Visit the holy land of Jordan and Israel for 9 days

Day 1: Jordan's capital Amman and Petra

From Jordan's Amman Queen Alia International Airport, it takes about 3-4 hours to get to Petra. Depending on your budget, you can choose one of many ways to get from the airport to Petra such as renting a private car, taking Jett bus, Jordan shuttle or taxi. If you want to save money, you should choose Jett bus with a ticket price from 12 USD one way.

Day 2: Ancient City of Petra

You should spend a whole day exploring the ancient city of Petra - which was recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site in 1985. About 260 km southwest of Jordan's capital Amman, Petra is an ancient city carved into the rock, the Greek word petra means rock.

Going back in time to ancient times, the architecture in Petra is a synthesis of Egyptian, Syrian, Greek and Roman architectural styles. This place is famous for its many statues and massive architectural works carved into the cliffs 2,000 years ago by the Nabataean Arabs.

Before being annexed by the Romans in 106 AD, Petra was the capital of the Nabataeans, a people first known to have survived the conquest of Antigonus, one of Alexander the Great's successors, in 312 BC. During these years, the Nabataeans lived a nomadic lifestyle and Petra was a city of tents and simple architecture.

As trade expanded, Petra changed and became a center of commerce between Arabia, Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean. The city's heyday lasted about 2,000 years. The Romans then conquered Petra and gained control of the trade route. The city was devastated by a series of earthquakes and was eventually abandoned. The area was forgotten for a long time until Swiss explorers rediscovered it in 1812.

In 1989, the ancient city of Petra became famous when it was used as the setting for the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” by famous director Steven Spielberg.

Day 3: Little Petra, Wadi Rum desert and sleeping in a tent in the middle of the desert

Spend the morning visiting Little Petra, where ancient caravans once stopped to rest. Stone steps lead up to square chambers carved into the cliffs, which served as kitchens, bedrooms, water tanks, and even food storage for the caravan’s camels and horses.

Caravans always needed a skilled guide because they knew which route to take and where it would be safe to stay overnight. Little Petra was a safe and ideal place to stop for the night. Here the merchants were served food and drink, their camels were cared for so they could continue their journey, and of course, they had to pay a suitable tax.

Then, you move to the Wadi Rum desert, about 100 km south of Petra, also known as the Valley of the Moon. This is the largest wadi (wadi in Arabic) system in Jordan. Wadi Rum impresses visitors with its tall, vertical rocks on the sand dunes, the color changes from black to brown with pink red dominating. The color palette of the Wadi Rum desert is diverse because of the iron oxide of the geology, making anyone who comes here feel small in front of the majestic nature and like being lost in an alien planet.

Spending 2 hours gliding through the desert by Jeep is an interesting experience that tourists should not miss. At this time, you will feel the tranquility of the space, the wild but romantic and attractive beauty of the nearly 2,000 m high mountain peaks such as Jabal Rum, Jebel Rum Adami... According to travel experts, Wadi Rum is one of the places with the most beautiful sunsets in the world.

In the evening, you will have dinner and experience a night of sleeping in a tent in the middle of the Wadi Rum desert with all the amenities that are not inferior to a 4-star hotel in a modern city. Even with warm blankets and soft mattresses, do not forget to step out of the tent to enjoy the quiet atmosphere and watch the romantic starry sky.

Day 4: Dead Sea – the navel of the earth

From the Wadi Rum desert, you depart to the Dead Sea - a wonder located between the borders of Jordan, Israel and Palestine. The Dead Sea has the lowest geographical position in the mainland, water can only flow in but cannot flow out, also known as the Salt Sea because the salt content in the sea is 9 times higher than other seas.

Due to the high salt content in the sea, the buoyancy of the water is very large, even if you can't swim, you will never sink but float on the water surface. At this time, you can relax by floating, face up to the sky and read a favorite book. If you take some virtual photos in the Dead Sea, you can freely receive admiration from your friends. The water of the Dead Sea contains many minerals, which are good for diseases such as rheumatism, muscle spasms, and skin diseases.

It would be a big mistake to miss the sunset at the Dead Sea. In the afternoon, the sun hides somewhere behind the clouds, glowing orange-red streaks all the way to the horizon.

Day 5: Allenby Bridge, Mount of Olives, Western Wall and Church of the Holy Sepulchre of Israel

You drive to Allenby Bridge (Jordanians call it King Hussein Bridge), the bridge connecting the West Bank of Israel with Jordan, and go through immigration procedures to Israel. In Israel, you go to Mount Olives to see the panoramic view of Jerusalem, then visit the Pater Noster Church - a Catholic church on Mount Olives, believed to be the place where Jesus taught the Lord's Prayer. From Mount Olives, the group walks along the Palm Sunday road to the foot of the hill, stopping at the olive garden with ancient olive trees. This place is famous for being the place where Jesus and the apostles prayed the night before he was arrested and taken to be crucified.

