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Days
16
Price from
$2,095USD
Map of Egypt & Jordan Highlights including Egypt and Jordan

Sail the nile, see the Sphinx and be awed by Petra

Lawrence of Arabia, Indiana Jones, Tutankhamen. This trip attracts the big names, and deservedly so. Cruise the Nile, haggle the Nubian bazaar, see the Valley of the Kings, get lost in Petra and eat your weight in tabbouleh.

Start
Cairo, Egypt
Finish
Amman, Jordan
Destinations
Egypt, Jordan
Code
GEAJC
Physical rating
Traveller’s rating
4 reviews
Ages
Min 18 , Max 29
Group size
Min 1, Max 16

Why you'll love this trip

  • The Pyramids might be hyped, but when you see them you’ll soon be saying oh mummy, I see the point (sorry)

  • Masks don’t come much more famous than King Tut’s golden headpiece – check it out at the incredible Egyptian Museum

  • Jumping on a camel to ride through the desert and visit three tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Can you get any more Egyptian?

  • Sleep under the stars (or in a comfortable tent) at a Bedouin-style camp in Wadi Rum

  • Our guides are local and know all the best secret and hidden places to check out after a day of sightseeing

  • Only Petra’s Treasury is stunning enough to be the temple of the Holy Grail (well, according to Indiana Jones at least), and you’ll be blown away on a full day exploring the majesty and mystery of this world wonder

  • Set sail on a felucca cruise along the Nile. Back in the day, these wooden boats had zero facilities, but our new pimped-out boat has western-style toilets on board

Is this trip right for you?

  • Just one of the great things about this trip is that it gives you the power. There’s free time to do whatever you want, or optional tours to show you the way. Maybe budget a little extra cash for activities that aren’t included.

  • Egypt can get hot in the summer months of July and August. The good news is it's mostly dry heat, and easier to handle than humidity. Wherever possible, you'll be seeing the sights in the morning before it gets too intense.

  • Travelling on a felucca is awesome, but it's not for everyone. You will be sharing a sleeping area with your fellow group members for the night and a shared bathroom facility on board

  • The thing about ancient ruins and other super old sites in the Middle East is that they usually involve walking on rocky and/or steep hillsides. But if you don’t feel up for it on a hot day then you can just sit it out, or wander along at your own pace.

  • Egypt nights can get chillier than you think, particularly from December to February. Remember to pack at least some warm clothes.

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Itinerary
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Welcome to Cairo. You will meet with your trip leader and the rest of your group at 6 pm this evening. Check for a note in the hotel lobby or ask the hotel reception for the location. If you're going to be late, just let the hotel know. If you arrive early enough, go immerse yourself in the madness: grab a pair of authentic Roy Bands sunnies from the bazaar, embrace the kitsch world of Dr Ragab's Pharaonic Village, then share a sahlab (sweet, hot custard drink with nuts) and p'raps a sheesha pipe with your new travel buddies.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.
Special Information
Optional Activities: all listed optional trips listed do not include transport or a local guide. Please speak to your trip leader for more details on how to organise these.

Today you'll take a trip to the Egyptian Museum to see the golden mask of none other than King Tutankhamun. Drive out to the edge of the desert and explore the pyramids and the nearby Sphinx (nobody's quite sure how it lost its nose). Later, with free time, there are plenty of further options, like visiting the Valley Temple of King Khafre (Chephren). In the evening, it's time for your sleeper train to Aswan (Sleeper Train to Aswan sounds a bit like the title of an adventure novel, doesn't it? Just you wait).
Accommodation
  • Overnight Sleeper Train (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Cairo - The Egyptian Museum
  • Cairo - Pyramids and Sphinx
Optional Activities
  • Cairo - Camel ride at the Pyramids - EGP100
  • Cairo - The Egyptian Museum Mummy Room - EGP150
  • Cairo - Sound & Light Show at the Pyramids (entrance fee only) - EGP200
  • Cairo - The 2nd Pyramid of Khafre - EGP60
  • Cairo - The Great Pyramid of Cheops - EGP300
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner

