Friday. Welcome to Egypt! Arrive into Cairo, included transfer to your hotel. Spend the rest of the day at leisure or those arriving early can opt to pre-book our optional Backstreets of Cairo tour which departs the hotel at 10am today.
If you fancy extending your stay to see more of Egypt we also offer a pre tour excursion to the Mediterranean city of Alexandria on Thursdays - [[Alexandria Day Trip.|122837]]
Our day starts with a visit to Egypt's most iconic site - the awe-inspiring Pyramids of Giza & Sphinx. With plenty of time on hand there is opportunity to explore and get up close to the world's sole surviving and oldest ancient wonder.
Our next stop is the ancient tomb-strewn necropolis at Saqqara. Saqqara is a myriad of tombs and the highlight is Zhoser's step pyramid - constructed by Imhotep, the pharaoh's chief architect in 2700 BC. A visit to a government supervised Papyrus Museum will also be made at some point during today.
Cairo - Aswan. This morning we join our guided tour of the incredible new Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. This vast 490,000 sq.m complex showcases an astonishing collection of artefacts from nearly every period of ancient Egyptian history. Among the highlights are treasures of King Tutankhamun, with plans for his famous solid gold funerary mask to eventually be showcased here, alongside many items being exhibited for the first time.
Later, we make our way to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, which remains home to a vast collection of statues, jewellery, and sarcophagi. Here, we’ll see the well-preserved mummies of Yuya and Thuyu, high-ranking nobles and the great-grandparents of King Tutankhamun. Some mummies are so well preserved they still have thick locks of hair and visible fingernails. After our excursion, we return to the hotel to enjoy some free time by the pool before boarding the overnight sleeper train to Aswan.
Aswan. We arrive into Aswan and check into our hotel before heading off on a boat trip to Agilika Island where we visit the Temples of Philae, dedicated to the goddess Isis. The use of essential and perfumed oils in Egypt dates back to 2700BC, on our return to Aswan our final stop for the day will be at a perfume oil emporium. Spend the remainder of the evening at your own leisure; shop in the colourful souqs or simply kick back and relax.
Aswan - Nile felucca cruising. Today there is an optional early morning excursion by road to Abu Simbel, the famous the rock-cut temple of King Ramses II. This afternoon, we board our Nile felucca for a 2 night cruise downstream towards Kom Ombo. Relax, top up your tan and chat with new friends as the felucca gently plies its route. Stops are made en route at local villages and at the waterside Temple of Kom Ombo. If sailing by felucca is not your style, consider upgrading to a 5 star luxury Nile Cruise, please see the tab above for prices. For more information about Nile Cruising please click [[here|130530]].
Nile Felucca Sailing - Kom Ombo. Relax, go for a swim or just chill out in the sun on deck. Let your troubles melt away, as the felucca plies its route. In the afternoon we dock near Kom Ombo and take a motorboat to visit the temple, which is dedicated to the crocodile headed god Sobek, before returning to the felucca for the night.
Kom Ombo - Luxor. This morning we disembark and drive to Luxor. Home of the legendary Valley of the Kings and Temple of Karnak, 4000 year-old Luxor is ancient Egypt at its best. Enjoy some rest and relaxation. Tonight, an optional visit to the Temple of Luxor is available alternatively, enjoy the facilities of our hotel.
Today we will be exploring the West Bank of the Nile and the legendary Valley of the Kings. Marvel at Colossi of Memnon, the massive stone remains of the temple of Amenophis III, and explore the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and surrounding tombs.
After lunch we visit the Temple of Karnak, a spectacular religious complex built on a gigantic scale, where you get lost wandering around the stone papyrus columns. The rest of the evening is at leisure.
Luxor - Hurghada. Departing Luxor on day 9, we drive east to Hurghada which is part of the beautiful Red Sea Riviera! The remainder of today and tomorrow offer free time for you to explore or simply relax. On day 10 there's an optional day trip to Giftun Island for swimming and snorkelling, which can be booked locally.
Hurghada is one of the Red Sea's most popular resorts and it is easy to see why. Hotels and expanded infrastructure provide holidaymakers with excellent aquatic facilities for sail boarding, yachting, deep-sea fishing, SCUBA diving and snorkelling. Hurghada’s central location provides a gateway to prime offshore reefs, which are some of the finest in the world. The Red Sea resort also has plenty of restaurants and bars for evening entertainment.
