Private Touring
to the
Most Intriguing Place
on Earth

Visit Jordan.

As the site of the first experiment of humans establishing a permanent settlement (around 7,000 B.C.E. in Jericho) Jordan can claim the roots of all we recognize today as civilization.  Civilizations and cultures have since streamed in and through this country, settling in the fertile Jordan Valley and roaming the remote desert.  Jordan’s history, its culture, its people and its proximity make it an enticing addition to an Egyptian Adventure.

You can fly from Cairo to Amman, Jordan’s bustling, clean and modern capital, or arrive by ferry from Nuweiba crossing the Gulf of Aqaba.  From either point access to Jordan’s primary tourist attraction is a matter of a few hours’ travel and worth every second of it.  Petra is a rarity, a place where the hands of Nature and of man have seamlessly collaborated to produce a radiant rose-colored marvel.  Carved into and out of the red coral sandstone, Petra presents a powerful combination of ancient Nabataean monuments and awesome natural scenery.  Sculpted from the rock 2,000 years ago, the Nabataeans created a peaceful crossroads of nascent international trade between the Eastern and Western cultures of the time.  While a week would be needed to visit all the highlights of the almost 40 square mile Petra basin, 2 full days allows enough time for the central monuments:  the dramatic “Treasury,” tombs, temples, theaters and waterworks.  Entry through the ¾ mile long mountain fissure “siq” at dusk either on foot or horseback makes a travel memory for a lifetime.

Another spectacular visual display is Wadi Rum, conceivably the most magnificent desert landscape in the world.  “Wadi” (valley) Rum, the place labeled by Lawrence of Arabia as “vast and echoing and God-like,” can be visited by hired 4-wheel drive, with Bedouin driver/guide, on foot or by camel.  Here crags and peaks and rocks formed in the early Paleozoic period were tossed and catapulted by the same upheaval that created the Great Rift Valley some 30 million years ago.  Weird wind-eroded formations catch and angle the desert sun.  This is the world of the Bedouin and is as enigmatic a place as the people who call it home.

Amman, with half of the country’s 4 million inhabitants, is a modern beneficiary of the economic oil boom in the 1970’s.  Its highly educated population is probably its largest economic resource and Jordanian professionals contribute expertise throughout the Arab world and beyond.  The city is easily walkable and within the space of a few thousand yards you can visit Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and Arab antiquities.  Excellent dining, exciting shops and fascinating museums add to the draw of this colorful, courteous and very safe destination.

Again, we recommend a good guide book as a take-along to get the most from your Jordanian sojourn; Insight Guides is one of our favorites…comprehensive, informative without being overwhelming and very readable.