DAY BY DAY ITINERARY

Day 1: Cairo

On arrival at Cairo Airport, you are met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. This is simply an arrival day so you may arrive in Cairo at any time. Note that hotel rooms are generally only available after midday. The balance of the day is free to explore your surroundings, but your tour leader may contact you in the evening.

Day 2: Cairo - overnight train

After breakfast at the hotel we head to the Egyptian Museum for a tour of the various key exhibits. Our guide explains the complexity of Egypt's many dynastic periods, starting with the Old Kingdom and ending with the Greco-Roman occupation. This provides us with an excellent background for our visit south to Upper Egypt. Later we drive out to Giza, where we visit the Great Pyramids and the nearby Sphinx. For an additional charge you may be able to go inside one of the pyramids (although occasionally they are closed). Returning to our hotel, there is plenty of time to freshen up and pack before we are transferred to the railway station, where we board the overnight sleeper train to Luxor. Sleeping berths (beds and linen) are provided in private cabins and an airline-style dinner is served on board. It is worth bringing additional snacks on board and your tour leader can help you to arrange this. A toilet is located at the end of each carriage. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner

Day 3: Luxor

Breakfast is served on board the train and just after dawn we arrive in Luxor, where we are transferred to our Nile cruise boat and our home for the next four nights. We can relax by the pool on the boat or explore the bazaar in town. Later in the day we take horse-drawn carriages to Karnak, which is one of the world's most celebrated temple complexes, built over a period of some 200 years. We enjoy a guided tour of the temple and the rest of the afternoon and evening is free to relax, shop in the bazaar (which stays open till quite late) or experience the atmosphere of a local coffee shop. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner

Day 4: Luxor

We rise early this morning (very early in summer time!) and drive across to the west bank of the Nile. We head into the Valley of the Kings where our guide explains the funerary rites of the ancient Egyptians and significance of the many tomb paintings and hieroglyphics. We visit three royal tombs and then continue to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, set in a spectacular natural amphitheatre. Our final stop is at the Colossi of Memnon, giant statues that were once part of an impressive colonnade. We return to our cruise boat on the east bank, where we enjoy lunch on board. There is time to relax on deck or in your cabin before we set sail for Edfu. Departure time may vary, depending on river traffic – please refer to the note regarding cruise schedules in the ‘Other Information' section. We pass through Esna lock, which can sometimes be a slow process, depending on the number of vessels waiting to get through, and continue our journey upstream. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Day 5: Edfu - Komombo

Morning finds us moored near Edfu, a very well-preserved temple dedicated to Horus, the falcon-headed God. We disembark and have time to explore the temple as well as experiencing the bustling town centre. Returning to our cruise boat we continue travelling upstream, relaxing on the sundeck and enjoying views of the desert and the everyday life that is almost as timeless as the Nile itself. Arriving at Komombo we visit the Temple of Sobek (the crocodile-headed god) that lies classically ruined on the edge of the Nile River. Its most spectacular aspect is undoubtedly from the river itself, but a short walk around the temple also provides an interesting insight into the Greco-Roman period. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Day 6: Aswan

We arrive in Aswan, Egypt's southernmost city. This friendly metropolis has an easygoing charm that is due in no small part to its large Nubian population. Depending on the arrival time of our cruise boat, we may make a visit to the beautiful Temple of Isis that was rescued from the rising waters of the Nile and relocated on Philae Island (alternatively we will visit it tomorrow). It is an absolute gem and one of the highlights of Upper Egypt. The rest of our day is free to wander through the Nubian bazaar, visit the excellent Nubian Museum or enjoy a walk along the 'corniche', which is the promenade that runs alongside the river. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Day 7: Aswan - overnight train

We disembark from our cruise boat and check into a hotel, where a few day rooms are made available for our use. The rest of the day is free for us to make our own discoveries. The visit to Abu Simbel will occur this morning for those of us who booked this option with our tour leader back in Cairo. A popular afternoon option is a relaxing sailboat ride around the islands in a traditional felucca, stopping off at the botanical gardens on Kitchener's Island. We can also take a fun camel ride to the Monastery of St. Simeon, located in the desert on the west bank of the river. Our tour leader is on hand and can help us to arrange any excursions we may wish to undertake. Alternatively, you may just prefer to relax by the hotel pool. In the late afternoon we reconvene for our transfer to the station, where we board the sleeper train for the return journey to Cairo. After departure an ‘airline-style' dinner is served in our cabins. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner

Day 8: Cairo

After enjoying breakfast on the train we arrive in Cairo and are transferred to our hotel, where we have time to freshen up. Having experienced the highlights of ancient Egypt today is our opportunity to see something of medieval Cairo in the form of the Khan al-Khalili Bazaar, Cairo's oldest mosque and the Gayer-Anderson Museum. Our tour leader takes us first to the beautiful Ibn Tulun Mosque, considered one of the finest examples of 9th century architecture before walking us across to the Gayer-Anderson Museum, housed in two fine old villas (16th and 17th century) overlooking the mosque. Once owned by an English army officer, the two houses contain a fascinating collection of Arabic artefacts, furniture and memorabilia, giving us a great insight into Cairene life during the Ottoman period. We then continue into the Khan al-Khalili Bazaar, which sprawls around an old area of Cairo known as Al-Azhar. The tortuous streets and alleyways and attendant hawkers all combine to look like a scene from '1001 Nights', as our tour leader takes us into the heart of the bazaar. We explore the gold market, ‘perfume street' and the spice market – where the scent of cumin, coriander and cardamom hangs in the air like a thick blanket of Damascene cloth (which can be purchased next door in the cloth market!). There's time for you to do some last minute shopping here before we head back to the hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure.
Meals included: 1 breakfast

