Egypt and Jordan a la Indiana Jones

Abu Simbel Edition

A 14 day Egypt and Jordan Adventure tour

Indiana Jones himself couldn't squeeze more adventure into this journey: Cairo , Giza, and even including Dahshour Pyramids , as as Memphis, Sakkara 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. Departure : weekly on Fridays .

DAY 1 - DEPARTURE - Friday
We take off aboard Lufthansa, British Airways or Olympic Airways jet from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. (Ask about stopovers in Europe.)

DAY 2- CAIRO - Saturday
( click here if your prefer to start in Amman Jordan)
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 , South Korean , Mexican, Singaporean & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival).

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- Giza -Sunday (cBL)
Your exploration of the ancient world begins today! First stop is the Egyptian Museum, where we spend the morning with its treasures of the ancient pharaohs: mummies, statuary, precious stones and metals. Lunch is included at the Mena House or the Meridien Pyramids .
Then it's on to Giza and the mysteries of the Pyramids and Sphinx. for those interested, enjoy the usual photo opp riding a camel with the Pyramids and the Sphinx in the background, time is limited , so please make it brief 5 -10 minute camel ride .

DAY 4 - CAIRO- Old Coptic Cairo - Home Hosted Dinner Monday (cBD)
Morning tour of Old Coptic Cairo Churches, Coptic Museum and Beni Ezra Synagogue, then on to Khan El Khalili for a walking tour. Lunch at local restaurant before we head to the Citadel of Saladin, Sultan El-Rifai and the Alabaster Mosque. Return to the hotel late afternoon.

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 evening 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 evening, 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 - CAIRO - Dahshour, Memphis, Sakkara- Tuesday (BL)
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 a local restaurant : The afternoon is for Memphis and Sakkara, including the Step Pyramid of Zoser & Nobles tombs/Mastabas.Head back to the hotel, freshen up and get ready in the evening, we return to the Pyramids for an awe-inspiring sound-and-light show.

DAY 6 - ASWAN - Abu Simbel - Wednesday (BLD)
After avery early breakfast proceed to the airport to fly to Abu Simbel :
We reach the great temples while the air is clean, clear and cool, and the sun's light still golden just right for photographs. Your PRIVATE air-conditioned vehicle, private Egyptologist and private chauffeur await you in Abu Simbel . In Ramses the Great larger temple, colossal figures of Ramses are seated with the gods and attended by his queen and daughters.

In the Queen's smaller temple dedicated to Her Majesty Queen Nefertari ( The Beautiful One ) , 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, after which retire to a comfortable hotel for refreshments. Then fly back to Aswan, arriving in time for a late lunch on board your Nile cruise.

In Aswan , our local rep. will meet you and assist with your transfer to the pier .
We settle you into your cabin on your Nile steamer. We'll visit the enormous dams at Aswan, then board a launch on Lake Nasser to visit the Temples of Philae, rescued from rising waters.

DAY 7 - 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 8 - 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 9 - SHARM EL SHEIK - 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.

Luxury Nile Cruises

DAY 10 - SHARM EL SHEIK 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. Evening Bedouin dinner theme in the sahara.

DAY 11 - 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 12 - AQABA, PETRA Tuesday (B)
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 & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival).

DAY 13 - PETRA- Wednesday (B)
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.

DAY 14 - 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, and return later from Jordan at no additional cost for your air fare.

RATES per person in USD

Easter, Christmas, New Year's ( Dec 20 - Jan 3 ) : 15 % supplement will apply.

RATES per person in USD Based on an Ultra Deluxe Nile Cruise
Presidential Suite on the M/S Monaco or M/S Mojito
or the all suites : Private Balcony : Sonesta Star Goddess, Sonesta St. George or similar

With Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur for all your cruise shore excursions

For Easter, Christmas, New Year's ( Dec 20 - Jan 3 ) : 15 % supplement will apply

Air fare notes:

• For departures from most west coast cities, as well as Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth or Atlanta in , please add $300 to the above rates. This doesn't apply when you handle your own air fare.
  
• For travel in May through end of Sep please note that a $300 air-fare supplement is added to the above rates.
  
• When you handle your own air fare, please deduct $500 from the listed rate.

Inclusions:

Not included:

• Personal expenses and beverages
• Gratuities
• Additional meals and services
• Trip interruption and cancellation insurance (please see our insurance brochure).

• Jordan and a Deluxe Dahabiya Sailing boat in Egypt

General Hotel Listing