Jordan & Jerusalem Escorted Group Tour 11 October 2013 Jerusalem, Israel We are proud to have received a number of awards over recent years including Top Tour Operator in the 2012 Wanderlust Readers’ Travel Awards. We have also won recent awards in the Sunday Times Travel Magazine, The Telegraph, Condé Nast Traveller and the Guardian and Observer. Additionally, we have been awarded AITO's maximum five stars for our responsible travel policies and achieved a star from the Best Company organisation for our great working environment. These awards are widely recognised as being the most respected in the travel industry as they are professional surveys of the publications’ readerships. With over 500 travel companies for you to choose from in the UK alone, we hope you find these awards are an additional reassurance of the quality of service you can expect from Audley. Contents Meet our specialists ______________________________ 4 Introduction to tour ______________________________ 5 Day by day summary of our Jordan & Jerusalem arrangements 8 Price _________________________________________ 10 Why travel with us? ______________________________ 11 Introduction to the region _________________________ 12 Photographs of the region __________________________ 14 Itinerary in detail ________________________________ 16 Accommodation information ________________________ 31 Charity support _________________________________ 36 General information ______________________________ 37 Terms and conditions _____________________________ 40 Booking form _____________________________ back page Meet our North Africa & Arabia Specialists Our North Africa & Arabia team have clocked up impressive mileage through this part of the world and between them have grown up there, studied there and led tours there. Being just a short flight away you’ll often find us back in the region for long weekends and holidays, on top of the extensive research we carry out when on company business, whether it’s ferreting out the newest traditional home that’s been converted to a hotel, or spending time with our guides to imbue them with Audley’s values. 4 Meet our specialists Introduction to our Jordan & Jerusalem tour The Jordan and Jerusalem team at Audley Every member of the team has lived, worked or travelled in the region, each in a different area for varying lengths of time. We have pooled our collective knowledge on the crusader castles of the Kings Highway, the highlights of the desert expanse in the Wadi Rum and the pick of the historical sites in Petra and Jerusalem, to create a trip that we think reflects the very best of the region. Together with this we have drawn on experiences and feedback from past group tours and our excellent tour guides. Your initial enquiry will be handled by Clair, Nadia or Megan, who will then continue to be your main point of contact until you return from the tour. Please feel free to contact them at any time. If you are interested in booking a place on the tour please contact our regional team on 01993 838 415. Introduction to the Tour This fascinating journey takes in many contrasting highlights of a complex region, rich in history and culture. Petra and Jerusalem are the obvious box office highlights, but there is so much more to enjoy on the itinerary. Starting in Amman, the modern and laid-back Jordanian capital, you'll explore the city in a guided walking tour, before heading on to see the incredibly well-preserved Roman city of Jerash. En route to Petra, the group will travel down the Kings' Highway. In addition to being an extremely scenic route, travelling this way will allow the group to see Mount Nebo, where the great patriarch Noah is said to have died, the mighty Crusader Castle of Kerak, and the historic mosaics in the town of Madaba. The city of Petra needs no introduction, and you'll spend two whole days exploring the extensive site with your guide. The group then continues to the scenic splendours of Wadi Rum, where you'll spend the night in a Bedouin style camp. This is comfortable, with each tent having beds; there is hot water and toilets on site as well. The next day you move onto Dana Nature Reserve, where there are opportunities for light trekking in this beautifully scenic part of the country. Before leaving Jordan you will get a chance to relax and contemplate what you've seen by the Dead Sea. The group then crosses the Allenby Bridge to Jerusalem, spiritual centre of three of the world's major religions. Over your three nights in Israel, you will experience the contrast between Old & New Jerusalem and visit some of the holiest sites on the planet, including a half day tour of Bethlehem. Our group will have the services of a Jordanian guide up until the Israeli border; they will then hand over to an Israeli guide for your time in Jerusalem. The maximum size of the group will be 16. Climate Travelling in October in most places the weather will be warm, but not uncomfortably so, with temperatures in the mid to late 20s, and low humidity. The Dead Sea, being below sea level, will be warmer and more humid. Days should be clear and sunny.2 Group Size The group size is kept to a maximum of 16, this ensures that the trip is a more personal experience and that you can always hear and speak to your guides. The small group size also ensures that your experience of a particular sight is not marred by the presence of too many people. Your main mode of transport will be a coach that seats 20-30, so there is plenty of space for everyone. There is a minimum requirement of 10 passengers to run this tour, so the first 10 people to book will be done so on a provisional basis until minimum numbers are reached. Deposits for those first 10 people will be fully refundable should the tour not operate. Single Travellers We welcome single travellers on tours. You have two options - you can choose to share a room with another single traveller on the tour and pay the standard tour price (this option will only be available if another single traveller of the same sex is also willing to share), or you can choose to guarantee the sole occupancy of your room, in which case a supplement is payable. Introduction to our Jordan & Jerusalem tour 5 Introduction to our Jordan & Jerusalem tour Activity Level - Medium A reasonable level of fitness is required for this trip. There are some relatively long journeys and some active days of sightseeing, particularly in Petra and Dana Nature Reserve. In particular you should be prepared for the following: - To join all day walking tours of cities, monuments and historic sites. It is advisable to wear sturdy walking shoes and take care as the ground is often broken and uneven. - Long coach journeys between Petra, Wadi Rum and Dana Nature Reserve. On this day a significant amount of your time will be spent in the small coach, although with plenty of stops for sightseeing. - Light trekking in Dana Nature Reserve. Most of the hike is over very comfortable terrain. - To carry your own luggage through airports and from your vehicles to the hotels and vice versa. - Long days in the sunshine. It is likely to be very sunny for most of your trip and many of the locations visited do not offer a lot of shade. A sun hat and sunscreen are an absolute must. Tour Health & Fitness Requirements To ensure that all participants get the most out of the tour, it is important that you are fully aware of the level of activity and fitness and medical health required to successfully complete this itinerary. Please read this dossier carefully prior to confirming your place on the tour, and having established the facts, it is your responsibility to contact us with any concerns regarding individual levels of fitness, health or ability. Please be aware that our tour leaders have the right to exclude customers from the tour if they feel they are not sufficiently fit, healthy or able to complete the tour without affecting its safety, comfort or smooth progress. If you would like to discuss any of these issues further please call Clair, Nadia or Megan on 01993 838 415 to discuss in more detail. Meal Arrangements Daily breakfast is included and dinner is included on three occasions, either at the hotel, camp (where stated) or at a local restaurant. Lunch is included on two occasions. Your guide will be able make suggestions for dining where this is not included. Special Dietary Requirements Special dietary requirements should be highlighted by you on the booking form. However you must be aware that it is unrealistic to expect specialist diets to be catered for in some of the destinations we will be visiting. We will advise hotels and airlines of your request but we cannot guarantee their availability. Tipping Policy Tips for your drivers and guides are not included in the price of the trip. We suggest around £5 per day for a driver (per couple or per person) and £7 per day for a guide (per couple or per person). What to Pack Autumn in Jordan and Israel tends to be enjoyably pleasant weather, similar to a good English summer's day, rare though they are! Daytime temperatures will reach the high twenties at least. The further south you go the warmer it gets, meaning that Petra and the Wadi Rum can feel hot, especially in the shadow less hours around midday. As the tour includes a good deal of sightseeing during the day, you should be prepared to be under the sun with loose cotton clothing, and possibly a hat.