah.  We break here for lunch at a local restaurant before we cycle downhill to Wadi Araba. This ride will be along the Nakeb Masaouda, a very impressive off-road trek that served as a Nabatean trade route in ancient times. We next arrive at Robert’s Rock. The Scottish artist David Roberts came to Petra in 1839. He is famous for his collection of lithographs of Petra and the Holy Land. One of his drawings of the monuments near Petra features a watchtower, which in the early days was used to control the trade routes. Nowadays the local people call this spot Roberts' Rock. We make camp near this historic site because tonight we will sleep in tents under the desert sky. You can also join our cook if you wish to and learn about Jordanian cuisine.
Overnight: Camping (1 night) (B, L, D)

Day 07: Roberts Rock/Aqaba

Today is another incredible day of cycling in this historic land. We begin by cycling to the beautiful Red Sea port of Aqaba (115Kms). Aqaba, whilst being a beautiful town, also contains sites reflecting human habitation going back to 4000 BCE. All through history Aqaba has been in a strategic location at the junction of trading routes between Asia, Africa and Europe. Aqaba offers many optional sea activities and the town gives you a view into a different aspect of Jordanian life and culture. The rest of the day is free to enjoy and explore this beautiful city.
Overnight: Aqaba Marina Plaza Hotel (2 nights) (B, L, D)

Day 08: Excursion to Wadi Rum

One cannot leave Jordan without seeing the incredible Wadi Rum. So today we get into our vehicles to visit Wadi Rum. This area has been inhabited by many cultures since prehistoric times, including the Nabateans. To the west, Wadi Rum may be best known for its connections with the British officer T. E. Lawrence. Lawrence of Arabia, as he is sometimes better known, passed through the valley several times during the Arab Revolt of 1917–1918. In the 1980’s one of the rock formations in Wadi Rum was named “The Seven Pillars of Wisdom”, after Lawrence's book which was penned in the aftermath of the war, although there was no connection to Wadi Rum in the book. Nonetheless, we will enjoy another adventure as we take a two-hour desert safari on our 4x4’s jeep visiting Lawrence spring, Khazali Mountains and the dunes.  This will be followed by lunch cooked by the local inhabitants of Wadi Rum before we return to Aqaba where we can enjoy the city’s nightlife. (B, L, D)

Day 09: Depart Aqaba/Amman

Today is unfortunately out last day. So after a unique biking adventure in the heart of the land where it all began, we are driven from Aqaba to Amman Airport for our departure flight. (B)

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner

Departure Dates & Prices

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Notes

Inclusions

Participants

This tour operates on a minimum of 20 participants

Customised Itinerary

If you would like to have a tour on dates other than the above ones or with a customised itinerary, please contact us and we will be happy to work out an exclusive program for you.

Contact Info
You may e-mail us at bestway@bestway.com or call 1-604-264-7378. Residents of U.S.A./Canada may call us toll free at 1-800-663-0844.

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