Follow the Footsteps of Jesus in Jordan

We will meet you on arrival at Queen Alia International Airport and drive you to your accommodation in the city.

Travel through the Jordan Valley to reach Pella, home to one of Christianity’s earliest churches. It was to Pella that persecuted early Christians from Jerusalem fled for safety. Drive north to the Jabbok (Jacob) River which is mentioned in the Bible.

Twenty years after the quarrel between himself and his brother Esau (grandchildren of Abraham and sons of Isaac), Jacob came back from Padan-Aram with his family and settled in this area. Here Jacob became involved in a fight with a stranger and won. Later on he found out that he had fought against God and God blessed him by decreeing that forthwith he should be named Israel (1 Moses 32:22 – 32).

Your next destination is Umm Qais , the site of the ancient Greco-Roman city of Gadara, a member of the Decapolis that is mentioned in the New Testament as the site where Jesus cast out demons and sent them into pigs (Matthew 8:28-34). See impressive views over Lake Tiberias and the Golan Heights.

Gadara was renowned in its time as a cultural centre and was home to several classical poets and philosophers, including Theodorus, founder of a rhetorical school in Rome. Perched on a splendid hilltop overlooking the Jordan Valley and the Sea of Galilee, Gadara is today known as Umm Qays and boasts impressive colonnaded streets, vaulted terrace and ruins.

Continue to Anjara, which was designated by the Vatican as a Millennium 2000 pilgrimage site. The last destination of the day is the splendidly well-preserved Greco-Roman city of Jerash. Return to Amman for your overnight stay.

Start the day by exploring Amman. This city is referred to as Rabbath Ammon in the Bible and its history goes back by millennia. This city was the capital of the Ammonites, who fought the Israelis for centuries before falling under the yoke of the Assyrians. Later it was dominated by the Nabataean and it eventually became an important centre of trade during the Roman era, when it was renamed Philadelphia.

Visit the Roman Theater and the Citadel of Amman before driving seven kilometres east of Amman to Al Raqim, also known as the Cave of Seven Sleepers. This cave is said to part of a Byzantine graveyard.

After that, it is time to head for one of the many world heritage sites in Jordan, Umm al-Rasas, known for its magnificent Byzantine mosaics. Your day comes to an end today on reaching the Byzantine era city of Madaba.

Start exploring the city of Madaba after breakfast. Madaba has a very long history stretching all the way to the Neolithic period. This town was once a Moabite border city that is also mentioned in the Bible (Numbers 21:30 and Joshua 13:9).

Madaba is also known as the city of mosaics for the many Byzantine mosaics that have been uncovered throughout the city. The most famous of these is the map of the Holy Land, a sixth-century mosaic map of the Holy Land.

Next, transfer to Mount Nebo, from where the Lord showed Moses the Promised Land. It was here that the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.”

Moses passed away in Moab, as the Lord had said. He was buried there, in the valley opposite to Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. After visiting Mount Nebo, you will continue to Khirbat Mukhayyat. Some scholars argue that this village is the site of the Biblical city of Nebo.

During the Byzantine era, Khirbet El Mukhayat had a monastery complex and at least four churches. Driving south-west of Madaba, you will reach Mukawir. In the Bible, Mukawir is referred to as Machaerus. On a mountain that resembles a cone with its top cut off can be seen the imposing remnants of the fortress Qasr El Mashneqh, which in Arabic means “Castle of Gallows”. According to the historian Josephus, it was here that John the Baptist was imprisoned. Drive back to the hotel in Madaba in the evening.

Head for Bethany, where you will also visit Wadi tell Kharrar, from where Elijah is said to have ascended to the heavens. Bethany is referred to several times in the Bible. Drive south via the Kings’ Highway to visit the Moses Springs, one of the two places from where the prophet is said to have brought water by striking rock.

Time to head for Petra, known for its red mountains and vast mausoleums. Transfer to your hotel in Petra for your overnight stay.

You will spend the whole day today exploring the breathtaking Nabataean city of Petra, which was carved out of rose-red sandstone about 2,000 years ago and is widely regarded as one of the wonders of the world.

Travel past the Obelisk Tomb and continue to the Siq, the narrow gorge that leads to Petra’s most impressive monument, the Treasury. Discover the Street of Facades as well as the Theatre, Royal Tombs, Colonnaded Street, Temple and the Monumental Arch. See the Byzantine church. You also have the option to climb up to the gigantic, first-century AD monument called the Monastery.

Head north to Amman from Petra via Wadi Arava. Your first stop along the route is Lot’s Cave. A Biblical story tells of Lot and his family escaping from the un-righteous cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and. Lot’s wife looking back only to be turned into a pillar of salt. The cave that the family took refuge in became a shrine after that.

Stop for a swim in the Dead Sea and continue your journey north, to Amman.Spend your last night in the capital.

Our representative will meet you after breakfast and drive you to the airport for your flight home.