Jewels of Jordan Discovery

• A glorious mix - crusader castles, ancient temples, world-famous mosaics, majestic peaks and desert dunes
• Rose-red city of Petra - one of the SevenWonders of the New World
• Spectacular Wadi Rum at sunset; 2000-year old temples at Jerash; Byzantine mosaics at Madaba
• Float in the Dead Sea; relax by the Red Sea!
• Traditional Bedouin villages unchanged for centuries

In the main, this is a gentle one-boot holiday, with no strenuous walking, however we have built in some optional short two-boot sections (in Petra and the desert) for people wanting a slightly more challenging edge to the trip. The itinerary has been carefully planned to avoid the heat of the day by starting early where necessary, and includes all the main attractions at a civilized pace. Key to this is our guide, Dig Bulmer. A Scot by birth, Dig grew up in the Far East and New Zealand, before returning to live in the Highlands of Scotland. He has been running holidays to Jordan and various other destinations for over 20 years, and his easy-going expertise will help everyone get the most from the trip.

We have selected three modern and comfortable hotels in Jordan: Hotel Retaj in Amman, the Kingsway Hotel, with its impressive mosaic mural, just ten minutes' from Petra, and the **** Aqaba Gulf Hotel, which boasts a large outdoor freshwater swimming pool surrounded by lovely landscaped gardens. All the hotels are air-conditioned, usually serving buffet meals which combine both local specialities and international dishes. Lunches are either bought daily from local shops, or taken at our favourite local restaurants.

We travel by air-conditioned mini-bus throughout (apart from in Wadi Rum where we use a jeep or camels) and, to avoid busier and hotter times at the main visitor sites, there are some early starts. However, these are usually compensated by a lazy late afternoon by the hotel pool or relaxing in the cool of your room.