Jordan Photo Tour with Steve Razzetti

Day 1: Arrive in Amman

Rendezvous at the group hotel in Amman. A single timed group transfer from Amman Airport is provided. This transfer is normally in the late evening and a representative of our local agent will accompany the group on the 30 minute journey to the hotel. KE Land Only package services begin with the overnight at the group hotel. Meals included: None

Day 2: Amman and Jerash

After breakfast at the hotel, we have a short orientation tour of downtown Amman, with a first stop at the hilltop ‘Citadel’ where there is a collection of Roman remains including 2 or 3 limestone pillars. This is a good viewpoint and looks out over the city. There has been a settlement on this hill since neolithic times and we can visit the nearby Jordan Archaeological Museum to see some of the most interesting artefacts. We will also pay a visit to the Roman theatre, built during the reign of Marcus Aurelius in about 170AD. Its well preserved and has an impressive bank of seating, built into the hillside and accommoding 6000 people. Heading north and leaving the city, it is just 40 minutes drive to the archaeological site known as Jerash. We will spend several hours at the site, which has both Roman and Greek remains, dating from the 3rd century BC. Plenty of opportunity to take some great photographs. Returning to Amman in the afternoon we spend a second night at the group hotel. Meals included: Breakfast (B)

Day 3: To Wadi Rum

After breakfast, we set off by minibus for the morning's drive southwards to Wadi Rum. The Desert Highway runs alongside the railway line which was famously blown up by Lawrence of Arabia during the Great War. Turning off the main highway, the scenery becomes more dramatic as we approach the sandstone ‘jebels’ that characterise the Wadi Rum region. Arriving at the new Visitor Centre in Wadi Rum, we will meet our Bedouin hosts and stop off for lunch at a simple restaurant. After lunch, we will walk through the village and make the half-hour hike up to 'Lawrence's Well' in Wadi Shelaala. This is a great place and has some of the only running water that you are likely to see during your time in Jordan, as well as fig trees, gardens and grinning Bedouin kids and their goats. This is the spring where Lawrence of Arabia bathed when in Wadi Rum and it corresponds exactly to the description he gave. It is a delightful spot, perhaps 150 metres above the village, with a great view out over the valley. We will spend a little time in this peaceful place, before continuing our walk on a wide and rocky ledge across the face of Jebel Rum. The great expanse of desert on our left side is called Ghor al Ajram and was the place where all the tents were set up for Abu Tayi’s 'party' in the film Lawrence of Arabia. As an introduction to Wadi Rum, this short walk cannot be bettered and provides super photo opportunities. After 2 hours or so, this route takes us down to the desert sand at Abu Aina. Spring water has been channelled into troughs here and the camels that roam around the desert during the day come to drink here before returning to the village or to the desert for the night. Here, we meet our transport for the half-hour drive to our camping place at the mouth of Wadi Um Ishrin. At the entrance of this valley a large dune has built up and our camp is hidden behind this. Tea and biscuits will be served and there will be chance to do some exploring before dinner. As it gets dark, around the campfire you will meet the team of helpers, learn their names and exchange banter with them. An important part of this trekking holiday is to get to know something about the extraordinary people who are the Bedouin of Wadi Rum. Supper usually consists of grilled meat and vegetables, perhaps chicken with rice and vegetables cooked in the embers of the fire. The Bedouin prefer to cook on a fire rather than a gas ring. The main dish will be followed by fruit, or possibly by cake. There will be a different evening meal every day and on one occasion there will be a chance to eat as the Bedouin do, using your fingers to eat from a communal tray. In all cases, provision is made for the vegetarians in the party. (B,D)

Day 4: Desert exploration – Burdah Bridge

The itinerary that we have set up is easy-paced and there is no need to make too early a start. Breakfast will usually be under way by 7 a.m. and this consists of bread, sometimes heated on the fire, a choice of jams, cheese and halva, as well as eggs, either served as an omelette or hard boiled. Tea is supplied in quantity and Nescafe is also available. Anybody who wishes can pocket a snack for later. Usually fruit is available also for this. In this area, we are likely to see griffon vultures soaring from the high cliffs as the sun rises in the sky and the thermals created by the rock walls become active. After breakfast, we will board our vehicles for the short drive to Jebel Burdah, which leads through Khor Al Ajram, a wide valley with magnificent cliffs and high sand dunes. These cliffs are the site of many world class climbing routes and we may see climbers in action. On the way to Jebel Burdah, we pass a particularly fine and very old rock inscription which shows a camel caravan. High up on Jebel Burdah is the Burdah Bridge and those with a good head for heights can scramble up onto the bridge. Our guide will show us the best route through a maze of blind alleys and dead ends. There are some steeper sections and you will need to use your hands at times. A jumble of rocks leads to a small plateau, through a valley and then over a steep slab. From here, we turn a corner into a hidden gulley that provides us with a wonderful view of the bridge above. Obligatory photo stop, with magnificent views extending over the whole area of Wadi Rum. Back on the desert floor after a 3-hour round-trip, we meet our vehicles and have lunch in the shade. Fruit juice and tea/coffee will be waiting for us. Lunch is usually a lighter meal than supper, very often heavier on vegetables than meat. After a siesta, we will drive through desert canyons and past some impressively eroded cliffs to a second rock arch that forms a part of Jebel Um Frith, another interesting landscape feature to photograph. We will then continue our drive to the Sleibaat area. This area is a higher land and overlooks Wadi Um Sabata, which has red sand and sandstone, in contrast to the other areas of yellow sands. The views here are amazing with a fine perspective on the unique shape of Jabal Al Qattar. We set up camp next to one of the Sleibaat mountains. At camp, jugs of water will be available for those who want to find a quiet corner and wash off the desert dust. (B,L,D)