Hurghada - Cairo - Amman - Petra. We have an early start this morning as we make our way to Hurghada Airport. From here we'll fly to Amman via Cairo. Upon arrival into Amman we drive south to Petra arriving near sunset. Tonight you may wish to take a candlelight stroll through Petra’s Siq….a romantic preview of things to come on, by joining the 'Petra By Night' excursion (approx. USD$25 payable locally).
PLEASE NOTE: The flight from Hurghada to Amman via Cairo is not included in the cost of this tour. Travellers need to independently book these flights at a personal cost (total flight cost approximately USD$250 - $350pp) however, we can assist in booking these flights should you require. The flights to be booked are detailed in the tour Trip Notes.
Welcome to the Rose City! To access Petra on our guided walk we travel through the famous narrow and deep siq. The rocks then give way to reveal the most amazing sight – the beautiful Treasury. Walking down the gravel tracks, we’ll explore the ancient Nabatean tombs and the Roman rock-carved streets lined with temples, royal tombs, staircases, arched gates and public buildings. There is also a gigantic amphitheatre originally built to house 3000 spectators, though the Romans increased capacity to a whopping 7000.
After the guided tour, you’re free to head off and further explore or or just relax and take it all in. If you are feeling energetic, why not continue up the hillside along the ancient steps that take you to the Monastery, to take in the stunning views. Free evening or why not test your culinary skills in the Petra Kitchen? Consider our Petra Kitchen - something good's cooking Add-on.
Petra - Wadi Rum. This morning we can revisit the Rose Red city for further exploration. After we drive to Wadi Rum - a vast, silent landscape of pastel coloured sketches of sandy desert punctuated by amazing rock formations known as jebels. Here we'll undertake a 4x4 desert safari, before tucking into a Bedouin dinner at our desert camp. Bed tonight is under a galaxy of stars or in tents.
Wadi Rum - Shobak – Wadi Mujib - Dead Sea. After breakfast at the campsite, we head north along the Desert Highway to visit Shobak Castle, which is perched dramatically on a hill top and was built by the Crusader king Baldwin I in 1115. After exploring the castle we descend some 1300 meters to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on the earth’s surface. More than 400 meters below sea level, the mineral-rich Dead Sea is the world’s original health and beauty spa. Drift out and bob in the waters and slap on some of the famous black Dead Sea mud to give your skin an invigorating boost.
For departures between April and October we’ll head up the King’s Highway to Wadi Mujib. We’ll embark on a moderate –paced two hour trek along the Siq Trail. Measuring 500 metres in depth and spanning 4 kilometres across, the impressive Wadi Mujib is one of Jordan’s most remarkable natural features. This dramatic canyon features sheer rocky walls and sparkling waterways that range from puddle height to depths that are perfect for swimming (chest height or deeper) depending on the rainfall. When the water level is high you should be prepared for having to climb up ladders, clamber across boulders and be happy to wade through water. The canyon is just one feature of the Mujib Biosphere Reserve, the lowest nature reserve in the world, home to a surprising diversity of wildlife and plant species. For those not interested in taking the full hike, you can walk part of or wait by the Visitor Centre till the group returns. After our trek we make our way to the Dead Sea.
The Dead Sea is a natural phenomena and high on most travellers’ bucket lists. Lucky for us we have a whole day to spend here, whiling away the time bobbing in its mineral-rich buoyant waters and lathering up with a detoxifying mud bath. Option to visit the Ma’in hot springs and the site where it is thought Jesus Christ was baptised by John (book locally).
Saturday. Dead Sea - Amman. Today our holiday together comes to an end. We offer a departure transfer to Amman airport at 23:00 (evening of day 15) and today at 04:00, 07:00, 09:00, 12:00 & 16:00. If you would like a departure transfer at any other time or a transfer with post tour accommodation this can be arranged at an additional cost, please enquire.
If you have extra time and wish to head back to Amman, why not book our 2 day end in Amman add on? Perfect for those who wish to spend more time in Jordan's ancient capital, Amman.
