Egypt & Jordan a la Indiana Jones

13 days in Egypt and Jordan, Including Petra.

(flying into egypt - compare with the sleeper train version)

Indiana Jones himself couldn't squeeze more adventure into a 13-day journey: Cairo and the Pyramids, a cruise on the Nile, the fabled temples and tombs of Luxor and Thebes, diving in the Red Sea, the mountains of Sinai, and a trek to the mysterious ruins of Petra in Jordan. Departures are weekly on Saturdays . Compare with flying in and out of Cairo , or with the Ultra Deluxe Version

DAY 1 - DEPARTURE - Saturday - ( or Friday) Weekly year round
( click here if your prefer to start in Amman Jordan)
We take off aboard Lufthansa, Swiss , Air France, British Airways or KLM from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

DAY 2- CAIRO - Sunday
Our Egypt-based staff greets you in bustling Cairo airport and escorts you to your hotel . Complimentary Egyptian visa fee (valid for American, Australian , NZ, EU , Canadian, Mexican & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival). At your hotel, complimentary coffee or tea ( please advise your preference), one bottle of water for each guest, and a platter of Egyptian sweets will await you at your room.

Visa will be issued upon arrival.
As you exit the gate, you will pass through a door or two , down some stairs , then walk for 2-5 minutes , until you pass the duty free shops, at the end of a wide corridor , you will see the security officers. There you will be met by a local representative, who will be holding a sign with the name you prefer to use for the sign .
Our local representative will then take your passport to obtain a stamp from the cashier / bank window and escort you to speak with the passport officer. He will escort you through another last check on your passport as you exit the passport control, into customs area, he will assist you in collecting your luggage and clearing customs . After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private vehicle) to the hotel

DAY 3 - CAIRO - Monday (B+ High Tea)
Full day at leisure and enjoy the amenities of your hotel.
Early evening transfers to the Four Seasons to enjoy High Tea . Evening Sound and Light show at Giza .

DAY 4 - CAIRO Tuesday (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. Then it's on to Giza and the mysteries of the Pyramids and Sphinx.

Evening complimentary 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 afternoon we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right into the homes of some of the people of Cairo l! 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 afternoon , and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, you may enjoy a quiet evening with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

DAY 5 - ASWAN Wednesday (BLD)
After an early breakfast board your flight heading for Aswan , where we settle you into your cabin on your Nile steamer. Complimentary welcome fruit basket.
We'll visit the world famous Nubian Museum, the enormous dams at Aswan, then board a launch on Lake Nasser to visit the Temples of Philae, rescued from rising waters.

DAY 6 - KOM OMBO -Thursday (BLD)
We cruise northward down the Nile today, at a stately pace, disembarking for a visit to Kom Ombo, the twin temple dedicated to the crocodile river god, Sobek. We'll also see Haroeris, the solar disk.

DAY 7 - EDFU and LUXOR- Friday (BLD)
Horse-drawn carriages or vans meet us at riverside to take us through Edfu to the Temple of Horus, best-preserved in all of Egypt. Then we'll continue beside the Nile to take in an array of ancient splendors: the Valley of the Kings; the imposing tomb-temple of Queen Hatshepsut ; and, back in Luxor, the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak.

DAY 8 - SHARM EL SHEIKH - RED SEA Saturday (BLD)
Now that you've seen the best of the Egypt of the Pharaohs, our guides escort you to the airport. You'll fly over the Sinai Peninsula and land at historic Sharm El Sheik on the Red Sea. You're at the beach and free to swim, or explore under the waters. Lunch is included at the hotel in Sharm, is the flight is a late one, snacks will be served at your room at no additional charges.
Complimentary welcome dinner at the hotel.

DAY 9 - SHARM EL SHEIK - Dinner with the Bedouins in Sinai Sunday (BLD)
Relax! Today is set aside as a strategic mid-journey break. Spend some time in the sun, but don't miss your chance to snorkel or dive under Red Sea waters for an array of coral and glittering tropical fish. Lunch at the hotel. Evening dinner with the bedouins in Sinai .

DAY 10 - MOUNT SINAI Monday (BLD)
Our knowledgeable guides arrange a pre-dawn departure into the still-cool wilderness of Sinai, through which Moses led the Children of Israel to the Promised Land. Our goal is the Monastery of St. Catherine, built of rock at the base of Mount Sinai, at the site of the Burning Bush. We tour the monastery, rich in history, icons and sacred paintings, then return to Sharm El Sheik. Dinner is included at the hotel.

