The Best of The Middle East
Jordan , Syria and Egypt

With Mount Sinai and St. Catherine
A 25 -Day Tour of Jordan , Syria and Egypt Including the Dead Sea
For Guests who want the BEST when touring the Middle East
We have even included all the tips. No hidden charges. No additional tax

See the top sights in Jordan , Syria and Egypt on this locally escorted tour, including Cairo , Abu Simbel , a Nile Cruise , Amman, Petra, Wadi Rum . We'll show you the wonders of fabled Syria--Roman citadels, Biblical sites, great Omayyad mosques--and the ancient/modern city of Damascus ,and a night at one of the resorts of the Dead Sea ?

DAY 1 - CAIRO Tour Starts weekly in Cairo - Year Round - Arrive Wednesday
Our 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, Singaporean, Mexican & 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 . After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you , always in a private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur to the hotel . Start from Athens , Greece ? please click here.

DAY 2 - CAIRO - Thursday (BLD)
On your first full day in Egypt we show you the Egyptian Museum, including the "Mummies Room" , the Citadel of Saladin, the Rifai Mosque and the Mohammed Ali Mosque, made of alabaster , lunch is included at a charming local restaurant : Naguib Mahfouz or similar , after lunch at Hadaik Al-Azhar or Naguib Mahfouz , enjoy a walking tour of the legendary Khan El Khalili bazaar district . Dinner is included at La Bodega restaurant. When in Cairo touring is always in a private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur and a private Egyptologist

DAY 3 - CAIRO - Friday (BLD)
After breakfast it is off to the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, and Cheops Royal Barge Museum , a short camel ride , more of photo opp is included with our compliments. Lunch is included at the Mena House Oberoi or Meridien Pyramids . The afternoon is for Memphis , Sakkara , the Mastabas of the Nobles and the Step Pyramid . Dinner is included at Abu El-Sid restaurant , transfers and touring in Cairo are always on a private basis.

DAY 4 - LUXOR ! (or Aswan) - Saturday (BLD)
We fly to Upper Egypt to board your Nile Cruise : Free upgrade to business class on the domestic flights in Egypt ( subject to availability),we land in LUXOR ( or Aswan subject to cruise availability at the time you book with us ) 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. In the evening your guide will call on you for a horse-drwan carriage ride throughout Luxor souks and water front .

DAY 5 - LUXOR , EDFU - Sunday (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 - Monday o (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 - Tuesday (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 . In the afternoon we enjoy a leisurely sail by graceful felucca on the Nile. For those who are interested : a short camel caravan and ride is included ( almost a half hour ride) to visit a local Nubian Village. Evening Sound and light Show : Philae Temple .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- Wednesday (BL)
Lunch boax will be prepared by your checf and includes bottled water .
Board a short flight to Abu Simbel, upon arrival, your private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur and your private guide will be waiting for you at Abu Simbel Airport :
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. Group tour exploring the two huge temple, admire their ancient aura and artistry. Fly back to Aswan and connect with your our return flight to Cairo and your hotel.

Day 9 - Cairo - Thursday ( BL)
Very early morning breakfast before we head out and venture into the camel market , with camel caravans that come all teh way from the Sudan . Late morning tour of the New Al-Muezz street and the major restored sites on both sides of this medieval district of old Cairo . Lunch is included at a local restaurant.

Day 10 - Cairo - Friday ( B)
Full day at lesiure . Relax , enjoy your hotel, or explore Cairo on your own as you wish.

DAY 11 - SHARM EL SHEIKH - RED SEA- Saturday (B)
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.

DAY 12 - SHARM EL SHEIK - Dinner with the Bedouins in Sinai Sunday (BD)
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 13 - MOUNT SINAI Monday (BL)
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.

DAY 14 - AMMAN- Thursday or Saturday
Air ticket is included Cairo Amman in economy class, tax included. Fly to Amman . Prefer to add Sinai , Mount Sinai and St. Catherine ? please click here.
Our staff will meet you upon arrival and help with the transfer to your hotel in Amman .Transfers are always with a private air-conditioned vehicle, and a private chauffeur .
Complimentary visa is issued upon arrival for American , Australian, NZ, EU , Singaporean, Mexican and Japanese passport holders. Passport must be valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival.

