Egypt and Jordan a la Indiana Jones

A Grand 17 days of these two gems of the Near East
in Egypt and Jordan, Alexandria and Abu Simbel Edition

Indiana Jones himself couldn't squeeze more adventure into this journey: Cairo , 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.

DAY 1 - DEPARTURE - Wednesday - click here if your prefer to start in Amman Jordan
We take off aboard Lufthansa, British Airways or Olympic Airways jet from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. For West Coast Passengers , you need not to fly via JFK, you will fly non-stop SFO / LAX / SEA/ SAn etc on to Europe ( London, Frankfurt , Paris etc. ) then non-stop to Cairo .
Air fare add-on available from major cities. Overnight across the Atlantic. Handling your own air fare : Please click here .

DAY 2- CAIRO - Thursday
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, Western European & 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 - Alexandria Friday (cBL)
We leave Cairo before sunrise - if you are able to extend your stay in Egypt by one day, then we can overnight in Alexandria tonight to allow for a more relaxed itinerary - ( private air conditioned car/driver/guide). We drive across northern Egypt & the Nile Delta heading northwest for Alexandria: Full day tour of the Greco Roman Museum, the Catacombs, the Roman Amphitheater, Qayet Bey Fortress housing recovered items from the French Fleet & Napoleons Flag Ship " L'Orient", sunk by the British & Admiral Nelson, east of Alexandria. Qayet Bey Fort was 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 Place was discovered, as well as Caesar Kiosk. Lunch at a local restaurant. Visit the Crown Jewels Museum of the former Egyptian Royal family , then its off to the new site for the Alexandria Library before heading to 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.

DAY 4 - CAIRO- Dahshour, Memphis, Sakkara - Saturday (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 Mena House : The afternoon is for Memphis and Sakkara, including the Step Pyramid of Zoser & Nobles tombs and Mastabas. All tours in Cairo are on a private basis: private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur and private guide .

DAY 5 - CAIRO- Giza Pyramids - Coptic Cairo - Home Hosted Dinner - Sunday (BLD)
Morning tour of Coptic Cairo : The Coptic Museum, the "hanging - Al-Moalka Church, Beni Ezra Synagogue and the spot where Baby Moses is believed to have been found by the Egyptian Queen and her entourage. Lunch is included at Hadaik Al-Azhar and a walking tour of El -Darb El Ahmar ( Al-Azhar Park) . In the afternoon we are off to tour Giza Pyramids , the Sphinx, and Cheops Royal Barge Museum ( Solar boat) the oldest known wooden royal barge .

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. All tours in Cairo are on a private basis: private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur and private guide .

DAY 6 - CAIRO -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. We'll also stop at the Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque. Lunch is included Then it's on to Giza and the mysteries of the Pyramids and Sphinx.

DAY 7 - ASWAN ABU SIMBEL Tuesday (BLD)
After a very early breakfast , we head for Cairo Airport for your flight to Aswan, and connect by air to Abu Simbel , where your Private car /Driver guide await you in Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel We've planned our visit to Abu Simbel to be a highlight of your Egyptian adventure , we drive along the shore of Lake Nasser, watching the sky lighten and the sacred sun rise above the horizon. We reach the great temples while the air is clean, clear and cool, and the sun's light still golden. In the larger temple, 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 temple , after which retire to a comfortable hotel for refreshments. Fly back to Aswan, arriving in time for a late lunch at your hotel. Dinner is also included at the hotel

DAY 8 - ASWAN Wednesday (BLD)
After breakfast on board, your train arrives in Aswan, where we settle you into your cabin on your Nile steamer. We'll visit the enormous dams at Aswan and the Unfinished Obelisk , then board a launch on to visit the Temples island of Philae, dedicated to the Ancient Egyptian Goddess of Isis, that was later worshiped in Rome as well as Ancient Greece, the temple was rescued from rising waters and reassembled on this island.

Luxury Nile Cruises

DAY 9 - 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 10 - 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 11- 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.

DAY 12 - MOUNT SINAI - Sunday (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.

Sharm El Sheik Red Sea family resorts

DAY 13 - AQABA, PETRA - Monday (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 14- PETRA- Tuesday (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 15 - PETRA/ WADI RUM / Mount Nebo - Madaba JERASH - Dead Sea - Wednesday (BL)
After breakfast at the hotel, 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, we enjoy lunch at a local restaurant then we head north an on to the King's Highway, an ancient caravan route, this afternoon our goals are :Kerak Castle , we tour the ruins of its romantic Crusaders' castle of Renaud de Chatillon, one of a line which stretched from Aqaba to Turkey, then on 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, later , we will escort you to the Dead Sea and your hotel.

