DAY 1-2:JEDDAH Welcome to Saudi Arabia. Your first day is a free day for you to arrive, check in to your hotel and introduce yourself to the local area. You can meet your Tour Leader and your group this evening, when they arrive into the city. On Day 2, you will have your Pre-Departure Meeting in the morning, after which you have a free day to explore Jeddah, one of the more cosmopolitan and relatively liberal cities in the Kingdom. The city's architecture takes inspiration from the Rea Sea's spectacular underwater coral, and you can spend your time here exploring a more laid-back Saudi, the maze-like markets, or perhaps you might fancy some scuba diving - use your free time as you choose! DAY 3-4: JEDDAH TO MEDINA The city's architecture in Jeddah takes inspiration from Rea Sea's spectacular underwater coral, and you can spend your time here exploring a more laid-back Saudi, the souqs or perhaps you might fancy some scuba diving - use your free time as you choose! From here we head to Medina, the "City of the Prophet". Medina is where the founder of Islam, Muhammed, was given refuge after being forced from Mecca. While the central area of the city is off limits to non-Muslims, we are still able to visit many major sites and our guide will help explain different sections in more detail. DAY 5-6: MEDINA TO TAYMA Today we head to explore the other Nabataean masterpiece, the incredible Madain Saleh, often dubbed the "second Petra", but many believe to be better than Petra. There are some great photo opportunities with the red rock mountains contrasted against the black basalt. Travelling onwards, we visit the oasis of Tayma, the oldest known settlement in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and possibly the entire Arabian Peninsula. The Oasis owes its existence to the natural wells that still exist today - the Haddaj Well apparently dates back as early as the 6th century! DAY 7-8: TABUK TO JEBEL AL LAWZ Our next stop is Tabuk, an ancient stop for hajj pilgrims travelling to Mecca. The Ottomans controlled Tabuk and the pilgrimage routes that led here for centuries - remains such as the old Hejaz railway and Tabuk Castle serve as reminders. We'll have a free day to explore the area - be sure to visit the souqs for handicrafts or some good food. We then visit Neom, Saudi Arabia's futuristic mega-city, to see if they have managed to produce artificial clouds for rain, or holographic teachers - and whether the estimated $500billion project really will be worth it! Tonight, we'll camp at Jebel Al Lawz, or "Mountain of Almonds" in Arabic. It's one of the only places in the country to receive snow and is famous for some interesting rock paintings. For the energetic amongst us there will be time to climb to the top of this particular Jebel. DAY 9-10: JEBEL AL LAWZ TO WADI MUSA As we enter Jordan, we head to the bustling seaside town of Aqaba to explore the market and stock up on supplies. We leave the truck for 4 x 4s and take a jeep safari to the colourful sands of Wadi Rum. It was here, in his desert hideaway that Lawrence of Arabia organised the Arab Revolt against the Ottomans and learnt to ride camels with the best of them. Since Lawrence wrote the Seven Pillars of Wisdom this incredible desert landscape has become renowned for its stark geographical beauty. We'll spend the night gazing at the star-studded night sky in the desert, before heading to Wadi Musa the next day. DAY 11: PETRA We will spend 2 nights in Wadi Musa, the town that nestles above Petra, giving you a full day at Petra, and enough time if you wish to visit Little Petra. What can we say about this Nabataean masterpiece that has not already been stated in thousands of guidebooks? Suffice to say it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the new SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD. DAY 12-13: KERAK TO DEAD SEA Next stop is Kerak, where we'll visit the ancient Kerak Crusader Castle, one of the main highlights of Jordan. Here Crusader knights from Europe battled with the Islamic armies of Saladin. From here we head to the Dead Sea, where you have the chance to cover yourself in Dead Sea mud or try to float in the salty water. DAY 14-15: DEAD SEA TO AMMAN From the Dead Sea, we head to our final stop, Amman. We will stay in Mandaba, which has been inhabited for 4500 years. We will have a walking tour of the town and visit St. Georges Church, which boasts a Byzantine mosaic floor map of the holy land - the oldest in existence. There are many other archaeological sites from the Israelites and Romans as well as 6th and 7th century churches. You will have a choice of an optional city tour of Amman or a visit to Mount Nebo. Your trip ends in the morning after breakfast.
