Tour type: Small Group
Group size: Min: 2 | Max: 14
Accommodation: 3 & 4-star hotels & Bedouin camp
Meals:
Transport: A/C minibus
Highlights: Pyramids, Sphinx, Cairo, Saqqara, Dead Sea swim, Dana Biosphere Reserve, Shobak crusader castle, Petra, Wadi Rum jeep safari, Bedouin desert camp
This short but comprehensive tour of Egypt and Jordan packs in many of the highlights these two countries have to offer.
The tour begins with a guided sightseeing tour to Egypt's most well-known landmark - the Great Pyramids of Giza and the enigmatic Sphinx. We also visit the unique Step Pyramid at Saqqara to learn about the history and evolution of pyramid building. Next we take a fully-guided city tour of Cairo to visit the sprawling Egyptian Museum of antiquities, the imposing Citadel, several mosques (or alternatively Coptic Cairo) and the bustling Khan-el-Khalili bazaar.
Leaving Egypt behind you'll take a short flight to the Capital of Jordan, Amman. After leaving the airport we descend towards the Dead Sea for a night in a 4-star resort and a swim, or float in the amazing salty waters. From the Dead Sea our next short hike takes us around the restored Dana Village in the Dana Biosphere Reserve, Jordan's largest nature reserve. A visit to the Crusader Castle at Shobak then follows before we explore Jordan's main highlight, the amazing lost city of Petra. We have time for a guided tour here, as well as free time to hike up to the Monastery and High Place of Sacrifice for some amazing views. Finally we head to the beautiful desert scenery of Wadi Rum where we'll spend the night in a comfortable Bedouin camp against the towering cliffs. The next morning we take a jeep safari through the sand dunes and past amazing rock bridges before spending some time with a local Bedouin shepherd, learning about their nomadic way of life and how they look after their animals in the desert. After a tasty lunch in the desert, we head back north to Amman for a final evening in a coffee shop, perhaps enjoying a sheesha and game of backgammon while looking back over our time in this amazing country.
This tour connects well with our Israel and Lebanon tours, and can also be run privately at any time if our group departures don't work for you or you would like to customise the itinerary a little, perhaps adding on some time by the Red Sea in Aqaba.
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Regular small-group departures run throughout the year and the tour can also be booked privately on any other date and customised to fit your personal requirements.
The hotels and accommodations listed below are the ones we most often 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.
Steigenberger Cairo Pyramids Hotel
Cairo
It features two pools, several restaurants and bars, free WiFi, a spa and fitness centre, and both classic and family rooms. The rooms overlook the gardens and feature air-conditioning, TVs, safes, and minibars. The hotel offers an airport shuttle.
Dead Sea Spa Resort
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea Spa hotel is a comfortable resort style hotel located on the banks of the Red Sea. Access to the Dead Sea itself is directly from the hotel, with spa treatments and Dead Sea mud to lather yourselves with before swimming also available.
La Maison
Petra
La Maison is a comfortable, mid-range hotel in Petra with an excellent location less than ten minutes walk from the Visitor Centre and entrance into Petra.
Rahayeb Camp
Wadi Rum
This Wadi Rum desert camp has a fantastic location on the desert sands against the cliffs in the Wadi Rum Protected Area. Accommodation is in permanent goat hair tents with proper beds and all bedding provided. The food is generally excellent.
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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Pyramids & Petra & Country Reviews
Product Review
Posted 29th of Mar 2019
Important Egyptian sites were available to visit. They were visited.
Product Review
Posted 27th of Mar 2019
This was a great trip and worth every penny. Our Egyptologist tour guide was 'Big Mo' which made all the difference. He was knowledgeable, kind, and hospitable. He made sure we had a solid introduction to each tour site and then was available for more detailed information if we wanted. Book a tour with 'Big Mo' if at all possible!
Product Review
Posted 27th of Mar 2019
Excellent value—I purchased it initially on Groupon and Encounters Travel allowed us to make additions.
Product Review
Posted 26th of Mar 2019
Excellent tour. From the moment we landed in Cairo until we left, we were well taken care of. We experienced so much of Egypt -- from temples and pyramids and tombs to a bonfire dinner and sing-a-long on an island. Our guide (Waleed) was exceptional. His love and knowledge of Egypt was evident throughout the tour. He helped Egypt come alive for us. We were very pleased with the tour.
