Egypt & Jordan Adventure

On arrival at Cairo International Airport, you are met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. This is simply an arrival day so you may arrive in Cairo at any time. Note that hotel rooms are generally only available after midday. The balance of the day is free to explore your surroundings, but normally a Welcome Meeting is held in the evening where you meet your tour leader and fellow travellers.

The Egyptian Museum is simply one of the world's great museums, home to a stupendous collection of antiquities and the perfect introduction to our tour, exhibiting many of the region's treasures. We head there after breakfast and our expert guide takes us through Egypt's rich and fascinating dynastic history. You will then have some free time to explore on your own; you may wish to visit the Royal Mummy Room (optional and at extra cost). We then drive out to Giza, home to perhaps the greatest iconic structures ever created by man - the Pyramids and the Sphinx. Instantly familiar yet retaining a mystique and power, getting up close to these incredible pharaonic tombs is captivating. For an additional charge you may be able to go inside the Great Pyramid of Cheops (or Khufu), although occasionally it may be closed to visitors. Afterwards we return to our hotel, where there is plenty of time to freshen up and pack before we are transferred to the railway station for the overnight sleeper train to Luxor. Sleeping berths (beds and linen) are provided in private cabins and an airline-style dinner is served. It is worth bringing additional snacks and your tour leader can help you to arrange this. A toilet is located at the end of each carriage.

After an early breakfast on board, the train rolls into Luxor - a buzzing place with a great bazaar and situated close to some of ancient Egypt's most important and extraordinary sights. We transfer to our Nile cruise boat, which will be our home for the next four nights. We can relax by the pool on the boat or explore the town. Later in the day we take horse-drawn carriages to Karnak - one of the world's most celebrated temple complexes, built over a period of some 200 years. Our guided tour of the temple reveals the complex's finest sections. For the rest of the afternoon and evening we are free to relax, shop in the bazaar (open until quite late) or perhaps experience the atmosphere of a local tea house.

We rise early this morning (very much earlier during summer!) and head into the Valley of the Kings, where buried under the arid hills are over 60 tombs of pharaohs, many richly decorated with reliefs and paintings. It's a compelling place, vast and spectacular, and discoveries are still being made. Tutankhamun's final resting place is also located here, but entry to this small tomb is quite limited. It is at additional cost, but you will be given some free time when you will have the opportunity to visit it. Our guide explains the funerary rites of the ancient Egyptians and significance of the many paintings and hieroglyphics. We visit three royal tombs and then continue to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, set in a spectacular natural amphitheatre. Our final stop is at the Colossi of Memnon - giant statues that were once part of an impressive colonnade. We return to our boat and enjoy lunch on board. There is time to relax on deck or in your cabin before we set sail for Edfu. Departure time may vary, depending on river traffic – please refer to the note regarding cruise schedules in the 'Other Information' section. We pass through Esna Lock, which can sometimes be a slow process depending on the number of vessels waiting to get through, and continue our journey upstream.

Morning finds us moored near Edfu, an excellently-preserved temple dedicated to Horus - the falcon-headed god. We disembark and explore the temple as well as experiencing the bustling town centre. Returning to our cruise boat we continue travelling upriver, relaxing on the sundeck and taking in the surrounding sights - desert hills forming a backdrop to lush riverbanks, fishermen casting their nets and farmers working their land. Arriving at Komombo, our short walk around the Temple of Sobek (the crocodile-headed god) that lies picturesquely ruined on the river's edge provides an interesting insight into the Greco-Roman period.

We arrive in Aswan, Egypt's southernmost city and a place with an easygoing charm that is due in no small part to its large Nubian population. Depending on our arrival time, we may visit the beautiful Temple of Isis that was rescued from the rising waters of the Nile and relocated on Philae Island (alternatively we will visit it tomorrow). It is an absolute gem, its decorative pylons featuring some of Egypt's finest carvings - definitely one of the highlights of Upper Egypt. The rest of our day is free to wander – and Aswan is a great place for it. The Nubian Bazaar is a must, while the excellent Nubian Museum is recommended by many. The waterfront promenade, or Aswan's 'corniche', runs alongside the one of Nile's most appealing stretches and is the perfect place to stop for a mint tea. Aswan is a great little town and there are plenty of relaxing and interesting options here. Dusk is when the waterfront comes alive with families out strolling, socialising and relaxing along the corniche.