DAY 15 - MADABA, KERAK - PETRA Friday (BL)
Breakfast is always included at your hotel daily. Fly to Amman non-stop or via Cairo
Your private speaking chauffeur will be waiting for you and escort you from Amman all the way throughout Jordan.
We drive south along the King's Highway, an ancient caravan route, to Madaba to visit the church containing the oldest known map of 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 . Lunch is included enroute. When in Jordan always touring in a private air-conditioned vehicle, with private chauffeur and will always have a private guide in Petra

In the evening enjoy the visit to Petra by night , this is an awe-inspiring experience; to experience it at night by the light of 1,800 candles is truly an out-of-this-world experience! Walk through the Siq to the Khazneh following a candle-lit path and enjoy the haunting music of the Bedouin at the Treasury. Tours start at 8.30pm and finish at 10.00pm. Allow yourself plenty of time to walk through the Siq, you don't want to miss the show.

DAY 16 - PETRA - Saturday (BD)
Today the fabulous Nabatean City of Petra awaits us. Made famous in the Indiana Jones movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark," its ancient temples, tombs and striking Khazneh (Treasury) were hewn right from the pink and violet sandstone. We spend a full day here, and another night.( local private guide )

Now open in Petra, 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 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.

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

DAY 17 - Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea - Sunday (BL)
Breakfast at the hotel. Lunch is included enroute
We board four-wheel-drive vehicles for an expedition to Wadi Rum, the "Valley of the Moon" where T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") organized Arab resistance to Ottoman rule during World War I. After our visit, proceed North to the lowest spot on Earth and experience floating in the waters of the Dead Sea, where we spend the night : Kempinski Ishtar Dead Sea , the Mövenpick Dead Sea or similar.

DAY 18 - Galilee Syria - Monday y (BL)
Breakfast at the hotel. Lunch enroute. Today we continue northwards to Pella in the Jordan Valley. Visit Um Qais, Gedara of the Bible (Matthew 8:28-34) for a spectacular view of the Sea of Galilee, the Yarmouk River , then on to The Syrian border, visit Bosra before continuing to Damascus.
Do you Speak THE LANGUAGE OF THE JESUS IN THE LAND OF THE BOOK ? Visit Maaloula in Syria . Jordanian departure tax is always included in our rate. When in Jordan and Syria always touring in a private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur and a private guide

DAY 19 - DAMASCUS - Tuesday (BD)
Morning day at leisure. Breakfast & dinner are included at the hotel. Afternoon leisurely guides walking tour of the local souks and the Bazaar. Itinerary in Syria is subject to change slightly to accommodate changes for local souks and museums hours. When in Jordan and Syria always touring in a private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur and a private guide

DAY 20 - DAMASCUS - Wednesday (BD)
Today we explore the Syrian capital, visiting the National Museum, with treasures dating from the 1400s BC; the bustling Old Bazaar, the Eastern Gate (Bab ash-Sharqi) in the Roman city walls; the Street Called Straight (Via Recta); the house of Anania; and the chapel with a window from which disciples lowered St. Paul so he could escape those who sought to kill him (Acts 9:24-25).

Complimentary Dinner is included at a local home: We are proud to be the only ones that are able to afford you such window on the true warm and hospitable Syrian people , come and 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 Syria 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 evening, and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. As some have inquired after they returned , feel free to ask about the recipes for the local dishes you will enjoy tonight , please let us know in advance of you prefer vegetarian meals , of course, you may enjoy a quiet evening with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

DAY 21 - PALMYRA - Thursday (BD)
We drive to ancient Palmyra (Tadmor), in a desert oasis on the trade route between the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia, to visit its museum, the temples of Bel, Baal Shamin and Nebo, the Roman baths, the Tetrapylon, Diocletian's camp, and the Valley of the Tombs, before settling in at our Palmyra hotel. When in Jordan and Syria always touring in a private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur and a private guide

DAY 22 - KRAK DES CHEVALIERS, HAMA & ALEPPO - Friday (BD)
Get your camera ready, for today we see the famously photogenic Krak des Chevaliers, the most spectacular 12th-century Crusaders' castle of all. From this marvel of military architecture we head north to Hama, one of Syria's prettiest towns, to see its great norias (water wheels), some up to 65 feet in diameter, scooping water from the fabled Orontes River. We continue to Aleppo for the night.

