22 Days | 21 Nights
Welcome to Egypt! You may arrive at any time in Cairo. Check in at your hotel, remaining time of the day free leisure on your own. Overnight at Cairo Hotel.
Breakfast at hotel. You will be picked up by our representative and transferred to enjoy a tour of Giza Pyramids. Khufu's pyramid is the northernmost and largest of the three. In classical antiquity, it was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and is the only one to have survived. Khephren's monument can be easily identified by the casing stones that still cling to its pointed top. The much smaller pyramid of Mycerinus had not been completed by the time of the king's death. The Great Sphinx is part of the funerary complex of Khephren. Tour to the Valley Temple. Proceed to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities near Tahrir Square in Cairo. It houses the world’s largest, most precious, and rare collection of genuine artifacts, over 250,000 pieces are displayed dating back to 5000 years. In the evening, hop in a sleeper train bound to Aswan.
Arrive in Aswan in the morning and you will have a free day of leisure on your own to enjoy and explore other historical sites or add an optional tour. In the afternoon, You will take a fantastic tour of the Nubian Village that allows you to meet and interact with a Nubian family while learning about their simple lifestyle, culture, and traditions. In the evening, join a Nubian family to have some local home-cooked meals. Overnight in Aswan.
Another free day of leisure in Aswan. If you opt to visit Abu Simbel for an additional cost, be ready to start your day very early. You will travel 3 hours to go there and explore for about 2 hours. Then travel back to Aswan for another 3 hours. Overnight in Aswan.
Breakfast at the hotel and check-out. Board the felucca boat. You’ll start an overnight trip along the Nile River aboard a felucca or Egyptian traditional sailboat. Enjoy your lunch and be amazed by the beauty of the Nile River and breath some fresh air. Enjoy a leisurely dinner and overnight on board.
Breakfast and disembark at the felucca boat. The tour begins by visiting the double temple of the Hellenistic period on the eastern bank, the Temple of Kom Ombo. You’ll learn about the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon god Horus, whose monuments decorate each half of the temple. Next, you will discover the East bank of Luxor including Karnak Temples, which are the largest structures ever built in the history of mankind. The principal building is that of the god Amun Ra. Transfer to your hotel in Luxor, check in and overnight.
Our representative will meet you and the tour starts by crossing the River Nile to Luxor West Bank. Come and see the magnificent Valley of the King. The most concentration of royal tombs in Ancient Egypt. It is where cut in rocks tombs for 62 famous kings of the New Kingdom, all are highly decorated and filled with priceless artwork. Continue to visit the Hatshepsut temple built and named after the powerful Queen Hatshepsut the only woman who ascended the throne of Egypt in ancient times. This temple is located at Deir el-Bahari, a steep cliff in the shape of a horseshoe forms a natural background to two monumental buildings standing side by side, each belonging to a different period. Lunch at a local restaurant in Luxor. Last stop you will pay a visit to the Colossi of Memnon. The first monument one encounters on a visit to the west bank of Luxor is the site of the funerary temple of Amenhotep III. The temple itself has all but completely disappeared, but the colossal twin statues of the king, which once stood proudly in front of the entrance to the temple, are still there to greet the visitor.
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Luxor Airport for your 1-hour flight back to Cairo. Take a flight going to Amman, Jordan. Our representative welcomes you at Amman Airport. Transfer about 45 minutes to your Amman Hotel, check in, the remainder of the day is free.
In the morning, we drive to Jerash, the best example of a Roman provincial city in the whole Middle East. The well-preserved ruins had been hidden for centuries in sand before the excavations started in 1925. Wander along the spectacular Forum, paved and colonnaded streets, the Nymphaeum, theatres, and the Temple of Artemis. Afterward, we drive to the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea, where you have leisure time at the beach and the chance to float on salty water and try the dark mud on the shores for healthy skin. Return to your hotel in Amman, and overnight.
After breakfast drive to Mt. Nebo, the place where Prophet Moses gazed at the Promised Land before he died. You visit the old monastery and overlook the Jordan Valley, Dead Sea and parts of the Holy Land. After we proceed to Madaba, where to find the famous mosaic 6th century map of Palestine in St. George’s church. Driving along the famous ancient caravan route the King's Way, we have a short stop in Wadi Al-Mujib, a great wide valley with magnificent geological formation. In Kerak visit the famous Crusader castle built in 1132/34 by King Baldwin I. of Jerusalem. Continue to Petra hotel, check in and overnight.
After breakfast proceed to Petra, the spectacular rose rock city. Prepare yourself for walking over uneven terrain. Petra is the biggest attraction of Jordan and was first established around the 6th century B.C. by the Nabataean Arabs. Meet your local guide who will give you an understanding of Petra’s history within the next 2.5 hours. Start with a walk to the canyon, the so called Siq, at its end you see the most beautiful monument, the Treasury. The building rises over 40 meters and is carved into the sandstone like most of Petra’s architecture. Continue via the Street of Facades, passing by the Theatre to the Royal Tombs. Your guide says farewell. Free time to uncover Petra on your own, climb for example the 800 stairs to the impressive Monastery El Deir. Return along the same trail back to the main entrance. Overnight Petra.
