Egypt and Jordan a la Indiana Jones

Including a one week Nile Cruise on a deluxe Dahabiya
A True Grand 14 days in Egypt and Jordan
Including Petra, Abu Simbel Temples , Memphis and Sakkara

Without any International Air Fare

You will have a private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur and private guide all the way except while on board the Dahabiya , you will be part of this small group. Indiana Jones himself couldn't squeeze more adventure into this exotic journey: Cairo , Sakkara , Memphis, Dahshour and the Pyramids, a sailing cruise on the Nile on board a deluxe Dahabiya , the fabled temples and tombs of Luxor and Thebes, and a trek to the mysterious ruins of Petra in Jordan. Add camping in Wadi Rum and Alexandria . Extend your stay to the Red Sea : Hurgada or Sharm El-Sheikh .

DAY 1- CAIRO - Wednesday Weekly - Year Round
Our Egypt-based staff greets you in bustling Cairo airport and escorts you to your hotel . The Egyptian visa may be issued for a limited number of nationalities such as : for American, Australian , NZ, EU , Canadian, Mexican and Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival). sample Deluxe Hotel : Grand Hyatt , Cairo Marriott , Ramses Hilton or Similar

DAY 2 - CAIRO- Dahshour, Memphis, Sakkara - Home Hosted Dinner - Thursday (BLD)
A morning tour takes us to the time capsule treasure of Dahshour, the newly-opened pyramid field south of Cairo: DAHSOUR - we'll motor to the edge of Cairo, to Dahshour, the newly-opened pyramid field south of Cairo. We visit the great pyramid of Senfru, father of Cheops, and other structure:

The "Discovery" of Dahshour: For almost half a century, the great field of huge pyramids near the desert village of Dahshour, 25 miles south of Cairo, has been off limits to the public. Confined within the perimeter of a military base were many pyramids, including the great 4500-year-old pyramid built by Senfru, father of Cheops. Senfru's pyramid, the largest in Egypt until his son built Giza's Great Pyramid, is rhomboidal in shape: it tapers more distinctly on its upper half. All the pyramids were coated in thick plaster at one time. Most have lost these protective, decorative sheaths, but Senfru's--miraculously--is still in place.

After lunch at at the Mena House : The afternoon is for Memphis and Sakkara, including the Step Pyramid of Zoser & Nobles tombs/Mastabas.

Dinner is included at a local home: Meet the locals, you may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family ( T shirt , small souvenirs of your home town): This evening we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right into the homes of some of the people of Cairo ! You'll be invited to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties, you'll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new friends, they're sure to have questions about your own background. Once the ice is broken, you'll enjoy a lively evening, and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, you may enjoy dinner in a quiet evening with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

DAY 3 - CAIRO and Giza Pyramids - Friday (BLD)
Your exploration of the ancient world begins today! First stop is the Egyptian Museum, with its treasures of the ancient pharaohs: mummies, statuary, precious stones and metals. We'll also stop at the Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque. Lunch is included at Abu El-Sid restaurant . Then it's on to Giza and the mysteries of the Pyramids and Sphinx. In the evening, we return to the Pyramids for an awe-inspiring sound-and-light show.

DAY 4 - Luxor - Dahabiya Nile Cruise Saturday (BLD)
Very early morning breakfast and transfer to Cairo Airport. Flight is included in our rate, in economy class , tax included . Morning arrival at Luxor . We'll meet you at the airport , and escort you to your deluxe air conditioned Nile cruise felucca or dahabiya , Board Luxor ( or Aswan ) .

Embarkation in Luxor for a relaxing week sailing the Nile on a luxuriously appointed Dahabiya. Lunch and dinner are included on board . Overnight moored on the Nile banks of Luxor.

Today : Start with Madinet Habu , Closi of Memnon and the Ancient Workers Village at Deir El Medineh, the first known "Workers Village" these were the true creative heroes who built the temples & tombs for the mighty Pharaohs of the Nile Kingdom.

Deir El Medinah is on Luxor's west bank you get a totally different perspective on ancient Egyptian life, at the ancient workers' settlement of Deir el-Medinah. While most of the imposing stone monuments and sites of Egypt honor the lives and after-lives of royalty, Deir el-Medinah gives us unique and surprising insights into the ordinary citizens who constructed and decorated the tombs.

