Escape to the Near East
Egypt and Jordan Tour

A 10-Day Egypt and Petra Tour
Starting in Amman , you may start in Cairo as well
Here's the best of Egypt & Jordan in 10 - Days : a good look at Cairo , Amman , Petra and even a 5-day cruise along the Nile . Tour Starts DAILY in Amman , subject to the availability
Compare with the 11 Day Version or the 14 day A La Indiana Jones
the 22 days Wonders of Egypt & Arabia

DAY 1 - Arrival -Amman / Petra (BLD)
Our local representative will pick you up from Queen Alia Airport, and escort you in your private car to Petra and your hotel. visa is issued upon arrival with our compliment for citizens of the : USA, EU, Canada, Australia, NZ & Japan. Lunch is included at a local restaurant , Welcome complimentary dinner at the hotel in Petra .

Day 2 - Petra / Cairo (Breakfast, lunch, and welcome fruit basket )
A full day tour of Jordan's most famous site, the rose-red city of Petra. Venture through the Siq (the gorge between two towering mountains) until you reach the treasury which, like the most of the structures at Petra, is carved into the rose-red Nubian sandstone. After which we drive you to Amman and the Airport . Board your evening flight on Egyptair or Royal Jordanian Airlines bound for Cairo . Bon Voyage ! Air fare is included in our rate between Amman and Cairo . tax included
Lunch is included at a local restaurant.

In Cairo our local representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. Visa fee is included and will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for : Australian, NZ, American, EU , Canadian & Japanese citizens. You are responsible for having your passport in order valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival in Cairo. Welcome fruit basket and sweets await you in your room in Cairo .
Starting in Cairo rather than in Amman ? Please click here

DAY 3 - CAIRO (cBL)
Today we see Cairo's major sights: the Egyptian Museum including the" Mummies room" , all morning will be devoted to the Museum. After lunch proceed to : Saladin's Citadel, the Alabaster Mosque,and the 12th Century Khan El Khalili Bazaar district . Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant.

DAY 4 - LUXOR ! Nile Cruise (BLD)
We fly : Add $ 150 for upgrade to business class ( subject to availability), to LUXOR ( or Aswan) and board our Nile cruiser in time for a delicious lunch. Complimentary welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin .The gigantic Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and the mighty Temple of Luxor are our goals in the afternoon. We'll return in time for the afternoon tea served on deck. You'll have a chance to explore your ship before dinner.

Private touring on board the Nile cruise: more and more guests no longer want to with the pack stop where you wish to take that perfect photo, for private air conditioned vehicle, and private Egyptologist : Please add $150 per person for the full cruise/shore excursions.

DAY 5 - LUXOR , EDFU (BLD)
We tour today as well the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings including Tut-Ank-Amon's tomb and the great temple of Queen Hatshepsut, we stop at the Colossi of Memnon on the way back to our cruise.

Afterward, we'll continue on Luxor's west bank to 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.

We sail in the afternoon we cruise to Esna to go through the locks , and on to Edfu where we dock for the night. In the evening , we'll celebrate in Egyptian style, dressed in galabias, the flowing national costume, a galabya will be delivered to your cabin with our compliments)

DAY 6 - EDFU, KOM OMBO (BLD)
We moor in Edfu, climb aboard horse-drawn carriages, and clip-clop through the town to the Temple of Horus, Egypt's best-preserved temple. Re-embarking on our Nile cruiser, we enjoy lunch as we sail further south upriver .
We disembark downstream at Kom Ombo to visit its twin temples of Haroeris, the sun god, and Sobek, the crocodile god, the continue our voyage to Aswan, while we party after dinner with music& dance.

DAY 7 - CAMEL CARAVAN, NUBIAN VILLAGE , ASWAN (BLD)
First we tour Aswan dams, then on to the new Nubian Museum then the awesome Aswan dams, and next an ancient granite quarry complete with an unfinished obelisk. Then we go by motor launch to the Island temple of Philae , dedicated to the Ancient Goddess ISIS :

The Mystery of Isis

Two millennia ago the Mediterranean world was enthralled by the mystery of Isis:

"I, Isis, am all that has been, that is or shall be; no mortal man hath ever seen me unveiled."

Called Aset by the ancient Egyptians, the goddess was a Madonna in the Mediterranean tradition that stretches far, far back to the primitive Mother Goddess from Anatolia, home to some of the oldest human communities on earth.

Isis was the powerful and quick-witted protector of her son Horus, the Sun God. Ancient peoples throughout the Mediterranean regarded Isis and Horus as the perfect Madonna and Child. Another legend says she was also the mother of the fertility god Min who, judging from the depiction of him on temple walls, needed no help from Viagra!

Because of her wisdom and skill at protection, she was admired as a good magician capable of healing the sick and protecting the dead in their journey to the Underworld.

Isis is portrayed regally, as a queen seated on a throne (which may be the meaning of her name), often holding her son Horus as a baby. Other images show her with broad, magnificent gilded wings able to protect the world. Isis, the great Mother Goddess. Come explore her mystery in timeless Egypt when you Travel in Style!

In the afternoon we enjoy a leisurely sail by graceful felucca on the Nile.
For those who are interested : a short camel caravan & ride is included to visit a local Nubian Village.

Our farewell dinner this evening is a buffet of Egyptian specialties, followed by a show featuring oriental performers, including of course a belly dancer.

