The Best of Jordan and Syria

Tour these great lands of Arabia and the Near East in 10 Days

See the top sights in Jordan & Syria on this fully escorted tour, including Amman, Petra, Wadi Rum . We'll show you the wonders of fabled Syria--Roman citadels, Biblical sites, great Omayyad mosques--and the ancient/modern city of Damascus . WE have even included all the tips

Compare with the 9-day private touring : Daily Arrival

DAY 1 - AMMAN - Thursday - Weekly - Year Round
Our staff will meet you upon arrival and help with the transfer to your hotel in Amman .Complimentary visa is issued upon arrival for American, EU & Japanese passport holders. Passport must be valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival. Arriving at Aqaba by sea from Egypt, Sinai ? Please click here . Start from Athens , Greece ? or start in Damascus ?

DAY 2 - MADABA, KERAK & PETRA - Friday (BD)
We drive south along the King's Highway, an ancient caravan route, to Madaba to visit the church containing the oldest known map of 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 .

DAY 3 - PETRA - Saturday (BD)
Today the fabulous Nabatean City of Petra awaits us. Made famous in the Indiana Jones movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark," its ancient temples, tombs and striking Khazneh (Treasury) were hewn right from the pink and violet sandstone. We spend a full day here, and another night.

Now open in Petra, The Petra Kitchen is a delightful way to round out your Jordan travel experiences. Like any home kitchen, The Petra Kitchen is a relaxed, informal atmosphere where you’ll gather to prepare an evening meal, working alongside local women under the supervision of our chef.

Each evening meal includes soup, cold and hot mezza and salads, and a main course—all typical Jordanian dishes. You will have get an inside glimpse of the secrets behind the famous regional cuisine of the Levant.

The Petra Kitchen offers an evening of learning, fun and a very special dining experience, with each dish gaining the special flavor of a reward well-earned. Great care has been taken to make The Petra Kitchen a truly Jordanian experience—right down to the furnishings, all crafted in Jordan, the tableware, all produced by the Iraq al Amir Women’s Co-operative, and the aprons and table linens, all hand-embroidered by the Jordan River Foundation. The rate includes the cuisine course, meal and all non-alcoholic beverages as well as take-home recipes for all dishes prepared that evening.

DAY 4- WADI RUM & Syria /Bosra - Sunday (BD)
We board four-wheel-drive vehicles for an expedition to Wadi Rum, the "Valley of the Moon" where T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") organized Arab resistance to Ottoman rule during World War I. After our visit, proceed to to The Syrian border, visit Bosra before continuing to Damascus.

For American , Australian , NZ , EU , Canadian & Japanese citizens, visa will be issued upon arrival at the border , your passport must be valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of arrival, our local rep will escort you to your hotel.

Syria will not issue you a visa , if your passport has any Israeli stamps or visa for Israel, you are responsible for ensuring that your passport is valid and in order .

Do you Speak THE LANGUAGE OF THE JESUS IN THE LAND OF THE BOOK ? Visit Maaloula in Syria . Jordanian departure tax is included in our rate.

DAY 5 - DAMASCUS Monday (B)
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 a window from which disciples lowered St. Paul so he could escape those who sought to kill him (Acts 9:24-25).

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.

DAY 6 - PALMYRA Tuesday (BD)
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 settling in at our Palmyra hotel.

DAY 7 - KRAK DES CHEVALIERS, HAMA & ALEPPO Wednesday (BD)
Get your camera ready, for today we see the famously photogenic Krak des Chevaliers, the most spectacular 12th-century Crusaders' castle of all. From this marvel of military architecture we head north to Hama, one of Syria's prettiest towns, to see its great norias (water wheels), some up to 65 feet in diameter, scooping water from the fabled Orontes River. We continue to Aleppo for the night.

DAY 8 - ALEPPO Thursday (BD)
The sights of Aleppo (Halab) include the Grand Mosque, the vast Ottoman bazaar, the 12th-century Citadel, and a camel caravanserai. We visit them all, then continue to the church (Qala'at Samaan) built to honor the Byzantine ascetic St. Simeon Stylites, who lived atop a column for over 35 years in the 5th century. We return to our comfortable Aleppo hotel for the night.

DAY 9 - SERGELLA, APAMEA, MAALULA & DAMASCUS Friday (BD)
We head south to Sergella, one of the 500 Dead Cities, fabled ghost towns built between the 4th and 7th centuries which were abandoned mysteriously around the 9th century. Our next stop is Apamea (Qala'at al-Mudiq), the Hellenistic "city of a thousand columns" built by Seleucus I Nicator in the 2nd century BC and named in honor of his wife. We continue to Maalula, where villagers still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus, for a visit to the chapel of St. Sergius, before returning to Damascus for the night.

DAY 10 - DEPARTURE Saturday (B)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home. Departure tax included .
Add the Dead Sea ? Please click here. ? Please click here . Extend to Dubai & the United Arab Emirates . Salam & Bon Voyage . Check Baptism site in Jordan

RATES per person: in US

This tour operates each Wednesday from Amman, year round

Hotels in Syria - For the Five Stars modest Deluxe ( or similar)
The Hotels in Syria may not be meeting same standard for 5 & four stars

• Damascus : Damascus Cham Palace Hotel , 5 Stars .
  
• Palmyra , Palmyra Cham Palace Hotel , 5 Stars.
  
• Aleppo : Chahaba Cham Palace hotel , 5 Stars

Your Locally escorted tour includes:

• All transfers, and guided sightseeing as per itinerary.
  
• Accommodation with breakfast daily .
  
• Pre-set menu meals (as indicated in the itinerary) : B= Breakfast. L = Lunch . D = Dinner
  
• Services of local professional guides throughout the tour
  
• Admission fees to museums and sites as detailed in the itinerary .
  
• Jordanian departure tax.
  
• Syrian departure tax .
  
• Complimentary visa for Jordan as well as Syria is issued upon arrival for EU , Australian, NZ, Canadian, American & Japanese passport holders. Passport must be valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival.

  Syria will not issue you a visa , if your passport has any Israeli stamps or visa for Israel, you are responsible for ensuring that your passport is valid and in order .

• Tips to hotel and restaurant staff, drivers and guides

The tour does not include:

• International airfare from / to your home country .
• Travel Insurance
• Personal expenditures (beverages, laundry, special meals, etc.)

More Choices :

Combine this tour with any Travel in Style tour to Egypt, or Turkey for an even more exciting vacation adventure.

• Add the Dead Sea Tour in Jordan .

• Return to Dubai Index Page .
  
• Tour Syria & Egypt in 12-days including a Nile cruise .
  
• Jordan and Dubai Tour in a Week .
  
• Petra and Palmyra : Jordan and Syria : the 14-Days Edition with air fare from NYC .
  
• Tour Jordan , Syria and Egypt : An 18-Day Arabian Adventure
  

• Sultans , Caliphs and Pharaohs : Tour Turkey , Jordan and Egypt : (17 Days)
  Includes a Deluxe Dahabiya Yacht Nile Cruise , add Anatolia in a 32-Day version
  
  
• Add Alexandria, Memphis , Sakkara in Egypt and even camping with the Bedouins in Wadi Rum