DAY 23 - ALEPPO- Saturday (BD)
The sights of Aleppo (Halab) include the Grand Mosque, the vast Ottoman bazaar, the 12th-century Citadel, and a camel caravanserai. We visit them all, then continue to the church (Qala'at Samaan) built to honor the Byzantine ascetic St. Simeon Stylites, who lived atop a column for over 35 years in the 5th century. We return to our comfortable Aleppo hotel for the night.

DAY 24 - SERGELLA, APAMEA, MAALULA & DAMASCUS - Sunday (B)
We head south to Sergella, one of the 500 Dead Cities, fabled ghost towns built between the 4th and 7th centuries which were abandoned mysteriously around the 9th century. Our next stop is Apamea (Qala'at al-Mudiq), the Hellenistic "city of a thousand columns" built by Seleucus I Nicator in the 2nd century BC and named in honor of his wife. We continue to Maalula, where villagers still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus, for a visit to the chapel of St. Sergius, before returning to Damascus for the night .

DAY 25 - DEPARTURE Monday (B)
Our local rep. escorts you to the airport for your flight home. Salam and Bon Voyage
Check out Lebanon the true gem of the East Mediterranean .

RATES per person: in US

Hotels in Syria - For the Five Stars modest Deluxe ( or similar)

Damascus , Damascus Cham Palace Hotel , 5 Stars . Palmyra , Palmyra Cham Palace Hotel , 5 Stars.
Aleppo , Chahaba Cham Palace hotel , 5 Stars

Your locally escorted tour includes:

• All airport , hotel, Nile Cruise transfers, always with a private air-conditioned vehicle, with a private chauffeur.
  
• All guided sightseeing as per itinerary including all entrance fees. Locally escorted at all times . For example in Jordan you will always have your guide from Amman escorting you throughout Jordan.
  Same in Syria . Private Egyptologist for our group in Egypt even on board the Nile cruise.
  
• Services of local professional guides throughout the tour
  
• Air fare Cairo Amman , in economy class, tax included, ticket issued and delivered in Cairo Egypt.
  
• Jordanian departure tax.
  
• Complimentary visa is issued upon arrival in Cairo as well as Amman and Syria for EU , Australian, NZ, Canadian, American, Mexican & Japanese passport holders. Passport must be valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival.
  
• All domestic airfares and transfers in Egypt. With possible free upgrade to business class ( subject to availability)

• A complimentary home hosted family dinner
  
• Bottled water ( one per person) delivered to your cabin daily while you are on board the cruise.
  
• Tea or coffee /bottled water with each meal while on board the cruise.
  
• Hotel accommodation with tax & service charges.
  
• Nile Cruise with all meals & shore excursions.
  
• Complimentary welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin on board the Nile Cruise .
  
• Complimentary galabya on board the cruise for the costume party.
  
• Preset menu meals including B = Breakfast, (or cB, Continental Breakfast) L = Lunch, D = Dinner, all as per itinerary .
  
• We have even included all the tips. No hidden charges. No additional tax , all the tips to yoru drivers, porters, guides and the crew on board your cruise.

Syria will not issue you a visa , if your passport has any Israeli stamps or visa for Israel, you are responsible for ensuring that your passport is valid and in order, please provide us with your passport info and an eligible scan of the info page in your passport at least 45 day sin advance to allow us to secure your visa .

Click here for the : DRESS CODE - What to Pack - Clothing on Board the Nile Cruise

The tour does not include:

• International airfare from / to your home country.
• Travel Insurance, trip cancellation insurance, please ask us for the flyer
• Personal expenditures (beverages, laundry, special meals, etc.)
  

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