Middle East Gems - Lebanon & Jordan

Arrival Note: Welcome to choose this Middle East tour to Lebanon and Jordan! Whatever time your flight arrives at the Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport of Lebanon, our English-speaking driver will wait for you at the Arrival Hall holding your name sign. After customs and immigration procedures, you will collect your luggage at the baggage claim area, where the driver will greet you with a smile. He or she will escort you to the hotel, which is an easy drive and takes about 15 minutes if there is no traffic.

Activities & Dinner Suggestion:
In order to make it easier for you to choose a flight at any time that suits your needs, we have no tours scheduled for you today. If your flight arrives early, you can see the capital Beirut on your own. Our carefully selected hotel is in a prime location near the busy Hamra Street and just a few minutes’ walk to many great restaurants for authentic Lebanese cuisine. After dinner, you can shop nearby or go to the Pigeon Rocks (Raouche Rocks) for sunset. The Pigeon Rocks is a famous seaside tourist spot, which is about 2 km away from the hotel. You can take a half-hour walk or a taxi to get there.

Meals Included: None
Accommodation: Gems Hotel (4 stars)

Sightseeing Activities: After breakfast, our guide and the driver will pick you up from the hotel and take you to the representative sites on Lebanon’s northern tourist route. After about half an hour’s drive, we'll start with a visit to a natural wonder of Lebanon, Jeita Grotto, which consists of two separate layers of karst caves. After the guided walking tour of the upper cave, we have arranged for you a special boat tour of the lower cave along an underground river. Next, we’ll head for the Harissa Village. Here, we have generously arranged a round-trip sightseeing cable car for you, which can easily take you to the top of the mountain to appreciate the remarkable statue – the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon. From the gondola, you can also enjoy the beautiful view of the Jounieh Bay.

After lunch, we will continue our drive 20 minutes north to Byblos, one of the oldest cities in the world. Having been settled by humans since the Neolithic Period, Byblos has been linked to the history and legends of the Mediterranean region for thousands of years. It is home to a wealth of ancient monuments. The Phoenician Alphabet Tablet, the origin of the modern English alphabet, was discovered here. At the end of the day, you will be escorted back to the hotel in Beirut for the night.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Gems Hotel (4 stars)

Sightseeing Activities: With our guide and the driver, you'll start the morning with a 2-hour drive to Baalbek, one of Lebanon’s most famous World Heritage sites. You’ll marvel at the magnificent Baalbek Temples Complex with exquisite carvings, which demonstrate the ultimate wealth and power of the Ancient Roman Empire.

Next, we'll head to one of Lebanon’s oldest wineries, the Chateau Ksara, where you'll have a chance to taste the best white and red wines in the whole Middle East. Today’s lunch will be arranged at a restaurant near the winery. After lunch, we will continue our drive to visit another World Heritage site, the Ruin of Anjar. This Umayyad-Period town still boasts an abundance of shops, bathrooms, palaces and mosques dating back 1,300 years. After completing today’s exploration of the precious ruins of eastern Lebanon, we will return to Beirut for the night.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Gems Hotel (4 stars)

Sightseeing Activities: In the morning, we’ll drive 1.5 hours to Bsharri (Bachrre), a town nestled in the mountains with Lebanon’s only Forest of Cedars of God. Follow the experienced guide to have a walk in the cedars forest, where every cedar is over 1,000 years old. Next, pay a visit to the museum of the renowned poet Kahlil Gibran and the 12th-century St. Anthony Qozhaya Monastery, which remains the region’s main religious center today. On our way back to Beirut, we'll drop in at a hilltop Greek Catholic monastery called Our Lady of Noorieh (Lady of the Light).

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Gems Hotel (4 stars)

Sightseeing Activities: Today we’re going to visit two Phoenician cities in southern Lebanon. After breakfast, we’ll first drive 1.5 hours to Tyre. As one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Tyre boasts numerous historical sites and was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1984. Follow our guide to visit the Egyptian Port, the public baths, Roman Necropolis and hippodrome.

In the afternoon, we’ll take a 40-minute car ride to another ancient Phoenician port city Sidon, where our knowledgeable guide will take you on an interesting exploration tour of the Crusaders’ Sea Castle, old souks, Soap Museum, and Saint Nicholas Cathedral. On the way back to Beirut, we will specially offer you an extra attraction, the Temple of Eshmun, dedicated to the Phoenician God of Healing.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Gems Hotel (4 stars)

Sightseeing Activities: In the morning, our English speaking driver will take you on a sightseeing tour of downtown Beirut, visiting the National Museum, Mohamad Al Amin Mosque, Beirut Souks, Manara Corniche, and Pigeon Rocks.