We disembark our cruise boat and check into our hotel. The rest of the day is free for us to make our own discoveries. The visit to Abu Simbel will take place this morning for those of us who booked this option with our tour leader back in Cairo. This optional trip is well worth it. With the four gargantuan statues of Ramses guarding the Great Temple, this is one of Egypt's most memorable sights. A popular afternoon option in Aswan is a sailboat ride around the islands in a traditional felucca, stopping off at the botanical gardens on Kitchener's Island. Alternatively, take a camel ride to the Monastery of St Simeon - an abandoned 7th century fortress monastery located in the desert on the Nile's west bank. Our tour leader is on hand to help us arrange any excursions. Alternatively, you may just prefer to relax by the hotel pool or do some shopping in the friendly bazaar. In the evening we visit a Nubian village and enjoy the hospitality of our hosts as we dine out on some delicious local cuisine. We are also treated to some Nubian dancing and may even have the chance to perform some of the moves ourselves!

After breakfast we are transferred to Aswan airport for the short flight back to Cairo where we are transferred to our hotel. Today we dive into another layer of Egyptian history: medieval Cairo. We head to Khan al-Khalili Bazaar, Cairo's oldest mosque and the Gayer-Anderson Museum. The 'Khan', sprawling around an old area known as Al-Azhar, is a quintessentially Cairo experience - a warren of alleys with stalls serving up a succession of intoxicating scenes and retaining a distinctly medieval and sometimes carnivalesque feel. It's Cairo's finest area for you to practise your bartering skills! We explore the gold market, 'perfume street' and the spice market, where heady aromas hang in the air like a thick blanket of Damascene cloth (which can be purchased next door in the cloth market!). The beautiful 9th century Ibn Tulun Mosque is one of the oldest, largest and arguably the most beautiful mosque in Egypt – the perfectly proportioned courtyard and distinctive minaret both help to mark it out as a masterpiece of Islamic architecture, Nearby stands the Gayer-Anderson Museum, housed in two fine old villas (dating to the 16th and 17th centuries AD). Once owned by an English army officer, the two houses contain a fascinating collection of Arabic artefacts, furniture and memorabilia, giving us a great insight into Cairene life during the Ottoman period.

We bid farewell to our Egyptian tour leader and are transferred to Cairo Airport for our short flight to Jordan. Please note that we will be unescorted on this flight. On arrival at Amman's Queen Alia International Airport, we are met by our local representative and transferred to your hotel. We also meet our Jordanian tour leader who will be looking after us for the remainder of our journey.

The Roman city of Jerash is one of the grandest ancient cities in the world, its archways and theatres, baths, public buildings and colonnaded streets constitute a striking collection and make it a beautiful place to explore. Grand ionic columns encircle the city's centrepiece, the Oval Plaza, a wonderfully atmospheric place to linger after exploring Jerash's riches. We visit the site in the morning and later drive down to spend the afternoon at the Dead Sea. Relax on the shore or take a dip like no other – the warm, highly saline waters make swimming difficult but bobbing on the water's surface a unique pleasure. Afterwards we return to Amman for the night.

This morning we drive to Madaba, where we visit the Greek Orthodox church of St George that houses a 6th century mosaic map depicting the old city of Jerusalem. This is of particular interest, as it clearly depicts Palestine and Lower Egypt around 550 AD. We continue on to Mount Nebo, where a monastery believed to be the burial place of Moses is located on a hill overlooking the Holy Land. The custodians of this monastery are Franciscan monks and it also contains some of the most impressive mosaics in the world. We then travel to Dana, where we stroll though the ancient village. Recent finds have revealed evidence of Palaeolithic, Egyptian, Edomite, Assyrian, Nabataean and Roman civilisations. We visit workshops where local artisans sell attractive silver jewellery and charms to support their families and their local community. The final part of our drive today takes us to Petra via the ancient Crusader castle at Shobak.