Here we'll see the excavated homes shared by laborers with their domestic animals. These quarters were surprisingly large, with three good-sized rooms, courtyard, kitchen, and even storage cellars. While ancient Egypt might not have been a workers' paradise, we'll see that artisans and builders were highly regarded in their community. We are proud to be the only operator to offer regular visits to this singular ancient settlement in its tour and cruise programs.

Today's tour include as well a visit to the Valley of the Kings including Tut-Ank-Amon's tomb , temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahari, and Colossi of Memnon, returning to our Nile cruiser for lunch. Following lunch aboard, we visit the great Temple of Luxor, and the gigantic Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, returning to our vessel in time for tea. Complimentary welcome fruit basket in your cabin.

Sonesta Dahabiya Yacht Nile Cruise :

Day 5 - Sunday - Luxor - On board your Yacht Nile Cruise
You will visit the magnificent temple complex of Amon-Ra at Karnak, with its vast hypostyle hall of 137 columns, followed by the imposing 28 th Dynasty Luxor Temple. Overnight moored in Luxor.

Day 6 - Monday - Luxor to Esna - Private Guided Tour of Denderah Temple
After breakfast on board , we drive inland to tour Denderah and Abydos Temples. Among the best preserved in Egypt. This temple as a sight to hold. Indiana Jones would have felt at home, with the massive stones & underground passages: Private air condition car for your tour today. Private chauffeur. Private Egyptologist
DENDERAH IN A DAY
We'll travel to Denderah to visit the Temple of Hathor, one of the best-preserved in all of Egypt, and also one of the most important. In the ancient beliefs, Hathor was the consort of the god of daylight, ruler of the west, and protector or the underworld. In the manner of wise desert wayfarers, we'll leave before dawn to take advantage of cool temperatures. Our air-conditioned van will take us through timeless Nile-side villages, where life revolves around the irrigation and harvest of crops. Finally, we'll reach the temple precincts. We'll take note of the unusually deep tombs, and pass under the celebrated Zodiac, in a chapel dedicated to Osiris. (Denderah is the traditional site of his rebirth.) Our full day will also include a visit to Abydos, traditional home of Osiris, god of the underworld, and a stopping point on the journey of wayfaring souls. We'll enjoy a box lunch, and return to Luxor late in the afternoon, and your hotel. Lunch box provided today from the Dahabiya, we head back to the Nile and catch up with the Dahabiya in Esna where we will dock for the night.

Day 7 - Tuesday - Edfu - On board your Yacht Nile Cruise
This morning you will sail to Edfu to visit the wonderfully preserved Temple of Edfu. Overnight on board as we will look for an island in the middle of the Nile where we moor.

Come to Egypt and enjoy your private honeymoon or Anniversary cruise

Day 8 - Wednesday - Kom Ombo - On board your Yacht Nile Cruise
Today you will sail to Kom Ombo visit see the Ptolemaic temple dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon-headed Horus, god of the morning sun. Overnight moored beside a Nile island.

Day 9 - Thursday - Aswan - On board your Yacht Nile Cruise
A leisurely grand day of sailing the Nile to Aswan where the dahabiya moors overnight.

Day 10 - Friday - Aswan - On board your Yacht Nile Cruise
Today you will visit the Aswan High Dam (completed in 1971); the Old Dam (completed in 1902) and the ' unfinished obelisk', lying in situ since the days of the pharaohs. You will also visit the Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis, a structure rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser at the time of the High Dam's construction.

Day 11- Saturday - Aswan - Abu Simbel Temples - Fly back to Cairo (BL)
Breakfast aboard the dahabiya and check-out. We bid farewell to the crew, we switch transportation modes and head for Aswan Airport and your flight to Abu Simbel :

In Abu Simbel : Your private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur and private Egyptologist , will be waiting for you : We tour the mighty Temples of Ramses the Great & his Queen:
In the larger temple, colossal figures of Ramses are seated with the gods and attended by his queen and daughters. The smaller temple is dedicated to Queen Nefertari, who appears as Hathor, the goddess of love, joy and fertility, symbolized by the benevolent cow. We explore these fine temple by ourselves in the quiet of the morning, admiring their ancient aura and artistry, before we head back to Cairo by air after a brief stop/connection at Aswan Airport , back to Cairo and your hotel. Air fare is always included within Egypt, economy class , tax included . Hotels : Sonesta , J. W. Marriott or similar .Lunch will be served in Abu Simbel
( bottled water, tea or coffee included) .

