Day 1 To Amman: Fly from London to Amman with BMI. Transfer to the Marriott Hotel (Kempinski Hotel for 2009)  Amman for 1 night. (N)

Day 2 To Petra: Morning departure along the ancient King's Way to Petra, via Madaba, Mount Nebo and Kerak. Stay 2 nights at the Marriott Hotel  (Beit Zaman for 2009) Petra . (B, D)

Day 3 Petra: Full day visit to Petra. This ancient Nabataean city has been carved out of pink sandstone cliffs, and dates back over 2,000 years. (B, D)

Day 4 Wadi Rum & Amman: Morning drive to Wadi Rum for an exploration of the desert by jeep. Later this afternoon, drive to Amman and stay overnight at the Marriott Hotel (Kempinski Hotel for 2009) . (B, D)

Day 5 Jerash, Bosra & Damascus: Morning departure for the well-preserved Graeco- Roman city of Jerash. Continue into Syria visiting Bosra, famous for its Roman theatre, and Damascus. Overnight at the Cham Palace Hotel. (B, D)

Day 6 Crac des Chevaliers, Hama, Aleppo: Morning drive to the immense castle of Crac des Chevaliers. Continue to Hama, famous for its ancient wooden water wheels, and on to Aleppo. Stay 2 nights at the Sheraton Hotel, Aleppo. (B, D)

Day 7 St Simeon & Aleppo: Morning drive to the Church of St Simeon, where the saint allegedly lived chained to the top of a stone column for 42 years. Return to Aleppo to tour this beautiful city, dominated by the huge citadel, and explore the souqs. (B, D)

Day 8 To Palmyra: Morning drive across the Syrian desert to Palmyra. The ruins of this legendary Roman city cover a large area around the oasis responsible for Palmyra's growth as a trading post. Afternoon tour. Overnight at the Semiramis Hotel. (B, D)

Day 9 Maalula & Damascus: Morning in Palmyra. Afternoon visit to the village of Maalula, one of the few places where Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, is still in use. Continue to Damascus and stay 2 nights at the Cham Palace. (B, D)

Day 10 Damascus: Today is spent exploring Syria's capital city, visiting the Umayyad Mosque, Azem Palace, the tiny Chapel of Ananias, and the maze of covered souqs. (B, D)

Day 11 To London: Morning transfer to the airport. Fly from Damascus to London, via Ankara, with BMI. (B)

outbound date

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