Enjoy some breakfast, then put on your haggling hat (or just a regular hat, we don't mind) for a trip to the bazaar. Grab useful stuff like books, cotton tops and sunhats for your upcoming Nile cruise. Splurge on fun stuff like perfume oil, leather bags and jewellery just for the heck of it.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Aswan - Felucca Sail - EGP75
  • Aswan - Nubian Museum (entrance fee only) - EGP100
  • Aswan - Philae Temple - EGP100
  • Aswan - Philae Temple Sound & Light Show (entrance only) - EGP150
  • Aswan - Unfinished Obelisk (entrance only) - EGP60
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Today is yours to spend as you please in Aswan. The optional drive to Abu Simbel is well worth it, because this is one of the coolest temples on earth, cut out of a solid rock cliff. A real winner, as far as sightseeing in Egypt goes (and that is obviously saying a lot). Renting a minivan with your fellow travellers is the way to go. It'll be an early start (around 5-6 am), and it takes about three hours to get there, and another three to get back. If you'd rather save time and fly there, that's possible too.

Notes: Flights don't go to Abu Simbel every day, and they'll usually set you back US $250-300. It's best to fly in the morning, so you can beat the heat (it's down south). Your trip leader won't accompany you on a flight – only the land travel option. Local guides can be hired on arrival.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Aswan to Abu Simbel: return transport by bus & entrance fee (price from per person - minimum 4 passengers) - USD90
  • Aswan to Abu Simbel: return flights and entrance fee (book with www.egyptair.com - prices from approx) - USD320
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

All aboard! Time to sail the Nile in a felucca.  This pretty awesome boat will be your home tonight, and all three meals are included today. You'll visit the Temple of Sobek, a classic, ruined (you might even say classically ruined) Greco-Roman temple. Continue sailing towards Edfu and take in some timeless scenes of life on the Nile. Your Instagram account should be going off like a frog in a sandstorm by now. Stop in at Edfu to explore the awesomely preserved Temple of Horus (Horus being the falcon-headed God).

Please note our Felucca will have shared bathroom facility on board
Accommodation
  • Overnight Felucca (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Kom Ombo - Kom Ombo Temple - EGP80
  • Edfu - Edfu Temple - EGP100
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

The world is your oyster today. And Luxor is one beautiful and interesting world to be in. Enjoy free time – you might want to take a horse-drawn carriage to the massive temple complex at Karnak (one of the most impressive temple complexes in the world, for sure). Some of it dates as far back as 2,055 BC, if that gives you some idea of what you're dealing with.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Luxor - Karnak Temple - EGP120
  • Luxor - Sound and Light Show at Karnak (entrance only) - EGP200
  • Luxor - Luxor Museum (entrance only) - EGP120
  • Luxor - Luxor Temple - EGP100
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Today you'll ride a donkey. But you won't just ride it anywhere. You and your new furry friend will venture to the legendary Valley of the Kings, where the tombs of Egyptian royalty are many. You will visit three of them. Be nice to your donkey and it'll be a nice, peaceful sunrise stroll past fields of alfalfa. Upset him and you’ll be sore for days. In the evening you'll catch an overnight train back to Cairo.

Audits were carried out on balloon operators within Egypt to confirm the safety of their operations, unfortunately we were not able to ascertain the safety standards of these balloon operators- therefore, we are not able to recommend or assist in the booking of any balloon excursions.
Accommodation
  • Overnight Sleeper Train (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Luxor - Valley of the Kings (3 tombs)
Optional Activities
  • Luxor - Hatshepsut Temple - EGP82
  • Luxor - Tomb of Tutankhamun - EGP200
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner

Time for one last walk around Cairo. Head south from Bab al-Futuh (one of the medieval north gates), past the old Islamic monuments that stand watch over the bazaars. Wipe the dust from your brow and say goodbye to this frenetic place. Just go ahead and try not to shed a tear in front of your new travelling buddies.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Farewell Pharaohs with a flight from Egypt to Jordan. Touch down in main town - Amman. When you get here you'll meet your brand new leader and any fellow travellers joining the trip here in Jordan at a 6pm Welcome Meeting tonight. Make sure you’ve got all your important docs and deets on you. You've got some time to wander around - you don’t know the meaning of ‘bustling labyrinth’ until you walk around the Jordanian capital. If it all gets too cray, duck into a cafe for a sweet mint tea.