DAY 16 - JERASH - Dead Sea - Thursday (BL)
After breakfast at the hotel, we head for 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 to a local restaurant for lunch before we head back back to the Dead Sea and your hotel. Interested in handling your own air fare ? please click here .

DAY 17 - DEPARTURE FOR HOME - Friday (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.

Add Palestine , Israel and Jerusalem

Air fare notes:

• For departures from most west coast cities, as well as Houston , Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth or Atlanta in , please add $350 to the above rates. This doesn't apply when you handle your own air fare.
  
• For travel in May thru end of Sep , please note that a $550 air-fare supplement is added to the above rates. This doesn't apply when you handle your own airfare .
  
• 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

Egypt & Jordan A La Carte- More Choices :

• Jordan and a Deluxe Dahabiya Sailing boat in Egypt

• Compare with the 17 Day version with Abu Simbel and Alexandria . Add Jerusalem.

• Compare with the Ultra Deluxe Version

• Egypt and Jordan in 12 days without Sinai and flying between Cairo and Amman

• Egypt & Jordan A La Carte- Choose from : 12 Day , 13 day Wadi Rum , or 14 day version

• Add Alexandria , Abu Simbel or : Memphis .
  

• Compare with the 16 Day version with Alexandria and Abu Simbel 
  

• Or the 16 Day version with Abu Simbel and Jerash

• Add a cruise on Lake Nasser
  

• Compare with the 22 days Wonders of Egypt & Arabia
  

• Add Morocco and Syria , in a Grand North African Crossing  .
  

• Compare with the 18-Day in-Depth Version

Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea

Amid scenes of exquisiteness and peace, the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar will give you the opportunity to enjoy its riches where Marc Anthony, Queen of Sheba, Aristotle and even Cleopatra once strived to unravel mystery.

Millennia Of History, Welcome to Ishtar

Surely there is no region on earth where nature and history have more wonderfully conspired, where so exciting a drama has obtained so beautiful a theatre.

Amid scenes of exquisiteness and peace, the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea gives you the opportunity to enjoy its riches - where Marc Anthony, Queen of Sheba, Aristotle and even Cleopatra once strived to unravel mystery.

Indulge in the ultimate family escape to the Ishtar Royal Villa.
The Ishtar Royal Villa is a three bedroom masterpiece that allows the comfort of joining two
Ishtar Beach Chalets located directly on the beach to it, making it an ideal secluded retreat for families seeking unmatched personalised luxury and intimacy.

The Ishtar Royal Villa offers the following benefits:
• Complimentary massage upon arrival in the privacy of the wellness area of the Villa which includes a Therapy Room, Steam Room, Sauna and a Shower Room
• Exclusive Dead Sea Bathroom Amenities
• Complimentary VIP Bar
• Complimentary High-Speed Internet Access
• Designer Tea and Coffee-making Facilities
• VIP Welcome Tray
• Fruit & Water replenished daily
• Laptops on request
• iPods on request
• Kids' VIP Welcome Set
• Luxury Turn-down Service
• Farewell Ishtar Gift
• International Newspapers
• Complimentary Pressing upon arrival
• DVD/CD Player
• Private Infinity Edge Pool and Outdoor Jacuzzi
• Personal Butler
• Personal Chauffeur during the entire stay, from point of arrival at Queen Alia International Airport until point of departure from the Airport

The Ishtar Royal Villa has an area of 476 sqm in addition to 74 sqm in each individual Ishtar Beach Chalet, as well as a private garden and pools, totalling a breathtaking 1,830 sqm of absolute luxury.

Ishtar Spa Room

All rooms have natural stone floors and designer furniture, featuring Kingsize beds, a living area, a working desk and a walk-in wardrobe. Rooms are located on the second floor and have an area of 68 sqm and a bi-level private terrace of 45 sqm with terrace furniture and an outdoor Jacuzzi.
The Ishtar Spa Rooms feature a state-of-the-art DVD/CD player (upon request) and complimentary suit pressing upon arrival.

Ishtar Terrace

All rooms have natural stone floors and designer furniture, featuring a Kingsize bed, a working desk and a generously sized wardrobe. Rooms are located either on the first floor or second floor. Rooms located on the first floor have an area of 51 sqm and a terrace of 16 sqm with terrace furniture and great views of the Dead Sea. Rooms located on the second floor have an area of 40 sqm, a balcony of 8 sqm with terrace furniture and great views of the Dead Sea, as well as a private terrace of 68 sqm. Ishtar Terrace Rooms feature a state-of-the-art DVD/CD player (upon request) and complimentary suit pressing upon arrival.

General Hotel Listing