Jordan in Depth: Ancient Cities, Desert & Red Sea

Omar meets you at Queen Alia International Airport — around five hours from the UK — and transfers you to your comfortable hotel in central Amman. After the journey, the evening is relaxed: a welcome dinner of Jordanian mezze and an early night before the days ahead.

A full day exploring the Roman world. North to Jerash — one of the best-preserved Roman provincial cities anywhere — for Hadrian's Arch, the colonnaded Oval Plaza, the Temple of Artemis and the South Theatre with its perfect acoustics. In the afternoon, back in Amman, you visit the Citadel atop Jebel al-Qala'a, with the Temple of Hercules and the Umayyad Palace, and look down over the Roman theatre and the white city below.

Travelling south, you stop at Madaba to see the celebrated 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land, then Mount Nebo for the sweeping view across the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea that Moses is said to have had. Continuing along the scenic King's Highway, you reach the Dana Biosphere Reserve — Jordan's largest nature reserve, a dramatic landscape of mountains and a vast valley descending towards the rift. You settle into the Dana eco-lodge perched on the cliff edge, with sunset over the reserve and a peaceful night far from any city.

A gentle morning at Dana: an optional, easy guided nature walk along the reserve's upper trails to spot ibex, birdlife and the spring flora (entirely optional — the viewpoints by the lodge are reward enough for those who prefer to rest). Mid-morning you drive the short distance south to Petra, arriving in time to settle in beside the ancient site. In the evening, the unforgettable Petra by Night: the Siq and the Treasury lit by more than 1,500 candles, with Bedouin music drifting beneath the stars.

A full day at Petra, beginning early in the cool morning. You walk down through the Siq — a flat 1.2km path between towering cliffs — to the Treasury, then on along the Street of Façades to the Royal Tombs and the Colonnaded Street. Omar brings the Nabataean world vividly to life: their mastery of water, trade and stone-carving. The pace is entirely yours, with plenty of shaded rest stops, and horse-drawn carriages on hand for the Siq whenever you wish.

A second, more relaxed day at Petra. For those who wish, Omar leads the optional climb to the Monastery (Ad Deir) — over 800 rock-cut steps to one of Petra's largest and most spectacular façades, with sweeping views across the mountains (donkeys are available for the ascent for those who prefer not to walk it). For everyone else, the day is free: a return to favourite corners of the lower city, the Petra museum, or simply a restful morning by the hotel pool. The choice is entirely yours.

A morning drive south to Wadi Rum, the great desert of red sand and soaring sandstone where Lawrence of Arabia rode. You transfer to an open 4x4 jeep for an afternoon exploring the desert — Lawrence's Spring, the red dunes, the natural rock arches and ancient rock inscriptions — timed to end with the sun setting over the sands. Dinner is a traditional Bedouin zarb feast cooked beneath the ground at your desert camp, followed by a night under one of the darkest, most star-filled skies you will ever see.

After a final desert morning, you drive the short distance to Aqaba on the Red Sea — Jordan's only coastline and a complete change of scene. The afternoon is at leisure at your beachfront resort: warm, calm water ideal for gentle swimming, and some of the most accessible coral reefs in the world for those who enjoy snorkelling (a glass-bottomed boat is an easy alternative). Aqaba's relaxed, palm-fringed waterfront is a lovely place to unwind.

A scenic drive north along the rift valley, the road descending steadily below sea level until you reach the Dead Sea — at around 430 metres below sea level, the lowest point on the surface of the earth. You check in to your spa resort on the shore in the early afternoon, with time for a first, gentle float and the famous mineral mud before a sunset over the hills of the West Bank and a relaxed dinner.

A final, leisurely morning at the Dead Sea: one last effortless float, a mineral mud treatment, or simply coffee on a shaded terrace looking out over the still, silver water. Depending on your flight, Omar transfers you to Queen Alia International Airport — around an hour away — for your flight home, ten days of Jordan's ancient cities, deserts and seas carried home with you.