Flight Transfer: This is the end of your trip to Lebanon. We will book a flight to Jordan for you in advance. Later today, you'll fly from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport to Amman of Jordan, to continue your pleasant journey. Our driver will escort you to the airport on time according to the departure time of the flight. After flying for 1 hour and 20 minutes, you will arrive at the Amman Airport, where our local representative is already waiting for you at the Exit. He or she will arrange for you to travel to the hotel in a private car that we have prepared for you. Have a good rest after checking in.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Down Town Hotel Apartments (4 stars)

Sightseeing Activities: After a satisfying breakfast at the hotel, our English-speaking driver will take you to discover Jordan's rich history and splendid art. The capital Amman is a typical mountain city, with the ruins concentrated in the old city center. With more than 10 years of driving experience in Amman, our driver will take you to explore the local souks, the most iconic Roman Amphitheatre, and the Citadel at the city’s highest point. You can get a breathtaking panoramic view of the whole city from the old Citadel built on the hill.

Next, we’ll drive about an hour to Jerash, the jewel of Roman civilization, also known as the Pompeii of the East. Here, we will considerately arrange for you an English-speaking local guide well versed in ancient Roman history and culture, to explain in detail when you visit the theaters, churches, Temples of Zeus and Artemis, and the colonnaded street. At the end of the day, the driver will escort you back to the hotel in Amman.

Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Down Town Hotel Apartments (4 stars)

Sightseeing Activities: After breakfast, our English-speaking driver will take you to the south of Jordan. After a 40-minute drive, we will arrive at our first stop of the day, the famous ‘Mosaic City’ Madaba, where you can visit the St. George’s Church, the Church of Virgin Mary, and many fine mosaic artworks. Next, climb to the top of the Jordan Holy Place – the Mount Nebo, which offers spectacular views of the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. At noon, arrange your own lunch and the driver will help give you suggestions based on your tastes and preferences.

Our destination of this afternoon is Petra, which is about 3 hours’ drive away. Upon arrival, check into a local hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to wander around and relax.

Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Petra Guest House (4 stars)

Sightseeing Activities: Today we're going to visit Petra, the ancient city founded by the mysterious Nabateans. It is a city carved into a red sandstone hill, hence the name the Rose Red City. In Petra, we have specially arranged for you an experienced English-speaking local guide to accompany you throughout the tour and explain the rise and fall of the ancient city. First of all, we’ll offer an interesting horseback riding experience for you. You will ride a horse from the entrance to the Siq, which is a 1.2-km-long narrow canyon. Hike through the canyon and you'll reach the Al Khazneh Temple, an ancient Greek structure 43 meters (140 feet) high and 27 meters (90 feet) wide. It is more commonly known as the Treasure because of its exquisite sculptures. Depending on your strength and interest, you can continue walking to other nearby sites, such as the royal tomb, the theater, and the colonnaded street.

In the afternoon, we will take a 1.5-hour ride to the Wadi Rum Desert, also known as the Valley of the Moon because of its unique landform. Tonight we will spend the night in a desert campsite, which is a different and exciting experience. After dinner at the campsite, you can wait for darkness to fall and enjoy the amazing night sky with brilliant stars.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Camp Dinner
Accommodation: SunCity Camp

Sightseeing Activities: If the weather is clear, you are strongly advised not to miss the sunrise at Wadi Rum. After breakfast at the camp, a wonderful 4X4 Jeep tour to the Wadi Rum Desert is ready for you. During the fun ride, the red sandstone mountains, odd-shaped stones and wine-red dunes will make you feel like you've landed on an alien planet. After the safari, we'll take a 4-hour drive to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth. After checking in at the local hotel, it’s your free time. You can enjoy one of the planet's most unique natural wonders, experience the Dead Sea floating for yourself, and massage your skin with the mineral-rich mud.

Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Hotel (4 stars)

Departure Note: A pleasant trip is coming to an end today. Depending on the time of your booked flight, our driver will pick you up from your hotel and escort you to the Amman Queen Alia International Airport, which is about an hour’s drive. Wish you a pleasant journey!

Meals Included: Breakfast

► If you would like to extend your trip to other Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, or Morocco, you can contact our travel consultants at any time to make arrangements for you.