Product Review
Posted 26th of Mar 2019
Perfect adventure! Food, Tours, Service, Guides, even transportation!
Product Review
Posted 26th of Mar 2019
With all we did and the amount of travel, I was shocked at how cost effective the tour company made it. You get your money's worth after you think about busses, felucca sailboat, overnight train, hotel rooms, and the amazing tour guide.
Product Review
Posted 17th of Jan 2019
Great value for the price!
Product Review
Posted 17th of Jan 2019
Great value for the price!
Product Review
Posted 7th of Jan 2019
My Egyptian tour was the trip of a lifetime, The Egyptian and Nubian people were friendly and welcoming. The food and hotels were fantastic and the country of Egypt was stunning!!!
Product Review
Posted 6th of Jan 2019
All the sights were great and our tour guide explained and told History on all we saw.
Product Review
Posted 5th of Jan 2019
Worth every penny! Go to Egypt with Encounters Travel!
Product Review
Posted 4th of Jan 2019
Really enjoyed the various excursions especially the overnight felucca, hot air balloon, abu simbel and Camel ride against the pyramids
Product Review
Posted 3rd of Jan 2019
The tour for the price was EXCELLENT!
Product Review
Posted 3rd of Jan 2019
The price was great and the people wonderful!
Product Review
Posted 2nd of Jan 2019
Bucket list experience. A must.
Product Review
Posted 4th of Dec 2017
Amazing value for the price. We loved our guide, Big Mo!
Product Review
Posted 21st of Nov 2017
See above review for more details.
Product Review
Posted 15th of Sep 2017
We really got to see a lot for the time we spent in Egypt and Encounters made sure no time was wasted in waiting for transportation and rooms and things like that. We had a great group, a great guide, and really learned a lot. All accommodations were exceptional and we couldn't believe how we did everything for such a good price
Product Review
Posted 12th of Jun 2017
There was a time many years ago that I wanted to travel to Egypt and didn't because of the cost. This trip was, to me, very affordable. I think everyone should experience this trip. The tour guide was alos excellent, Sherif Mohammad.
Product Review
Posted 8th of Jun 2017
Incredible trip; our guide was really knowledgeable and answered all questions regarding history.
Product Review
Posted 7th of Jun 2017
Great tour! Safe, comfortable, and fascinating. It was a joy to travel to so many wonderful places and always know I was in good hands.
Product Review
Posted 7th of Jun 2017
As stated before it was a great trip
Product Review
Posted 6th of Jun 2017
The whole experience was wonderful.
Product Review
Posted 6th of Jun 2017
Amazing trip. It was well layed out and guided. We also we're lucky to have a great group in which we all got along really well.
Product Review
Posted 6th of Jun 2017
Exceed expectations and very professional.
Product Review
Posted 10th of Apr 2017
excellent value on all aspects - tours, transportation, accommodations and included fees
Product Review
Posted 9th of Apr 2017
Price was excellent! Very affordable for 2 people.
Product Review
Posted 6th of Apr 2017
The tour was exceptional for the price I paid. Really saw and did so much.
Product Review
Posted 5th of Apr 2017
Prices were great. Our US dollar went a long way.
Product Review
Posted 5th of Apr 2017
Did not like the overnight train, but enjoyed everything else. We did not spend the night on the sail boat, but enjoyed sailing in the afternoon and retuning to the hotel.
Product Review
Posted 18th of Mar 2017
Very well organized with knowlegable guide.
Product Review
Posted 16th of Mar 2017
This tour is incredible - we saw all the major sights in Cairo, Aswan, and Luxor, and enjoyed several days at the Jaz Makadi Resort in Hurghada. The tour is arranged more or less chronologically and you have the same guide the entire time, so you really get a great experience following the cultural/religious/political development of ancient Egypt over several thousand years.
Product Review
Posted 16th of Mar 2017
Sights coverd and seen breath taking. Total enchament.
Product Review
Posted 16th of Mar 2017
Good value for price just be aware of additional tours.