Private Tour Desert Castles Eastern Jordan with Azraq Wetland from Dead Sea
Overview
Discover three of Jordan’s famous Desert Castles in this trip from Dead Sea. With your informative private English-Speaking Driver, learn about these fabled castles, built by the Umayyad rulers during the 7th and 8th centuries as you visit each one in the desert plains of eastern Jordan. Explore UNESCO-listed Amra Castle (Quseir’ Amra), famous for its 8th century fresco of hedonistic scenes before continuing to the Kharana Castle (Qasr Al - Kharanah) and the atmospheric Al - Azraq Castle (Qasr Al - Azraq), the latter used as military based by T.E. Lawrence, known as Lawrence of Arabia during World War I. Upgrade your tour with Guide. You can also add the Azraq wetland visit. Return to your hotel.
Inclusions
- Hotel pick up and drop off
- Private Transfer by air-conditioned leisure new vehicle according number of participants
- English-Speaking Driver
- Entrance fees to the Three mentioned Castles ; if option Jordan Pass not selected
- On board WI-FI
- Additional Guide, if option selected
- Al Azraq Wetland Reserve Entrance Fees with Self-Guided Marsh Trail; if option selected
- Entry/Admission - Qasr al-Kharrana
- Entry/Admission - Quseir Amra
- Entry/Admission - Azraq Wetland Reserve
- Entry/Admission - Qsar Al-Azraq
What to expect
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Swemeh, Swemeh, Dead Sea Region
After pick up from your Dead Sea hotel by private, air-conditioned vehicle, relax as you journey out of the city and into the desert plains of eastern Jordan. Drive with your friendly informative English-Speaking Driver who doubles up as your guide to experience the fascinating Desert Castles. The region is speckled with 7th and 8th century castles, many within a 15-minute drive of each other, that were originally built by the Caliphs of the Umayyad dynasty as rural retreats and hunting lodges. Hear tales about this powerful dynasty, the first Muslim rulers of the Arab kingdom, including fascinating snippets about their extravagance and debauchery. As you travel, feel free to tell your driver if there’s a castle you want to see more of or another castle you’d like to visit, at your own expense. Your tour is private, so the itinerary can be tailored to suit your interests.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Quseir Amra, Azraq Jordan
After about an hour on the road, pull up at UNESCO-listed “Quseir’ Amra”, one of east Jordan’s most famous castles. Once a hunting palace of the Umayyads, this splendidly restored edifice is graced with 8th-century fresco showing decadent scenes of nude women, wine, and parties.
Duration: 40 minutes
Stop At: Qasr al-Kharrana, Route 40, Amman Jordan
Continue to “Qasr Al -Kharanah”, an imperious 2-level fortress standing in a huge plain. Thought to have been built on Roman foundations, this evocative castle exudes intrigue and dis plays a rich array of Mesopotamian, Arabic, and Greek architectural influences.
Duration: 40 minutes
Stop At: Qsar Al-Azraq, Azraq Jordan
Finally, head for “Qasr Al-Azraq”, originally an Umayyad hunting retreat and once used as a headquarters by T.E. Lawrence, the 20th-century British soldier and Arab Revolt leader perhaps more famously known as Lawrence of Arabia. Wander around the sun-burnished courtyards, towers, and mosque to learn how Lawrence based his operations here during 1917 to 1918. After exploring here, relax on your ride back to Dead Sea where your experience finishes with a hotel drop-off.
- Tour with Accompanied Guide: Upgrade your tour to include an Accompanied Licensed Guide from Amman to be with you for the visit of the 3 Marvelous Desert Castles.
Duration: 40 minutes
Stop At: Azraq Wetland Reserve, Azraq Jordan
Upgrade: Optional visit of the Azraq Wetland Reserve established in 1978 Water Buffalo for a self-guided Marsh Trail, which is a water nature reserve and oasis for migratory birds located near the desert castles covering 12 kilometers. Walk and explore on your own. Best time to enjoy the scenery is late autumn or spring.
