Explore Petra, the rock-carved rose-red city full of mysterious charm that was "designed to strike wonder into all who entered it". Petra is the legacy of the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled in southern Jordan more than 2,000 years ago. The fortress of Kerak is a wonderful example of the Crusader castles built in the region. Jerash is one the largest and most fully preserved Roman cities in the world. Travel by land to enjoy this tour of Syria based in Damascus, and start by seeing the splendours of old and new sections of Damascus, one of the the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Damascus has a wealth of historical sites dating back to many different periods of the city's history such as The Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Grand Mosque of Damascus, and the "Street Called Straight" (referred to in the conversion of St. Paul in Acts 9:11), also known as the Via Recta. You will get a full explanation on the history of the city by your expert English speaking Guide. Journey to Palmyra with a private vehicle and Guide, one of the most spectacular sites of the ancient world. Finish with a tour to the most preserved Crusader citadel in the world, Crak des Chevaliers. The fortress was made a World Heritage Site in 2006, and is one of the few sites where Crusader art (in the form of frescoes) has been preserved.

*Please note: You cannot travel to Syria with an Israeli stamp in your passport*

Day 1
Amman
Airport meet and assist/transfer in Amman with a private vehicle and English speaking driver. A Jordanian Tourism tax will be paid on your behalf to cover public liability insurance on equipment ie. Jeeps, camels and horses. Enjoy lunch at leisure (not included in tour price). Kensington Tours donates a portion of our proceeds to our charitable initiative www.kensingtoncares.com which supports education-based initiatives in disadvantaged communities. Enjoy dinner at leisure (not included in tour price). Recently renovated, the Amman Marriott Hotel offers comfort and convenience to those visiting Amman. The city center hotel is close to the business district and tourist attractions, just steps away from the allure of this modern yet ancient city. The location of the Amman Mariott ensures that you don't miss anything, with area attractions such as the Citadel and Jerash only minutes away. The hotel also offers delicious dining options, as well as a health club for maximum well being in the middle of the city. Amman's history dates from the bronze age and features grand Roman ruins and some of the region's finest mosques. The old city is centered around the Souk (a colorful traditional market) and the King Hussein Mosque. Since Amman resembles Rome, as it is situated on seven hills, the city was a favorite place for Roman soldiers and officials. Behind the Roman forum stands a Roman theatre—the largest theatre in Jordan—with room for 6,000 spectators. Amman is also home to some of the grandest mosques in the Middle East. The enormous King Abdullah I Mosque is capped by a magnificent blue mosaic dome beneath which 3,000 Muslims may offer prayer. The most unusual mosque in Amman is the Abu Darweesh Mosque covered with an extraordinary black and white chequered pattern and is unique to Jordan.

Day 2
Amman - Petra
Jerash, located 48 km north of Amman and nestled in a quiet valley among the mountains of Gilead, rivals the grandeur of Imperial Rome being one of the largest and most well preserved sites of Roman architecture in the World outside Italy. To this day, its paved and colonnaded streets, soaring hilltop temples, handsome theaters, spacious public squares and plazas, baths, fountains and city walls pierced by towers and gates remain in exceptional condition. Enjoy visiting the sites in the company of your Driver-Guide. Self guided tour of the magnificent Crusader fortress of Kerak - Crak des Moabites, or Le Pierre du Desert to Crusaders - which soars above its valleys and hills like a great ship riding waves of rock. Roundtrip Transfer to/from Petra with private vehicle and driver. Enjoy time at leisure to explore at your own pace, or relax in your hotel. The splendorous Mövenpick Resort Petra is the close neighbor of the ancient, dusty rose city of Petra. The hotel, offering 183 rooms and suites, plays host to wanderers aching for the short trek into this well of history and ruins. Upon returning, spend time at one of the seven hotel restaurants, each of which opens doors to culinary persuasions from across the world, though special focus is given to Middle Eastern specialties. The hotel itself remains a centre of activity, with a fully equipped fitness gym, health and wellness swimming pool and steam bath, and views of open horizons. Sit down to some traditional Arabic argileh at the end of the evening, and absorb the sun as it sets. Petra is famously described as "a rose-red city half as old as time". A spectacular and unique sight, its massive buildings are carved directly into the sandstone cliffs. Enclosed by towering rocks and watered by a perennial stream, Petra controlled the ancient commercial routes across the desert to the Persian Gulf. The impressive eastern entrance leads steeply down through a dark and narrow gorge called the Siq (the shaft), a natural geological feature formed from a deep split in the sandstone rocks. It opens directly onto Petra's most elaborate ruin, Al Khazneh ("the Treasury") hewn directly out of the sandstone cliff. A little farther from the Treasury is a massive theatre, so placed as to bring the greatest number of tombs within view; and at the point where the valley opens out into the plain the site of the city is revealed with striking effect. Almost enclosing it on three sides are rose-coloured mountain walls, divided into groups by deep fissures, and lined with tombs cut from the rock in the form of towers.

