Jordan Through the Movies – 3 Day Private Tour

About This Tour

Experience Jordan through the movies on this exciting private tour. Jordan has become quite a hit among movie-makers, with more and more blockbusters being filmed in the Hashemite Kingdom and propelling the country’s most iconic sites, such as Petra and Wadi Rum, onto the screens of hundreds of millions of fans around the world. The recent surge of Oscar-nominated movies filmed in Jordan (in 2016, two Oscar nominees were filmed in Wadi Rum), has led us to create this 3-day Highlights of Jordan Through the Movies Tour which takes you on a journey through Jordan with a twist, as you retrace the footsteps of the movie stars themselves.

Start from Eilat, Tel Aviv, or Jerusalem in Israel (transfer into Jordan through the Beit Shean Crossing) or from Amman or Aqaba in Jordan.

Meet your expert guide, who will combine the history and culture of Jordan with the star-studded impact of the movies. The first stop in Jordan will be Jerash, one of the most impressive ancient Roman cities from history. It’s also the place where Jeremy Clarkson and his Top Gear co-stars created the sport, ‘Old Testament NASCAR’ racing through the same spots where the Romans raced their chariots thousands of years ago.

After driving south, near the capital city of Amman, you’ll visit Mount Nebo, where Moses viewed the promised land after walking for 40 years in the desert. As sunset approaches, transfer to Petra where you’ll stay overnight in the village of Wadi Musa, just outside the entrance to the rose red city.

On day two, see the highlights of Petra with a specific focus on their movies: see the Treasury, perhaps most well known from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and also featured in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Petra is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, and its enormous size is simply out of this world, making for a perfect movie setting. Your guide will take you through the city, past the most iconic movie locations, and into some of the lesser-known nooks and crannies.

Departing Petra, you’ll head south as we transfer to Wadi Rum, the valley of the moon. You’ll stay overnight in our Bedouin Camp, one of the most special places to stay in the valley, and the same camp where Matt Damon stayed for one month during his filming of The Martian (2015) (upgrade to the same suite as Damon is available for extra cost). Incidentally, Damon said of Wadi Rum: “I was in awe of that place, it was really, really special. One of the most spectacular and beautiful places I have ever seen, and like nothing I’ve ever seen anywhere else on Earth”

Head out into the desert of Wadi Rum the following morning, led by our local Bedouin guides who will take you off the beaten track in the valley of the moon. As locals who grew up here, they are unrivaled in their knowledge of every crack of this desert landscape and are able to bring the movies to life as your ride on their open top jeeps across the bright red landscape.

Wadi Rum has become popular in the movies as a lunar-like setting hard to find on Earth, and recently, thanks to its similarity to the landscape of the planet Mars. As well as The Martian, where Wadi Rum represented the landscape of Mars, Theeb, another 2016 Oscar nominee, was entirely filmed in Wadi Rum. The red desert of Wadi Rum was also featured in Red Planet (2000) but it is most famous as the filming location of Lawrence of Arabia (1962) which recounted historic events which took place here in Wadi Rum, and was mostly filmed on location.

From Wadi Rum, head south to Aqaba, Jordan’s window onto the Red Sea, and enjoy the markets of this thriving city. For those returning to Israel, cross back into Israel and return to your point of departure.

To customize this tour even more, contact us to arrange a private tour to your liking.

The visa fee of $60 is waived on this and all three day tours to Jordan.

Highlights

• Tour Jerash, the ancient Roman city where part of Top Gun was filmed
• Visit Mount Nebo, where Moses viewed the promised land after walking for 40 years in the desert
• See the highlights of Petra, including the famous sites from films such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 
• Stay overnight in the same Bedouin Camp in Wadi Rum where Matt Damon stayed during the filming of The Martian
• Jeep safari through Wadi Rum, one of the most breathtaking landscapes on Earth.
• Free time to explore the markets in Aqaba.