Please advise us early on , if you prefer to do Mount Sinai / St. Catherine's tour by Jeep versus air conditioned sedan / van.

DAY 11 - AQABA, PETRA Tuesday (BLD)
We'll drive to the port of Nuweiba, where we'll board the Red Sea ferry. Across the water in Aqaba, with Israel and Saudi Arabia in sight, our Jordan-based representative waits to greet you. You'll drive north under a towering ridge of mountains, and arrive at your hotel in Petra for the night. Complimentary Jordanian visa fee (valid only for American , Australian, NZ , Canadian, EU , Singaporean & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival). Lunch is included today.
Complimentary welcome dinner tonight at the hotel.

DAY 12 - PETRA (BLD)
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 at a charming local restaurant . Dinner at the hotel.

DAY 13 - DEPARTURE FOR HOME- Thursday (B)
Our staff 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 or even stop in Paris or London on the way back. Interested in adding an extra night in Amman ? Please click here

RATES per person in USD

• For departures from most west coast cities, as well as Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth or Atlanta in conjunction with travel on British Airways, please add $300 to the above rates.
• For travel May through end of Sep , as well as Dec 20 - Jan 3 please note that a $300 air-fare supplement is added to the above rates. This doesn't apply when you handle your own air fare
• Easter ( two weeks) , Christmas, New Year's Dec 15 - Jan 5 : 15 % supplement will apply.

 

Prices include:

• International air fares ( with tax) from New York to Cairo with return from either Amman . If / when you handle your own air fare please deduct $ 500 from the listed rates.
• All domestic flights within Egypt, economy class with tax .
• Air-conditioned hotel accommodations with tax and service charges
• All transfers in Egypt & Jordan.

• Private sleeping compartment on Nile-side train.
• Red Sea ferry ticket.
• 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.
• Nile Cruise with all meals & shore excursions, cabins are always outside with large panoramic windows.
• 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 J
• Jordanian visa and Egyptian visa fee (valid only for American & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival).
• Jordanian departure tax.

   Not included:

• Personal expenses and beverages .

• Gratuities

• Additional meals, drinks and services

• Trip interruption and cancellation insurance (please see our insurance brochure).

• Add a short stay in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  
• Add Wadi Rum .
  
• Add Abu Simbel
  
• Ad a short stay in Istanbul
  
• Add the Ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis and the Step Pyramid in Sakkara
  
• Extend your stay in Egypt in a 14 day with or without Abu Simbel
  
• Add a cruise on Lake Nasser in Nubia
  
• For the Egyptologist at heart :
  An in-depth 17-Day Edition With Alexandria , Dahshour Pyramids , Abu Simbel & Jerash .
  
• The Wonders of Egypt & Arabia 22 days
  
• Add Morocco and Syria , in a Grand North African Crossing 

• Sultans , Caliphs and Pharaohs (17 Days)
  Istanbul , Petra , Sinai and Cairo and even include a Deluxe Dahabiya Yacht Nile Cruise on the Nile Weekly Arrival . Year Round : 17-Day Adventure in Turkey, Jordan and Egypt
  
• Compare with the , Alexandria Edition , including camping with the Bedouins in Wadi Rum
  Memphis and Sakkara in Giza Egypt .

Do we get sea sickness while sailing the Nile ?
This is river sailing, so do not expect any waves , no rough seas ! Your Nile cruises is actually a floating hotel that moves from place to place along the Nile. Actual cruising times are short and pleasant.

DRESS CODE :

All of our Nile cruise vessels are fully air conditioned. Onboard dress is casual except at dinner, when smart casual is the rule. Lightweight cotton and other natural fiber clothing is best, with swimsuits and sun hats for the sundeck and pool. Bring a light sweater or light jacket for cool mornings and evenings, but most days are warm to hot, with very little rain. Comfortable walking shoes are essential for shore excursions.

What to Pack:
Most of the year look forward to warm, even hot weather in Cairo , Luxor & Aswan, morning & evenings are cooler. During Winter ... very rare do we get rain, if so , very brief showers. No need for real rain wear/gear. Before sunrise , after sun-set , you'll need a light jacket , or light sweater .
Comfortable walking shoes are essential for all tours in Cairo or Upper Egypt.

Clothing on Board the Nile Cruise :
For Nile cruise shore excursions, we suggest comfortable cotton & natural fabric lightweight clothing.
Lightweight comfortable & casual clothing. Swimsuits, sun hat.
Dining room dress code is casual for breakfast & lunch, but smart casual for dinner. Please do not wear swimsuits into the dining room.
All ships are fully air conditioned

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