30-Nights Heritage Journey in Time & Place — CALL

Straddling the border between Israel and Jordan, the Dead Sea is the lowest spot on the Earth's surface. If you head there from Amman, don't nod off: The view as you descend from the hills toward the sea is quite striking. The mineral content of this 45-mi-/75-km-long and 6-mi-/10-km-wide saltwater lake tops out at 33%.

The Dead Sea should be seen (and stepped into) at least once in every person's life—it's impossible to sink—but some mild words of caution are in order: Don't shave shortly before swimming (the high salt content will leave you with an excruciatingly painful experience), and take some eyedrops along (getting even a tiny drop of the thick water in your eye is painful). Also try to make sure there are shower facilities or a freshwater stream in which to rinse off nearby—otherwise, the sea's minerals will leave an uncomfortable crust on your skin.

Near the northern end of the Dead Sea are several spa and beach resorts, including the lovely Movenpick Resort and the luxurious Kempinski Hotel Ishatar, which was inspired by the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Visitors who are not guests of the resort can generally take advantage of the health and beauty treatments at the spas if they purchase a day membership. For centuries, people have traveled to the Dead Sea to enjoy its beauty as well as its healing properties. Many people go there for relief from chronic ailments such as dermatological problems, asthma, arthritis, circulatory issues and hypertension. The composition of the Dead Sea contains contains high levels of magnesium, calcium, sodium and potassium, making it rich in life-enhancing minerals.

A bit inland from the sea, in a beautiful oasis, are thermal springs (including a waterfall) at Hammamat Ma'in.

Also nearby is Bethany Beyond the Jordan, which archaeologists believe to be the site where John the Baptist lived and preached, and where he baptized Jesus. The ruins of a Byzantine church were built on what early Christians identified as the spot where Jesus left his robes. Elsewhere, you can visit the Baptist's Spring, which may have been John's cave where he sheltered, and several other churches and baptism pools. Nearby is Jebal Mar Elias, a small hill referred to in the Bible as Hermon, where the prophet Elijah ascended to heaven in a chariot of fire.

About midway along the sea's shore is the Mujib Reserve. This protected area encompassing a gorge, mountains and valleys boasts an impressive biodiversity of both plants and wildlife. It also has two marked hiking trails and a campsite. At the southern end of the sea, not far south of Wadi Mujib, is the site identified as Lot's Cave, where the biblical figure was said to have taken refuge after escaping from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. A Byzantine church built over the cave entrance has been excavated and is open to the public. A shell-shaped museum has been built 984 ft/300 m from the entrance to Lot's Cave. North of Lot's Cave are the sites of what are believed to be the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which show signs that they were indeed destroyed by fire.

Try to see the sunset at the Dead Sea at least once—it's worth it. The Dead Sea is 25 mi/40 km southwest of Amman.

A trek 325 mi/525 km northwest of Addis Ababa in the Simien Mountains is likely to be the high point of a visitor's time in Ethiopia. (The highest peaks top 13,100 ft/4,000 m.) The breathtaking mountain landscape and vegetation provide some of the finest scenery in the country. Many of the animals living in the Simien Mountains exist only in Ethiopia and some exist only in the Simiens. Lammergeyer vultures, whose wingspan reaches up to 10 ft/3 m, are protected by national park rules. Endemic mammals include the Ethiopian wolf (an endangered species), Gelada monkeys (which live in large, grass-eating troops that display little fear of humans) and the goatlike Walia ibex. The Simiens are also home to several endemic plants, including a form of giant lobelia whose hollow seedpod can grow up to 20 ft/6 m high and was often used by soldiers for stashing arms.

The park's headquarters are at Debark, on the main road. Park authorities will provide a guide and an armed scout (in case of poachers) and will arrange for the rental of mules to carry additional food and gear. The guide, scout, trekking permit and mules should cost about US$200 for a week. Visitors can buy supplies and rent camping stoves in Debark, but tents and warm sleeping bags should be carried from home. Take warm clothing as well as protection from the sun and rain. (The rainy season is May-October.) Although only limited food is available in the small towns within the park, the Muslim villagers (who have lived in this mostly Christian region since the 17th century) are happy to supply nonalcoholic barley beer to thirsty hikers.

