Grand Tour of Arabia (19 Days)

Private Tour Egypt, Dubai and Jordan a la Indiana Jones

For Guests who can afford and want
the best when touring the Near East.
A 19 day Ultimate Tour of Egypt,
The United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
Including Alexandria and Abu Simbel Temples

Sphinx and Pyramid © Mikhail Nekrasov | Dreamstime.com

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, Alexander the Great’s own city – Alexandria, diving in the Red Sea, the mountains of Sinai, and a trek to the mysterious ruins of Petra in Jordan. Dubai is a true modern rendition of the 1001 Arabian Nights. Tour this Emirate on the Arabian Gulf. A taste of Arabia with a cosmopolitan lifestyle. In Dubai you’ll find year round sunshine and un-crowded, clean sandy beaches.

DAY 1- CAIRO: Daily – Year Round – You choose your own dates
Our Egypt-based staff greets you in the bustling Cairo airport and escorts you to your hotel.
Grand Hyatt (Club level room), Conrad Cairo Hotel (Club level room), Sonesta, J. W. Marriott (Club level room), Mena House (Garden Wing – Pyramids View), or Meridien Pyramids – Pyramids view or similar. Egyptian visa may be issued upon arrival for a limited number of nationalities such as American, Australian, Canadian, NZ, EU, Korean (South), Singaporean & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival). Guests will pay the fee locally (about $15 USD – subject to change). After exiting the terminal our local representative will escort you by private vehicle to the hotel.

DAY 2 – CAIRO: (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. We’ll also stop at the Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque, before a walking tour of Khan El Khalili old district. Lunch is included at Naguib Mahfouz or similar. Dinner is included at the hotel. Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle.

DAY 3 – CAIRO: Tuesday (BLD) DAHSOUR – HOME HOSTED MEAL
After breakfast, we’ll motor to the edge of Cairo, to the mysterious Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza. 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.

Those who are fit and adventurous enough may wish to penetrate into the heart of the Great Pyramid, to the King’s Chamber your ticket is included with our compliments (or the interior of Kephren Pyramid). Taking a camel ride (included) is entirely your own choice!

Continue to Dahshour, 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. Lunch is included at a local restaurant or at your hotel.

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! 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 dinner back at the hotel with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle.

Octavious visiting Alexander the Great’s Tomb in Alexandria just after he defeated Cleopatra & Marc Anthony. He left his coat as a token of respect to Alexander the Great. The search continues for Alexander the Great’s Tomb.

DAY 4 – CAIRO / Alexandria: (BL)
After breakfast, your Cairo guide will be with you on board the train. We will escort you to the Cairo Railway station to board your first class air-conditioned train to Alexandria. Upon arrival at Sidi Gaber station we will start with our full day touring.

The Roman Amphitheater, Qayet Bey Fortress built on the same site of the ancient wonder of the world: the famous Alexandria Light House. A brief stop at “El Selsela” the site of the Underwater reserve where Cleopatra Palace was discovered, as well as Caesar Kiosk. Lunch is included at a local restaurant. On to the New Library of Alexandria before we head back to your hotel. Palestine Montazah Hotel in the Royal Gardens of the former Royal Palace of King Farouk or the Four Seasons San Stefano Hotel. Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle

DAY 5 – Alexandria & Wadi El Natroun Monasteries / Cairo (BLD)
After breakfast, we ‘ll visit the new museum in Alexandria, the building was originally built in 1926 for the US consulate in Alexandria and is a masterpiece in 1920’s architecture & Mediterranean style buildings, the USA sold the building at a token price to the Egyptian state to turn into a museum, then its off to the desert highway, heading south for Cairo, we’ll stop at Wadi El Natroun monastery almost midway to Cairo, where early Coptic Christians retreated here to escape the Roman persecution in the 4th century AD. The Egyptian Pope of Alexandria is always chosen from the Monks of wadi El Natroun. Reach Cairo early evening and your hotel. J. W. Marriott (Club level room) or similar. Dinner is included at the hotel.

Private Tour of Egypt & Turkey – Private Guide – Private Chauffeur

DAY 6 -CAIRO / ABU SIMBEL: (Private car/driver/Guide) (B, Lunch box, D)
After an early breakfast we fly to Abu Simbel (via Aswan).
In Abu Simbel your private guide & private chauffeur will be waiting for you at the airport

Ramses the Great – Master Builder: We tour the larger temple dedicated to the Mighty Pharaoh, colossal figures of Ramses are seated with the gods and attended by his queen and daughters.

