Jordan 2012 - The Way Of The Heart

Jordan is a modern country with an ancient culture...

...a land in which visitors can walk through the valleys, hills and plains whose names have become part of human history by virtue of the simple deeds and profound messages of prophets who walked the land and crossed its rivers during their lives. Many of the sites where they are said to have performed miracles or reached out to ordinary people have been identified, excavated and protected, and are now more easily accessible to visitors.

Jordan is an ideal destination for those seeking cultural knowledge and spiritual enrichment. From the moment you arrive, you get a sense of its rich heritage; all around are remnants of ancient civilizations long since passed, yet they still remain, stamped into the very fabric of this amazing Kingdom and etched into the soul of the people who live here. This journey is designed to help find the deeper aspects of our heart chakras, an exploration of the different heart types and the use of our intuitive knowing to tap into our authentic reason for being. The inspiration behind this physical journey is to access the stillness in the body.

In the stillness of my mind, I find peace.

The leading attraction at the Dead Sea is the warm, soothing, super salty water itself. The unusually warm, incredibly buoyant and mineral-rich waters have attracted visitors since ancient times, including King Herod the Great and the beautiful Egyptian Queen, Cleopatra. All of whom have luxuriated in the Dead Sea’s rich, black, stimulating mud and floated effortlessly on their backs while soaking up the water's healthy minerals along with the gently diffused rays of the Jordanian sun.

In the stillness of my heart I find peace.

The journey is designed to take you through a physical experience of the different qualities of your sacred heart. Day by day, we will learn through meditation, contemplation and some teaching about the opening of the sacred heart centre. Petra has been described as 'a rose-red city, half as old as time' and it holds the energy of the Sacred Heart. Petra is one of the new 7 World Wonders, and is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. The giant red mountains and vast mausoleums of a departed race have nothing in common with modern civilization, and ask nothing of it except to be appreciated at their true value - as one of the greatest wonders ever wrought by Nature and Man. Although much has been written about Petra, nothing really prepares you for this amazing place. It has to be seen to be believed.

I create silence in the mind and in the heart.

The theme of the journey is concentrated around the heart energy. Most of the places we will visit reflect the gentle, compassionate aspects of the goddess. Indigo-coloured deep water lies just off shore in Aqaba, bringing kaleidoscopic marine life within easy reach. Greatly prized as Jordan's window to the sea, Aqaba brings a refreshing release from the rose-coloured desert to the north. Its sandy beaches and coral reefs are the most pristine on the Red Sea.

Join Us

Join us, Berto and Tamar, as we return to this magical landscape and explore this land, from the otherworldly landscape of the Dead Sea to Petra, the Rose City and place of the heart.

This is a trip not to be missed and booking is essential!

Jordan – April 2012 – The Way of the Heart

• Friday 20/04/2012 Depart Cape Town to Amman – via Dubai 
• Day 1 Saturday 21/04/2012 Queen Alia Airport – Amman (arrival day) – Amman City Tour 
• Day 2 Sunday 22/04/2012 Amman – Jerash – Umm Qais – Amman 
• Day 3 Monday 23/04/2012 Madaba – Mt. Nebo - Dead Sea 
• Day 4 Tuesday 24/04/2012 Dead Sea 
• Day 5 Wednesday 25/04/2012 Dead Sea - Bethany and Dead Sea Crystal formations 
• Day 6 Thursday 26/04/2012 Dead Sea – Kerak 
• Day 7 Friday 27/04/2012 Full day visit of Petra 
• Day 8 Saturday 28/04/2012 Petra - Aqaba 
• Day 9 Sunday 29/04/2012 Free day in Aqaba 
• Day 10 Monday 30/04/2012 Free day in Aqaba 
• Day 11 Tuesday 01/05/2012 Transfer from Aqaba to Amman Airport. Depart Amman to Cape Town – via Dubai. 
• Wednesday 02/05/2012 Arrive Cape Town

Day 1 (Saturday): 
Queen Alia Airport – Amman (arrival day) Meet and great by Jordan Experience representative upon arrival on Queen Alia International Airport, then transfer to the hotel to unpack and freshen up. Meet for a tour to Amman’s Citadel and the Archaeological Museum. Visit the amphitheatre and Museum of the Popular Tradition. Visit the local Souk. Overnight in Amman.

Day 2 (Sunday): Amman – Jerash – Umm Qais – Amman 
After breakfast , drive north to visit Jerash, to explore the world’s best-preserved Roman provincial city, and attend the exciting RACE (Roman Army and Chariot Experience) re-enactment in the Jerash Hippodrome. Further to the Jordan’s far northwest corner to visit Um Qais (Biblical Gadara), with its panoramic views over the Golan Heights and Sea of Galilee. Transfer to hotel for Overnight in Amman.

Day 3: (Monday): Amman City Tour – Madaba – Mt. Nebo - Dead Sea 
After breakfast drive to Madaba, home to the world’s largest collection of ancient mosaics, to visit the St. George Church with its famous 6th Century map of the Holy Land and Madaba's Archaeological Park, with its fine collection of Herodian and Byzantine mosaics. Enjoy a traditional Jordanian lunch or have free time to explore the town, browse through the mosaics shops or just sip Bedouin tea and chat with the friendly local shopkeepers. In the late afternoon, see the fine panoramic view of the Jordan River Valley, Dead Sea, Jericho and the hills of Judea from Mt. Nebo, the site from which it is believed that Moses viewed the Promised Land and then surrendered his leadership to Joshua. Descend to the Dead Sea, lowest point on the Earth’s surface, use facilities at a beach along the mineral-rich inland sea. Transfer to the hotel for Overnight at Dead Sea.

Day 4 (Tuesday): Dead Sea 
After breakfast: the whole day for leisure by your own. Float in the Dead Sea or check your private schedule for a list of the pampering Spa wellness treatments available at the world-famous Zara Spa on the hotel grounds. Besides your special treatment package, you’ll have full run of the Spa’s facilities including the Hydropool, heated Dead Sea pools, Kneippe foot bath, the men’s and women’s Thermariums including Caldarium, Laconium, Tropical Rain Showers and indoor/outdoor rest areas, the Gymnasium, Tranquility Lounge and Zara Spa Infinity Pool and Beach. In fact, leisure is what the Zara Spa Experience is all about! Overnight at the Dead Sea.

Day 5 (Wednesday): Dead Sea - Bethany and Dead Sea Crystal formations 
Drive along the Dead Sea’s eastern shoreline, with its dazzling-white salt formations (an unfortunate reminder that the Dead Sea is shrinking at an alarming rate) and the mountain gorges which deliver water into the sea from the Rift Valley Plateau. Transfer to Bethany Baptismal Site for 1.5-hour hike to the banks of the Jordan River. Baptismal site at Bethany. Biblical archaeologists, working from clues supplied by the Madaba mosaic map, believe this to be the spot where John the Baptist lived and worked, and where Jesus was baptized in the waters of the Jordan River. The extensive water channels, cisterns and baptismal fonts, as well as the impressive size of the very early (3rd-4th Century) pilgrimage churches on this site, certainly suggest that this is where the earliest Christian pilgrims believed the Baptism took place. The walk past "Elijah's well" to the St. John church on the banks of the Jordan is a pleasure in itself, as you follow the winding trail through marshes of high reeds and tamarisk tree. Free afternoon to enjoy being in the Dead Sea. Back transfer to the hotel for Overnight Dead Sea.

Day 6 (Thursday): Dead Sea – Kerak - Petra 
After breakfast , check out from the hotel in the Dead Sea and ascend to that plateau, climbing over 1,400 meters in less than an hour, to tour the imposing remains of the Karak Crusader Castle which overlooks the south end of the Dead Sea. Drive south along the King’s Highway, a winding local road which passes through fertile farmland and rocky gorges, and affords the occasional glimpse out over Wadi Araba, route of the ancient spice caravans, afternoon drive to Petra. Transfer to the hotel for the Overnight Petra.

Day 7 (Friday): Petra full day 
After Breakfast: Pick up to visit Petra, there is no visit of Jordan will be complete without having seen the capital of the ancient Nabatean kingdom, Petra. The long-lost city of Petra, carved entirely by man into the rose-red sandstone rocks, puts your imagination to the test. Its mystic and glorious place, an eternal tribute to a lost civilization. Petra was the central meeting point of the Nabatean spice routes which originated from the Persian Gulf, Western Arabia and the Red Sea. About two thousand years ago Petra became the capital of the Nabatean Empire. The city was so renowned that one of its kings, Aretas IV, is even mentioned in the Bible. The natural richness of the mountainous area combines in a superb way with the refined culture and massive architecture of the Nabateans, who carved their theatre, temples, façades, tombs, monasteries, houses and roads entirely into the rose-red sandstone rocks. No wonder UNESCO placed Petra on its World Heritage List. One enters Petra by passing througj the Siq, a deep and narrow gorge, at the end of which all of a sudden dramatically appears the most famous monument in Petra: al-Khazneh or the Treasury. Maybe you will recognize it as the stage of the final sequence of the movie 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'. But the Treasury is just the start. Walking and climbing in Petra hundreds of buildings carved in stone and eroded through the centuries into fabulous multi-coloured walls will be revealed to you. Back transfer to the hotel for Overnight.

Day 8 (Saturday): Petra – Aqaba 
After breakfast: Free morning to explore the town of Petra, visit little Petra. Then depart by coach to the busy Red Sea port city of Aqaba. Check in to the luxurious Hotel in Aqaba. Take a brief orientation tour around Aqaba, and enjoy a fresh seafood lunch at any of the local restaurants before returning to the hotel for an afternoon at leisure.

Days 9 & 10 (Sunday & Monday): Aqaba free day 
After Breakfast: Aqaba, which lies at the Red sea. The waters of the Red Sea are crystal clear and have an abundant marine life. Aqaba offers a wide variety of opportunities to explore this amazing underwater world, such as scuba diving and snorkeling. The Red Sea is home to more than 140 species of coral and countless species of brightly colored fish. The day at leisure to enjoy the hotel’s beach and pool facilities. Evening at the hotel for overnight.

Day 11 (Tuesday): Aqaba - Amman – QAIA (Departure day) 
After breakfast: meet our representative again and he will escort you to QAIA and assist you on departure with the flight back to Cape Town via Dubai.

 The Small Print (Terms and Conditions):

• Included: 
  • flights, 
  • meet and assist up on arrival and departure into Jordan, 
  • 10 overnights hotel accommodation on half-board basis (breakfast and dinner), 
  • all transportation with modern models air conditioned vehicle, as per program, 
  • English speaking guide during excursions, 
  • entrance fees to mentioned sights as per program.
• Not included: 
  • personal expenses and extra charges, 
  • tips for porters, guides and drivers (R500), 
  • beverages with meals, 
  • other activities or sites are not mentioned in program.
• Visas will be obtained on arrival in Jordan and are free to South Africa citizens. Please ensure that your passport is valid for 6 months from arrival date in Jordan. Visas are free to South Africa citizens, courier fees apply. You can obtain the application form here: Jordan Visa Application Form.
• Single supplement applies.
• NB: This itinerary is not written in stone and subject to change.

For more information, call Cecelia at the Egypt & Beyond office on tel: 011 678 6165/4777 or fax: 011 678 5789 or e-mail: cecelia@egyptandbeyond.co.za  / info@egyptandbeyond.co.za or call Tamar on 072 076 9720 or e-mail: info@solaraura.co.za. 

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