Oasis Nomad - Overland Trip

Accommodation

Approx 70% camping and 30% simple hotels/hostels

Kitty Notes

approx. 70% of meals, all accommodation & transport. Please contact us for full details

Itineraries (Damascus - Tunis)

Our travel to the Middle East begins! Tunis is a safe and very easy city to explore. It has a fascinating old walled city, (more commonly called a Medina), and is thankfully ignored by most of the package holiday tour operators. Tunis has a strong medieval Arab past and well worth spending a couple of days here before your trip begins. Also, the legendary city of Carthage is only a 30 minute bus or taxi ride from Tunis with it\'s Greek and Roman past infused with power, cruelty, romance and decline. Our first stop on leaving Tunis is Dougga, the largest and most dramatic Roman site in Tunisia, and possibly in North Africa. We continue after lunch for the short drive to Le Kef, a mountainous village dominated by it\'s fortified Kasbah. Only an hours drive south we visit the old Roman city of Haidra, very close to the Algerian Border, before carrying on to Tunisia\'s main date growing region at the small oasis towns of Nefta and Tozeur where we have some free time to explore. These towns are closely linked with the mystical brotherhood of Sufism.Next we visit Matmata, well known for its troglodyte villages and then head South to Remada and the desert border with Libya.

We cross the border into Libya at the small town of Nalut, which has an exceptional qasr (fortified granary reached though underground tunnel) clinging to a steep hillside as well as ancient olive oil presses. Our first major port of call in Libya is the UNESCO World Heritage listed oasis town of Ghadames. Situated on an ancient desert caravan route from West Africa there is believed to have been a town here for 5000 years. We now cross the Hamadat al-Hamrah desert to Al Qaryat & then drive to Leptis Magna. This is one of the finest preserved Roman Cities and one of the few where you can actually still picture a living city. With colonnaded streets, a huge triumphal arch, a well preserved Roman harbour with quay side and warehouses still intact and much more, it is well worth investing in a local guide and enjoy the whole day exploring the city.

We now drive along the Mediterranean coast with plenty of opportunities to freshen up with a swim from one of the many deserted beaches. Our next major stop is at the ancient Greek city of Cyrene. Established in the 7th Century BC it has an outstanding history having come under the rule of Alexander the Great as well as being rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian after destruction by a Jewish revolt. From Cyrene it is a short drive to Tobruk, the scene of some of the most important and viscous battles of WW 2. Here we visit the well kept Commonwealth Cemeteries, containing 6128 graves of mainly British, Australian, New Zealand and South African troops. We will also see some of the 25 kms of fortified trenches and battle remains that circled the town.

From Tobruk we cross into Egypt and visit El Alamein. This was the turning point of WW2, it is well worth paying your respects at the cemeteries and visiting the excellent War Museum which documents Montgomery\'s and Rommel\'s momentous battles and it also houses much of the abandoned tanks and other armour. Next we stop at Alexandria where we can visit the old coffee houses or enjoy some of the excellent seafood or take a trip to the Catacombs in the eerie subterranean Roman Necropolis full of bizarre carvings and an ancient dining room for mourners! The beaches and diving here are also excellent with wrecks of Roman Galley\'s, French Warships, German U-boats and Cleopatra\'s Palace. A half days drive away brings us to the bustling city of Cairo.Those on the 21 day Cairo to Damascus trip, join us here.

With an Egyptologist Guide we visit the world-famous Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza and here we also include a camel ride. In the afternoon our guide takes us to the Egyptian History Museum before we catch an overnight train to Aswan.

