Itinerary

1. Day 1- Cairo Arrival

   • Welcome to Cairo! Take your first breath of the Egyptian air and walk like one if you please as our representative meets you at the airport and sends you on your way to the hotel. 
   • Take an exploratory walk around the neighbourhood or hunker down at the hotel, whatever suits you best but don’t miss that 6 pm meeting with your tour leader.

2. Day 2- Giza

   • Chase down your breakfast with a 30 minutes drive to Egypt’s grandest and most popular landmark – the Pyramids of Giza – which skirt the boundaries of the city, preserving as it were, a passage and distance between the contemporary and the ancient. Observe the grandeur of these colossal structures from up close and afar to truly understand their technical finesse and then proceed just a stone’s throw away to try and solve the riddle, myth and history of the 4500-year-old statue of the Sphinx. 
   • Break away from these distant wonders and as the sun climbs its way on the back of afternoon, wander through the slender alleys of Khan al-Khalili Bazaar. 
   • Take sight of the shops and the mind-boggling antiques, gold, silver, perfumes and textile that spill onto the roads, punctuated by the occasional cacophony of metal workers as they hammer their products into shape. 
   • Later in the evening, share a slice of what it is to travel like a local as you board an overnight train to Aswan

3. Day 3- Aswan

   • Grab your bags and alight at Aswan’s train station and head straight for the Temple of Isis alternatively called Philae Temple. Accessed by boat, the temple lies on the island of Agilka where it was relocated from its original island of Philae and constructed piece by piece in the 60s. 
   • Listen to the story of this relocation as you pass through the hieroglyphs, columns, carvings and minute details that echo the influence of different eras. 
   • After visiting this remarkable temple, take a breather at your hotel-eat, nap or read; take your pick but tie your shoelaces again in the afternoon as you prepare to walk through the rainbow-hued Nubian village that’ll have you grabbing your cameras in earnest. 
   • While the vibrant splash of colours that mark the village is its immediate attraction, spare some time here interacting with its friendly inhabitants, bargaining with a vendor for spices or even casting an eye over the rather unusual sight of domesticated alligators!

4. Day 4- Abu simbel

   • Catch a 45 minutes flight out of Aswan today to explore the magnificent Abu Simbel Temples. As much as the backstory of these temples bear a verisimilitude to the Isis Temple both in history and its relocation, the colossal edifice with its four guards looking out across towards the Nile is only a curtain raiser. 
   • Negotiate your way through the Inner Temple, the Vestibule and the House of Gods-each adorned with hieroglyphs, mural reliefs and decorative friezes that speak of war campaigns and religious practices. 
   • Once you’ve explored every corner of this unique temple, fly back to Aswan; watch the wind catch the sail on board your felucca and float languidly on the iconic River Nile. 
   • Round off your day by stepping onto your dahabiya (a shallow-bottomed barge-like boat) where lunch awaits, as does a relaxing trip along the Nile for the next two days.

5. Day 5- Kom Ombo Temple

   • Watch the first hint of light splay itself across your piece of the world and brighten the day in consonance with the waking Nile. If early risings are not your thing, let the gentle rocking of the river absorb you into a lazy morning. 
   • Sail along the river for the better part of three hours and then drop anchor at Izbat Al Bayyarah to visit the Kom Ombo Temple, built during the Ptolemaic era. 
   • Work your way here, in the temple complex gazing at the exquisite frieze and reliefs detailing amongst others, the principal gods Ombos, Haroeris and Sobek, as well as scenes depicting Haroeris presenting the Ptolemaic-era pharaoh with the sword of victory. Continue sailing down the river after this visit until you dock approximately 5 hours later at Edfu.

6. Day 6- Temple of Horus

   • After breakfast, disembark and stretch your legs, but only for a moment as a horse-driven carriage awaits to deliver you in style at the Temple of Horus where, according to myth, the falcon-headed god fought the god of the underworld. Completed during 212 BC, walk through this grand piece of architecture that’s gigantic in both scale and vision until it’s finally time to make your way back to the river-Luxor beckons next. It’s effectively the last night that you’ll be sleeping on the Nile so make the best of the experience tonight! 
   • Let the river carry you further down its riverine landscape fringed with date palm trees, past cattle lifting their heads curiously and local inhabitants flashing a smile as you sail past.

