In 1836 John Lloyd Stephens wrote of Petra, “The loftiest portals ever raised by the hand of man, the proudest monuments of architectural skill and daring sink into insignificance by comparison.”

Travel aficionado that you are, you’ve probably imagined yourself entering the famous Bab as-Sik passage and at last beholding Petra. Now imagine a three-day walk to the city carved from living stone (what a great phrase!), slowly passing through the magnificent Jordanian desert, camping in Bedouin tents under piercingly bright stars, crossing remote wadis, lunching beneath lonely trees set by rocky escarpments. And so: we begin with a little relaxing and sightseeing in Amman before heading to some of the most intact and mindsparking Roman ruins outside of Italy at Jerash, then to the bird-thronged, unexpected lushness of the Dana Nature Reserve. Our three days of hiking in these dazzling desertscapes (on a new trail destined to become a world classic) take us to Little Petra (a fine prelude to the coming amazement) and then the “loftiest portals ever raised by the hand of man,” Petra itself. After a full day wandering this Galactic Heritage Site, we’re off on the Desert Highway to some sub-sea-level salubriousness at the Dead Sea.

Day 1: arrive in Amman, Jordan • Day 2: sightseeing in Amman • Day 3: excursion to Jerash • Day 4: Dana Nature Reserve, begin trek to Petra • Days 5–7: on trek • Day 8: arrive at Little Petra • Day 9: Petra • Day 10: drive to the Dead Sea on Desert Highway • Day 11: at leisure • Day 12: depart.

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