Amman

This Month in Amman:

Shopping: For the Love of Vintage is an unusual boutique featuring vintage and retro-inspired clothing, jewellery, accessories, handbags and homewares, sourced and individually selected from all over the world (17 Al Batoul Center, Ahmad Al-Arousi Street Abdoun, tel: 0798280000).

Key areas: A 40-minute drive from Amman is Jerash, one of the most well-preserved and extensive roman sites outside Italy. Every day except Tuesday, there are vivid reenactments of chariot races and Roman soldiery.

Amman News & Gossip

Tours de Force

Tour organisers have a problem. In an age when holidaymakers can book their car hire at the same time as their flights, it seems strangely restrictive to pack yourself onto a bus with a bunch of strangers. After all, we're individuals aren't we? Why would anyone want to join the herd when they could be out there on their own, encountering the city on their own terms and discovering it in their own time?

Dan Hart, UK general manager for tour company Viator, thinks he has the answer. "A growing number of small companies and individual tour guides are realising that travellers do not just want the typical tourist experience when they are on a city break," he says. "They want to explore with someone with inside knowledge who can show them the secret places, share unusual and exciting experiences or get them exclusive out-of-hours access to the must-do attractions."

These aren't the bus tours of old; shuffling around cathedrals is out and left-of-field adventure is in. We've pulled together five of the best tours available across the network - you can find more ideas and the best deals on fantastic tours by clicking the 'Sightseeing or Tours' link on easyJet.com.

1. SHARM EL-SHEIKH: DISCOVER EGYPT'S MANGROVES When you think of mangroves, your mind probably wanders to the swamps of Florida, Australia or South America. But this tour takes you out among the black mangroves near Sharm el-Sheikh; it's your chance to discover the strange world of Egypt's very own saltwater rainforest.

2. AMMAN: LIVE LIKE THE BEDOUIN Four hours south of Amman, the vast Wadi Rum is a desert paradise of rare birds and animals. Anyone can visit it if they can get hold of a driver to take them, but this bus tour includes a night in a luxurious Bedouin camp, watching the sunset over the otherworldly red mountains and sleeping under the stars in true Lawrence of Arabia style (the classic movie was filmed here).

3. BRISTOL: STEP INSIDE STONEHENGE Most people who visit Stonehenge have to be satisfied with viewing the stones from the path outside, but this tour takes you to the prehistoric monument either before or after normal visiting hours, giving a rare chance to step inside the inner stone circle.

4. SALZBURG: INTO THE ICE CAVES This trip through Austria's Salzach Valley concludes with a guided tour of the Eisriesenwelt, which is the biggest ice cave in the world. The network of caves runs 42km into the mountains and the first kilometre remains covered in ice throughout the year, creating incredible stalagmites, stalactites and vast walls of ice that have to be seen to be believed.

5. DUBROVNIK: SAIL THE CITY WALLS Dubrovnik is famous for its city walls, and every year, thousands of tourists pick their way around them. But why walk when you can paddle? This sea-kayaking tour gets you up close to the outside of the towering city walls and even leaves time for you to explore the nearby caves and bays.

Amman Trivia

• May: Although Amman's importance diminished from the end of the Byzantine period until the 1920s, it is one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in the world.

• April: A municipal law states that buildings in Amman must be faced with the local white stone, giving the city a fresh, bright atmosphere.

• March: The main areas of Amman are named after the hills on which they rest. The city's elevation ranges from 740m to 1,400m.

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