The smaller temple is dedicated to Queen Nefertari, who appears as Hathor, the goddess of love, joy and fertility, symbolized by the benevolent cow. We explore these fine temples, after which retire to a comfortable hotel for refreshments, fly back to Aswan and your hotel: the Old Cataract, Nile View superior room, or Aswan Movenpick Hotel – Junior Suite. Dinner is included at the hotel

DAY 7 – ASWAN: Nile Cruise – Private Egyptologist for all Cruise Shore Excursions (BLD)
Sonesta M/S Star Goddess Nile Cruise – All Suites – All with Private Balconies (or similar), where we settle you into your cabin on your Nile steamer. Welcome drink served upon arrival. A complimentary fruit basket awaits you in your deluxe cabin.

We’ll visit the world famous Nubian Museum, the enormous dams at Aswan, then board a launch on Lake Nasser to visit the Temples of Philae, rescued from rising waters.

Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle

DAY 8 – KOM OMBO (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. Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle

DAY 9 – EDFU and LUXOR (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.

Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle

DAY 10 – Disembark – Fly to SHARM EL SHEIKH – RED SEA (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.

Hotel: Hyatt Sharm El Sheikh (Club level room), or Four Seasons Sharm El Sheikh (Standard Room), or similar

DAY 11 – SHARM EL SHEIK (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 12 – MOUNT SINAI (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. Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle

DAY 13 – Sharm , Amman – Petra – Jordan
(B, Lunch Box, D)
Breakfast is included at the hotel. Lunch box will be prepared by your hotel chef. We’ll fly to Amman non-stop or via Cairo, 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. Jordanian visa fee, please pay $30 upon arrival at Amman Airport. Visa issued upon arrival for a limited number of nationalities such as : for American, Australian, NZ, Canadian, EU Citizens, Singaporean & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival.

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), 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 14 – PETRA (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.

Petra has a lot to tell. The visit starts at the visitor’s center, where each person is assigned a Bedouin guided horse for the journey to the entrance of the lost city. After passing some tombs which are located outside the city, the visitor passes through the SIQ, an immense crack in the Nubian sandstone. It is a winding, one-kilometer-long fissure between overhanging cliffs that seem to meet more than 300 feet overhead.

Near the end of the passage, the SIQ, with great style, makes one last turn and out of the gloom in towering brightness appears Petra’s most impressive monument, el Khazneh – The Treasury. This is one of the most elegant remains of antiquity, carved out of the solid rock from the side of the mountain, is nearly 140 feet high and 90 feet wide.

Beyond el Khazneh the visitor is surrounded on both sides by hundreds of Petra’s carved and built structures, soaring temples, elaborate royal tombs, a carved Roman theater, large and small houses, burial chambers and much more. The Victorian traveler and poet, Dean Burgon, gave Petra a description which holds to this day – “Match me such a marvel save in Eastern clime, a rose-red city half as old as time.” After that, the group will return to the hotel to get prepared for a Moonlight dinner served at a Bedouin camp. This evening we have a fantastic traditional dinner under the stars in a Bedouin camp, at a site that dates back more than 2,000 years. Petra Marriott or Movenpick or similar.

Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle

DAY 15 – DEPARTURE FOR ARABIA (B)
DUBAI: We will fly to Dubai as we fly across the Arabian Peninsula to reach this charming Emirate on the Arabian Gulf. A taste of Arabia with a cosmopolitan lifestyle. In Dubai you’ll find year round sunshine and un-crowded, clean sandy beaches.

In this Arabian society you’ll find a very warm & welcoming team & society awaits you in Dubai. While shopping may not be high on your list, you will find Dubai’s tax free markets means bargains galore. Attractive traditional Middle Eastern gifts – coffee pots, rugs, silverware, jewelry, brass, and one of the world’s greatest gold trading centers offering unbeatable value. Hong Kong is no longer able to compete with Dubai with the wide selection of low – priced international brand name products – audio equipment, VCRs, cameras, watches, fashions, perfumes and more. And do not forget about the award-winning Dubai Duty Free at the airport. Upon arrival, our local rep will meet you and escort you to your hotel.

Arriving at Dubai International Airport you’ll be delighted to discover Travel in Style’s VIP Red Carpet welcome procedures: you are met by our English-speaking representative who escorts you from your plane to a comfortable air-conditioned lounge where you can freshen up and recover from your flight. While you relax, our representative completes your Immigration procedures, collects your luggage, clears it through Customs, and transfers it to your private, air-conditioned vehicle. Escorted from the lounge to your vehicle, your private chauffeur transfers you to your hotel, assisting with your luggage when you arrive. Red Carpet Treatment: that’s the Travel in Style difference.

