Jordan

Jordan: Jerash and the Red Sea at Aqaba

One of the best-preserved Roman cities outside Italy, then coral reefs sheltered from cyclones

Jordan

Jordan: Jerash and the Red Sea at Aqaba

A journey between two sides of Jordan that the Petra route often overlooks: Jerash, a Greco-Roman city so well preserved that its hippodrome, colonnades, and oval forum feel frozen in time two thousand years on, then Aqaba, the kingdom's only outlet to the Red Sea, whose coral reefs shelter exceptional biodiversity protected by the gulf's geography.

When

March to May | Sept to Nov

Price

From 2 400€ excl. flights

(based on 2 people sharing)

How long

6 nights

Ideal length

Jerash, the Pompeii of the Middle East

Days 1-2

The first chapter unfolds in Jerash, often nicknamed the Pompeii of the Middle East for the scale and state of preservation of its Greco-Roman remains, buried under sand for centuries before being rediscovered in the 19th century. The ancient city of Gerasa ranked among the most prosperous of the Roman Decapolis, as shown by its oval forum lined with Ionic columns, its eight-hundred-metre colonnaded street, and its hippodrome, where chariot-race re-enactments now take place.

Day 1

The oval forum and the colonnaded street

A visit to the oval forum, unique in the Roman world, then a walk along the cardo maximus, a colonnaded street still paved with its original stone slabs.

Day 2

The hippodrome and the twin temples

A re-enactment of chariot races and gladiator fights in the ancient hippodrome, then a visit to the temples of Zeus and Artemis overlooking the city.

1 / 3

Aqaba and the Red Sea

Days 1-2

The road to Aqaba, Jordan's only port city and the kingdom's sole window onto the Red Sea, whose twenty-seven kilometres of coastline concentrate a remarkable density of shallow coral reefs, accessible by both diving and snorkelling. The funnel-shaped Gulf of Aqaba limits strong currents and protects the corals, allowing underwater visibility that often exceeds twenty-five metres year-round.

Day 1

Diving the coral reefs of Aqaba

A guided dive on the coral reefs of the Gulf of Aqaba, discovering turtles, clownfish, and soft corals among the best-preserved in the Red Sea.

Day 2

Snorkelling and the Cedar Pride wreck

A boat trip to the Japanese reef then snorkelling above the wreck of the Cedar Pride, a cargo ship deliberately sunk in 1985 to create an artificial reef.