Arguably the most attractive city on the Nile, Aswan is imbued with the relaxed attitude of the Nubian people who live here. During the two days we are in Aswan we stay in a two star, locally-owned hotel. You will have the opportunity to visit Abu Simbel, the great stone monuments built by Ramses II, as well as a number of temples and tombs on the West Bank of the Nile, across the river from Aswan, accessible by ferry or felucca. Elephantine Island is also well worth visiting, with small ferries crossing to and fro\' all the time. From Aswan we take a traditional Egyptian sailboat or \'felucca\' on the Nile River a \"must-do\" experience during any travel to the Middle East. We spend the next two days aboard watching Egypt glide by and sleeping under the stars. As well as the felucca captain, we also have a cook who will be preparing three meals a day for us while on board. We have the option of stopping off at Kom Ombo and visiting the Temple of Horus at Edfu, before continuing on to Luxor.

Luxor is where we join our overland truck and we camp here for three nights. We visit the Valley of the Kings on donkeys and your local guide will explain the 3000 year old history of the Pharaohs and their mummification and journey through the underworld. There is also the option to go to the Valley of the Queens and the Valley of the Workers, Queen Hatshepsuts Temple, Karnak Temple with its sound and light show, and Luxor Temple.Leaving Luxor we camp overnight in the desert and then crossing the Suez Canal we may catch sight of the huge ships that seemingly pass through the desert sands, before continuing on to St Catherine\'s Monastery where it is possible to climb Mount Sinai. This is an amazing place to watch the sun rise over the Sinai Desert.

Dahab on the Red Sea coast is our base for the next three days. Here, you can snorkel or scuba dive to some of the best coral reefs in the world, go desert quad biking or just lie on the beach. You can also take a one-day camel safari and trek off-road down the desert coastline.

This morning we leave Egypt by ferry across the Red Sea to Aquaba in Jordan. From here it is a short drive into the Wadi Rum desert where we camp overnight. The silent nights are unforgettable with their stunning blanket of stars. Wadi Rum has some of the most spectacular desert scenery anywhere in the world and it was here that Lawrence of Arabia and his Arab forces had their secret base. Here you have the option of taking a 4WD jeep safari with Bedouin guides.

Climbing into the mountains we spend the next two nights in a locally-owned hotel at Petra. Situated in a deep ravine with towering sandstone cliffs and hills, the ancient City of Petra is carved out of the rock. The sheer size and architecture of the rock hewn buildings is quite breath-taking. The Nabetaeans who built Petra over 2000 years ago grew to immense wealth by first plundering and then extorting \'safe passage\' tolls from the spice and slave caravans that had to pass through their territory. Eventually the Romans took Petra, and some of their influence can also be seen.A visit to the lowest point on Earth! The Dead Sea is over 1000ft below sea level, very hot throughout the year, and is claimed to have many therapeutic qualities. Situated in the northern-most point of the Great Rift Valley of Africa it is formed by the River Jordan which flows into it. Here you can indulge in relaxing mud baths and an unusual swimming - or rather floating - experience in this highly buoyant salt sea. This is another one of the \'must do\' activities of any travel to the Middle East. In the late afternoon we have a short drive to Mt Nebo with its stunning views over Israel - it is also the final resting place for Moses.

Regarded as the most important Biblical sight in Jordan, this is where Moses, after leading the Israelites for 40 years through the wilderness, first saw the promised land. This is also where Moses died and we visit the Church Of Moses dating back 1700 years. If we have time we also visit the nearby town of Madaba and stop briefly in Amman, the capital of Jordan. Steeped in history - it is mentioned in the Old Testament and the Bible - it is now a modern, cosmopolitan Arab city with an extremely friendly and well-educated population, many of whom speak English. It is less than a days drive to cross the border into Syria and arrive in Damascus, the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. We spend two days in this fascinating, friendly and safe city, which still contains much of the mystery of the orient with its busy bazaars, decaying charm, polite people and some of the Islamic world\'s oldest monuments.

If the political situation is calm in Lebanon it is possible to join a one-day excursion into Lebanon which includes a guided visit to Baalbek Roman Temple, an \'all you can eat\' Lebanese lunch, city tour of Beirut as well as free time in this quickly regenerating city, fast recovering from the civil war of the 80\'s and 90\'s.