DAY 16 – DUBAI (BLD)
Half Day Dubai City Tour: Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle
Sample the historic sites and vibrant cosmopolitan life of Dubai on this comprehensive tour. The Tour begins in Jumeira, the picturesque palace and residential area of Dubai, also home to the famous Jumeira Mosque. The next stop is Sheikh Saeed House (former residence of ruling family). The Tour then continues to Al Bastakiya, the old part of Dubai, to reach the museum located in Al Fahidi Fort. All guests board the Abra (water taxi) to cross the Creek to the spice souk. Before savoring the sights and sounds of the fish, fruit and vegetable market, there is time to shop in the most famous landmark of Dubai – the Gold souk. Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant. We will have a brief stop at Ski Dubai (guest who wish to ski will purchase tickets on own locally).

Evening Dhow Cruise Dinner:
For a fabulous relaxing evening join our fully fitted Arabian dhow for an evening’s cruise on the Creek. Enjoy a sumptuous feast of Arabic and Western cuisine while gently gliding past illuminated souks, banks and palaces.

DAY 17 – Desert Safari with dinner in the Arabian Desert – DUBAI (BD)
Half Day Desert Safari (4 Wheel Drive):
Morning at leisure, enjoy beach activities. This tour departs in the afternoon across the desert of Dubai with several photo-stops during an exciting dune drive to the first destination a camel farm. The drive continues across the desert. We stop to watch the beautiful sunset before reaching our campsite.

After working up an appetite enjoy a delicious barbecue dinner and a shisha (the most famous Arabic Water pipe). We conclude the evening with a true 1001 Arabian Nights tradition with a belly dancer performing her dance around the campfire before we head back to your hotel in Dubai or Sharja.

DAY 18 – DUBAI: East Coast Tour – Arabian Emirates (BL)
After breakfast, we head for Dhaid and then on to the Hajar mountains that offer a beautiful natural backdrop for Dubai. A stop at a local market, where the local shop for locally made pottery, fruits and carpets. We will stop as well in Dibba and a brief stop at the colorful local fish market, always with the fresh catch from the Arabian Gulf. We drive along the coast passing by enchanting small villages and fishermen wharfs, we arrive at Al Badiyah mosque, one of the earliest mosques built in the UAE, continue on to Khor Fakkan, a regional popular spot for diving and snorkeling, where there will be an opportunity to relax at the beach and have a refreshing swim, stopping as well as the Khor Fakkah souk. Continue to Fujairah where we stop at the renovated Fort. Before returning to Dubai, stop at the oasis of Bitnah and time to wander on the “Friday Market” in Masafi. Lunch is included enroute in a charming local restaurant.

DAY 19 – DUBAI: Departure (B)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home. Or, you may choose to add one of our extensions. Bon Voyage!

Prices include:

• All transfers in all three countries. Always with a Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle.
• Tips to all your drivers, porters, guides, and the crew on board your Nile cruise
• One way air fare Cairo / Amman / Dubai in business class, tax included.
• All domestic flights in Egypt, as per itinerary all in business class, tax included.
• Air-conditioned hotel accommodations with tax and service charges
• Nile cruise including all shore excursion and all meals while on board
• Sightseeing with PRIVATE professional guide and entrance fees as indicated
• Meals as indicated, with pre-set menu (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
• United Arab Emirates and Egyptian visa fee (valid only for American, Australian, NZ EU, Canadian, Mexican, Singaporean & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival).
• Dubai VIP Meet & Greet Service at the Airport :
  Arriving at Dubai International Airport you’ll be delighted to discover Travel in Style’s VIP Red Carpet welcome procedures: you are met by our English-speaking representative who escorts you from your plane to a comfortable air-conditioned lounge where you can freshen up and recover from your flight. While you relax, our representative completes your Immigration procedures, collects your luggage, clears it through Customs, and transfers it to your private, air-conditioned vehicle. Escorted from the lounge to your vehicle, your private chauffeur transfers you to your hotel, assisting with your luggage when you arrive. Red Carpet Treatment: that’s the Travel in Style difference.
• Complimentary welcome drink upon arrival on board the Nile Cruise.
• Complimentary welcome fruit basket on board the Nile Cruise.
• Large bottle of water (per person) delivered to you cabin daily while you are on board the Nile Cruise.
• Tea or coffee and bottled water with each / every meal while you are on board the Nile Cruise.

Not included:

• Personal expenses and beverages.
• Tips
• Additional meals and services
• Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
• International air fares from/to your home country
• Jordanian visa fee in $ USD or Euros payable upon arrival for American, Australian, NZ, Canadian & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival).