Itinerary
Tour Price
Terms and Conditions
Registration
Itinerary
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Departure by air from New York to Amman,
Jordan.
Day 1 | Sunday, May 17, 2009
Arrive at Queen Alia Int’l Airport in Amman,
Jordan, where the BAS group will be met and
transferred to the Regency Palace Hotel. After
check in, the group will enjoy dinner and an
introductory talk on the country’s long history,
with a focus on its many Biblical connections.
Overnight at the Regency Palace Hotel.
Day 2 | Monday, May 18, 2009
After breakfast, our group departs for a tour of
the city of Amman, which, like ancient Rome,
was built on seven hills. In Biblical times, the
city was known as Rabbah (or Rabbath)
Ammon; in Roman times it was a member of
the Decapolis, ten cities linked by commerce
and Roman administration. Highlights in
Amman include the Citadel, the Roman theater
and odeum and a nymphaeum (a temple
and fountain dedicated to the nymphs). We
will continue to see the cliffside caves at Iraq
Al Amir (“Caves of the Prince”) and then on to
Jerash, another member of the Decapolis and
home to spectacular Roman-era remains that
recall Beth-Shean in Israel. Visitors pass
through a Triumphal Arch and see the Hippodrome,
a home to sports and spectacles
that could hold 15,000 people. We will see the
Temple of Zeus and the Cardo Maximus,
the main street flanked by beautifully carved
columns. Also here are numerous churches
from the early centuries of Christianity, many
of them featuring elegant mosaics. Lunch will
be at a Lebanese-style restaurant in Jerash.
Return to Amman for dinner and overnight at
Regency Palace Hotel.
Day 3 | Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Breakfast, then depart to see the archaeological
excavation at Tell el-Umeiri, which features
a reconstructed four-room house, of
the type thought to have been used by the
early Israelites. We then visit Um Jimal, the
Roman city built of black basalt stone,
Mafraq, with its view of the (now extinct)
Jebel Druze volcano, and Um Qais, which
was known as Gadara in Biblical times. This
was the site of the incident in the Gospel of
Matthew (chapter 8); while Jesus was visiting
the land of the Gadarenes, he encountered
two people tormented by demons; Jesus cast
the demons out into a herd of swine that were
grazing nearby. Gadara was another member
of the Decapolis and boasts a museum (which
served as the home of the Ottoman governor),
a colonnaded street, baths and mausoleums.
We will have lunch at Romero Um Qais, then
on to Pella, an archaeological tell (mound) in
a lush setting and which has been occupied for
6,000 years. Also today we will stop at Tell
Deir Alla, where the Balaam inscription was
found; the inscription mentions by name the
Biblical figure famous for his talking donkey.
We will enjoy dinner in the Kan Zaman village
on our way back to Amman, where we
will overnight at the Regency Palace Hotel.
Day 4 | Wednesday, May 20, 2009
After breakfast, we depart to visit the famed
Desert Castles, a string of fortifications built
in oases east of Amman. At Qasr Amra (the
“Red Castle”), an early Islamic period hunting
lodge, be sure to note the murals displaying
wild game, look at the mosaic floors underneath
you and, in the domed steam room, be
sure to look up to see the depiction of the
night sky. At Qasr Kharanneh we will see
Jordan’s only three-story Arab castle; Qast
Azraq, along a centuries-old trading route,
served for a time as Lawrence of Arabia’s
headquarters, and we will see the room in
which he recuperated after being tortured by
the Turks. We will have lunch at the Azraq
Palace Hotel and then continue to Bethany,
where tradition says John the Baptist baptized
Jesus. Our last stop for the day is at the Dead
Sea, where we will check in at Dead Sea Spa
Hotel, have dinner and spend the night.
Day 5 | Thursday, May 21, 2009
After breakfast, we head to Mount Nebo,
from where Moses looked on the Promised
Land but from which he could not enter.
From the peak of this sacred mountain, we,
too, will look into Israel and see the Jordan
River, the Dead Sea, Jericho and the hills of
Jerusalem and Hebron. We go next to the St.
George Church at Madaba, with its famed
mosaic map of the Holy Land. Constructed in
560 and made of two million colored stones,
the map depicts Byzantine-era Palestine,
especially Jerusalem. We will visit Mukawer,
or Machaerus, a desert fortress built, like
Masada, by the infamous King Herod and
where Salome is said to have danced. After
lunch at the Haret Jdoudna restaurant, we will
continue on to Um Rassas, which boasts 15
churches, including the Church of St.
Stephen and its intricate floor mosaic. We will
also visit the Dead Sea Panorama, the hilltop
complex that explains the Dead Sea and why
it is shrinking. We return to the Dead Sea Spa
Hotel for our dinner and overnight.