Continuing into the old city, you will visit the Wailing Wall or also known as the Western Wall, the holiest place of the Jews; admire the exterior architecture of the Haram Al Sharif Temple Mount with Al Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site of Islam and the Dome of the Rock - a temple located on the Temple Mount in the old city of Jerusalem, with a golden dome, where the rock where the prophet Muhammad left his footprint when he was taken to heaven by the angel is said to be, considered by Muslims as the third holiest place after Mecca and Medina.

You will feel relaxed as you stroll along the Via Dolorosa (Latin for The Way of the Passion), named after the stations of Jesus' suffering in the Old City of Jerusalem, depicting the path Jesus took to carry the cross to his crucifixion and eventual resurrection three days later.

At the end of the day, visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the holiest site in Jerusalem. It is also where Jesus is believed to have been crucified. The church was first built in 335 AD, destroyed in 1009, and the current cathedral was rebuilt in the 11th century. Finally, walk through the Jaffa Gate, one of the seven main gates into the Old City of Jerusalem.

Day 6: Ancient City of Bethlehem

During the day, you will visit the West Bank Separation Wall, which separates the land between Israel and Palestine, decorated with unique graffiti; enter the old town of Bethlehem, which is over 3,000 years old, to admire the Church of Nativity - a place recognized as a world cultural heritage. From afar, the church looks like a fortress built with white stone typical of the Middle East in 327 AD. Due to its cultural history, this church has great religious significance for both Christianity and Islam.

A popular attraction in Bethlehem's Old City is the Shepherd's Fields Church, a Catholic church located in the Beit Sahur area southeast of Bethlehem. Catholics believe this is where the first recorded celebration of the birth of Christ took place.

If you want to learn more about the lives of local people, you can stroll around the Mahane Yehuda market which has been around since 1887. If you want to understand the history of Israel, you can visit the Yad Vashem memorial located on the mountainside, which has a memorial hall, Holocaust history museum, art, sculptures... or visit the Israel Museum.

Day 7: Haifa Port City and Tel Aviv Jaffa City

Haifa is a major port city in northern Israel, on Haifa Bay, at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. It is famous for its iconic landmarks such as the Bahai Gardens (also known as the Hanging Gardens of Haifa, located on Mount Carmel), a UNESCO World Heritage Site; and the 19th-century Stella Maris (Latin for “starfish”) Monastery.

Continue to visit Tel Aviv – Jaffa, the second largest city in Israel after Jerusalem, which occupies an important position in the cultural and economic activities of Israel. Tel Aviv-Jaffa is like a version of Barcelona in Spain or San Francisco in the US, famous as a city that “never sleeps”, with bars, cafes, restaurants, beaches, parks, shopping centers…; see St. Peter’s Basilica, a Franciscan church built in the 19th century, now this place has become a dormitory.

If your day 7 itinerary falls on a Tuesday or Friday, you should stop by Nahalat Binyamin shopping street to pick up some handicrafts for yourself and your loved ones as souvenirs, then stroll through Tel Aviv's Yarkon park to breathe some fresh air.

Day 8: Ancient city of Bethlehem, Allenby bridge, city of Madaba, Mount Nebo and capital Amman

You return to the Allenby Bridge area to return to Jordan and continue to the city of Madaba, visit the sacred Mount Nebo, more than 800 m above sea level, an important religious monument overlooking the Holy Land and southern Jordan. From here, you can see in the distance the Jordan River Valley, the Dead Sea and the undulating roofs of Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

After lunch, you will return to Amman, the capital of Jordan, located on seven hills with a strong impression of ancient and modern. Visit Amman city with some typical destinations such as the Archaeological Museum located on top of Amman Citadel, built in 1951. Here, you can see an impressive collection of artifacts found at archaeological sites in Jordan, dating from prehistoric times to the 15th century.

Notable is the impressive Roman theatre built during the reign of Antoninus Pius. It is around 2,000 years old. The tilted and sloping theatre provides incredible acoustics for visitors. Another site is the Umayyad Palace (now known as Al-Qaser) as well as the massive desert castles built during the reign of the Omayyad Caliphs.

Day 9: Amman Capital, Jerash Ancient City, Ajoun Castle, Queen Alia Airport

Drive north to explore the 12th-century Ajloun Castle, the best-preserved medieval Islamic military structure in Jordan. Next stop is the ancient city of Jerash, north of Amman, which is considered a Roman ruin. To this day, it is the only preserved Roman structure outside of Italy, and Jordanians are proud of this ancient land with its architecture built 6,500 years ago.

At the end of the day, you go to Queen Alia International Airport and take a flight back to Vietnam.

Hanh Phan