Festive Road to Jordan - 16 days

Welcome to Cairo, Egypt's bustling capital. You will be met at Cairo Airport and transferred to our start hotel. Spend the rest of the day at leisure, or those arriving early may wish to book our Backstreets of Cairo tour which visits lesser known highlights of the capital including Tahrir Square, the hub of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution.





You may also extend your stay in Cairo with our pre or post tour accommodation or [[tour add-ons|121802]] like our [[Alexandria Day Trip|122837]].

Our first day of touring starts with a visit to Egypt's most iconic site - the awe-inspiring Pyramids of Giza and Sphinx. With plenty of time on hand to take the opportunity to explore and get up close to the world's sole surviving and oldest ancient wonder. We then have a short stop at a government supervised papyrus emporium before travelling to 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.

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 our 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’ll visit the Temple of Philae, dedicated to the goddess Isis. Then, back in Aswan we’ll visit a perfume oil emporium. Spending the remainder of the evening at our own leisure, shopping in the colourful souqs or simply kicking back and relaxing.

Aswan - Nile felucca sailing. Optional early morning excursion to the magnificent rock-cut Temples of Abu Simbel, built by mighty King Ramses II. This afternoon, we board our Nile felucca for a 2 night voyage downstream on the River Nile. Relax and chat with new friends as the felucca gently plies its route. Stops are made en route for swimming and visiting local villages.





If sailing by [[felucca|122461]] is not your style, consider upgrading to a [[5 star luxury Nile Cruise|130530]], please see 'Cruise Upgrade Prices & Dates' tab above for details.

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 our 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 and tonight, an optional visit to the Temple of Luxor is available or enjoy the facilities of our hotel.

Today we discover 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 then we’ll 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 offers 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. Today we say goodbye to Egypt and fly to Amman via Cairo. On arrival we’ll drive to Petra for an evening at leisure.







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 today, we travel through the famous narrow and deep siq. The rocks give way to reveal the most amazing sight – the beautiful Treasury. Walking down the gravel tracks, we 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 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 – worth the effort. With a free evening ahead, why not test your culinary skills in the Petra Kitchen with our Petra Kitchen add-on – which afterwards you can enjoy the meal made.

Petra - Wadi Rum. This morning we can revisit the Rose Red city entering via 'secret road' of Al Madras 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 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 head up the King’s Highway to Wadi Mujib. We embark on a moderate–paced two hour trek along the Siq Trail. Measuring 500 metres in depth and spanning 4kms 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 it or wait by the Visitor Centre until the group returns. After our trek, we make our way to the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea is a natural phenomenon 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. There is an optional visit to the Ma’in Hot Springs available. This is the site where it is thought Jesus Christ was baptised by John (book locally).

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.





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.



For information about visas, top travel tips and much more, take a look through our [[Egypt travel guide|126579]] or [[Joran travel guide|126583]].