Petra & Wadi Rum: The Rose-Red City & the Valley of the Moon

Today you journey south to Petra, through beautiful and dramatic landscapes. You travel along the ancient, scenic King's Highway (or the faster Desert Highway), perhaps stopping at the great Crusader castle of Kerak, dramatically set on a hilltop with its dungeons, halls and history, or at Madaba and Mount Nebo, taking in the beautiful landscapes and rich history along the way. You arrive at Petra in the afternoon, settling into your hotel near the ancient city. This evening, if it is a Petra by Night evening, you experience the magical candlelit walk through the Siq to the Treasury glowing in the flickering light of thousands of candles, an enchanting and atmospheric experience. As the day ends, you rest near the rose-red city, filled with anticipation of exploring one of the wonders of the world over the coming days. Rest well, ready to enter Petra tomorrow.

Today you explore the extraordinary ancient city of Petra, one of the wonders of the world. You enter through the Siq, a narrow, winding gorge over a kilometre long, which opens dramatically upon the Treasury (Al-Khazneh), Petra's most famous monument, its magnificent facade carved into rose-red sandstone, an unforgettable first sight. You explore the vast ancient Nabatean city, the Street of Facades, the Roman theatre, the Royal Tombs, the colonnaded street and temples, and, for the energetic, climb the many steps to the great Monastery (Ad-Deir), one of Petra's largest and most spectacular monuments, with breathtaking views. The scale, artistry and mystery of Petra are overwhelming, and your guide brings its extraordinary history vividly to life. As the day ends, you return to your hotel, awed by the rose-red city. Rest well, ready to discover more of Petra's wonders tomorrow.

Today you explore more of Petra, then journey to the desert of Wadi Rum. In the morning you return to Petra to explore its dramatic trails and quieter corners, perhaps climbing to the High Place of Sacrifice with its sweeping views and altars, exploring the back route to the Monastery, or discovering tombs and canyons away from the main path, experiencing the vast ancient city in more depth and tranquillity. You might also visit Little Petra (Siq al-Barid) nearby, with its carved facades and painted cave. In the afternoon you journey to Wadi Rum, the 'Valley of the Moon', meeting your Bedouin hosts and setting off into the vast desert by 4x4, weaving among towering mountains and red dunes and watching a spectacular sunset. As night falls, you arrive at your Bedouin desert camp, dining beneath a canopy of brilliant stars. Rest well amid the magical silence of the desert.

Today you explore the vast, cinematic desert of Wadi Rum in depth. With your Bedouin guides, you journey by 4x4 among the towering sandstone mountains, red dunes and dramatic rock formations, visiting rock bridges, canyons, springs and ancient Nabatean and Thamudic inscriptions, and scrambling up dunes and rocks for spectacular views over the endless desert. You ride a camel across the sands, as the Bedouin have for centuries, and take in the profound silence and beauty of this magical landscape, so cinematic it has featured in countless films. You share the warm hospitality of your Bedouin hosts, perhaps with tea in the shade. As the sun sets in a blaze of colour over the desert, you return to your camp for a traditional zarb feast beneath the blazing stars. As the day ends, you savour a final magical night in the desert, sleeping beneath star-filled skies. Rest well amid the beauty of Wadi Rum.

After a final desert sunrise over the mountains and dunes of Wadi Rum, perhaps with a last cup of Bedouin tea, you journey to the airport for your onward departure (via nearby Aqaba's airport, or back to Amman's Queen Alia Airport). You leave having immersed yourself in depth in Jordan's two greatest wonders, the rose-red city of Petra, explored over two full days from the Siq and Treasury to the Monastery and its trails, and the vast, cinematic desert of Wadi Rum, explored by 4x4 and camel and slept beneath star-filled skies. The images stay vivid long after you land, the Treasury glowing at the end of the Siq, the great Monastery, the towering red mountains and dunes of Wadi Rum, and the blazing desert stars. Petra and Wadi Rum are two of the greatest wonders on earth, and you depart deeply moved, already dreaming of a return to the extraordinary landscapes and warm hospitality of Jordan.