ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS TOUR 15 DAYS
15 Days • Jordan, Lebanon & Syria • From $3,999 Including Air Fare
Departures Every Saturday to December 2011

Tour Features
• Round Trip Air Tickets from JFK on Royal Jordanian Airlines
• 13 Nights Deluxe or Superior First class hotels
• Breakfast Daily
• Guided Tours of Amman, Petra, Dead Sea, Jerash, Damascus, Palmyrra,
Baalbeck, Byblos and Beirut
• Private Driver and guide while touring in Syria and Lebanon
• Luggage handling and service charges
• SLT guaranteed tour performance warranty
• SLT $1 Million Liability Insurance Coverage

Hotel Category
Rates*
Single Suppl.
 Land Only*
 First
$3,999
Add $799
 $2,899
 Deluxe
$4,999
Add $1,299
 $3,799
AIR FARE SEASONAL SUPPLEMENTS:
SHOULDER SEASON: $150: MAY 1 - MAY 31 AUG 01- AUG 31, DEC 11 - DEC 22, DEC 25 - DEC 31 PEAK SEASON: $450: JUNE 01 - JULY 31
*SEASONAL TOUR/HOTEL SUPPLEMENT APPLY: $100:
MARCH 01 - JUNE 01, SEPTEMBER 01-NOVEMBER 31, DECEMBER 20 - JANUARY 08
Supplements apply during these Holiday dates: Subject to space avialiable SEP 09-19 and NOV 20-30
OPTIONAL LUNCH DAILY WHILE TOURING IN JORDAN $180
MINIMUM 2 PASSENGERS REQUIRED FOR THIS TOUR.
ALL RATES ARE PER PERSON IN DOUBLE OR TRIPLE OCCUPANCY. RATES ARE SUBJECT TO AIRPORT TAXES AND SEPT. 11 SECURITY FEES (OF $2.50 PER SEGMENT, NOT EXCEEDING $10 TOTAL), WHICH CAN BE IN THE RANGE OF $118 TO $198 PER PERSON. OTHER GATEWAYS AVAILABLE.
Kindly be advised that all tourists traveling to Lebanon from Syrian borders, should pay (2 weeks) tourist visa (US$ 17 per person) upon arrival to the border. US citizens must obtain their visa to Syria before arrival.

DAY 01 (SAT) JFK/ AMMAN
Evening departure from the U.S. to Amman by Wide body jet. Dinner, breakfast and snacks are served on board your flight.

DAY 02 (SUN) AMMAN
Arrival at the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, where you will be met by our representative, assisted through customs and formalities and escorted your hotel in Amman.

DAY 03 (MON) AMMAN
A morning city tour of Amman, visiting the Roman Theatre, the Citadel, the Archeology and Folklore Museums, old and modern Amman, and one of many art galleries in this capital city. Afternoon at leisure. Tonight we will take a tour to Kan Zaman Village for dinner and a folklore show. (BD)

 

DAY 04 (TUE) DEAD SEA / PELLA / UMM QAIS
After breakfast we proceed to the Dead Sea for a swim in the salty waters of this lowest spot on earth. Here you will experience the ultimate sensation of trying to swim, while you can actually only float. You have free time at the Dead Sea for swimming and relaxing at the beach. Continue on to Pella, another city of the Decapolis, in the Jordan Valley. Most of the visible structures date from the Roman, Byzantine and Islamic periods (2nd to 14th Centuries A.D.) and there is ample evidence of human occupation during the earlier Hellenistic, Persian, Iron, Bronze, Chalcolithic, Neolithic and Paleolithic periods. Then proceed to Umm Qais or Gadara of antiquity. Gadara commands a magnificent view over the northern Jordan Valley, the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias), the Yarmouk River gorge and the Golan Heights. In the evening we return to the hotel in Amman for overnight. (B)

DAY 05 (WED) AMMAN / JERASH / AJLUN
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, enjoy an orientation tour of Amman, the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom. Often referred to as the "White City" because of the white stone used to build houses, Amman offers a contrast between oriental and cosmopolitan. Proceed to the North of Amman for a 45-minute drive to the best-preserved example of Roman civilization, the city of Jerash. Jerash, part of the Decapolis (the ten big Roman cities of the East) has been called the “Pompeii of the East” for its unique state of preservation. The city features theaters, churches, temples (Zeus and Artemis), a Nymphaeum and colonnaded streets. After the visit, proceed to the Saracen castle at Ajlun. This 12th Century castle was built by Saladin in his successful campaign to drive the Crusaders from Jordan in 1189 and is an outstanding example of Arab/Islamic military architecture. In the late afternoon, return to you’re hotel in Amman for overnight. (B)

DAY 06 (THU) MADABA/ MT. NEBO / KERAK
After breakfast depart Amman to Petra via the Kings' Road. En route, visit the mosaic city of Madaba, where the oldest map of the Holy Land exists on the floor of Saint George's Church. Madaba, or Medeba in antiquity, features many famous mosaics that exist in public and private buildings. After Madaba, a short drive will bring us to Mt. Nebo, the alleged burial site of Moses overlooking the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. Here Franciscans have built a structure that protects a 4th and 6th Century Byzantine church. After visiting this site, we continue on via the scenic canyons of Wadi Mujib (Arnon's Valley in the Bible) to the Crusader castle at Kerak. This 12th Century hill top fortress features galleries, towers, and chapels and ramparts that recall the gallantry of the Crusaders themselves. Then proceed to Petra and check in at your hotel. (B)

