Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Pass By: Amman, Amman, Amman Governorate
After pick-up from your central Amman by private, air-conditioned vehicle with your own private English-Speaking Driver who doubles up as your guide, relax as you journey out of the city and into the desert plains of eastern Jordan. Drive with your friendly informative English-Speaking Driver 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. Your tour is private, so the itinerary can be tailored to suit your interests.
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 frescoes showing decadent scenes of nude women, wine, and parties.
Duration: 30 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 displays a rich array of Mesopotamian, Arabic, and Greek architectural influences.
Duration: 30 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 and learn how Lawrence based his operations here during 1917 to 1918.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Ajlun Castle (Qala'at ar-Rabad), Ajlun Jordan
Having explored here, continue to the 12th-century Castle of Ajloun, built in the time of Saladin to defend against Crusader armies. Head inside this semi-intact hilltop fortress, and roam the rambling corridors and staircases. See the murder holes used by the invaders, and admire the stunning views over the lush hills of the Jordan Valley from the towers. Then, reconvene with your vehicle and relax on your long ride back to Amman where your trip ends with a hotel drop-off.
Duration: 30 minutes
See Availability.
Traveler pickup is offered
09:00 AM
10 hours(approx.)
Not wheelchair accessible
Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
Confirmation will be received at the time of booking.
Airport Pick-up and Drop-off by request.
Contact your local operator (office phone number, emergency mobile number – out of office hours, 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.
Tour activity is provided in English. For other languages by request.
Clients with mobility issues, please contact us.
Strollers and car seats for infants, please contact us.
Most local tourist restaurants in Jordan do not serve alcohol, if you do not want a dry restaurant that does not serve alcohol, please contact us.
For Arab and G.C.C. nationals, please book Jordan Pass option; visits without entrance fees included, as reduced entrance fees apply. It is better for Arab and G.C.C. passport holders to pay directly in destination their entrance fees.
Clients are advised to bring hats, sun screen, and comfortable walking shoes.
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
Posted By : Amelie_M
My tour guide was Hasan. He was a good driver, very nice, very knowledgeable. He also did the tour guide at Qasr al-Harranah and Quseir Amra. He paid for tea, offored water and fruits. He gave advice on things I would see on a later tour. He also had Wi-Fi but I can't comment on that as I did not use it but it was offered. It was a very nice experience that was accentuated by Hasan's knowledge and personality.
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-12-10
Posted By : jan0we
Well organized. Driver picked up at hotel in time spotless.
Good car, Driver talked very good English. Could guide a lot during trip.
Quite compressed tour due to distance but very interesting. Everything was adoptable according to whishes. I can strongly recommend this company ZTT international and this tour!!
Rating :
Posted On : 2022-12-13
Posted By : Beatriz_F
It was very easy to book, the driver Amer was so professional and also acted as a tour guide.
Amer was on time, ready to go. He helped me understand the history of the castles, as well as the history of the country! He was polite and respectful the whole day!
Amert took me to local restaurants and showed me the typical Jordanian hospitality! I would totally book another trip with him in the future, and in hindsight I should have done my whole travel with him!
Rating :
Posted On : 2022-03-28
Posted By : Yasmin_T
The tour though started behind schedule was good. The Qasr Harranah, Qasr Amra and Qasr Azraq though popular were not very impressive. Local guides behave arrogant with individual tourists and would stand in the midst of sites where others want to take pics. They deliberately stand with their group obstructing others from taking pics. The highlight was Qasr Al Ajloun. A very good site and the views from above are breathtaking. Not many tourists visit so there is no nuisance from local guides also. But the trip is worth the money and distance to be travelled. Go for it.
Rating :
Posted On : 2018-12-25
Posted By : Mark S
This is a long day. There are 4 sites you visit. The first was probably a tavern, the next was a hunting lodge with amazing paintings on the wall. Although called castles they were not. The third site was a fort partly used by Lawrence of Arabia. It is then a long drive over to Ajloun castle, but this is an amazing castle right on the top of a hill. It has excellent views and an interesting small museum inside. As with Jordan you can have a guide picked up locally at each site. There are plenty of notice boards so this is not essential. If you do not want a guide they are not pushy about it and you can go round at your pace. My driver was friendly and let you have as long as you wanted in each place. Water was provided and is needed. If you want lunch you can ask the driver to pick a place, but it is not compulsory and I saw more by not having lunch which I felt was better.
Posted By : Neralie_C
I loved this tour. There was just our guide and us which was fabulous.
I loved everything about this day and the opportunity to travel east and then north west and the variety of castles we saw.
A wonderful snapshot of Jordan!
Posted By : jeanine a. h
So enjoyable and off the beaten path. Driver/ guide excellent!