Make a beeline for Rainbow Street for a falafel and a sheesha. It's what the locals would want. Something more substantial? Maybe head to the Old Town’s Roman Amphitheatre, have a cultured afternoon at the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, snap some pics of the city from the hilltop Temple of Hercules, or sweat it out in a Turkish bath house. Afterwards, rendezvous with your new Geckos crew for a team catch-up. It may or may not be at the local pub.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Amman - King Abullah Mosque - JOD2
  • Amman - Jordan Museum - JOD5
  • Amman - Bethany Baptism site - JOD12
  • Amman - Roman Theatre - JOD2
  • Amman - Citadel - JOD3
  • Jerash - Roman ruins - JOD10
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.

It's a four-hour drive today from Amman to Wadi Rum, but we'll be making some snack stops along the way, so all good (but we recommend stocking up on a few snacks too). In Wadi Rum you'll be meeting your Bedouin hosts, who'll show you around camp and offer you many rounds of mint tea. Then we'll all hop in jeeps, which aren't the Bedouins' traditional modes of transport, but are far less stinky than camels, and trundle off into the desert on a driving safari. Wadi Rum's favourite son, Lawrence of Arabia, called Wadi Rum 'vast, echoing and God-like'. Ridley Scott, who shot Prometheus there, called it 'the best view I've ever seen of what could be Mars'. You'll see where Lawrence of Arabia had a wash in what's now known as Lawrence's Spring, and the crumbled ruins of a house he supposedly used to snooze in. You'll also visit the desert's largest sand dunes and a naturally-formed rock bridge that looks like it should have collapsed years ago. This evening you'll be dining on traditional Bedouin cuisine, sleeping in Bedouin-style tents and gazing up at some traditional Bedouin skies.
The camp has
Accommodation
  • Desert Camp (1 night)
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner
Special Information
The tents tonight are simple but more comfy than you think! Expect single beds with all bedding including a nice thick blanket for those cool desert nights. During the colder months (October to March) temperatures can get as low as 5°C at night so you may want to bring along a sleeping bag too.
The camp has flushing toilets and showers, and is powered by solar panels so it's not as 'rough' as you think!

If you're someone who hates amazing sunrises, by all means sleep in this morning. If you're not, then we highly recommend that you don't: Wadi Rum rarely looks as fine as she does early morning. Once you're awake and breakfasted, it's time to say bye to your Bedouin friends and journey on to Petra (about a two-hour drive).
According to the legend of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, inside Petra's Treasury building is where the Holy Grail was discovered. Today you'll get to follow in Indy's footsteps on a guided tour that'll take you through the site's narrow siq (a narrow crack in the mountain) to Petra's tombs, temples and rock-hewn amphitheatre. You'll find no marauding Nazi's here, though (or goblet containing eternal youth, for that matter). For those wanting to admire the 'rose-red city' from a different angle, there's also the option of continuing up a cliff-top path for elevated views. At the end of a long day's tomb exploring you're probably feeling a bit grubby (and if you aren't, probably should be). Nothing a good scrub in the Turkish Bath at tonight's hotel won't be able to right.