DAY 07 (FRI) PETRA
After breakfast, depart on a full day tour of Petra. Once the ancient Nabatean capital, this city has a lot to tell. The visit starts at the visitors center, where we are assigned a Bedouin guided horse for the journey to the entrance of the lost city. After passing some tombs that are located outside the city, we will pass through the Siq an immense crack in the Nubian sandstone. It is a winding, one-kilometer-long fissure between overhanging cliffs that seem to meet more than 300 feet overhead. Near the end of the passage, the Siq, we will make one last turn and out of the gloom into a towering brightness, where Petra's most impressive monument, el Khazneh - “The Treasury”, stands. This most elegant remains of antiquity is carved out of solid rock from the side of the mountain. It is nearly 140 feet high and 90 feet wide. Beyond el Khazneh we are surrounded on both sides by hundreds of Petra's carved and built structures, soaring temples, elaborate royal tombs, a carved Roman theater, large and small houses, burial chambers and much more. The Victorian traveler and poet, Dean Burgon, gave Petra a description which holds to this day - "Match me such a marvel save in Eastern clime, a rose-red city half as old as time." (B)

DAY 08(SAT) PETRA /WADI RUM /AMMAN
Visit the Wadi Rum Desert (a short ride in 4x4 vehicle) and its awesome moonlike landscape, where the film “Lawrence of Arabia” was shot. Time permitting we may have a short visit to Aqaba. Return to Amman on the Desert Highway. Overnight in Amman. (B )

Day 09 (SUN) Amman / Damascus
Morning transfer by private car to your hotel in Damascus. Afternoon at leisure. (B)

Day 10 (MON) Damascus
Our full day tour of Syria’s capital and the world’s oldest continuously inhabited city, includes visits to the Damascus University, National Museum, the Citadel, Bazaars, Adlia, Zahirieh schools, Mausoleum of Saladin, Umayyad Mosque, Azem Palace, Street called Straight, House of Ananias, and St. Paul’s Window and Cathedral. Overnight in Damascus. (B,L)

Day 11 (TUE) Palmyra
This morning we leave for Palmyra, one of the most important archeological sites in Syria. It was an oasis city on the northern edge of the Syrian desert. Under the rule of Queen Zenobia in 266 AD, Palmyra became an important power even conquering Persia and Egypt. When Palmyra rebelled to Roman Allegiance in 272 AD the Roman Aurelien sacked the city and placed Queen Zenobia, hands bound in chains of gold, at the head of his triumphal procession. Today’s visit includes the Great Colonnade, the Temple of Bel, the Theater, the Agora and Tetrapylon, the Funerary Towers and the Museum. Overnight in Damascus. (B,L)


Day 12 (WED) Baalbeck / Aanjar / Beirut
After breakfast, leave Damascus to Lebanon. Visit Baalbeck, exploring the wonders of this ancient city, the imposing Temples of Jupiter, Bachus and Venus in Baalbeck. Baalbeck's awe-inspiring temples and city ruins are among the largest and finest examples of Roman architecture in the world, from the grandeur of the columned temples to the intricately carved stonework, and the sheer size of the stones used to construct the temples. Then visit Ksara caves and the natural wine cellar with--
wine tasting, built by the Jesuits in 1857. Continue after lunch to visit Aanjar most notable for its graceful stone arches and wide arcades, the ruins of Aanjar offers a unique opportunity to step foot upon an ancient Islamic trading hub connecting Damascus to the Mediterranean Sea. Continue on to Beirut. (B,L)


Day 13 (THU) Beirut / Byblos /Jeita Grotto
We leave this morning for a full day tour in Beirut, visit the Banking Center, the American University, the National Museum, and the War Memorial Inscriptions at Dog River. Continue to visit the Phoenician City of Byblos, Ancient Crossroads of the Mediterranean. Jbail (Byblos) is a true microcosm of the civilizations that have populated Lebanon over the centuries. Believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. After lunch visit Jeita Grotto, elected as one of the
seven wonders in nature. This compound of crystallized caves located in the Valley of Nahr al-Kalb (Dog River). The grotto is made up of two limestone caves, upper galleries and a lower cave through which a 6230 m long river runs. Sail underground lake by boat and experience the sound and light show in the caverns. After a stop at Harissa, erected in 1908, the gigantic bronze statue of the Virgin Mary was inaugurated by the Maronite Patriarch Hoayek to mark the 50th anniversary of the
Immaculate Conception Doctrine. Return to hotel in Beirut. (B,L)

Day 14 (FRI) Beirut
Day at leisure in this cosmopolitan city often called “Paris of the East”. For late night activities, try your luck at the Casino du Liban or "see and be seen" at one of
Beirut's many happening nightclubs. Optional evening visit to the World Class and Flokloric Show at Casino Du Liban . $100 with RT transfers.

Day 15 (SAT) Beirut / Amman / JFK
Transfer to Beirut airport in time for your flight to JFK
via Amman. (B)


Book this package by September 30, 2010 & save $100 per room

 

Location First Class Hotels or Similar Deluxe Hotels or Similar
AMMAN SAN ROCK HOTEL LE MERIDIEN
PETRA PETRA PALACE BEIT ZAMAN
DAMASCUS CARLTON CHAM PALACE
BEIRUT LANCASTER SAFIR HELIOPOLITAN
JERUSALEM ISRAEL PARK HOTEL KING SOLOMON

 

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