With just a few weeks days until Christmas, there is no better time to explore the ancient biblical sites of Jordan and Israel while getting some winter sun in a short-haul destination.

Visit the Amman and Petra with their reminders of the great Roman Empire, then visit Wadi Rum and take a camel ride to stay in traditional Bedouin tents and learn about the culture.

With towering sandstone mountains rising from the desert this is a beautiful place to watch the sunset, and was also the location for the film of Laurence of Arabia. Crossing the border to Israel, discover Jerusalem with its mix of religions and see the Wailing Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Yad Vashem (Israel’s memorial to the Holocaust).

Continue to the biblical city of Bethlehem to explore Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity and then Nazareth and the fortress of King Herod. After all that exploring there is even time to relax and unwind while floating in the Dead Sea.

The 12 day Jordan & Israel Explorer tour starts from £1,740 per person tour only, including 11 nights accommodation (ten nights hotel, one night Bedouin tent), all breakfasts and some other meals, land transport, arrival transfers and the services of a tour leader and local guides.

Flights are available from £386 per person.
Head over to Imaginative Traveller for more information.