Notes: A one day entrance fee to Petra is included in the trip price. Please note that when entering Petra as a group, a complimentary horse ride is included in the ticket price from the entrance point down to the Siq. Geckos doesn't recommend that passengers take this option due to the safety and insurance liability involved. The Turkish bath is optional and not included in trip price.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Wadi Rum - 4WD jeep safari and desert camp
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Today is yours to explore Petra how you wanna. Options include: walking up the road to Al Khanzneh (The Treasury – one of the most stunning temples of the whole site); clambering up the stairs to El Deir (The Monastery); travelling out to the royal tombs, or visiting some pretty impressive Byzantine mosaics. One other option is trying to locate the cafe run by Marguerite van Geldermalsen, a Kiwi woman who's been living in Petra with a local Bedouin for the past 30 years. A little less adventurous perhaps this last option is, but still a quest of sorts.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

We said something about crusades and Crusaders earlier right? Well they built Shobak Castle atop a grassy knoll and thought it would last forever, but Saladin's Arab army knocked it over after an 18-month siege. You’ll drive a short way from Petra to get here, and the castle makes an impressive sight as you approach. Poke around the site and discover a small chapel, original gatehouse, and find out where a long, dark secret passage leads. Kick on half an hour to the ancient village at Dana, where at the craft centre you can (you guessed it) pick up some crafts, like silver jewellery and charms. Drive on to Madaba (approximately 3 hours), home to Byzantine mosaics way better than anything you ever made in art class. Visit the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George and check out a sixth-century mosaic map of the Holy Land. Then it’s on to Amman and head out on the town at night.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Dana - Ancient Village Visit
Optional Activities
  • Mt Nebo - Mt Nebo Entrance - JOD1
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Drive back in time (approximately 1 hour) to Jerash, once a thriving ancient Roman city, and now some of the best-preserved ruins this side of Italy. Do your best Biggus Dickus impersonation (Monty Python, anyone?) in Jerash's main street, check out the columns of the Oval Plaza and the tiered seating of the South Theatre, and imagine the chariot race from Gladiator in the hippodrome. In the afternoon, there's the option of driving for a bit over an hour for a dip in the Dead Sea. This isn’t actually a sea but a super-salty lake (dead because of the lack of life in it) where the density of the water means you’ll go for a float, not a swim. Here you can get that photo of you reading a paper while floating in the water – just like the ten billion visitors before you. Afterwards you will return to Amman for the evening (approximately 1 hour). Maybe spend your final night at one of the many bars and restaurants in West Amman, or ask your leader where locals spend their evenings.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Dead Sea - Visit and lunch (minimum 3 people) - JOD40
  • Jerash - Entrance fees - JOD10
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

The tour ends in Amman after breakfast. You can (and probably should) kick around in Amman for longer if you want. There's heaps more to do, just ask your tour leader for pointers.
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Meals

13 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 4 dinners

Transport

Private bus, Overnight train, Felucca, Jeep, Plane

Accommodation

Overnight train (2 nights), Hotel (10 nights), Felucca (1 night), Desert Camp (1 night)

Included Activities

  • Cairo - The Egyptian Museum
  • Cairo - Pyramids and Sphinx
  • Luxor - Valley of the Kings (3 tombs)
  • Wadi Rum - 4WD jeep safari and desert camp
  • Dana - Ancient Village Visit

Reviews

Our Egypt & Jordan Highlights trips score an average of 4.75 out of 5 based on 4 reviews in the last year.

Egypt & Jordan Highlights, July 2017

Laura Pearce

Review submitted 29 Jul 2017

Egypt & Jordan Highlights, May 2017

Vanessa Lee

Review submitted 28 May 2017

Dates & availability

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Important notes

ENTRANCE FEES:
Some entrance fees are not included. If you wish to take part in these activities, you pay these fees as you go along.

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT:
An optional single supplement is available on this trip. Please refer to your booking agent for further information.
Please note, on the following night the Single Supplement is not available:
- Day 5: Felucca
- Day 10: Wadi Rum

Following recent safety incidents we recommend that you check your government's advice for their latest information on travelling in Egypt before your departure and ensure that your travel insurance covers you for all areas of your itinerary. We have links to prominent government travel advisories and regular updates on issues affecting this trip on our Travel Alerts page - www.geckosadventures.com/en-au/travel-alerts

Essential trip information

Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Essential Trip Information provides a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.
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