Duration: 40 minutes
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Swemeh, Swemeh, Dead Sea Region
After pick up from your Dead Sea hotel by private, air-conditioned vehicle, relax as you journey out of the city and into the desert plains of eastern Jordan. Drive with your friendly informative English-Speaking Driver who doubles up as your guide to experience the fascinating Desert Castles. The region is speckled with 7th and 8th century castles, many within a 15-minute drive of each other, that were originally built by the Caliphs of the Umayyad dynasty as rural retreats and hunting lodges. Hear tales about this powerful dynasty, the first Muslim rulers of the Arab kingdom, including fascinating snippets about their extravagance and debauchery. As you travel, feel free to tell your driver if there’s a castle you want to see more of or another castle you’d like to visit, at your own expense. Your tour is private, so the itinerary can be tailored to suit your interests.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Quseir Amra, Azraq Jordan
After about an hour on the road, pull up at UNESCO-listed “Quseir’ Amra”, one of east Jordan’s most famous castles. Once a hunting palace of the Umayyads, this splendidly restored edifice is graced with 8th-century fresco showing decadent scenes of nude women, wine, and parties.
Duration: 40 minutes
Stop At: Qasr al-Kharrana, Route 40, Amman Jordan
Continue to “Qasr Al -Kharanah”, an imperious 2-level fortress standing in a huge plain. Thought to have been built on Roman foundations, this evocative castle exudes intrigue and dis plays a rich array of Mesopotamian, Arabic, and Greek architectural influences.
Duration: 40 minutes
Stop At: Qsar Al-Azraq, Azraq Jordan
Finally, head for “Qasr Al-Azraq”, originally an Umayyad hunting retreat and once used as a headquarters by T.E. Lawrence, the 20th-century British soldier and Arab Revolt leader perhaps more famously known as Lawrence of Arabia. Wander around the sun-burnished courtyards, towers, and mosque to learn how Lawrence based his operations here during 1917 to 1918. After exploring here, relax on your ride back to Dead Sea where your experience finishes with a hotel drop-off.
- Tour with Accompanied Guide: Upgrade your tour to include an Accompanied Licensed Guide from Amman to be with you for the visit of the 3 Marvelous Desert Castles.
Duration: 40 minutes
Stop At: Azraq Wetland Reserve, Azraq Jordan
Upgrade: Optional visit of the Azraq Wetland Reserve established in 1978 Water Buffalo for a self-guided Marsh Trail, which is a water nature reserve and oasis for migratory birds located near the desert castles covering 12 kilometers. Walk and explore on your own. Best time to enjoy the scenery is late autumn or spring.
Duration: 40 minutes
Additional information
- Confirmation will be received at the time of booking.
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Airport Pick-up and Drop-off by request.
- Order of visits may change for day tours with more than one visit as long as all sites completed.
- Contact your local operator (phone number, emergency mobile number, or email address) a day before to reconfirm pick-up arrangements provided in your voucher.
- For Jordan Pass holders that purchased tour activity with entrance fees, please inform us to reimburse the entrance fees in destination.
- Clients are advised to bring hats, sun screen, and comfortable walking shoes.
- Tour activity is provided in English. For other languages (Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German) by request.
- Mobile SIM cards including internet bundle are available with assistance of our team upon request and can be subject to a small additional charge approximately: 15 USD. (Prices subject to change by the communication company).
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level.
- Most local tourist restaurants in Jordan do not serve alcohol, if you do not want a dry restaurant please contact us.
- Most travelers can participate
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.
J1829KZchristophw
September 2023
I was picked up on time. We saw all the sites. I had interesting conversations with the driver about the region (there is a refugee camp along the way) and Jordan in general. He spoke English very well (I forgot his name though) and unlike with other tour guides, there were no annoying detours to...
I was picked up on time. We saw all the sites. I had interesting conversations with the driver about the region (there is a refugee camp along the way) and Jordan in general. He spoke English very well (I forgot his name though) and unlike with other tour guides, there were no annoying detours to some cousin or friend where they expect you to buy some overpriced souvenir. Also I wasn't bombarded with whatsapp messages like with other drivers. I got exactly what I payed for with no hidden costs. While the sites themselves are not spectacular as Petra is for instance, they offer interesting insights into other parts of the country that are less touristic. I can definitely recommend going to the Azraq wetland if you are interested in nature. It's not big but there are water buffalos which I didn't expect to see. The local staff was very helpful and answering all of my questions. Out of all the trips I did in Jordan I liked this one the most.