Egypt and Jordan a la Indiana Jones (14 days)

A Grand 14-day Tour of these Two Gems of the Near East
Egypt and Jordan, including
Abu Simbel Temples and a Nile Cruise
Boarding Aswan

Luxury Nile Cruises

Indiana Jones himself couldn’t squeeze more adventure into this 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.

DAY 1: Cairo – Thursdays and Saturday
On arrival, our local representative will greet you at the airport and whisk you to your hotel. Visa may be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport.

VIP Meet & Greet Upon arrival at Cairo Airport
Visa issued locally in Cairo (for a limited number of nationalities) no photos required. Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. Visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for a limited number of citizens such as: American, Australian, NZ, EU, Canadian, EU Singaporean and 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. Our local rep. will meet you with a sign that carries your name, and will be waiting for you with the prepaid visa stamps to proceed to the passports control to stamp your passports and then you claim your luggage. After you clear the passport and customs formalities and exit the terminal, our local representative will escort you by private vehicle to the hotel. Welcome fruit basket & Egyptian pastry awaits you in your room with our compliments.

DAY 2: CAIRO – Giza – Dahshour – Friday and Sunday (BLD)
After breakfast we drive to Giza and the mysteries of the Pyramids and Sphinx, for interested guests: enjoy the usual photo opportunity riding a camel with the Pyramids and the Sphinx in the background with our compliments, and then we will tour the Museum of the Royal Barge of Cheops. The museum is built over the rectangular pit that housed the Royal Barge for thousands of years, the wooden boat was readied for the king’s daily journey with the sun god, Ra. Discovered in 1954, in a completely dismantled state, the 43-metre (140-foot) cedar boat is a rare window on the Royal boats used by the kings of Ancient Egypt.

The first boat of Khufu, Khufu Boat Museum, Giza.
Photo by Olaf Tausch, Wikimedia Commons.

We are glad to include as well the entrance fee to get inside the Great Pyramid, with our compliments, if interested, please read this first:

Depending on the traffic, your guide may start the day with Dahshour then on the Pyramids after lunch.

We’ll motor to the edge of Cairo to Dahshour at the newly-opened pyramid field south of Cairo. We visit the great pyramid of Senfru, father of Cheops, and other structures.

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.

We stop at El-Haraniya before we head back to your hotel. Dinner is included at La Bodega restaurant or similar.

DAY 3: CAIRO – Saturday and Monday (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. After lunch a charming local restaurant, we’ll also stop at the Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque. Followed by a walking tour of Khan El Khalili and Muezzledeenallah ancient bazaar districts. Dinner is included at Abu-El Sid restaurant.

DAY 4: Cairo – Abu Simbel – ASWAN – Sunday and Tuesday (BLD)
After an early breakfast, we board a short flight heading for Abu Simbel (via Aswan). Land at Abu Simbel Airport where your PRIVATE air-conditioned vehicle, private Egyptologist and private chauffeur await you in. Tour 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 this fine temple by ourselves in the quiet of the morning, admiring their ancient aura and artistry, after which we fly back to Aswan, arriving in time for lunch at your hotel. Remainder of the afternoon at leisure. Dinner is included at the hotel. Evening Sound and Light show at Philae Temple transfers are of course included.

DAY 5: Board Your Nile Cruise – Aswan (or Luxor) – Kom Ombo – Monday and Wednesday (BLD)
After breakfast at your hotel, we head to your Nile cruise and get ready to head out to tour the enormous dams at Aswan, and then board a launch on the Nile to visit the Temples of Philae, rescued from rising waters. Lunch and dinner today are on board your Nile cruise. Afternoon tea is served on deck daily while you are on board your cruise. After a shipboard lunch, we set sail for Kom Ombo, where we explore the twin Temples of Haroeris and Sobek. We continue our cruise to Edfu, where we dock for the night. Afternoon tea is served on deck daily while you are on board your cruise. Please click here for boarding the cruise in Luxor.