Founded by Emperor Fasilidas in the 17th century in the shadow of the Simien Mountains 260 mi/420 km northwest of Addis Ababa, Gonder certainly merits a visit. Once the Ethiopian capital, the town has distinctive castles and cathedrals, incorporating medieval European and southern-Arabian influences. Be sure to see the abbeys, the Castle of the King Fasilidas, the Monastery of Kusquam, the House of Kusquam (Queen Mintiwab's palace) and other ruins.

Gonder has dozens of churches, the most important being Debre Birhan Selassie (Trinity of the Mountain of Light), which has an impressive hilltop location. The priest there will explain the story of the many paintings and carvings inside the church. Nearby is a former Falasha (Ethiopian Jew) community. Although all of the Falasha were airlifted to Israel years ago, you can still tour the synagogue and buy some traditional Falasha pottery (made by current residents).

Missing this town would be like going to Egypt and not seeing a pyramid. Lalibela's 11 Orthodox churches are some of the world's greatest architectural marvels, and the town has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Each church was carved out of a solid piece of red volcanic rock in the 1100s. The largest, Medhane Alem, measures an incredible 100 ft/30 m long, 77 ft/24 m wide and 37 ft /11 m high. Beta Giorgis (the Church of St. George) is shaped like a cross and surrounded by a 40-ft-/12-m-deep trench. Historians say that the churches were commissioned by King Lalibela, who claimed to have been instructed by God in a dream to build the most beautiful places of worship on Earth. Legend says that the churches were completed in 24 years with the help of angels. The churches have beautifully painted facades, tunnels and a cloth (in the Pillar of Light Church) upon which Christ was said to have leaned when appearing to King Lalibela in a dream. The churches are accessible through carved ravines and eerie subterranean passageways lined with grottoes containing the bones of past clergy.

Built as the king's own "New Jerusalem" 210 mi/340 km north of Addis Ababa, Lalibela strikes many visitors as one of the most sacred, strangely mystical places on Earth, particularly during religious festivals, when pilgrims arrive from around the country. Bet Maryam (the Church of St. Mary), is especially festive on Christmas Eve. Most of the churches still hold weekly services. Our favorite nonreligious experience in Lalibela is the Saturday market, a good place to see Ethiopian villagers trading goats, cows, cloth and vegetables.

Outside Lalibela, a local charity called TESFA works with local communities to offer simple facilities catering to tourists who wish to get off the beaten trail, trek in breathtaking scenery and see the real culture of the highlanders. Centered on Meket Woreda, the local communities manage the enterprises and retain the proceeds from it.

This holy city and former capital, found 350 mi/565 km north of Addis Ababa in the northern province of Tigrai, is ancient, dating back 2,000 years. A major stop in caravan routes heading to the Red Sea, Aksum (the early site is referred to as Axum) was the home of Ezana, the Ethiopian king who converted to Christianity in the fourth century.

Several sites in Aksum are legendarily associated with the Queen of Sheba, to whom Ethiopians refer as Makeda and claim was impregnated by King Solomon on a visit to Jerusalem. The fruit of this royal union was Emperor Menelik I, the founder of the so-called Solomonic Dynasty that ruled Ethiopia almost continuously until the death of Haile Selassie almost 3,000 years later. However, most credible historians regard these legends as pure fabrication, and sites such as the "Queen of Sheba's Palace" and the "Queen's Well," although very ancient, probably postdate her era by several centuries. An equally unverifiable local legend has it that the Ark of the Covenant was stolen from King Solomon by his son Menelik I and now lies in a special building in the fourth-century church compound of Tsion Maryam (Mary of Zion). The chapel is guarded night and day by a monk who is forbidden to let anyone inside.

What is true is that sometime after the conversion to Christianity, Ezana's dynasty incorporated the Solomon story into its origins. Not to be outdone, later dynasties, such as that associated with King Lalibela, went to even greater historical depths and claimed Moses as their founder. A display in a modern church in Aksum contains the crowns of ancient kings.

Although the civil war left its scars, most of Aksum's ruins, which date from AD 400, were untouched. The ruins include palaces, buildings and dozens of stelae, or obelisks, each carved from a single piece of stone (some as tall as 75 ft/22 m). The stelae, several of which have fallen, mark the burial places of Aksumite kings and resemble three- or four-story buildings, complete with windows and doors.