Day 3
Petra
Petra is the treasure of the ancient world, and the rock-carved rose-red city is full of mysterious charm. Indeed, it was "designed to strike wonder into all who entered it". Petra is the legacy of the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled in southern Jordan more than 2,000 years ago. Admired then for its refined culture, massive architecture and ingenious complex of dams and water channels, this remarkable city of grand buildings carved into massive cliffs evokes wonder to this day. Enjoy being shown the wonders of the city in the company of your Driver-Guide. Enjoy dinner at leisure (not included in tour price). Enjoy a guided walking tour of Petra by night. By the light of 1,800 candles, it is truly an out-of-this-world experience! Walk through the Siq to the Khazneh following a candle-lit path and enjoy the haunting music of the Bedouin at the Treasury. . Overnight at Movenpick Petra.

Day 4
Petra - Dead Sea
Enjoy a private transfer from Petra to Amman. The transfer time is approximately 3hrs in duration. Enjoy lunch at leisure (not included in tour price). Enjoy dinner at leisure (not included in tour price). Set on the northern shores of the Dead Sea at the lowest point on Earth, the Movenpick Dead Sea deluxe resort is built in a traditional village style, and offers luxurious rooms, a range of outlets, first-class meeting and leisure facilities featuring the renowned ZARA Spa. The resort has a total of 358 rooms, of which over two-thirds are smoking; there are non-smoking rooms on several floors and blocks. All rooms have either a balcony or a terrace; interconnecting rooms and rooms for physically challenged are also available. With about ten different room categories to choose from, you can either choose a room in the main building, the village or the beachfront with mountain, garden or sea view. The rooms also vary in size, decor and furnishing. The Dead Sea is an inland lake lying 400m (1320ft) below sea level in the lower part of the Jordan Valley, it has more minerals and salt than any other body of water in the world and is renowned for its rejuvenating and health-giving properties. Other interesting sights around the Dead Sea include Mount Sodom, a 13km- (8 mile-) long mountain range made up of pure salt which has many caves with extraordinary hanging salt formations, and Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls, written by Essene scribes, were discovered in ancient pottery jars.

Day 5
Dead Sea - Damascus
Enjoy a private transfer between the Dead Sea and Amman. Relax on your direct flight from Amman to Damascus. Flight time is approximately 45 minutes . Enjoy lunch at leisure (not included in tour price). Enjoy dinner at leisure (not included in tour price). Transfer in a private vehicle from the airport to your Damascas hotel. The transfer includes visa service and airport meet and assist. The Cham Palace Hotel is located downtown, in the heart of the city and has 400 luxurious guest rooms and suites. There are five restaurants on site, among them the only Chinese and Japanese revolving restaurant in Syria. Facilities also include the lobby bar and luxurious traditional English "Harry's Bar" on the 11th floor, a sidewalk cafe, the "Jet - Set discotheque", featuring live entertainment Banquet facilities for up to 500 guests, bowling, swimming pool, fitness center, gymnasium, sauna, hairdresser and beauty parlor and arcade. Damascus is the capital of Syria and its largest city, with about 4.5 million people. Established between 10,000 to 8,000BC, Damascus is credited with being the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. The old walled city, in particular, feels very ancient and is comprised of a maze of narrow alleys, punctuated by enigmatic doors that lead into pleasing, verdant courtyards and blank-faced houses.

Day 6
Damascus
The charm of Damascus lies in the wonderful sharp contrast between the historical and new areas. The modern area houses long, wide streets, luxurious buildings, modern hotels, elegant small apartments and the best library in the Middle East. In the historical part of the city, there are narrow lanes, caravansaries, baths, souks, old palaces, libraries, mosques and churches. All this make a visit to Damascus more than rewarding. Enjoy a visit to the national museum, and the Omayad Mosque, and take a stroll in the old Bazaars and Souks. Lunch included with tour. Enjoy dinner at leisure (not included in tour price). Overnight at Cham Palace.

Day 7
Damascus
Enjoy the drive through the magnificent scenery of the Syrian steppe to Palmyra in the comfort of a private driven vehicle. Enjoy a refreshing stop at a typical Bedouin cafe for lunch, before continuing to Palmyra to spend a memorable time among the edifices of this glorious city. One of the most spectacular sites of the ancient world, the dessert city of Palmyra has vast colonnaded streets, lavishly decorated tombs, ornate stone carvings and imposing temples. It combines late Hellenistic, Parathion and Roman tradition in classic era. It is a place full of the unusual and unexpected. At the end of the day, you will be brought back to your hotel in Damascus. Includes transportation in car/van, entrance fees and typical lunch). Enjoy dinner at leisure (not included in tour price). Overnight at Cham Palace.

Day 8
Damascus
Undoubtedly one of the finest examples of a Crusader fortress virtually still intact in a magnificent location close to the Mediterranean, Crac des Chevaliers is known as “The most preserved crusader citadel in the world”. It was held for 162 years by the Crusaders and later given to the Mamlouk. Its towers, stables, water-cistern, meeting-hall and chapel still give an ever lasting impression and was described by T.E Lawrence as such: "it is the most wholly admirable castle in the world". Enjoy a day excurion to this fascinating site with a private vehicle and driver, complete with a detailed visit of the castle. On your return to Damascus you may welcome the chance for some independent shopping and exploring the covered bazaar.


Enjoy dinner at leisure (not included in tour price). Overnight at Cham Palace.

Day 9
Damascus
Transfer in a private vehicle from the airport to your Damascas hotel. The transfer includes visa service and airport meet and assist. Depart from International Airport. End of itinerary.