Welcome to Jordan. Jordan is a unique country with a wealth of cultural and scenic attractions to offer the visitor. Jordanians are gracious and welcoming hosts, and will often surprise you with their command of English. Please remember that religious beliefs, traditional customs and daily manners may sometimes seem quite strange at first. Please be patient if you think things are a happening at a different pace than you are used to!
After being met by our local operator and assisted through immigration you will be transferred to the Dead Sea for an opportunity to have a swim in this incredible environment.
The Dead Sea is 75 kilometres long and from 6 to 16 kilometres wide. It is fed by the Jordan River, but it has no outlet. As its name suggests, the Dead Sea is entirely devoid of plant and animal life. This is due to an extremely high content of salt and other minerals—350 grams of salt per kilogram of water, as compared to about 40 grams in the world’s oceans. This concentration is caused by a rapid rate of evaporation. These natural elements give the waters of the Dead Sea certain curative properties, recognized since the days of Herod the Great over 2000 years ago.
Later you will continue on to the incomparable Red Rose City of Petra later this afternoon.
Petra, nestled in the mountains south of the Dead Sea, is perhaps the most spectacular ancient city remaining in the modern world. The city was the capital of the Nabateans who dominated the lands of Jordan during pre-Roman times. They carved this wonderland of temples, tombs and elaborate buildings out of solid rock. For centuries, Petra fell into the mists of legend, its existence a guarded secret known only to the local Bedouins and Arab tradesmen. In 1812, a young Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt heard locals speaking of a "lost city" hidden in the mountains of Wadi Mousa. Burckhardt disguised himself as a pilgrim and discovered the secret of Petra, revealing it to the modern world. In order to best savour the atmosphere of this ancient wonder, visit in the quiet of the morning or late afternoon when the sandstone rock glows red with quiet grandeur.