Day 5: Desert exploration - Jebel Khasch

Our camp offers fine sunrise views and an early start will pay dividends. Then, after breakfast, we will drive to the southern part of Wadi Rum, to the mountain known as Jebel Khasch. Here, we start out hiking through an interesting rocky valley with some sparse vegetation, before negotiating easy rocky slabs as our route twists and turns to the plateau area beneath the highest rocky piles of this massif. We will choose a prominent summit as our high point (1700m) and enjoy views which extend on all sides across the desert landscape. We can see Jebel Um Adaami (1830m), the highest summit in Jordan and the mountains of Saudi Arabia away to the south.. another great photo opportunity! Descending towards the west through another rocky valley, we will effectively made a traverse of Jebel Khasch which takes around 4 hours. There are some great rock colours, blues and purples, as we finally reach a sandy wadi and meet up with our vehicles for lunch. After lunch, we can walk through Wadi Nughra with a fascinating view to the Wadi Saabit in the west. A 30 minute transfer then takes us north to our fixed Bedouin campsite close to Um Sabata. Dinner tonight is a traditional Bedouin dish of chicken or lamb, cooked in an underground oven. These ovens are often improvised in the desert, dug out and lined with a metal drum, before a fire is lit inside and the oven heated for a couple of hours. The meat and vegetables are placed on the embers and sand heaped high over the oven. A couple more hours and the dish is ready. The cooks will start this dish before we arrive, but you can see the finished product being brought out. (B, L, D)

Day 6: Drive to Petra and afternoon visit

After breakfast at camp, we meet our transport for the drive out of Wadi Rum, back to the Desert Highway and on to the town of Wadi Musa, the gateway to Petra. After checking in at our hotel, we have an afternoon sightseeing visit to the ancient city of Petra, accompanied by a knowledgeable English-speaking guide. At the Visitor Centre, we pick up our tickets and set off through the narrow 'Siq' which leads to the heart of this site. The Petra fees, which are included in the trip cost, allow you to ride a horse for the first few hundred metres of the approach to the site - it's up to you whether you want to take advantage of this! Petra was created by the Nabataeans, an industrious people of Arab descent who came to this part of Jordan some 2000 years ago. Ancient Petra was occupied for around 400 years at around the time of Christ. It appears that the city lay entirely deserted and forgotten for a period of approximately 300 years before its more recent rediscovery in 1812. Approaching through the gloomy kilometre-long chasm of the Siq provides a dramatic contrast as we reach arguably the most spectacular of the city's rock-hewn buildings, the magnificent Treasury, with its intricately carved facade. There are over 800 individual monuments at Petra, including temples, tombs, arched gateways and entire streets, carved from the colourful native sandstone. Other highlights are the High Place of Sacrifice, which offers views across the whole area, and the Monastery that is even bigger than the Treasury and is reached by way of 800 steps. We spend a second night at our hotel in Wadi Musa. (B)

Day 7: Morning at Petra, then drive north to Madaba

In the morning, there is the chance to make a second visit to Petra and an early start is recommended so that you can catch the first light on the Treasury. There are lots of opportunities for good photography close to the Treasury, from the ornately uniformed guards to colourful camels and trinket stalls. Walking out through the Siq at lunchtime, we will meet our transport for the drive north to Madaba. After around 2 hours we will have a stop at the Dead Sea. This inland sea has a high salt concentration and its mineral-rich waters and sticky black mud are supposed to have curative powers. The Dead Sea is also the lowest point on earth at over 400 metres below sea level. Continuing our drive, we will reach the pleasant town of Madaba and our hotel. There will be some time before dinner to do some sightseeing, with the most stand-out attraction being the Greek Orthodox Church of St George, which is home to a famous 6th century mosaic map of the Holy Land. Set into the floor of the church, the mosaic presents a colourful picture of Jerusalem and its holy sites, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dead Sea, Jericho and the Jordan River. It provides a fascinating and very early map of the region. Overnight at the group hotel in Madaba. (B)

Day 8: Depart Amman, arrive UK

If you are on the British Midland flight we start early with a group transfer to the airport in time to check in for a breakfast time flight. If you are on the evening Easy Jet flight an airport transfer is also provided. (B)