Day 6 | Friday, May 22, 2009
Breakfast, then depart to visit Ghor Safi, the
Byzantine-era church and monastery at the traditional
site of Lot’s Cave, where Lot and his
daughters fled after the destruction of Sodom
and Gomorrah. Next we visit Kerak, the unofficial
capital of southern Jordan and home of a
well-preserved Crusader castle, one of
the finest in the Middle East. After
lunch at the Kerak rest house, we move
on to Wadi Hasa, on the boundary
between ancient Moab and Edom, and
Shobak, with its own Crusader castle,
though this one was heavily rebuilt by
the later Mamlukes and Ottomans. At
the end of the day, we arrive in Petra,
where we will have dinner and
overnight at the Panorama Hotel.
Day 7 | Saturday, May 23, 2009
Start off with a full breakfast and get
ready for one of the highlights of the
trip: a full-day tour of Petra. You’ve
seen it in the Indiana Jones movies,
now see this spectacular site for yourself.
Called Sela in the Bible, Petra is best known for the building-like facades cut
into the local red stone during the Nabatean
era. We will approach the site through the Siq,
a narrow passage through the surrounding
mountains. The most famous structure—more
than 150 feet tall—is the Khazneh, or Treasury,
but there is much else to see: the Royal
Tomb, the Palace Tomb, an amphitheater, a
colonnaded street and the Temple of the
Winged Lions. We will have lunch at the
Basin restaurant among the ancient ruins; at
the end of the day we return for dinner and our
overnight at the Panorama Hotel.
Day 8 | Sunday, May 24, 2009
Today we will enjoy the wonderful views from
Little Petra, inhabited in Nabatean times and
home to the Painted House, rock-cut stairs
and striking facades. Next will be Beida, first
settled 9,000 years ago, when man was first
experimenting with agriculture; then we continue
to Wadi Rum, one of the most spectacular
natural settings in the Middle East, with
striking mountains, canyons, springs and
rock bridges. After lunch at the Wadi Rum
rest house, we begin a 2-hour Bedouin 4x4
jeep tour in the desert. Then we’ll continue
to Aqaba, were we will have dinner and
overnight at the Aqaba Gulf Hotel.
Day 9 | Monday, May 25, 2009
Take your time at breakfast as today is free day
of leisure in Aqaba, the resort town on the
Gulf of Aqaba (also known as the Gulf of Eilat)
and its famed coral reefs. Enjoy a wide range
of water sports—swimming, boating, diving,
snorkeling or just lying along the golden
beach. Dinner at Floka restaurant and
overnight at the Aqaba Gulf Hotel. (No lunch
included on this day).
Day 10 | Tuesday, May 26, 2009
After breakfast, we will be transferred to
Queen Alia International Airport, with full
assistance with luggage and check-in. Depart
for New York and your homes, where you
can begin to tell friends and family of your
once-in-a-lifetime visit to Jordan.
The tour director may make changes to the
itinerary to accommodate local conditions.
Back to top.
Tour Price
Tour price per person
Tour Cost per person (including air & double-occupancy hotel) |
$3,995 |
Fuel/taxes/security/surcharges (subject to change) |
$450 |
Gratuities (see TIPS below) |
$190 |
Single room supplement |
$1,000 |
Back to top.
Terms and Conditions
Payments: A deposit of $1500 per person is required to secure
your place on the program, along with signed application form.
(Full deposit may be refunded only if the Biblical Archaeology
Society [BAS] withdraws the offer of the program.) Final payment
is due to BAS no later than March 1, 2009. Thereafter, late fees
may be issued by some land and air providers.
Tips, Taxes, misc.: Shown separately is the
total for service charges and gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff,
for bus drivers, local guides, and payments for international air
taxes (including fuel surcharges), visas, and border crossings.
Cancellation & Refund Policy: All cancellations for
any reason and at any time must be received in writing and will be
subject to a $500 per person administrative fee. Cancellation
between 90-61 days of departure will be subject to additional loss
of some non-recoverable sums from independent providers of land
and air services. No refund is available 60 days or less prior to
departure. Air tickets once issued are non-refundable.
Itinerary length: Flight times are subject to change without
advance notice. BAS/Canaan Tours are not responsible for
changes and delays in airline schedules and cannot reimburse passengers
for expenses resulting from airline delays. Because airlines
often change flight times and dates at the last minute,
BAS/Canaan Tours strongly recommend the purchase of domestic
tickets, which can be changed without heavy fees and penalties. If
airline changes flight schedules, BAS/Canaan Tours reserve the
right to lengthen or shorten the itinerary accordingly, and whenever
possible, you will be notified in writing. If airline changes
necessitate an extra overnight, you will be charged (per night) the
full cost of the hotel room.