DAY 12 - Cairo , Amman / PETRA - Sunday (BLD)
After breakfast at the hotel, proceed to Cairo Airport for your flight to Amman, air fare is included in economy , with tax . Upon arrival , you'll drive from the airport south under a towering ridge of mountains, we will be driving along the King's Highway, an ancient caravan route, to Madaba to visit the church containing the oldest known map of Palestine and the Holy Land. Continuing to Mount Nebo, we enjoy the panoramic view of the Promised Land the way Moses saw it for the first time. Further on, at Kerak, we tour the ruins of its romantic Crusaders' castle of Renaud de Chatillon, one of a line which stretched from Aqaba to Turkey. Finally, we arrive to PETRA for the night. Mövenpick Petra hotel , Petra Marriott Hotel or similar . Lunch is included enroute . Dinner is included at the hotel .

Complimentary Jordanian visa fee (valid only for American , Australian, NZ, Canadian , EU , Mexican , & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival).
Complimentary welcome dinner at the hotel.

DAY 13 - PETRA- Monday (BLD)
Breakfast is included at the hotel . We'll spend the entire day at Petra, the stunning desert city hewn by the Nabateans from solid cliffs of pink and violet sandstone. Petra was known in the bible as Sela, and rediscovered only in 1812. You'll feel like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark as you penetrate into the city through a narrow sandstone gorge, the Siq, and wander among the Temple of the Winged Lion, tombs, Roman theater, and the imposing Treasury.
Lunch is included today at the hotel . In the evening we will call on you for a unique experience :
Dine as a local : The Petra Kitchen is a delightful way to round out your Jordan travel experiences. Like any home kitchen, The Petra Kitchen is a relaxed, informal atmosphere where you’ll gather to prepare an evening meal, working alongside local women under the supervision of our chef.

Each evening meal includes soup, cold and hot mezza ( appetizers ) and salads, and a main course—all typical Jordanian dishes. You will have get an inside glimpse of the secrets behind the famous regional cuisine of the Levant.

The Petra Kitchen offers an evening of learning, fun and a very special dining experience, with each dish gaining the special flavor of a reward well-earned. Great care has been taken to make The Petra Kitchen a truly Jordanian experience—right down to the furnishings, all crafted in Jordan, the tableware, all produced by the Iraq al Amir Women’s Co-operative, and the aprons and table linens, all hand-embroidered by the Jordan River Foundation.

Tour experience tonight includes the cuisine course, meal and all non-alcoholic beverages as well as take-home recipes for all dishes prepared that evening.

DAY 14 - DEPARTURE FOR HOME - Tuesday (B)
After breakfast , our local rep. escorts you to the airport of Amman for your flight home. Or, you may choose to add one of our extensions ,to Egypt, Sharm El Sheikh, Syria, Greece or Turkey . Compare with the 15-day edition with an extra day in Cairo .

RATES per person in USD:

	Deluxe Hotels Sonesta Dahabiya	First Class Hotels Rihana Dahabiya
Triple	US$ 7450.	US$ 6510.
Double	US$ 7510.	US$ 6605.
Single	US$ 10,210.	US$ 9165.
Petra	Mövenpick Marriott or similar	Taybet Zaman or similar
Cairo	Hyatt. Hilton Inter.continental or similar	Novotel El Borg or similar

Easter ( two weeks) , Christmas, New Year's Dec 20 - Jan 5 : 20% supplement will apply.

Prices include:

All transfers in Egypt and Jordan.
Air fare within Egypt , as well as Cairo Amman, in economy , tax included .
Complimentary welcome fruit basket on board the Nile Cruise.
Bottled water ( one per person) delivered daily to your cabin.
Bottled water / tea / coffee with every meal on board the Nile Cruise.
Air-conditioned hotel accommodations with tax and service charges as listed
Deluxe Dahabiya Nile Cruise with all meals & shore excursions, cabins are always private outside cabins with windows and private facilities.
Deluxe Hotel accommodation as per itinerary with tax, breakfast daily as per itinerary
Sightseeing with professional guide and entrance fees as indicated
Meals as indicated, with pre-set menu (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
Lonely Planet guidebook to Jordan and Egypt
Jordanian visa fee (valid only for Canadians , American, Australian, NZ, EU & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival).
Jordanian departure tax.

Not included:

Personal expenses and beverages .
Tips .
Air fare from / to your home country .
Additional meals, drinks and services
Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
The Egyptian visa may be issued for a limited number of nationalities such as : for American, Australian , NZ, EU , Canadian, Mexican and Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival).