Welcome to Jordan! Upon arrival our staff will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel in Amman for the start of your trip. They’ll help you settle in and introduce you to the local area.

Leaving Amman this morning, we head north to the ancient city of Jerash – one of the largest and well-preserved Greco-Roman cities outside of Europe. Here we’ll visit the Forum, explore its Roman colonnaded streets, the Nymphaeum and the Temple of Artemis.
From Jerash, we’ll make our way to Ajloun Castle, built in the 12th century and extended in the 13th. It also served as the base for Saladin’s Arab forces when he defeated the Crusaders in the 12th century. The countryside of the Ajloun Forest Reserve around the castle is picturesque and green and a popular place for avid hikers, with its hills, mountains and forests just waiting to be explored.
After Ajloun Castle, we head to the village of Rasoun to meet our homestay hosts for the night. After settling in and being shown through the village, we’ll walk through the to see some Bronze Age Dolmens – which are megalithic tombs formed by placing a huge stone slab atop two or more standing stones.
We’ll return to our homestay in Rasoun this evening, where we’ll be treated to a home-cooked traditional Arabic meal which will be prepared by our host Jordanian family, and we spend the evening chatting with them about life in Jordan.

We say goodbye tour Jordanian host family, after a shared breakfast and head south to Madaba, where we’ll marvel at the Byzantine mosaics and the ‘Madaba Map’ – which is the oldest preserved map of the Holy Land. From Madaba, we’ll make our way to Mount Nebo where on a clear day, which is most of the time, you get great views towards Jericho and beyond.
After a tasty lunch, we’ll make our way down to our resort right on the banks of the Dead Sea, where you have some free time to swim – or rather float – in its incredibly salty waters and to relax by the hotel pool. Don’t forget a newspaper or magazine for your iconic Dead Sea photo!

Today, we’ll make our way down the Dead Sea coastline, after we pass some salt flats at the southern end of the Dead Sea, we head up through the mountains towards Petra, stopping for a short hike in the beautiful scenery and hills of the Dana Biosphere Reserve along the way. This is Jordan’s largest nature reserve, and there are great views of the valleys and hills on the various trails around the restored Dana village. Spring is a particularly lovely time to visit with the terrain surprisingly green and full of flowers.
We’ll stop for lunch in the village and take a walk before continuing to the imposing crusader castle at Shobak, finally arriving at Petra late in the evening. You have the option for a spectacular and atmospheric introduction to Petra tonight, with the Petra by Night tour. Here you walk through the Siq to the Treasury, the whole way being atmospherically lit up by thousands of candles.

We start our exploration of the Rose Red city of Petra, now one of the Modern 7 Wonders of the World, with a walk through the winding Siq to the magnificent Treasury.
Our guide will explain the fascinating history of the site and the Nabatean people who built it, and we’ll explore several caves and tombs. You’ll then have time to explore further, perhaps hiking up to the huge Monastery, carved out of the cliffs overlooking the Jordan Valley, or walking up to the High Place of Sacrifice.
Late in the afternoon, we head into the spectacular desert scenery of Wadi Rum for a night under the stars enjoying the hospitality of the Bedouins. We stay in a comfortable camp with a great remote location between the sand dunes and the rocky cliffs, well away from the road and traffic.
You can sleep in your traditional goat hair tent, with a proper bed and all bedding provided, or take a sleeping bag and find a secluded location to sleep outside under the stars.

After breakfast in the camp, we take a jeep safari through the sands and beneath the towering ‘jebels’ of Wadi Rum, stopping to climb sand dunes and to see some of the strange rock formations, including a spectacular rock bridge.
We’ll also do some local activities inspired from the Bedouin traditions, walking with a local shepherd with his sheep and goats to a Bedouin tent where we’ll participate in making lunch. We can also join in and learn about other traditional Bedouin activities such as shearing the sheep and goats’ hair, milking, grinding grains, making bread and roasting coffee until our lunch is ready. Finally, after really getting a feel for nomadic Bedouin life, we return by jeep to our camp and then drive north on the Desert Highway back to Amman. If you would like to add a few days to your tour and spend some time by the Red Sea, then an extension to Aqaba is available after you finish in Wadi Rum.
This evening we’ll walk out to a coffee shop or cafe near our hotel in Downtown Amman to enjoy a shisha, a game of backgammon and to reminisce on our Jordan tour.

Your first full day of our Jordan tour starts after breakfast, as we make our way to Jordan’s famous ‘desert castles’. Jordan’s desert castles are located on the old trade routes and still house some of its ancient remnants including frescoes, bath houses and wells. We’ll explore the desert castles of Qasr al-Kharrana, Qasr Azraq and Qasr Amra before we head back to Amman for lunch at a local eatery, with falafel and hummus on the menu.
After lunch, we’ll explore downtown Amman on foot, visiting the impressive Roman Amphitheatre, the Jordan Folklore Museum as well as the Citadel. We’ll also visit some of Amman’s busy markets, tasting Knafeh – a tasty sweet – while our guide teaches us some basic Arabic greetings and phrases to use during our Jordan tour. We may visit a few traditional handcraft and art galleries, if time permits.

We transfer you to Amman airport today to board your flight to Egypt’s busy capital of Cairo (not included). Once you arrive in Cairo, one of our staff will be there to meet you before taking you to your hotel, situated close to the Great Pyramids. We’ll have some time to settle in before being introduced to the local area and we’ll also arrange tomorrow’s collection time.
You have the rest of the day to explore Cairo independently. Options are also available to head out on an evening dinner cruise on the Nile River or enjoy a mesmerising sound and light show at the pyramids (both available to book locally on arrival).

Our tour of Egypt begins with a drive to Giza on the outskirts of Cairo to visit the three great pyramids of Egypt and the Sphinx. You’ll find your local Egyptologist guide a wealth of knowledge and full of enthusiasm about Egyptian history, and their country in general.
The Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops), an awesome man-made structure constructed of giant stone blocks, together with the smaller pyramids of Khafre (Chephern) and Menkaure (Mycerinus), the majestic sight of these enormous structures rising out of the desert is a breathtaking spectacle.
You will have the opportunity to climb down right inside the pyramids if you wish, though your guide cannot accompany you (a limited number of tickets are available for the Great Pyramid).
Following on from the Pyramids we then head to the Egyptian Museum in central Cairo. Home to the fantastic Tutankhamun exhibit and many of the New Kingdom royal mummies, the museum hosts a huge number of other ancient Egyptian artefacts.
This evening we transfer to the station for the overnight sleeper train to Aswan (approx. 12 hours). You’ll enjoy dinner on board in your private twin-berth compartments before the steward sets your beds up for the night. .

This morning we arrive in Aswan and transfer to our hotel overlooking the Nile which is at its most picturesque here, with cascading rapids, lush green islands, and feluccas sailing to and fro. Aswan itself is a melting pot of African and Middle Eastern cultures, most easily experienced by wandering through the busy markets. Many descendants of the Nubian people still live here and we’ll visit a local Nubian village to see their colourful houses, simple way of life and to enjoy a traditional lunch.
Our tour in Aswan continues this afternoon with a visit the Temple of Philae, a beautiful island complex dedicated to Isis and reclaimed from the rising waters of Lake Nasser, which we reach by a scenic boat ride. The rest of the day is free. An option is also available to take a camel ride through the sands on the far bank of the Nile to St. Simeon’s monastery. If you’ve chosen the Abu Simbel option then head to bed early this evening to be ready for a very early start tomorrow morning.

An option is available this morning to visit the temples built by Ramses II at the amazing UNESCO world heritage site of Abu Simbel. We depart very early with the aim of seeing the rising sun over the temples. Transfers, guiding, and entrance fees are included. If you don’t visit Abu Simbel, then this morning is free.
We board our traditional Nile felucca at lunchtime to enjoy an afternoon sailing down the Nile. Floating down the Nile on a felucca is one of Egypt’s most enjoyable activities and you’ll be able to watch local rural Egyptian life pass you by on the banks of the river as you drift past. Our Nubian crew will sail the boat and entertain you on the way, as well as preparing meals for you. Our separate facilities boat will join with us from time to time during the day and moor up with us at night. This boat has a welcome toilet and showers on board as well as a hygienic kitchen where the crew will prepare a delicious evening meal. You sleep on the deck of the boat tonight (mattresses, blankets and mosquito nets provided). This is a fun, but basic experience, and we offer an optional upgrade to spend this night back in the Aswan hotel instead of sleeping on the felucca for those wishing some more comfort. You then rejoin the rest of the group the next morning.

