13 NIGHTS / 15 DAYS
Day 1: USA - Amman (Jordan)
Flight with a good itinerary
Day 2: Amman
Arrival at the airport in Amman. You will be greeted by our representative who will help you through formalities and transferred to your hotel in Amman. Dinner and overnight in Amman. (Dinner)
Day 3: Amman - Madaba - Mt. Nebo - Shoubak Castle - Petra
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure toward Madaba, a city famous for its mosaic map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the 6th century and for its spectacular Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics. Continuation to Mt. Nebo, a 810 metres (2,651 ft) high mountain mentioned in the Bible as the place where Moses was granted a view of the Promised Land that he would never enter.
You will then drive to Shoubak, where an impressive castle stands as a lonely reminder of former Crusader glory. Known to the crusaders as Montreal Castle, it was built in 1115 by King Baldwin I of Jerusalem and owned by the royal family for less than a century before falling to foreign invaders. Arrival in Petra in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight in Petra. (Breakfast-Dinner)
Day 4: Full day in Petra
After breakfast at the hotel, you will start your full-day tour of the legendary Nabatean city of Petra. Considered as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. You will enter the city through a 1-km long narrow gorge which is flanked on both sides by 80 metres (262 ft) high cliffs with dazzling colors and amazing rock formations. The site is massive and contains hundreds of elaborate rock-cut tombs, roman-style theatres, temples dedicated to gods and kings, sacrificial altars, colonnaded streets and of course the Al Khazneh or "The Treasury of Petra". In the afternoon, enjoy free time to explore Petra on your own. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Petra. (Breakfast-Dinner)
Day 5: Petra - Little Petra - Wadi Rum - Dead Sea
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning you will visit Little Petra, an archeological site included in Petra's inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its ancient buildings sculpted out of solid red sandstone. A suburb of the city of Petra, Little Petra was the place where Nabateans used to entertain their guests. It was one of the main commercial areas of Petra, the entry and exit point for the trade routes to the north and north-west.
Later you will explore Wadi Rum on a 2-hour jeep ride into the Jordanian desert! Wadi Rum was described by T.E. Lawrence, aka Lawrence of Arabia, as "vast, echoing and god-like", and is dubbed by the locals "valley of the Moon". You will then be transferred from Petra to your hotel on the Dead Sea. Dinner and overnight in the region of the Dead Sea. (Breakfast-Dinner)
Day 6: Dead Sea - Jerash - Amman
Breakfast at the hotel and departure northward to Jerash. You will explore the roman city of Jerash with a local English-speaking guide. This 2-hour tour will take you back to ancient times thanks to well-preserved paved and colonnaded streets, soaring hilltop temples, theatres, spacious public squares, plazas, baths, fountains from the 1st century A.D.
After the visit, you will be transferred to Amman for a 2-hour tour of the capital city of Jordan. You will see wonderful historical sites such as the Amman Citadel, the Amphitheatre, the Blue Mosque and the Archeological and Folklore museums. At the end of the afternoon you will be transferred to your hotel. Dinner and overnight in Amman. (Breakfast-Dinner)
Day 7: Amman (Jordan) - Cairo (Egypt)
Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to the airport in Amman for your flight to Cairo. Upon arrival at the airport in Cairo, you will be welcomed and transferred to your hotel. Enjoy some free time to relax at the hotel or opt for an optional city tour ($) to start your exploration of Cairo. Dinner and overnight in Cairo. (Breakfast-Dinner)
Day 8: Cairo - Aswan (Sleeping Train)
After breakfast at the hotel, you will discover the world-famous pyramids of Giza. On the Giza Plateau just outside of Cairo, you will be impressed by the Pyramid of Cheops, the largest of the three pyramids, the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one to remain largely intact. With the head of a pharaoh and the body of a lion, the Sphinx of Giza is watching over the pyramids. Enjoy some free time to wander around this amazing site, take pictures and visit the interior chambers ($) of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
After lunch at a local restaurant, you will visit the Egyptian Museum of Cairo. Then, you will be transferred to the train station in Cairo to board your train toward Aswan. Dinner and overnight on board in a first-class cabin. (Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner)
Day 9: Aswan (Beginning of the Nile cruise)
Breakfast on board. Arrival at the train station in Aswan and transfer to the port to embark on your Nile cruise. Following lunch on board, you will visit the Aswan High Dam which is providing electricity to the whole country, the Philae Temple dedicated to the goddess Isis, and the unfinished Obelisk, the largest known ancient obelisk. Dinner and overnight on board. (Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner)
Day 10: Aswan - Kom Ombo - Edfu
Breakfast on board. In the morning, enjoy the facilities of the ship or opt for an amazing optional excursion ($) to Abu Simbel, considered to be one of the most impressive sites in Egypt. Lunch on board. In the afternoon you will sail toward Kom Ombo where you will visit the Temple of Sobek. Then you will navigate onward to Edfu. Dinner and overnight on board. (Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner)
Optional excursion ($) to Abu Simbel ($):
Early morning transfer from the ship in Aswan to Abu Simbel with breakfast included. Here, you will visit the two temples built by Ramses II as a high-architect before he became a pharaoh. The 100-foot-high Great Temple is breathtaking with the 4 statues of Ramses II and his wife Queen Nefertari, each 65-foot high. Next to the Great Temple is the temple dedicated to Queen Nefertari. Both temples were originally carved in a mountain. In 1965, they were moved to a new location thanks to an international project which saved them from the flooding caused by the construction of the High Dam.
Day 11: Edfu - Esna - Luxor
After breakfast on board, you will visit the temple dedicated to Horus which is one of the best-preserved ancient temples in Egypt. It was built between 237 and 57 BC. Following lunch on board, you will navigate along the Nile toward Esna and Luxor through beautiful desert landscapes. Dinner and overnight on board. (Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner)
Day 12: Luxor
Breakfast on board. Today, you will visit amazing archeological sites located on the west bank of the Nile. In the Valley of the Queens, you will be awestruck by the Temple of Hatshepsut, dubbed the "Sublime of the Sublimes", built on three levels beneath the cliff at Deir El-Bahri. In the Valley of the Kings, you will visit the Temple of Ramses III the last great monarch of ancient Egypt who was able to save his country from collapsing at a time when other empires fell to invaders. On your way back to the ship, you will see the Colossi of Memnon which are two massive stone statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep. Dinner and overnight on board. (Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner)
Day 13: Luxor (End of the Nile cruise)
After breakfast on board, you will disembark from the ship and start your visit of the most spectacular temples located on the east bank of the Nile and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will notice that the entrance at Luxor Temple is as impressive as the reign of its architect Ramses II. Karnak, whose construction lasted for almost 2000 years, is the largest and oldest religious complex in the world. After the visits, you will be transferred to your hotel in Luxor. Dinner and overnight at your hotel in Luxor. (Breakfast-Dinner)
Day 14: Luxor - Cairo
Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to the airport in Luxor for your flight to Cairo. Upon arrival at the airport in Cairo, you will be welcomed and transferred to your hotel. Enjoy some free time to relax at the hotel or opt for an optional excursion ($) to continue your exploration of Cairo. In the early evening, opt for an incredible optional sound and light show ($) at the pyramids of Giza. Dinner and overnight in Cairo. (Breakfast-Dinner)
Optional sound and light show ($) at the pyramids of Giza ($):
Watch the Pyramids Sound and Light Show, illuminated at night with a stunning audio-visual display. Learn about the history of pharaohs and the Sphinx, guardians of the Giza Necropolis for over 5000 years.
Day 15: Cairo - USA
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight home. (Breakfast)
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