ITINERARY

Abbreviation: [B,L,D] Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 1. Depart Australia Day 2. Arrive in Amman Welcome to Jordan! This evening we’ll enjoy a group welcome dinner. [D] Day 3. Jerash Excursion Today we visit the beautifully preserved Roman cities of Umm Qais and Jerash, as well as the impressive Ajloun Castle. [B,D] Day 4. Amman - Petra Heading out of Amman, we make our way to Madaba and visit the Greek Orthodox Church of St George. We’ll also stop at the biblical site of Mt Nebo, where Moses first saw the Promised Land. This afternoon we visit ‘Little Petra’. With a history dating back some 9,000 years, it is one of the oldest archaeological sites in the Middle East. [B,D] Day 5. Petra Today we discover the famous Lost City of Petra, a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans more than 2,000 years ago. [B,D] We’ll enter Petra through the Siq, a n arrow, 800-metre long gorge flanked on either side by soaring 80-metre high cliffs, before we reach the incredible Treasury, hewn into the sandstone cliff face. Day 6. Petra - Wadi Rum Why not return to Petra for an optional second visit this morning? We’ll then venture south to Wadi Rum, one of the most stunning desertscapes in the world. We’ll enjoy an exciting jeep tour, guided by local Bedouin tribesmen. Later we’ll take a camel ride through the uniquely shaped mountains and see traces of ancient civilisations in the many carved inscriptions found throughout the area. The most spectacular monuments in Wadi Rum, however, are those carved by nature - the natural rock bridges, towering rosecoloured sand dunes and vast peaks. We’ll spend the night in an amazing desert camp underneath a blanket of stars. [B,D] Day 7. Wadi Rum - Dead Sea - Amman Heading north, we reach the lowest point on Earth - the Dead Sea. The salt content of the water here is four times that of most oceans, so you can float without even trying, making swimming here a truly unique experience. Later this afternoon we travel back to Amman. [B,L,D] Day 8. Amman - Cairo Today we bid farewell to Jordan and take a short flight to Cairo, where we’ll enjoy a group dinner to welcome us to Egypt. [B,D] Day 9. Cairo Our touring in Egypt begins at the oldest structures in existence, the amazing Great Pyramids of Giza, where construction began approximately 4,500 years ago. We’ll then visit the nearby Great Sphinx, discover the ancient capital of Memphis and the Step Pyramid of Sakkara, believed to have been designed by the vizier of King Zoser, Imhotep. [B] Day 10. Cairo - Aswan Today we take a short flight to Aswan, gateway to the incredible history, temples and monuments of Upper Egypt. Here we’ll visit the High Dam, the magnificent Temple of Isis on Philae Island and the board Unfinished a traditional Obelisk. felucca This sailboat. afternoon [B] we’ll relax on a cruise on Day An 11. early Aswan start - Abu this Simbel morning - Nile to cross Cruise the desert. Our Simbel. destination The temples is the were incredible originally twin carved temples out of of Abu the mountainside 13th century BC, during as a monument the reign of to Pharaoh himself Ramses and his II queen, in the Nefertari. Embark Cruise: [B,L,D] Later this morning we’ll return to Aswan and board our Nile River cruise ship. Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure. Day 12. Nile Cruise After breakfast we set sail for the Temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to the gods Sobek and Haroeris. We’ll then cruise onward to Edfu where we’ll visit the magnificent Temple of Horus, dedicated to the Falcon God. Continuing our journey, we cross the lock at Esna and sail on towards Luxor. Tonight we’ll enjoy a galabeya party on board. [B,L,D] Day 13. Nile Cruise We’ll arrive in Luxor after breakfast and explore the fascinating Karnak Temple, dedicated to the Pharaoh Amun. We’ll then visit Luxor Temple, once connected to Karnak Temple by an Avenue of Sphinxes. [B,L,D] Day 14. Nile Cruise - Luxor Disembark Cruise: We disembark and set o to explore the West Bank - the world’s largest open-air museum! Our first stop is the Valley of the Kings. Carved deep into the limestone rock, each tomb has a similar pattern of three corridors, an antechamber and a sarcophagus chamber. We’ll be able to descend into some of the tombs to see examples of the elaborate and incredibly wellpreserved hieroglyphic paintings. Our next destination is the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. [B] Day 15. Luxor - Cairo The morning is at leisure for you to explore Luxor or simply relax before our afternoon flight back to Cairo. [B] Day 16. Cairo Today begins with a visit to the Citadel of Cairo and the Mohammed Ali Mosque. We’ll then discover the 14th century souk, Khan el-Khalili Bazaar. Famous for its handmade crafts, it’s also the perfect place to enjoy a traditional Arabic coffee. This afternoon we’ll continue into the lively heart of Cairo to visit the world-famous Egyptian Museum, home to Tutankhamun’s priceless treasures. This evening we’ll enjoy a group farewell dinner. [B,D] Day 17. Depart Cairo Today we begin our journey home. [B] Day 18. Arrive in Australia