Jordan: Petra, Wadi Rum and the Desert Next Door

Jordan sits right across the valley from Israel, and for many of our guests it is the natural second chapter of a Holy Land trip.

Petra is the headline, and it deserves it. You walk through the Siq - a narrow canyon nearly a kilometre long - until the rock opens onto the Treasury carved straight into rose-coloured sandstone. Beyond it lies a whole Nabatean city: tombs, a Roman theatre, a colonnaded street, and the climb of some 800 steps to the Monastery for the view that most people never make time for. Give Petra a full day if you possibly can.

Wadi Rum is the other side of Jordan: a vast red desert of sandstone towers and open sand, best seen from a jeep in late afternoon when the shadows stretch and the rock turns deep orange. An overnight in a Bedouin camp, with mansaf cooked underground and a sky full of stars, is one of those experiences people talk about for years.

There is more within easy reach: the Roman city of Jerash, the mosaics of Madaba, Mount Nebo where Moses looked out over the Promised Land, the crusader castles at Kerak and Shobak, and the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea.

On crossing: the main border points are the Allenby / King Hussein Bridge near Jericho, the Jordan River / Sheikh Hussein crossing in the north, and the Yitzhak Rabin / Wadi Araba crossing near Eilat. Rules, opening hours, and visa arrangements change, so plan a crossing day with current information and a comfortable time buffer. Ask us when you enquire and we will help you shape a combined Israel and Jordan itinerary.