Egypt & Jordan Explorer 14 days - Local transport Trip

Accommodation

We use 2 & 3 star hotels, 1st class seats on overnight train and desert camp at Wadi Rum

Kitty Notes

No Local Payment

Itineraries (Cairo - Amman)

Cairo - Free Day. Your Egypt travel adventure begins with you being met at Cairo airport and transferred to your hotel. Your Oasis Tour leader will meet those of you who have arrived at our Hotel for an informal get together. (No meals provided today)

Cairo - Famous for the pyramids and all things concerning Egyptology; trips to Cairo are educational and awe inspiring. The tour starts in the bustling metropolis that is Cairo, with our own Egyptologist guide for the day. We spend the morning at the Egyptian History Museum and after lunch we explore the world-famous Pyramids - inside and out - and the Sphinx at Giza. Trips to Cairo aren\'t complete without a camel ride which is also included and is guaranteed to be a good laugh. In the evening we catch an overnight train to Luxor. (Two meals)

Luxor - In the morning we are transferred from the train station to our Luxor Hotel. After lunch we visit the vast and impressive Karnak Temple with our Egyptologist Guide, travelling there in horse drawn carriages (Kalesh\'s). In the evening you have the option of visiting Karnak Temple for the Sound and Light show if you wish. Luxor Temple is in the centre of town within easy walking distance of our hotel. (Two Meals)

Today we have a sturdy donkey each to visit the Valley of the Kings & Workers, where our guide shows us around a number of tombs. (In the summer months we may use an air-conditioned mini-bus instead of donkeys.) Intended by the Pharaohs who built them to be the ultimate insurance policy on eternal life, the tombs are very well hidden and we have to scramble down long dark underground shafts to discover their dramatic and quite amazing funerary glory. We will also visit the Colossi of Memnon and there is also the option to visit the Valley of the Queens. (Two meals)

Luxor to Hurghada. We have a free morning in Luxor, where it is possible to visit a local orphanage which Oasis sponsors. In the afternoon we travel for four hours by road to the Red Sea resort of Hurghada where we overnight in a local hotel. (Two meals)

Hurghada to Dahab - We catch the morning hydrofoil ferry for the short hop across the Red Sea to the Sinai Peninsula. We now transfer you to the most relaxed and, for many, the most enjoyable place in Egypt. We arrive in Dahab in time for a seafood lunch and a cold beer on the beach! (One Meal) (please note: we are one of the very few companies operating tours in Egypt that uses the hydrofoil across the Red Sea, thus doing away with the very long and tedious 18hr bus journey and allowing an extra day in Dahab).

Dahab - With year-round sunshine, warm sea temperatures and a laid-back atmosphere, it is no wonder Dahab has become so popular with travellers - especially those on our Egypt Encompassed trips. Here almost \'anything goes\' and our stay in Dahab can become quite hedonistic! Here also there are no big tourist hotels nearby and we stay in a small air-conditioned hotel 5 minutes walk from the beach. This part of the Red Sea is also known as one of the world\'s top diving locations, with spectacular coral gardens and marine life you can snorkel to within metres of the beach. There is the opportunity to scuba dive, desert trek by camel or quad bike, visit St Catherine\'s Monastery and climb Mt Sinai (where Moses received the Ten Commandments) or simply relax on the beach. (No meals provided)Please note - On the Jordan section of this trip you will not be accompanied by an Oasis Tour Leader. Our local English speaking rep in Jordan will be your point of contact.

Transfer from Dahab to Neuweiba and catch the fast ferry for a 90 minute crossing of the Red Sea to Aqaba in Jordan where you will be met by our agent. From both the ferry and Aqaba you will have the unique experience of clearly seeing four different countries from, the same standpoint; Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. We spend the night in Aqaba. (One meal)

Aqaba - Wadi Rum. We have a free morning and a chance to explore the town. Our hotel is near Aqaba\'s main souk, where as well as local produce for sale, you will find local cafes where you can have a coffee and watch everyday life go by, and try some local food for lunch. Also worth seeing here is Aqaba\'s old castle. In the afternoon you are transferred to your desert camp in Wadi Rum in time for sunset. Tonight you will be sleeping in a traditional Bedouin goats-hair tent in the middle of the desert. Thankfully there are no hotels in Wadi Rum, the area has been declared a National Park and only the Bedouin are allowed to live here. In many ways not much has changed since the times of Lawrence of Arabia almost 100 years ago. (Two meals)

Wadi Rum to Petra.  A sunrise in the Wadi Rum Desert is an experience not to be missed - you can wake very early and climb one of the nearby rock formations in order to watch the sunrise before breakfast back at camp. After breakfast your Bedouin guides will take you in 4 wheel drive jeeps to explore more of the bizarre rock formations that rise out of the desert floor and also visit some of Lawrence of Arabia\'s desert haunts - here too there are ancient Nabataean rock inscriptions. After a late breakfast back at the Bedouin camp it is a 2 hour drive to Petra. Our Hotel here is near the top of the valley with some incredible views. You will have a free afternoon in which time you can wander around the small town or relax by the Hotel pool. There is also the option of Petra by night this evening with a 2 hour candle lit guided visit through the ancient city with music and stories to help you experience it the way travel weary traders of old must have known it. (Two meals)

After breakfast we visit one of the single greatest attractions in the entire Middle East region - The Rose Red city of Petra. We include a local guide for the first 2 hours who will take you through the Siq, the long narrow corridor between sheer sandstone cliffs, which brings you out at the treasury. Your guide will explain about the various tombs, and the history of the Nabataeans and later the Romans, as well as the significance of the various rock hewn structures. You will have the rest of the day to explore this amazing site at your own pace. On your return to the hotel there will be a 3 course buffet meal awaiting you. (Two meals)

Dead Sea to Madaba.  This morning we drive to the lowest point on earth - the Dead Sea. It is extremely buoyant, in fact it is almost impossible to swim. So just take your favourite magazine, lie back and read while you float along, or, view Israel just a few kilometres away on the opposite bank. We leave the Dead Sea late afternoon and visit Mt. Nebo about 1 hours\' steep drive away. Here there are dramatic views over Israel, the Dead Sea and if it\'s not too hazy the walls of Jericho. Mt Nebo was Moses final resting place and the church in his name, built in 394 Ad is still functioning. A few minutes away is our final destination, the small, friendly town of Madaba, just outside Amman. (Two meals)

Madaba (Amman).  Our trip finishes after breakfast today. If you have some spare time before your flight home, there is plenty to see and do in Madaba, including St. Georges Church (which has the oldest known map of the holy land), various Roman ruins in the Archaeological Park and old Byzantine Churches with ancient Mozaic floors. Another \'must do\' is a visit to the Haret Jdoudna restaurant. Regarded as having the best food in Jordan, you can choose to eat in its ancient building or outside in a vine covered courtyard. Airport transfers to Amman airport will be included up until 11 am today, after this time transfers can easily be arranged with the hotel. (One meal)