DAY 6: Edfu – Luxor – Tuesday and Thursday (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 7: LUXOR – Wednesday and Friday (BLD)
Today we tour the Valley of the Kings, Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple of El Deir El Bahari, and the Colossi of Memnon. After lunch, the afternoon is free for shopping. Afternoon tea is served on deck. Dinner & folk dance show on board. Evening Sound and Light Show at Karnak Temples.

DAY 8: SHARM EL SHEIK – RED SEA – Thursday and 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 9: SHARM EL SHEIK – Friday and Sunday (B)
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.

DAY 10: Sharm El Sheikh – Red Sea Riviera – Saturday and Monday (BL)
Another full day at leisure to enjoy the sun and beach on this Red Sea Riviera if you prefer to keep busy: optional day tours are available upon request for additional $$.

DAY 11: Sharm El Sheikh – PETRA – Sunday and Tuesday (BL)
We’ll fly non-stop Sharm El-Sheikh Amman or via Cairo, our Jordan-based representative waits to greet you. You’ll drive south under a towering ridge of mountains, and arrive at your hotel in Petra for the night. Complimentary Jordanian visa fee (valid only for American, Canadian, Australian, NZ, EU & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival). Lunch is included enroute.

Enjoy the beach at Sharm el-Sheikh. Photo by TravnikovStudio | Bigstock

DAY 12: PETRA – Monday and Wednesday (BD)
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.

In the evening we will call on you for a unique experience:
Dine as a local: 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 (appetizers) 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. Tour experience tonight includes the cuisine course, meal and all non-alcoholic beverages as well as take-home recipes for all dishes prepared that evening.

DAY 13: PETRA – JERASH – AMMAN – Tuesday and Thursday (BLD)
We drive to Jerash, among the best-preserved Roman cities in the world, to tour its temples, theaters, churches and colonnaded streets. From Jerash, we will escort you back to Amman and your hotel. Lunch is included enroute. Dinner is included at a local restaurant in Amman.

DAY 14: DEPARTURE FOR HOME – Wednesday and Friday (B)
Our local rep. escorts you to the airport of Amman for your flight home. Bon Voyage.

 For Easter, Christmas, New Year’s (Dec 20 – Jan 3): 15 % supplement will apply.
Children Discount: 30%  on the adult double rate, child must be younger than 12 years of age, must be traveling with a minimum of 2 adults.

Inclusions:

• All transfers in Egypt and Jordan always on a private basis.
• All domestic flights within Egypt, and Cairo Amman flight in economy class, tax included.
• Air-conditioned hotel accommodations with tax and service charges
• Sightseeing with professional guide and entrance fees as indicated
• Meals as indicated, with pre-set menu (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
• Nile cruise with all shore excursions and meals.
• Large bottle of water (per person), delivered daily to your cabin on board the Nile cruise.
• Small bottle of water (per person) with each meal, while you are on board the Nile Cruise.
• Tea or coffee with each meal while you are on board the Nile cruise
• VIP Meet & Greet At Cairo Airport
  Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. Visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport (photos are not required).
• Egyptian Visa will be issued for a limited number of citizens such as: American, Australian, NZ, EU, Canadian, EU Singaporean and 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. Our local rep. meets with a sign that carries your name, and will be waiting for you with the prepaid visa stamps to proceed to the passports control to stamp your passports, then you claim your luggage. After you clear the passport and customs formalities and exit the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private vehicle) to the hotel. Welcome fruit basket & Egyptian pastry awaits you in your room in Cairo upon arrival with our compliments.
• Visa for Jordan. Limited to specific nationalities such as: Australian, NZ, USA, Canada, EU, Japan and others (please check with us if needed at the time of booking).
• For your convenience: Wi-Fi internet access and mineral water with soft drinks are available in Jordan on board of all the vehicle for our VIP guests

Not included:

• Tips.
• Personal expenses and beverages.
• Additional meals and services
• International air fare between your home country and Egypt / Jordan
• Trip interruption and cancellation insurance