Tour type: Small Group
Group size: Min: 2 | Max: 18
Accommodation: 3 to 4-star hotels, Bedouin camp, Nubian guesthouse & felucca sailboat
Meals:
Transport: A/C car/minibus, Bedouin jeep & felucca sailboat, overnight train
Highlights: Hidden Petra, Swim in The Dead Sea, Wadi Rum desert safari, the Pyramids & Sphinx, Huge Karnak Temple complex, Island Philae Temple, The Valley of the Kings, Felucca cruise on the Nile
Our Jordan tour starts in the capital city of Amman, from where we'll visit the Baptism Site at Bethany on the River Jordan and also take 'Harmony Trail' through the hillside town of As-Salt, learning how people of different religious live here, side by side. We'll also explore Amman itself and tour the magnificent Roman site at Jerash before heading south on the picturesque King's Highway, crossing deep wadis and travelling through small villages, olive groves and farmlands along the way. We'll stop to see some well preserved mosaics in Madaba, enjoy views over Israel from Mt. Nebo and explore the huge crusader castle at Kerak before we arrive at Petra, undoubtedly the country's main attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We have a full day to explore the site with a guided tour plus free time to walk up to the Monastery or High Place of Sacrifice. Our next stop is the spectacular desert scenery of Wadi Rum, where we spend the night in a comfortable Bedouin camp amidst the rocky cliffs and sandy desert, beneath clear starry skies. The tour then finishes with a jeep safari in Wadi Rum and a scenic drive north back to Amman along the banks of the Dead Sea, where you’ll have the opportunity to float on the surface of its salty waters. Then return to Amman with a stop to enjoy a dip/float in the salty waters of the Dead Sea - a must-do experience. We'll then take a flight to Cairo (not included - see Day 7 of the itinerary).
Arriving into Cairo we start with a visit to the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx before travelling south into Upper Egypt and the city of Aswan which sits on one of the most attractive stretches of the Nile. Here we stay in a friendly Nubian village guesthouse and explore the beautiful island temple of Philae and mighty Aswan Dam, with an optional extra early morning tour to the impressive temples of Ramses II at Abu Simbel. Back in Aswan we hop on board a traditional Nile felucca sailboat and wend our way down the River Nile, with support en-route from our Nubian crew and accompanying facilities boat with on board toilet, showers and massage deck. Arriving into Luxor we take time to visit some of the many temples in this amazing open air museum, and of course we take time to explore the tombs of the Valley of the Kings. We finally head back to Cairo by overnight train. If you'd like to add some time by the Red Sea to this trip, it's easy to add on a few extra days at the beach resort of Hurghada.
Private tour option
If our scheduled departure dates don't work for you, or you would prefer not to travel with a group, then we can also run this tour privately for you. Please contact us for more information and prices.
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Hotel Gala Dinners
Many of Egypt and Jordan's hotels arrange a very special gala dinner with entertainment in the evening on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Payment for these is often optional on Christmas Eve (24 Dec) but normally compulsory on New Year's Eve (31 Dec), whether you attend or not. Prices can range from around US$50 to over US$180 per person in 5-star hotels. Final decisions on prices and whether dinners are compulsory are made relatively close to the time. We aim to always select hotels that make their Gala Dinners optional, though this is not always possible, especially for New Year's Eve. Gala dinner prices are therefore not included in our prices above, but will be added to your booking if they become required. Please budget accordingly. More information is available on request.
Sleeper train
On the rare occasions where we only have 2-4 people in a group, the itinerary will switch to use the overnight sleeper train from Cairo to Aswan, and back from Luxor to Cairo instead of driving overland. The Karnak temple option will be included, in place of Dendara and Abydos which will be missed.
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Group tour departure dates and prices are shown below. The tour is also available as a customisable private departure on any other dates. Please contact us for details and prices.
The hotels and accommodations listed below are the ones we most often use on this tour. From time to time we may exchange these for similar properties at the same level. In general, specific hotels cannot be guaranteed on our group tours, but you may select your preferred options if you are booking a tailor-made trip.
Our tours are designed to include all that you need to enjoy a really special time in the destination youre visiting. However, we do also offer some extra options to complement the tour and add some additional sightseeing or activities, or some extra time at either end of the tour.
All accommodation based options (e.g. Single supplements, extra nights, cruise upgrades) should be booked and paid for in advance so that we can make the appropriate arrangements. Other options may either be booked and paid for in advance or while you are on the tour, though we recommend booking in advance to ensure there are no issues with availability.
Many options are priced the same throughout the year, but some may incur single or high season supplements - full details are given on the tour reservation form or on request.
The detailed Tour Notes below have been written to give you some more detailed information about how the tour runs, what to expect, and how to prepare for your holiday. We recommend downloading an up to date copy of these shortly before you travel in case of any changes.
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