7. Day 7- Luxor

   • It’s time to cast a parting glance at your floating accommodation this morning and strike for land. Head directly for the Karnak Temple, reputedly Luxor’s top attraction – and that’s saying a lot in a place where the wealth of ancient structures and monuments are innumerable. 
   • Pass through the temple confines littered with kiosks, pylons, columns and giant statues that extend approximately 2 sq. kilometres but take time at the famous Temple of Amun, the heart of Theban religious life, to impress itself upon you. 
   • Decipher the code of Pharaohs as each tried to outdo their predecessors by adding both aesthetic and engineering flair to the complex. 
   • Leave the temple complex after you’re done and head for the hotel, but return in the evening to unravel more of its mysteries at the sound and Light Show.

8. Day 8- Luxor

   • Take an excursion this morning to the legendary Valley of Kings, hidden beneath the folds of Luxor’s west bank escarpments, which themselves act as sentinels to the final resting place of Thebe’s kings. 
   • Walk through the corridors decorated with vibrant paintings and murals. Lose yourself in the inscriptions and reliefs which echo the belief systems and burial rites of these ancient kings as you enter the subsidiary chambers and then, finally make your way to the main chamber that houses the sarcophagus. Sixty-three tombs rest within the Valley’s womb so you’ll have to take your pick amongst the most famous – the obvious one being the Tomb of Tutankhamun, from where some of the greatest findings were discovered. An alternate but magnificent way to experience the west bank is to take a hot air balloon ride. Enquire with your tour leader to work out the details and see how best to fit them into your schedule.

9. Day 9- Cairo - Alexandria

   • Complete a full circle this morning by taking a flight out to Cairo. 
   • Make a pit stop at the immensely edifying Egyptian Museum with its assemblage of artefacts and try to make sense of it all, now that you’ve covered a fair portion of the Pharaonic world on your tour. 
   • Stop, consider and fix the chronological puzzle here as you pore over the attractions before driving approximately 3 hours eastward to the historic city of Alexandria, your stop for the night.

10. Day 10- Alexandria - Cairo

    • Squeeze your luggage into your vehicle after breakfast and head deeper underground into the catacombs of Kom-el Shuqqafa, a necropolis housing some tombs as well as a banquet chamber built to pay respect to the dead. Found purely by chance (an amusing story which is in complete contrast to the somber perception of the place), explore these chambers and discover the subtle workings of Time’s hand as Pharaonic carvings in the walls, columns and vestibules share space with Roman and Greek ones. 
    • Emerge from this mysterious pit and breathe in the light of day as you make your way next to Pompey’s Pillar, a Corinthian column built in 297 AD to commemorate the victory of the Roman Emperor Diocletian over a revolt in Alexandria. 
    • Following the visit here, leave the splendours of this city behind and drive back to Cairo.

11. Day 11- Saqqara

    • Construct the pieces of Egypt’s pyramidal puzzle as you travel to Saqqara’s necropolis and witness how it all began by stopping first at the museum of Imoteph, the ancient architect who is credited with having conceived the idea of Egypt’s first stone structure. 
    • Pore through the best of Saqqara’s exhibits at the museum, including the oldest complete mummy and then trudge out to survey the most striking landmark – the Step Pyramid, believed to be the prototype of all other pyramids. Let the tombs of the pharaohs swallow you into their recesses of vast chambers and passages and get a glimpse of life as it was in the old kingdom, communicated through the mural reliefs carved on the Mastaba (ancient Egyptian tomb) of Ti. 
    • Wander around some of the other popular sites at the necropolis and when you’re done, head back to join your travel companions for an optional final dinner to close your tour out on a high!

12. Day 12- Amman

    • It’s now time to say goodbye to some of the new friends you’ve met and then head to the airport to being the next section of this amazing trip. Jordan awaits you! Welcome to Amman! Our representative will assist you on arrival at the airport and facilitate your transfer to the hotel. 
    • Lay back, take a breather or explore the neighborhood when you get there but make sure you meet your tour leader and fellow travellers at 6 pm for that all important first meeting. Once you’ve threshed out the formalities head out for some mouth watering Jordanian fare.

