Levantine Adventure
Jordan, Syria, Lebanon

SOLD OUT

October 5-21, 2008

Oct 5: Ahalan wa Sahalan! Welcome to Jordan. Upon our arrival at Jordan's Queen Alia International Airport we will be met and assisted by our representative, then transferred to the Regency Palace Hotel in Amman for dinner and overnight.

Oct 6: After breakfast, begin the day with a city tour of Amman that includes the Amphitheater, Citadel, Folklore Museum and Gold Market. Afterwards we will visit some of the Desert Castles. In the 7th and 8th centuries the Umayyad Caliphs built the Muslim treasures known as the Desert Castles, east of Amman. These were originally hunting lodges, but of course they were the height of luxury at that time. Return to Amman for dinner and overnight.

Oct 7: After breakfast, we will visit Madaba and Mt. Nebo before heading south to Petra. In the town of Madaba we will visit St. George the Apostle Church, home to a stunning mosaic map of the ancient Middle East. Afterwards continue to nearby Mount Nebo where we will visit the church on top of the hill from where, it is believed, Moses viewed the Promised Land. Continue on to Petra, with a stop at Kerak. Kerak is a crusader fortress, built over older fortresses, located on the King’s Highway in the area known in ancient times as Moab. Dinner and overnight at the Taybet Zaman Hotel in Petra.

Oct 8: After breakfast we will begin our exploration of Petra, the "Rose Red City." This incredible hidden city, inhabited by the ancient Nabateans, lay concealed from 100 AD until it was re-discovered in the early 1800's. Take a horse ride to the "Siq" (Canyon) entrance then walk the rest of the way through the narrow, winding cut in rocks into the valley. Your first glimpse of the magnificence of the place will be of the Treasury as you round the last bend on the pathway. The Treasury and the other buildings have been carved out of the canyon walls in the prink sandstone. Continue past the Roman Theatre, the Corinthian Tomb and the Palace Tomb. After exploring this amazing site, transfer to Wadi Rum for dinner and overnight at the Jabal Rum Campsite.

Oct 9: After breakfast, enjoy a three hour Jeep tour in Wadi Rum, known for its geologic treasures as well as the abundant desert wildlife and plant life. After exploring the ancient landscape, we will transfer to the Dana Reserve. The Dana Nature Reserve is composed of a chain of valleys and mountains which extend from the top of the Jordan Rift Valley down to the desert lowlands of Wadi Araba. Afterwards transfer to the Dead Sea for dinner and overnight at the Dead Sea Spa Hotel.

Oct 10: Enjoy a morning at leisure, soaking in the healing waters of the Dead Sea. In the afternoon you will depart to visit the site of Bethany where John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the River Jordan. It is also the site of village of John the Baptist. Continue to Amman for dinner and overnight.

Oct 11: After breakfast, we check out and head for the Syrian border, stopping at Jerash along the way. Here you can see the Elliptical Forum, the Street of Columns, and the Temple of Artemis. Transfer to the Syrian border, then continue on to Bosra, a Roman city made of black basalt stone rather than the lighter colored limestone or granite. Continue on to Damascus for overnight at the Cham Palace Hotel.

Oct 12: After breakfast we will enjoy a full day sightseeing in Damascus including the Hananiya Church, Street Called Strait, the Umayyad Mosque, and the National Museum. The entry of the museum is a restored gate from a desert fortress, and houses a vast collection of artifacts from the many civilizations that have inhabited the region. Finish the day with a drive up Kassioun Mountain for panoramic view of Damascus. Dinner and overnight in Damascus at the Cham Palace.

Oct 13: Enjoy more sights of Damascus before departing for Palmyra. Pass through the desert and see herds of camels roaming the landscape as we make our way to the city known as the Pearl of the Desert. Dinner and overnight at the Heliopolis Hotel.

Oct 14: After breakfast enjoy sightseeing in Palmyra, including the museum, theater, Temple of Bal, and the tombs. This was once a great Nabatean city, before it fell to the Romans. Its most famous ruler was the legendary Queen Zenobia. Afterwards we depart for Aleppo, and along the way visit the Crak Des Chevalier and Apamea. The Crak Des Chevaliers, a 12th century crusader fortress later captured by the Arabs, was a key to defending the interior plains of Syria. Roam the ramparts, see the Great Hall, kitchen, stables, living chambers, military barracks and more. Next we visit Apamea, a major Seleucid city and military garrison has magnificent Roman and Byzantine ruins and was a powerful city even in the early Bronze Age after 1800 BC. Continue to Aleppo for dinner and overnight at the Mandaloun Hotel.

