Jordan

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The highlight of Jordan, and without a doubt its most popular attraction, is the pretty rose-red city of Petra. One of the most famous archaeological sites in the world, it is not known exactly when it was built but was prospering as the capital of the Nabataean Empire around the 1 ^st century BC. By the middle of the 7 ^th century it was virtually deserted and left to the local Bedouin. A Swiss explorer rediscovered the ancient lost city in 1812 and introduced it to the world.

As you make your way through The Siq - a 1.5 kilometre meandering, narrow gorge that forms the long road into the city - nothing prepares you for the breathtaking beauty of the majestic Treasury building that magically appears as you round the last corner. As you wander around this incredible archaeological park, you ll see many tombs and monuments carved into soaring rock faces. Stroll down the remains of the colonnaded street, admire the remnants of churches and temples, see the garden and pond complex and the beautiful Byzantine Monastery.

Take a jeep or camel tour out to Wadi Rum, also known as the Valley of the Moon a protected area covering 720 kilometres of dramatic and unique desert wilderness. With mountains of granite and sandstone, red-sand dunes and sandy valleys, ancient rock drawings and huge goat-hair tents that are home to the native Bedouin tribes. See the desert castles dotted throughout the desert, a group of early Islamic forts and palaces that are dated from the 7 ^th century.

Marvel at the ruins at Jerash, one of the best preserved Roman cities in the Middle East. A large and fascinating archaeological site, it s easy to imagine it 2,000 years ago in its heyday, with bustling colonnaded streets and lively marketplace, a packed hippodrome and gorgeous colourful floor mosaics.

Visit Madaba where you ll find a lavish mosaic map of the Holy Land covering the floor of the Byzantine Church of St George. Remnants of the church were uncovered by builders who were building a new church on the site in late 1800s, thereby discovering the oldest map of Palestine in existence.

Float in the salty waters of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth where you can look out across to Israel. Stay in one of the stunning beachside luxury resorts that have private sections of the beach. Fed by a collection of rivers, the water is unable to flow anywhere so it evaporates; leaving water that is of such a high salinity that you are able to float on the surface. It also forms stunning salt-crystal formations around the rocky waters edge. Relax at the Jordanian coastal city of Aqaba and admire some of the most spectacular coral reefs in the world on a dive in the Red Sea.