After breakfast on-board we bid farewell to our felucca crew and visit the nearby temple of Edfu before continuing on north to Luxor. The town of Luxor is built on and around the ancient site of Thebes, and boasts the largest concentration of ancient ruins in the Nile Valley, if not the world. To the west of the Nile lies the City of the Dead, with its mortuary temples and rock-hewn tombs, whilst to the east lie the Temples of Luxor and Karnak.
This afternoon is free time to relax and enjoy time by the pool or explore the local area.
Later this evening we’ll take a walking tour of the smaller Luxor Temple which is right in the middle of town and beautifully lit up at night.

A spectacular hot air balloon flight over the west bank of the Nile is available this morning (expect an early start to catch sunrise as the balloon rises).
We cross the Nile early this morning to begin our tour of Luxor’s West Bank. Home to the Valley of the Kings, the dusty tombs in this ancient burial site are still revealing their secrets today and so it remains one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. Our tour includes several of these Pharaonic tombs, as well as the Temple of Queen Hatchepsut, Valley of the Artisans (Deir El-Medina), and the huge Colossi of Memnon.
In the afternoon we’ll tour the huge temple complex at Karnak, once the religious centre of Thebes and Upper Egypt. It was linked to Luxor by an extensive avenue, lined with sphinxes, and the whole complex was in turn linked to the Nile via a canal through which moved the sacred boats of the god Amun. Entering through a smaller sphinx-lined avenue, built by Ramesses II, you come to the immense pylon entrance. Inside the huge Courtyard are three chapels dedicated to the gods Amun, Khous and Mut. The remarkable Hypostyle Hall has 134 towering columns, each carved with scenes of gods and pharaohs, and hieroglyphic inscriptions adorn the walls.

After a lazy morning we leave the Nile Valley and drive to the Red Sea resort of Hurghada where we check into a 5-star resort. Your stay here is on a ‘soft all inclusive’ basis, with all meals, soft drinks and snacks included but not alcoholic beverages.

Your day is free today to relax and enjoy your time by the Red Sea. Hurghada is world famous for its scuba diving and snorkelling and the rich Red Sea marine life here attracts divers from all over the world. Other adventurous activities available include wind surfing and kite surfing, glass bottomed submarines, quad biking, camel rides and sea fishing trips. Our local rep based in Hurghada will be on hand to help make any arrangements. Hurghada itself has an interesting marina and old town to explore. If you wish, we can book extra nights in the resort in Hurghada for you to extend your time here – please contact us for details and prices.

We drive back to Cairo this morning and check into our city centre hotel.
In the late afternoon we take a guided walk through the back streets and bazaars in Old Cairo. We’ll walk through the huge Bab al-Futuh gateway and explore streets dedicated to metalwork, spices, pottery, fabric, jewelery and anything else you can imagine as we gradually enter the more touristy Khan-el-Khalili bazaar. We’ll have time for a break to try some mint tea and a shisha pipe and this is a great final opportunity to pick up some souvenirs of your time in Egypt. An upgrade to an internal flight from Hurghada to Cairo is also available on request.

Your time is free today for some last minute sightseeing or shopping until we transfer you to the airport for your departure flight. If you have an evening flight departure, then a half-day tour of Coptic Cairo and the Citadel is available today, or you could take another half-day tour to learn more about the evolution of pyramid building at Saqqara, Dashour and Memphis. tours are also available today. Alternatively you can add extra nights to your time in Cairo which would allow you to take a day trip to the colonial city of Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast, or a trip into the desert outside Cairo to see the World Heritage Site of the Valley of the Whales at Wadi Rayan.