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travelweekly.co.uk
Travelsphere’s Jordan tour uncovers the country’s ancient wonders beyond Petra – from the Roman city of Jerash to the glowing skies in Wadi Rum. Cathy Toogood reports
think of Sirius like a modern-day social media influencer,” says stargazing guide Fakhri Al-Alami as he points to stars in the inky black
sky with a green laser. “Whereas Betelgeuse is more like the girl next door.” I’m standing in Jordan’s Wadi Rum desert learning all about the blanket of stars above me. Without the light pollution of a city, the sky is alive with shimmering pinpricks and I peer through telescopes to see the celestial beauties that Fakhri has given personalities to. Sure enough, Sirius dazzles like a diamond, showing off her status as the brightest star in the sky, more mature Betelgeuse glows in orange hues, the collection of stars in the Beehive Cluster gleam en masse, and the Orion Nebula twinkles just below Orion’s Belt.
DESERT ADVENTURES This excursion to the RumSky stargazing centre is an optional part of the Jordan's Ancient Wonders trip by escorted tour specialists Travelsphere. We’re staying in the Wadi Rum desert in otherworldly bubble tents at the Mazayen Rum Camp where, pre-stargazing, we’d scrambled up a sand dune glowing red in the evening light to watch the sun set behind jagged rock formations. Then, eager for more, we woke early the
next day to watch it rise again, casting its first orange beams over the rippled expanse of sand. Travelsphere’s tour also takes in the Nabataean
city of Petra, Jordan’s capital city Amman, Roman ruins at Jerash, biblical sites such as Mount Nebo and the River Jordan, and is rounded off with relaxation at a Dead Sea resort. It was the first long-haul tour that Travelsphere ran after Covid travel restrictions were lifted and is proving to be popular, with the two trips that have run so far selling out. Travelsphere sales director Sarah Weetman advises agents to get bookings in early so customers don’t miss out. Weetman says that a big selling point of the tour to mature travellers is the customer confidence that Travelsphere offers. “When trade partners and customers book with us they can be assured of complete peace of mind by knowing their money is held in a trust until they return from their holiday, so it is 100% protected, no matter what. Our holidays are all about the smaller groups – between 15 and 35 people – and bigger experiences.”
CHANGING PERSPECTIVES Another big plus point is how much ground the tour covers. The vast site of Petra is an undoubted highlight, especially catching a first glimpse of ²
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DESTINATIONS JORDAN | MATURE TRAVEL
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