Day 9: Mount Sinai

This morning we travel east towards Suez where we drive through the Suez Canal tunnel and then turn south towards Mt. Sinai. It's a long day's drive (around eight hours) and on the way we stop for a light lunch. We reach our hotel in the late afternoon where there may be time to relax by the pool before dinner.
Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner

Day 10: Mount Sinai - Nuweiba - Aqaba

Those wishing to ascend Mount Sinai to watch the sun rise over the peninsula will be woken up between 2am and 3am (depending on the season). It is a fairly steep climb (with stairs all the way), but as it is dark most people take two to three hours to reach the summit. The view is well worth the effort and you return to your hotel for a well-earned breakfast. Note that during the winter months (October to March) it can get very cold on the mountain and may even snow during the height of winter. Please ensure you have warm thermal clothes during this period. Around mid-morning we drive to Nuweiba to board the hydrofoil to Aqaba. It is important that you read the notes below regarding the ferry journey. On arrival in Aqaba we are transferred to our hotel for our first night in Jordan.
Meals included: 1 breakfast

Day 11: Aqaba - Wadi Rum

With our guide we enjoy a brief orientation of Aqaba. We can visit the old castle (time permitting) before driving to Wadi Rum. We have time for lunch in the small village of Rum and a browse around the excellent and informative visitor's centre before we meet our Bedouin friends and ride camels to our traditional Bedouin tent situated deep within Wadi Rum. There's plenty of time to explore our surroundings and enjoy a memorable sunset. Wadi Rum is a truly beautiful place with towering sandstone mountains rising from the desert. It fully deserves the amount of time we spend here, with the wind-sculpted rock formations changing hue throughout the day from sunrise to sunset. The area is home to Bedouin tribes who live in scattered camps throughout the area. We enjoy an evening with our Bedouin friends at their camp, which is set in an amazing location. Wadi Rum is probably best known because of its connection with the enigmatic British officer T.E. Lawrence, who was based here during the Great Arab Revolt of 1917-18. Much of David Lean's movie on his exploits, 'Lawrence of Arabia', was actually filmed in Wadi Rum. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner

Day 1: Wadi Rum - Petra

It's well worth rising early and watching the cliffs change colour as the sun comes up. We enjoy a walk in the morning (the length of the walk will depend on how energetic we are feeling) and scaling one of the large dunes to enjoy sensational views of the surrounding area. Keen photographers will be delighted! We then take 4WDs from our camp back to the main entrance. The visitor's centre is also a great spot to buy some jewellery and knick-knacks, mostly made by a women's co-operative which is aimed at supporting traditional local industries. We then continue our journey to Petra. On arrival there is time in the afternoon to check out the town, withdraw or change money and just relax…ready for a big day of exploring Petra tomorrow. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner

Day 13: Petra

For most people the image of Petra is a narrow chasm with glimpses of the famous Treasury in the distance. We are sure to be surprised by the size of this ancient city, built by the Nabataean people. With our guide we explore the old Roman road, amphitheatre and several old tombs. We also climb up to the Monastery for a fine view of the entire site. It is a memorable day and sure to be one of the main highlights of our trip. There is a cafeteria on the site where we enjoy a light lunch. In the mid-afternoon we return to our hotel and our tour leader will try hard to persuade us to take a Turkish bath! This is a great experience and Petra is an excellent – and safe - place to try one. The cost is around US$14 per person. The rest of the day is at leisure. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Day 14: Shobak - Dana - Madaba - Amman

This morning we drive along the King's Highway, a road that dates back to beyond the time of the Old Testament. We reach Shobak Castle, originally built to protect the eastern flank of the Latin Kingdom and its trade routes to the sea before it fell to Saladin in 1189. We enjoy a walk through the site and continue to the ancient village at Dana, where local artisans sell attractive silver jewellery and charms. We then reach Madaba, where we visit the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George that houses an ancient mosaic map. This is of particular interest as it clearly depicts Palestine and Lower Egypt around 550 AD. We expect to arrive in Amman in the late afternoon, where in the evening we can try one of its several fine restaurants. (Please note that Kerak Castle is not included in your tour, as it is often very congested and busy. However, if there is sufficient interest among members of the group, your leader can also arrange an optional visit to Kerak Castle. Many travellers however prefer to spend extra time in Amman.) Meals included: 1 breakfast

Day 15: Jerash - Dead Sea - Amman

The Roman city of Jerash is in a fine state of preservation. Founded in the time of Alexander the Great, it had become a centre of considerable importance by the 3rd century AD. Today it is one of the grandest ancient cities in the world with an imposing collection of archways, theatres, baths, public buildings and colonnaded streets. We visit the site in the morning and later drive down to the Dead Sea. The afternoon is at leisure to experience the warm waters, which have an unusually high saline content, or to relax on the shore. We return to Amman for our final night. Meals included: 1 breakfast

Day 16: Amman

Your trip ends today, after breakfast. You will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight. Meals included: 1 breakfast

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