13. Day 13- Wadi Musa

    • Settle down for an hour-long drive after breakfast, arriving at Mount Nebo and survey – as Moses did – the Dead Sea, the Jordan River Valley, Jericho, Bethlehem and the distant hills of Jerusalem from atop a windswept promontory standing approximately 700 metres above sea level. Stride towards the 4th century Moses Memorial Church and try to find some of the original stone pieces used to fashion this small edifice. Cast your last glance at history here and then proceed on to the Church of St George, Madaba, just 9 km away. Feast your eyes on the 6th-century mosaic map depicting a section of the Middle East as well as the original cartographic illustration of the Holy Land. 
    • Walk around this small town and explore its churches. Consider sitting down for lunch or watching the world shifting shades over the scent of coffee. If time permits, get an insight into the creative process of one of Jordan’s most exquisite exports at the Carpet City and when you’ve had your fill, step into your vehicle again and drive through the desert highway en route to Petra, your stop for the night.

14. Day 14- Wadi Musa

    • Wake up to a tingling of excited nerves as you get ready to witness one of the most intriguing architectural complexes in the world, one of the “Seven Wonders of the World” no less! Step in through the Al Siq, a narrow passage where the sunlight forms shadows, at once revealing and hiding the treasures it holds within its red, pink and ochre-hewn sandstone cliffs. 
    • Enter a patch of an ancient era – as old as 2000 years ago – and explore some of its highlights that feature the royal tombs, the Nabatean Theatre as well as the inimitable Treasury that adorns this great complex. 
    • Spend your time slack-jawed until it’s time to make use of them at lunch and then spend the remainder of the day at your leisure, milling about in the remains, climbing up to the monastery and exploring more of this area to form your own impressions about this marvel.

15. Day 15- Red Dunes of Wadi Rum

    • Make your way southwards after breakfast, towards the famous red dunes of Wadi Rum where you’ll be camping Bedouin style. 
    • Once you get to your camp, wade deeper into the desert on 4WDs to marvel at some of the most unique natural formations in the world carved out by the wind and sun over centuries. Sink your toes into the yielding sand, all brown, red and pink and run your eyes over the landscape that was once the home of T.E. Lawrence. 
    • Catch the nuances of the Rum as you visit its highlights, perhaps even learning about the Thamudic inscriptions while transporting yourself way back to the 7th century BC.

16. Day 16- Wadi Rum Village

    • Drive even deeper into the folds of the Rum and watch it reveal its secrets as slowly as the shadows of rocky outcrops and sandstone formations that lengthen across its vast expanse. 
    • Take a walk through the Barrah Siq that cleaves the Barrah massif in half, past sheer walls, and cliffs to a promontory that juts out to a broad, silent expanse and gaze far, far out into the distance that’s marked by fantastic rock formations. 
    • Linger here in the Rum, listening to the silence and at last, waiting for the sun to leave its last touches on the sand before you return to your camp.

17. Day 17- Kerak

    • Leaving the brick red landscape of Wadi Rum travel onwards to Kerak, a now bustling town encased in millennia of Levantine history. 
    • Disembark at the largest of all the castles built by the crusaders in the Middle East and walk through the entrance, breezing past various sections, where the walls tease out stories of Saladin, his siege of this castle in the 12th century and many others that lie hidden within its walls. 
    • Take a moment to catch your breath after your visit, fortify yourself with some lunch and then raise some dust as you make for your overnight destination, the Dead Sea.

18. Day 18- Jerash

    • Following breakfast, drive to Jerash (approximately an hour and a half) and stand gaping at the archaeological complex that is home to one of the best-persevered ancient Roman cities. 
    • Run an appreciative eye over the intricate décor of Hadrian’s Arch built to commemorate the Emperor’s visit in 129 AD, and then contemplate upon life as it may have been to the ancient populace at the Cardo Maximus, striding through the original pavement which was laid out in the 1st century. 
    • Gaze at the city plan from the Sanctuary of Zeus and discover all the other incredible ruins – the Oval Plaza, Hippodrome, the two Theatres and Artemis Temple among others –during the course of your exploration. 
    • Retreat for a moment from this era and adjust to the present as you leave the complex and drive back to your accommodation to spend some time at leisure. Later in the evening celebrate your adventures in Jordan by getting together for a final dinner.

19. Day 19- Departure

    • It’s time now to bid farewell to your tour leader and new friends but not without a backpack full of memories. Departure transfers are included on the day. Please consult with your tour leader or the hotel desk to confirm the check-out time.