DAY 8 - ASWAN Abu Simbel , CAIRO (B)
After breakfast on board , we proceed with your private air conditioned vehicle along Lake Nasser shores heading south for Abu Simbel ( 3 and half hours), private car/driver and guide .
Tour Abu Simbel then fly back to Cairo :
Ramses the Great's huge desert temple at Abu Simbel marked the southern border of the pharaoh's dominions. Rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser by an international effort, it is a marvel of sacred engineering. Twice a year ,and only then the sun penetrates to the Holy of Holies, illuminating the stone figures of Ramses and Nefertari.

Jacquie Kennedy & Abu Simbel:
All Americans alive during the 1960s remember President John F Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Most Americans from that time also remember Abu Simbel, the dramatic, ancient Pharaonic temple threatened by the rising waters blocked by the new Aswan High Dam. It's worth remembering that it was Jacquie Kennedy who provided crucial support for the mammoth rescue project. Without her help, Abu Simbel might have been lost. Read More

Fly back to Aswan and connect with your our return flight to Cairo and your hotel.

DAY 9 - Giza , Memphis , Sakkara (cBL)
In the morning, we visit the majestic pyramids of Giza , the Valley Temple , the Solar Boat Museum housing the oldest known wooden boat ever made by man and the timeless Sphinx. Lunch is included at the Mena House Oberoi
The afternoon is for Memphis and Sakkara, including the Step Pyramid of Zoser & Nobles tombs/Mastabas. In the evening, we return to the Pyramids for an awe-inspiring sound-and-light show.

Itinerary is subject to change without notice.

DAY 10 - DEPARTURE (cB)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home.

RATES per person in USD

For the Ultra Deluxe Nile Cruise :
Please add 10 % to the listed deluxe rates

Queen TiYi , Alexander the Great , Movenpick Radamis II and Movenpick Royal Lotus , the all suites M/S Amarco , or the all suites with private balconies Nile Cruise : Sonesta MS Star Goddess : M/S Moon Goddess ( all state   rooms do offer private balconies)

Rates includes

• All airfares within Egypt in "y" class as well as Amman Cairo flight .
• All transfers in Egypt & Jordan .
• Hotel accommodation with tax & service charges.
• Visa fee for Jordan & Egypt, visa will be issued upon arrival at Airports for : American,Australian, NZ, EU , Canadian & Japanese citizens. You are responsible for having your passport in order valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival.
• Nile Cruise with all meals and shore excursions .
• One large bottle water ( per person ) daily while on board the cruise .
• A welcome fruit basket when you arrive on board the Nile cruise
• All the shore excursions while on board the Nile Cruise.
• Preset menu meals including B = Breakfast, (or cB, Continental Breakfast) L = Lunch, D = Dinner .
• All guided sightseeing as per itinerary including all entrance fees. On board the cruise you'll be part of an average 10-15 English speaking group.

Not included:

• International airfares to or from Cairo.
• Tips.
• Travel Insurance (we'll be glad to send you the flyer upon request).

Click here for Egypt's 14 -day edition with one week in Hurgada or El Gouna on the Red Sea:
A "Dream Come True" tour. 14 days , Cairo and the Pyramids. A Nile Cruise of course, and a beach resort at Hurgada or El Gouna, on the Red Sea. Including the welcome Zaffa (procession that will resemble an Arabian/Egyptian wedding party) with a troupe of dancers and musicians dressed with the Egyptian typical clothes, welcoming guests by singing and dancing Egyptian Folklore).

Dining Room Reservations: Meet other passengers :
YOU will not require any, our dining rooms do accommodate all our guests in one seating, one less thing to worry about while you are on the Nile. Enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere with several different languages being heard at dinner.

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.

Why book with us ?

It's important to realize that 90% of the money you pay for our tours goes to working people at the destinations we serve. We believe in supporting the local economies of the beautiful places we show you, and we are pleased to be able to help local people to live better lives, whether it be your guides in Upper Egypt, the crew on a Nile cruise, or the Touareg tribesmen of Morocco the bedouins in Petra Jordan. They are our valued associates, just as you are our valued client.

Sample Deluxe Hotels in Jordan :

Petra Marriott Hotel in Petra:
Located in close proximity to the ancient "Lost City" Of Petra, the Hotel is nestled between the mountains of Wadi Moussa and the village of Taybet, allowing it's rooms to command a most magnificent view of Petra, the Sharah Mountains and Araba. The Petra Marriott's unique
interior decor is influenced by the Graeco Roman Style of architecture, a motif that pervades in the rooms as well as in the public areas. The Petra Marriott with its one hundred rooms has all the facilities required to make your stay comfortable and enjoyable, from the energy of fitness gym and disco, to the relaxation of the sauna and steam bath.
The rooms are catered for your relaxation and rest. They are equipped with Satellite television and are decorated with beautifully designed furniture and fabrics. The view from the bedroom windows gives the
traveller a chance to arouse his vision with magnificent sites. It has something to please everyone in its restaurant, coffee shop. There is a vast array of food on offer throughout the day and all prepared by their
expert chefs. At the pool side terrace you can enjoy your meal overlooking the mountains, which at sunset indulges the onlooker with unsurpassed views.

Add a Spa Package to your stay in Egypt or Jordan
when you stay at the Conrad , Grand Hyatt or the Four Seasons

The King's Chamber in the Great Pyramid was not meant to be visited:
Getting to it is challenging, and once you enter, it is very difficult to turn back. The stone passage is only wide enough for one person. You must be in good physical condition, able to climb several flights of stairs, bend double, crouch and duck-walk for short distances. The King's Chamber itself is the world's most claustrophobic place, with dim light and heavy, hot, oxygen-poor air. There is no ventilation. If you are at all sensitive to claustrophobia or confinement, or if you have any sort of respiratory condition, for your own safety and the safety of others, you must not enter the pyramid because it is impossible to remove a person or to bring aid to them quickly