DESERTS, TOMBS & JORDAN TOUR
Overview
Deserts, Tombs & Jordan Tour 16 days
Egypt | Cairo, Western Deserts, Luxor, Dahab, Jordan
Egypt & Jordan are covered in full on this tour, as we explore the main Pharaonic sites in Cairo and Luxor, take a desert safari through the Egyptian Western Deserts, and travel north through Jordan visiting Wadi Rum, Petra, the Dead Sea, and Jerash. Bedouin camps are included amid the strange rock formations of the Egyptian White Desert, and the stunning desert scenery of Wadi Rum in Jordan.
Transportation:
4×4 jeep, air-conditioned vehicle, sleeper train
Meals:
Breakfast: 15 | Lunch: 6 | Dinner: 5
Day 1: Arrive in Cairo
We greet you on your arrival into Cairo airport, and transfer you straight to your hotel where you can settle in before starting the main tour tomorrow morning.
Day 2: Cairo - Pyramids & Museum Tour
Our first tour today takes in Cairo’s most impressive, important and famous sites, the Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza, and the Egyptian Museum in the centre of the city.
Day 3: Drive to Bahariya
We leave Cairo today and drive out through barren and rocky flat desert to the villages in the Bahariya Oasis depression.
Day 4: Bahariya Oasis & desert safari
This morning we tour the oasis, visiting several interesting sites including a pyramid shaped mountain. We then leave Bahariya by 4×4 jeep and start our main desert safari. This takes us through the Black Desert and past some huge sand dunes and spectacular cliff and sand scenery to the flat expanses of the White Desert, filled with strange rock formations that have been eroded by years of wind and sand. We make a basic but comfortable camp here and sleep under the stars.
Day 5: Farafra and Dakhla Oasis
We drive out of the White Desert this morning and leave our jeeps at the Farafra Oasis, one of the smallest and most traditional in the Western Desert. Here we may enjoy a welcome bathe in one of the hot water springs before driving on to one of Egypt’s most remote Oases, Dakhla, where we tour the main oasis town of Mut, the Islamic village of Al Qasr and the restored Roman temple of Deir al Haggar.
Day 6: Dakhla & Kharga Oases - Drive to Luxor
We leave Dakhla this morning and drive on to Kharga Oasis where we stop to visit the Temple of Hibis, Deir-al-Kashef monastery, and Al-Bagawat necropolis. We then drive on through the desert and into the Nile Valley and the city of Luxor, home to the greatest concentration of Pharaonic historical monuments and sites in the whole of Egypt.
This evening you have the option of visiting the huge temple complex at Karnak for a Sound & Light show.
Day 7: Luxor - West bank tour. Free time. Sleeper train to Cairo
We rise early this morning and tour the West Bank of the Nile, including stops at the Valley of the Kings, Queen Hatchepsut and Medinat Habu temples, and the Colossi of Memnon. In the afternoon you can visit Luxor temple in the middle of town, explore Luxor’s markets, take a felucca sailboat trip on the Nile, or visit the Mummification Museum, before we board the overnight sleeper train for the journey back to Cairo. There is also an option available this morning for a spectacular hot air balloon flight.
Day 8: Cairo - Free day
After arriving back in Cairo this morning, your day is free to explore the city a little more, perhaps visiting the ancient churches in Coptic Cairo, the mosques and palaces of the Citadel of Saladin, and the busy Khan-el-Khalili bazaar on an optional city tour. We can also arrange day trips to the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, or to the World Heritage Site of the Valley of the Whales in the Fayoum region close to Cairo.
Day 9: Drive to Dahab
We leave Cairo early this morning for the drive to Dahab. The afternoon is free to relax by the hotel pool or beach or head to the bay area to enjoy the unique feel of this friendly village. If you wish, you can climb up Mt. Sinai to see the sunrise from the summit, and then visit St. Katherine’s monastery, home of the ‘Burning Bush’.
Day 10: Dahab - Various activities available
Your day is free today to enjoy the laid back atmosphere of this unique beach resort. You can try a number of activities including snorkeling at the Blue Hole, a sunset camel ride, quad biking or scuba diving.
Day 11: Ferry to Jordan - Wadi Rum Jeep safari, Bedouin camp
After relaxing in Dahab we have an early start today to catch the ferry to Jordan. After breakfast and a visit to Aqaba Fort, we head into the spectacular desert scenery of Wadi Rum for a jeep safari, Bedouin lunch, and overnight desert camp under the stars. Options for a camel ride in the desert are also available if you wish.
Day 12: Petra
We leave Wadi Rum after breakfast, and make the short drive to Petra where we provide a 4-hour guided tour, lunch, and free time to explore Jordan’s most famous tourist site.
Day 13: Little Petra - Free time
We tour ‘Little Petra’ this morning, and in the afternoon have the chance to revisit the main site again.
Day 14: King's Highway - Kerak, Madaba, Mt. Nebo
Today’s drive is up the scenic King’s Highway, with stops en-route to explore the huge crusader castle at Kerak, view the majestic valley of Wadi Mujib, see the intricate Roman mosaics at Madaba, and enjoy views over Israel from Mt. Nebo. We finish the day in Amman.
Day 15: Amman
Our morning tour is to the extensive Roman ruins at Jerash, close to Amman. In the afternoon we swim, or try to swim, in the extremely salty and strange waters of the Dead Sea. We return to Amman in time to spend a little time looking around the city centre in the evening.
Day 16: Amman
The tour finishes today, and your time is free in Amman until we pick you up from the hotel and transfer you to the airport for your flight home.