Morning time we drive to the bizarre landscape of Little Petra, visit Siq el-Barid, a miniature Petra with its modest gorge (Siq) that leads into an area of carved tombs and monuments. From here travel 1.5 hours southwards to Wadi Rum, known also as the “Valley of the Moon”. Hop in a 4x4 and with your Bedouin driver uncover more of the vast desert. The rugged landscape, the changing colours of sands and mountains, the serene atmosphere will make you understand why Wadi Rum is one of the most impressive desert landscapes in the world. The setting had been used for Hollywood movies. You see canyons, red sand dunes, Nabatean rock inscriptions and a natural rock bridge formed over centuries. If desired, you'll have the option to add a 1-hour camel ride at Wadi Rum at your own expense. Check into your campsite, where dinner and the desert night with a hopefully starry sky awaits you.
After breakfast at the camp, free morning leisure at Wadi Rum camp. Latest check out 12:00. Then continue to drive for about 1 hour to the southernmost and only coastal city in Jordan, Aqaba. Transfer to your hotel, check in, and overnight. The remaining time of the day you may relax, explore the duty-free shopping facilities or have fun with popular water activities like swimming, snorkeling, or diving (not included). Overnight in Aqaba.
After breakfast, morning free leisure at Aqaba. Latest check out 12:00. Then continue to drive back via Desert Highway for about 4 hours to Amman. Transfer to your hotel and overnight in Amman.
In the morning, drive 1 hour to Allenby Border to cross to Israel. Our representative will welcome you at the gate of the Israel border. Continue to drive and transfer for 2 hours to your hotel in Tel Aviv and overnight.
In the morning, Jaffa, one of the ancient gateways at the Mediterranean to the Holy Land. Through its port the Cedar trees of Solomon’s Temple where brought. Your walking tour starts at the Clock Tower, and takes you to Mahmoudiya Mosque, St Peter’s Church along small alleys with artist galleries and craft shops. We drive to Neve Tzedek in Tel Aviv and continue our exploration on foot to see the eclectic Bauhaus style. The influence of the Bauhaus gave Tel Aviv the nickname White City and the reason for Tel Aviv to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You see the Rothschild Boulevard, Rabin Square, the Independence Hall and end the day at the vibrant Carmel Market (Saturdays closed). From here we make our way back south along the Mediterranean coastline onto Haifa. Start on Mt. Carmel with a visit of the Stella Maris Church, leading into a small cave where Prophet Elijah lived for a while. Visit the beautiful Baha’i Gardens with its 19 terraces and the Shrine of the Bab. The Baha’i faith developed in the 19th century, and this is one of their religious places. Beneath the gardens, you find the German Colony, where you have time for a stroll.
After breakfast, proceed to the Crusader port city of Akko (Acre). Major attractions are the Hospitaller Fortress with its underground halls, the Templar tunnel, and the largest prison during the British Mandate. Continue to Nazareth, the boyhood town of Jesus. Visit the Church of the Annunciation, marking the spot where the angel Gabriel informed Maria about her pregnancy. See also Mary’s Well whose waters are believed to have healing powers, and if you like St Joseph’s Church, where the carpentry shop is thought to have existed. To have some local impressions time to stroll along the Souq. Continue to your hotel near the Sea of Galilee and overnight.
This day is dedicated to the Galilee region in the north. It is popular because of its scenic nature and the places where Jesus performed miracles like walking on water. After a two hours transfer we arrive Capernaum, once a fishing village, home to the apostles James, Peter, Andrew and John. Visit the remains of the House of Peter and the 4th century synagogue. A short ride and you reach Tabgha, where the miracle of multiplication of loaves and fishes took place. See the Church of the Multiplication and the Church of the Primacy right on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Also, visit a local Kibbutz to learn about this interesting communal lifestyle. Transfer to your hotel in Jericho and overnight.
We use the opportunity to visit the desert fortress, Masada. Learn about the heroic story of the Jewish fighters who preferred to take their own lives instead of living under Roman rules. Ascend by cable car and tour the mountain fortress built by King Herod, where the zealots of the first century made their last stand against the Romans. Continue to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. The water of the lake is so salty, that it allows you to float. Transfer back to your hotel in Jerusalem and overnight.
We enter the walled old city through one of its gates. See the Wailing Wall, the last remnants of the Temple in Jerusalem, where Jews all over the world come to pray. If open, we visit the Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock. Through the colorful bazaars walk to the Via Dolorosa and with the 14 Stations of the Cross ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. In the afternoon, you get to explore the Mahane Yehuda market on your own. Overnight at Jerusalem.
Today we hit the road to Bethlehem in the West Bank, just a 20 minutes drive from Jerusalem. The major attraction is the ancient Church of the Nativity, where one can touch the very place where Jesus was born. You will also feel the presence od the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, when entering the West Bank through the 700 km long Separation Wall. Time to walk along the barrier wall and see the protest art in form of graffitis. Return to Jerusalem where you have free leisure to explore the ancient city or visit local communities and museums on your own. Overnight at Jerusalem.
After breakfast at the hotel, latest check-out 12:00. Depart in Jerusalem at any time. End of Service.