Passport Requirements: A valid passport, good for at
least 6 additional months from date of return (November 26,
2009) is required of all tour members.
Tour Price Includes:
Air Transportation: Round-trip flights, group economy
class, scheduled from John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Departure tax and Federal Inspection Tax additional as estimated.
Your tickets are usually finalized and written a minimum of 45 days
prior to departure in order to guarantee the fare. Once your group
ticket has been written, it cannot be rewritten or refunded to the
passenger by the airlines. Air transportation will be jet economy
class aboard carriers which may utilize non-refundable, non-transferable
tickets to/from your destination for groups flying together
for the entire itinerary. Any fare increases or surcharges will be paid
by the passenger. Biblical Archaeology Society (BAS) and Canaan
Tours cannot be responsible for any such increases.
Transfers: You will be transferred with the group between
arrival airport in Jordan and hotels and to the departure airport in
Jordan. Non-group flight participants must handle their own
ground arrangements.
Accommodations: Price is based on two persons in a
room in four-star and five-star hotels. A supplemental room charge
of US $1,000 will be applicable to individuals enrolling without a
roommate. If you are interested in BAS assigning you a roommate,
all attempts will be made to do so, but it is not guaranteed. All single
rooms are subject to availability and are often smaller than normal
twin rooms.
Meals: Included, except where noted.
Travel Program: Includes the services of an English speaking
scholar/lecturer, local guides (where required), entrance fees
and transportation to sites on deluxe coaches as listed in the program,
lectures by other scholars. All entrances for activities scheduled
on the tour, plus the guide services, are included throughout.
LUGGAGE: Restricted in size and shape by your airline. You may
contact them if you need the specific restrictions.
Price Does Not Include:
Insurance: We highly recommend that applicants purchase
trip cancellation insurance to protect your investment in the event
of illness or accident. Information will be provided upon deposit.
Tour deviations: All deviations from or additions to the
tour may be subject to a handling and processing fee plus any
out-of-pocket charges (i.e., telex, hotel cancellation charges,
messenger or other fees involved).
Notice: Dates, schedules, program details and costs, although
given in good faith and based on information available at the time
of publication of the brochure, are subject to change and revision.
In the event of such an omission or substitution, no liability will be
granted by BAS/Canaan Tours. All itineraries are subject to change.
Prices quoted for this tour are based on a minimum group size
of 15 participants and August 1, 2008 exchange rates.
Responsibility: The Biblical Archaeology Society (BAS), Canaan
Tours and/or their agents, affiliates, assignees and cooperative
agents act only as agents for the passenger with respect to transportation,
hotels and automobile contractors. They exercise every
care possible but cannot be held responsible for personal injury in
connection with the service of any hotel, ship, airplane, train, automobile,
horse, donkey, carriage or other conveyance used in carrying
out the tours, nor are they responsible for delay, accident, sickness,
loss of personal property, strikes, armed conflict, additional
expenses due to weather, disruption of advertised schedules, refusal
of visas or other causes beyond their control. Further, the operation
of vehicles used in their tour is the full responsibility of the
companies and individuals engaged in the conveying of passengers;
said companies or individuals are governed by the laws of the country
of operations, and recourse for any mishap must be filed locally.
Unforeseen conditions may necessitate tour changes and the right is
reserved to make such changes or withdraw the tour as deemed
advisable. The right is also reserved to refuse to accept or retain any
passengers on any tour at any time for any reason. Cooperating airlines
and steamship companies are not to be held responsible for
any act, omission or event during the time passengers are not on
board; the limit of their liability is that of a common carrier, and the
passage contract in use by such carriers, when issued, shall constitute
the sole contract between companies and the purchaser of this
tour and/or passenger. Acceptance of the services of BAS/Canaan
Tours, by all agents and/or travelers constitutes acceptance by them
of all the above terms and conditions.
The program conditions become a binding contract when your
signed enrollment form and deposit payment are received and
accepted by Biblical Archaeology Society, Travel/Study Department.
Back to top.
Registration
Click "Register" on the left hand menu, or follow the link below for our printable registration form. You must have Adobe Reader to view this form. If you do not have Adobe Reader, click here first to download this free program.
REGISTRATION FORM (PDF)
If you are unable to download this PDF file, please contact the Travel/Study department at 1-800-221-4644 ext.208
If you have any questions, please contact the Travel/Study department:
Biblical Archaeology Society Travel/Study Programs
4710 41st Street NW
Washington, DC 20016-1700
USA
Toll free: 1-800-221-4644 ext.208
Fax: 1-202-364-2636
email: travelstudy@bib-arch.org
Back to top.
|
May 16 - May 26, 2009