Oct 15: After breakfast we will have a tour of Aleppo, including the famous souks, housed in miles of labyrinthine passageways at the foot of the Aleppo Citadel (Qalat Haleb), the museum and the Citadel itself. We will also visit the Great Mosque, Aleppo Museum, and the Khans of Aleppo. Afterwards, we will head out of the city to see the site of St. Simeon’s Basilica which is on a hill overlooking the surrounding countryside. We will visit the Basilica of St. Simeon, where St. Simeon the Stylite, a Christian ascetic, settled in 412. He lived for nearly 40 years on the top of a column, surrounded by pilgrims. Dinner and overnight at the Mandaloun Hotel.

Oct 16: After breakfast we depart for Damascus. On the way, we will visit the villages of Ma'aloula and Sednaya. The mountain village of Ma'aloula, which means "the entrance", probably referring to the gorge in between the mountains, is the only place in the world that still speaks Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ. There are two important monasteries in Ma’aloula with important Christian icons and relics. Another village with important Christian historical sites is Sednaya where the Emperor Justinian built a monastery and dedicated it to the Blessed Virgin, hence the name of the village itself; Seyda Naya which means "Our Lady" in Syriac. Continue on to Damascus for dinner and overnight at the Cham Palace.

Oct 17: Today we will cross the border to Lebanon to visit the ancient site of Baalbeck, a magnificent Roman site, and Anjar, known for its Islamic architecture. Baalbek is one of the world's greatest historical and best preserved Roman sites. Located on the Beqaa plain in eastern Lebanon, the site contains the remnants of an Acropolis, temples to Jupiter, Bacchus, and Venus, and much more. Next we visit the site of Anjar, significant because it is a purely Umayyad site. Anjar was built in the neighborhood of an ancient stronghold called Gerrha by Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid bin Abdul Malek in the early 8th century. Before arriving in Beirut, we will stop at the Beit Eddin palace complex, Lebanon's best example of early 19th century Lebanese architecture, and is now a museum of feudal weapons, costumes and jewelry as well as an archaeological museum and a museum of Byzantine Mosaics. Continue to Beirut for dinner and overnight at the Acropolis Hotel.

Oct 18: After breakfast we will be introduced to the vibrant city of Beirut, the capitol of Lebanon. Throughout the centuries Beirut has been a center for commerce. The Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, and Europeans have all converged on Beirut. It was known for a time as the Paris of the east and was an important financial capital. More recently it has been battered down to be reborn yet again. After our tour we will head into the mountains to view the famous Cedar Groves. The cedar tree is the symbol of Lebanon, and is depicted on the national flag. The wood from these groves has been used for millennia in the construction of ships, palaces, temples and more across the Middle East. We will return to Beirut for dinner and overnight at the Acropolis Hotel.

Oct 19: After breakfast we depart for a visit to the underground Jeita Grotto: caverns and galleries filled with stalactites and stalagmites. After visiting the caverns, we will head to the city of Byblos, on the coast north of Beirut. Byblos was an important center for papyrus trade, hence the name which means papyrus in Greek. Our next stop is the village of Harissa, about 20 km north of Beirut on the slopes of the mountains above Jounieh. The site is visited by both tourists and pilgrims because of the giant statue of the Virgin Mary that looks out over the slopes and the sea below. Return to Beirut for dinner and overnight at the Acropolis Hotel.

Oct 20: Today is a free day to explore Beirut on your own, rest, or do last minute shopping. Dinner and overnight at the Acropolis Hotel.

Oct 21: After an early breakfast we will check out and transfer to the airport for our flight back to the US.

Included: Accommodations in hotels listed (or similar) on half board basis (breakfast and dinner), based on double occupancy; Transfers in a modern air conditioned bus; Group visas for Jordan* and Syria; Baggage handling; Group transfers on arrival and departure; Entrance fees and sightseeing with English speaking guides throughout; Horse ride in Petra; 4x4 Jeep tour in Wadi Rum

Not Included: International Air (call for group rate); Departure tax from Syria, approx $12 to be paid in Syrian Pounds = 500SYP; Lebanese Visa approx $20; Items of a personal nature such as phone/fax, laundry, mini-bar, etc.; Beverages at any meals or snacks en route; Tips for guides and drivers. We recommend about $3-$4 for the drivers and $7 for the guides, per person, per day; Additional tours not on the itinerary or spa services while at the Dead Sea; Trip insurance

Single Supplement: $626

*If arriving on your own at a different time than group, a visa fee of $20.00 needs to be paid upon arrival in Amman, and a separate transfer arranged at your own cost.

Please Note: As of July 1, 2008, the Syrian government increased the departure tax from $5 to $12USD for land border departures, and $35 for airport departures. These are to be paid in Syrian Pounds and are 500SYP and 1500SYP, respectively.

Caravan-Serai Tours, Inc.
3806 Whitman Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
Tel: 800-451-8097 or 206-545-7300
Fax: 206-547-8607