Petra, Masada & the Dead Sea Overnight Tour (Per Person, Double Accommodation)
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Port
Ashdod (Jerusalem), Israel
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Activity Level
Strenuous
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Excursion Type
All,68
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$1499
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
2 days/1 night
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Meals Included
Meals included
Day 1 (L/D) Ashdod- Masada - Petra
Leave Ashdod port and drive to Masada Fortress, located in the Judean Desert and looming high above the Dead Sea's desolate landscape. In King Herod's day, Masada was a luxurious refuge complete with magnificent palaces and excavated rock cisterns to provide water. Around AD 73, after a prolonged Roman siege, nearly 1,000 members of the Jewish faith took their own lives rather than face a future of slavery. A cable car will take you to the summit for a walk among some fascinating landmarks — the casement wall, the Northern palace, the synagogue, cisterns, the Western palace and the Roman ramp.
Back down on the desert floor, you will drive to a hotel on the shores of the Dead Sea for a buffet lunch in the lowest place on the surface of our planet. After lunch, take an unsinkable swim in the extremely salty, mineral-rich water.
In the late afternoon, you will drive south to the Arava Border Crossing and enter Jordan. Your coach will drop you at the hotel near Petra in time for dinner.
Hotel: The Inbal Hotel Jerusalem (or similar)
Day 2 (B/L) Petra - Ashdod
After an early breakfast and hotel check-out, spend the morning hours exploring the magnificent site of Petra — a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The early hours of the day are the ideal time to see Petra, when the red rock displays its most vibrant colors.
You will walk 90-105 minutes from the Visitor Center area to the imposing and beautiful Siq canyon. This is, in itself, one of the main attractions of Petra. It is a narrow passageway deeply incised into the rock. Your effort is rewarded by that awe-inspiring moment of first setting foot in Petra and seeing the stunning, inimitable Treasury building relief-carved into the cliffside. Petra is an archeological, anthropological and geological phenomenon, with a history as colorful as the sandstone rock from which it was carved. Walk among the buildings and ruins, with endless sights and fascinating facts revealed along the way.
Leaving Petra before noon, you will stop for a buffet lunch at a local restaurant, then drive north to the Sheik Hussein/Jordan River Border Crossing and return to Israel. An Israeli guide and coach will be waiting to transfer you to Haifa, where the ship awaits you.
Notes:
Temperatures are high — easily 105° at Petra, often higher. Shade is limited; to avoid sunburn, wear light, long clothing suitable for use as a cover-up. Bring a hat and sunglasses; wear biodegradable sunscreen. Bring bottled water. The tour requires a strenuous walk into, within, and back from the Petra site. The walk to reach Petra starts at Wadi Musa and takes about 90 - 105 minutes nonstop (each way). The first 40-50 minutes of the walk are over a paved, uneven surface, which quickly changes to an unpaved desert environment. The trail is sandy and dusty when dry and muddy when wet. Once you reach the entrance to the Siq (the canyon), you will walk an additional 40-50 minutes through the Siq canyon (mostly paved with uneven cobblestones) to reach the Petra site. The total walking time to reach this point is 80 - 100 minutes, depending on the pace of the group. From here, you can see the Treasury, which is located at the entrance to Petra. To see the remaining sights, you must walk even further. The main trail within the Petra site passes the Street of Façades and the Royal Tombs. However far into the site you venture, you must be able to retrace all of your steps back to the Wadi Musa Visitor Center at the end of your visit in time to board the coach. Please realistically assess your physical fitness and ability prior to booking. While a limited number of carriages, golf carts, camels and donkeys are available at Petra for transportation (at your own expense), they are strictly on a first-come, first-served basis, and their use is in no way encouraged as they are not insured. If you choose to use these services, you do so at your own risk, and there will be no narration during the bumpy ride that ends at the Treasury building; your driver may schedule a meeting time with you in front of the Treasury Building for the return ride, but you should expect delays; 20 minutes late is not considered late in Jordan. Guests wishing to arrange a carriage or golf cart ride through the Siq must do so directly with their guide and pay the guide, not the driver. Not suitable for guests using a wheelchair or for those with mobility limitations. Even if you engage a carriage, golf cart, or service animal, you must still travel on foot over uneven terrain with inclines to completely view the site. No guest is obliged to stay with the guided tour; guests who feel they cannot continue (taking into consideration the return walk) can leave the group and return to the entrance on their own. Bring sturdy non-skid walking shoes. The tour is guided; an escort from the ship's staff may or may not also accompany the group. Tour operates subject to meeting a minimum number of participants. You must book this overland PRIOR to sailing; the cut-off date is 90 days before the ship's call at Ashdod. Accommodation is included (hotels are subject to change). Airport assistance and transfers (if any), transportation by air-conditioned coach, any flights and entrance fees indicated in the itinerary, an English-speaking guide (unless otherwise noted), water on the vehicle, and meals (as indicated) are also included. Gratuities and personal expenses are not included. Bring your passport with you on tour. Cancellation Policy: This excursion is non-refundable within 75 days prior to arrival at Ashdod. Any cancellations made after this deadline will be subject to full payment of the tour cost, including if you cancel your cruise within 75 days prior to arrival at Ashdod. Important information regarding visa requirements: You must bring your passport with you on the tour. It is solely each participant's responsibility to obtain any necessary visas, tourist cards and vaccinations, if required, to participate in Overland Adventures and/or Overnights and to keep apprised of any policy changes. Visas may be required for any/all countries your tour departs from and travels through, and for the country where you will rejoin the ship. Passports must be valid for at least six months beyond the completion of the cruise. Your travel agent can assist you with your visa needs. If you require further assistance, Holland America Line's preferred visa service is CIBTvisas. US and Canadian citizens can reach them by phone or email: US citizens: 866 788 1100 or email customerservice@cibtvisa.com. Canadian citizens: 866 935 8472 or email customerservice@cibtvisas.ca. CIBTvisas phone numbers and email addresses for Dutch, German, Australian, United Kingdom, Belgian, Singapore, Spanish, Swiss and French citizens can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section of Holland America Line's website, in the Cruise Preparation area. Applications and additional information can be downloaded from the CIBTvisas website at https://CIBTvisas.com/hollandamerica. You must advise CIBTvisas of your Overland Adventures or Overnights, as the visa requirements for these vacation enhancements may vary from those required for your cruise. Exception: For US, EU, and Canadian guests on this overland adventure, visas for Jordan will be obtained by the tour operator one week prior to the tour, and guests do not need to obtain visas in advance.