A regular and fully justified contender for the '8th Wonder of the World' title, the iconic Petra view – the Treasury's glorious façade, glimpsed from the narrow cleft known as the Siq – is arguably the single most striking sight of the entire region. The first sight of the exquisite craftsmanship among such stark scenery is a moment that both manage to be eagerly anticipated and also be still an unlikely and almost surreal surprise. Petra's greatest surprise, however, is its size. With our guide we explore the old Roman road, amphitheatre and several old tombs. We also climb up to the Monastery – the site's second beautiful façade – from where we have a magnificent view of the entire site. This is a memorable day exploring a truly extraordinary destination and sure to be one of the highlights of our trip. There is a cafeteria on the site, where we can enjoy a light lunch. In the mid-afternoon we return to our hotel and our tour leader will try hard to persuade us to take a Turkish bath! It's perfect timing after a day exploring Petra, as well as being his a great experience - Petra is an excellent – and safe - place to try this tradition of the region. The rest of the day is at leisure.

We may have the chance to return to Petra on an optional second visit (please note that you must pay the entrance fee today if you wish to go in). Afterwards we continue driving on to spellbinding Wadi Rum, a landscape of rugged sandstone mountains standing tall among an ochre desert floor. We head into this desolate, romantic protected area in rather rickety old jeeps, operated by the local Bedouin community. This is an attempt by the Jordanian Government to bring much-needed income into this region - an initiative we also support. After time for lunch in the small village of Rum and a browse around the excellent and informative visitor's centre, we visit several of Wadi Rum's distinctive rock formations and soak in the vast silence and spectacular desert landscapes. The visitor's centre is also a great spot to buy some jewellery and knick-knacks, mostly made by a women's co-operative which is aimed at supporting traditional local industries. Wadi Rum is a truly beautiful place with towering sandstone mountains. It fully deserves the amount of time we spend here, with the wind-sculpted rock formations changing hue throughout the day from sunrise to sunset. We also meet our Bedouin friends and ride camels to our traditional Bedouin tent situated deep within Wadi Rum. The Bedouins live in scattered camps throughout the area. We enjoy an evening with them at one of their camps, which is set in an amazing location. Wadi Rum is probably best known because of its connection with the enigmatic British officer T.E. Lawrence, who was based here during the Great Arab Revolt of 1917-18. Much of David Lean's movie on his exploits, 'Lawrence of Arabia', was actually filmed in Wadi Rum. One morning it's well worth rising early and watching the cliffs change colour as the sun comes up. This morning walk (the length of the walk will depend on how energetic we are feeling) may involve scaling one of the large dunes to enjoy sensational views of the surrounding area. Keen photographers will be delighted!

We continue down to Red Sea town of Aqaba, where we enjoy free time to relax. The sea is teeming with colourful marine life, so it is an ideal place for indulge in some optional scuba diving or snorkelling, depending on time. Our tour leader can help us to arrange these activities. Alternatively you may just like to relax by the hotel's swimming pool or walk around and enjoy the ambience of this coastal town; this is sure to be a welcome break after our time in the desert.

We leave the beach and travel up the Desert Highway and the King's Highway on our way back to Amman. On arrival we enjoy an orientation tour of Jordan's fascinating and hilly capital. Known as Rabbath Ammon during prehistoric periods and later as Philadelphia, this ancient city, once part of the Decapolis League, now boasts a population of around 1.5 million people. The most impressive sight is probably the Roman Theatre which is located in the heart of the city. We also visit the old market - a great place for photo opportunities. Tonight we take the opportunity to enjoy a farewell dinner (optional) with our fellow travelling companions. A good option is the Kan Zaman Restaurant, which is a favourite with locals.

Your trip ends today after breakfast. Check-out time is usually around 12 noon and you are free to leave at any time. If you have arranged a private airport transfer you will be advised of the pick-up time. Additional accommodation can be pre-booked if you wish to spend more time exploring Amman.