JERUSALEM 70ºF - 70ºF

Arrival at Tel Aviv airport. Welcome to Israel! Border procedures and transfer to the hotel in Jerusalem. Free time.

JERUSALEM 70ºF - 70ºF

Breakfast. Excursion to visit the New City of Jerusalem, seeing the Shrine of the Book in the Museum of Israel, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are displayed, and the model that represents the city of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. We will go through the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, then going toward Ein Karen, a picturesque neighborhood on the outskirts of the city to visit the Shrine of Saint John the Baptist. We will also see Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum and Memorial. In the afternoon, we will travel to BETHLEHEM, located behind the wall built in recent years to separate the two communities. We will take a Palestinian guide to visit the Church of the Nativity, the Grotto of the Manger and the Shepherds’ Field. Return to Jerusalem and accommodation.

JERUSALEM 70ºF - 70ºF

We include a visit to the old city of Jerusalem. Excursion by Mount Scopus toward the Mount of Olives. There is an extraordinary view of the walled Holy City from the top. We then continue to Gethsemane, the Basilica of the Agony. Departure toward the Old City. Visit to the Western Wall (Wailing Wall). We will continue along the Via Dolorosa to arrive at Calvary, the place where Christ was crucified, and to see the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We then go onward to Mount Zion to visit the Tomb of King David, the Cenacle (Hall of the Last Supper) and the Abbey of the Dormition. Accommodation in Jerusalem.

JERUSALEM 70ºF - 70ºF - SHEIKH HUSSEIN BRIDGE - JERASH 59ºF - 59ºF - AMMAN 57ºF - 57ºF

Breakfast. Early departure to border of Israel and Jordan. Arrival at Sheik Hussein Bridge to complete border and visa procedures. Welcome to Jordan! We explore the FORTRESS OF AJLUN, an imposing castle dating back to the 12th century. In this area, Muslims and Orthodox Christians have always lived together. We visit the historic CHURCH OF SAINT SERGIUS. Shall we all pray for peace? Lunch included. We continue to JERASH to visit its impressive Roman archaeological site. We then travel to AMMAN. Arrival and accommodation.NOTE: The Sheik Hussein border must be crossed on a special bus for this purpose. This costs around $3 per person, which must be paid directly by the passengers themselves.IMPORTANT NOTE: There are customs regulations upon arrival in JORDAN that prohibit the entry of religious objects. These objects can be withdrawn from the passenger without prior notice and without any compensation. Europamundo is not responsible if this happens.FEES: Each country requires an entry/exit fee that passengers must pay directly at their destination. For guidance purposes, these are the fees/visa fees that may apply (prices subject to change without notice): Israel: $32 (Departure Fee to Jordan); Jordan: 40 dinars/$60 (Sheik Hussein Border visa).

AMMAN 57ºF - 57ºF - MADABA 57ºF - 59ºF - AMMAN 57ºF - 57ºF

We will depart towards the CASTLES OF THE DESERT, built between the 7th and 8th centuries. We will visit QASR KHARANA, with its imposing structure of thick walls and the QUSAYR AMRA World Heritage Site, notable for its remarkable frescoes. Then, we travel to MADABA, lunch is included. We will visit the Madaba Archaeological Park, which we cross via an ancient Roman road, and the Church of St. George, with its fantastic 6th Century mosaic representing the oldest known map of the Holy Land. We continue to MOUNT NEBO, where Moses stopped to look over the Promised Land. Return to Amman. Arrival and free time.

AMMAN 57ºF - 57ºF - BETHANY 75ºF - 75ºF - DEAD SEA

We leave for BETHANY on the banks of the River Jordan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; this is where John the Baptist baptised Jesus. Then we visit the DEAD SEA MUSEUM, which an impressive Panorama Complex. Lunch is included. Arriving at our hotel at the DEAD SEA, do not forget to take a dip in the saltiest sea and lowest altitude on earth. Dinner and accommodation included.

DEAD SEA - SHOUBAK - PETRA 57ºF - 57ºF

Exciting section in the heart of Jordan. We ascend to the historic King´s Road, which tells us about the Moab Kingdom of the Bible. At the top of a hill we will be surprised by the castle of KARAK (entrance included), an impressive example of military architecture of the twelfth century. It soon became one of the most important fortresses between Jerusalem and Aqaba. Arrival at DANA, a small picturesque town of stone houses on a huge cliff. Lunch is included. We continue along the King´s Route to SHOBAK, where we take photographs (outside only) of the great Crusader Castle. We continue to WADI MUSA (the site around Petra). We will explore the MOSES SPRING, where Moses is said to have tapped the rock with his rod and the water gushed out, and the Petra Museum, an excellent exhibition that enables us to learn about the history of the Nabateans and to see magnificent pieces found in the area. Dinner and accommodation. Any travelers who wish can go to an old Turkish bath or see a light and sound show in Petra.

PETRA 57ºF - 57ºF - WADI RUM

Today we have the most exciting day of the trip: First, we visit the impressive archaeological site of PETRA, which is accessed through a narrow canyon, and discover the temples and tombs excavated on the cliffs in this city that was founded 300 years before Christ. After lunch (included) we leave for the impressive desert of WADI RUM. At the Visitor Centre we board 4x4 vehicles to visit some of the most impressive landscapes. We stop in the town of RUM to visit the ruins of the Nabatean temple. We include a 45-minute camel ride through the desert. We will also visit the Khazali Canyon. In this spectacular place, we will see the engravings that reveal the origins of the Arabic language. Dinner and accommodation included in a desert camp.

WADI RUM - TABUK 75ºF - 75ºF

Today we enter a country that until very recently has been closed to tourism. Only 120 km separate us from the border of SAUDI ARABIA (Halat Ammar). In this route we will see landscapes of great beauty in the desert. Border procedures and continuation to TABUK. This region is famous for its export of flowers to Europe. On the way, we will stop at a farm where we will have the opportunity to see various crops of plants and flowers.We visit this city of over half a million inhabitants, active provincial capital and one of the oldest cities in the country. We will go to the old train station, today a museum that preserves the steam engines that connected Damascus with Medina. We will visit the castle whose origin is 3500 years before Christ, and inside it, a museum tells the history of the castle and the city, from the great explorers who visited it, such as Ibn Battuta, to the pilgrims who stopped to drink from the fountains on their way to Mecca or Medina. After the visit, we will enter the Mud House Museum, a recreation of the interior of an adobe house where we will learn what traditional life was like in the past in this type of housing. Subsequently we walk through the active commercial area of the city center.

TABUK 75ºF - 75ºF - AL ULA

Note: The Al-‘Ula region is one of the most beautiful areas in the world, however its hotel infrastructure is extremely limited. On some occasions we can leave Al-’Ula around 19hrs to Medina -staying two nights in this city-.We will leave Tabuk early, travel to one of the most spectacular places in the world: The region and oasis of AL-’ULA: an authentic open-air museum surrounded by nature, where you will find rock formations, canyons and ravines that compete with the majestic treasures carved by its ancient inhabitants. After landscapes of great beauty, we will visit the enclosure of HEGRA (Madain Saleh), declared World Heritage by UNESCO, of Nabataean culture "the Other Petra" amazes us with its tombs excavated in the rock in a desert environment full of mystery. Lunch included. We will have free time to stroll and enjoy its comercial streets, and its magnificent Oasis. At dusk we will go to The Elephant Rock, "Jabal Al Fil" an impressive geomorphological phenomenon, a 52 meters high rock in the shape of an Elephant. Dinner included.Note: The order of visits may vary without affecting their content.

AL ULA - MEDINA 81ºF - 81ºF

We will leave in the morning, still enjoying the beautiful landscapes of the Al-’Ula region. We travel to the holy city of MEDINA, "the luminous city". We are in an imposing historical destination, one of the two most sacred cities of Islam, a destination to which millions of pilgrims arrive every year and a city forbidden for non-Muslims until very recently; respect for its inhabitants and beliefs and proper dress code is required. In the afternoon we will visit the Al Madinah Museum that allows us to understand a little the history of the city. At the end of the afternoon, we will go to see -from outside- the Al Masjid mosque, built by the prophet himself and place where he is buried, we will not be able to avoid feeling a surge of emotions when we observe the thousands of people who enter at the time of prayer. Dinner included.

MEDINA 81ºF - 81ºF

We will explore Medina. We will walk around the immense Prophet´s Mosque (Al Masjid an Nabawi), an amazing and luminous mosque of ten minarets with a capacity for one million visitors.. On the hill of UHUD, an important pilgrimage site, where the prophet´s forces clashed with Meccan troops. You can walk through its vast esplanade and climb the hill but remember to do so in silence and respecting the hundreds of pilgrims surrounding us at any given time. At the Mosque of Quba, in the year 622, the prophet and his followers laid the first stone of what was to be the first mosque in history, although the present building is more recent. From here, we will walk to the nearby garden and well of Ethiq where the different tribes of the place went out to drink water and greet the Prophet and his companions recently arrived in Medina after their persecution in Mecca. Afterwards we will have some free time in the city center to stroll around the shopping areas or -if you wish- visit the Hejaz Railway Museum (in the former Ottoman railway station).Transfer to the airport and end of the tour. Check the time of your flight in case you need an additional night.