Temples, Tombs, Treasury - 14 days

Sunday. Welcome to Egypt! On arrival at the airport you’ll be transferred to our hotel to spend the rest of today at leisure. If arriving early, you may wish to join our Backstreets of Cairo tour, which visits lesser-known highlights of the capital, including the cave church of St Simon and Tahrir Square.

You may also wish to extend your tour with an Alexandria Day Trip on the Saturday. We can arrange pre-tour accommodation on request.

Discover Egypt’s most famous attraction today as we visit the Pyramids of Giza and the iconic Sphinx. Explore these ancient tombs and there’s also the opportunity to ride a camel at the legendary site. Continue to Saqqara necropolis to see the ancient stepped Pyramid of Zhoser. This monument is even older than the Giza Pyramids and is surrounded by countless tombs and burial sites.

Cairo - Luxor. This morning we join our guided tour of the incredible new Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. This vast 490,000 sq.m complex showcases an astonishing collection of artefacts from nearly every period of ancient Egyptian history. Among the highlights are treasures of King Tutankhamun, with plans for his famous solid gold funerary mask to eventually be showcased here, alongside many items being exhibited for the first time.

Later, we make our way to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, which remains home to a vast collection of statues, jewellery, and sarcophagi. Here, we’ll see the well-preserved mummies of Yuya and Thuyu, high-ranking nobles and the great-grandparents of King Tutankhamun. Some mummies are so well preserved they still have thick locks of hair and visible fingernails. After our excursion, we return to the hotel to enjoy some free time by the pool before boarding the overnight sleeper train to Luxor.

We arrive in Luxor this morning and drive to Dendera, one of Egypt’s best-preserved temple complexes. Enjoy a guided tour of this ancient site, including the magnificent Temple of Hathor. Later, we return to Luxor to spend the afternoon at leisure and there's an optional visit to Luxor Temple this evening. After dark, the temple is beautifully illuminated by hundreds of lights.

Explore the lavishly decorated tombs of famous pharaohs this morning as we visit the Valley of the Kings. Many important pharaohs were buried here including Ramses II and of course, Tutankhamun. Continue to the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut - the second female pharaoh. The final stop of the morning is at the Colossi of Memnon. These two giant statues of King Amenhotep III are all that remains of what was once the largest temple in the world.

After time to relax by the hotel pool our busy day of sightseeing continues this afternoon as we discover the spectacular Karnak Temple. This vast complex took over 1,500 years to complete and more than 30 pharaohs contributed to it.

Today is free for you to explore Luxor at leisure or relax in the hotel and enjoy the sunshine. There is an optional tour of Luxor Museum, home to many important exhibits including treasures recovered from the tomb of Tutankhamun.

Luxor - Hurghada. Today we’ll drive to the popular Red Sea resort of Hurghada for two nights on the coast. Spend time relaxing on the beach or try out water sports such as kite-surfing. Alternatively, join our optional snorkelling trip at a nearby coral reef and swim amongst colourful fish in the crystal water. You may even see a turtle, or friendly dolphin or two. This excursion can be booked locally. In the evenings take some time to explore Hurghada’s restaurants and vibrant nightlife.

Hurghada - Cairo - Amman - Petra. Today we say goodbye to Egypt and fly to Amman via Cairo. On arrival we’ll drive to Petra for an evening at leisure, or you may wish to book our 'Petra By Night' add-on (approx. USD$45 payable locally). Take a stroll through the famous Siq to the Treasury, lit by over 1,000 candles.

PLEASE NOTE: The flight from Hurghada to Amman via Cairo is not included in the cost of this tour. Travellers need to independently book these flights at a personal cost (total flight cost approximately USD$250 - $350pp) however, we can assist in booking these flights should you require. The flights to be booked are detailed in the tour Trip Notes.

Today we explore the ancient Rose City of Petra. Our guided walk will take in the highlights including the majestic Treasury - an ancient Nabatean tomb. Marvel at the giant amphitheatre, which once held a capacity of 7,000. After the tour you may wish to climb the steep steps to the Monastery for amazing panoramic views, or haggle for a horse and chariot ride. This evening is at leisure - why not join our Petra Kitchen add-on and learn how to cook delicious Jordanian cuisine? A local chef will show you how to create dishes including baba ghanoush and hoummous, before you sit down and enjoy your feast.

Petra - Wadi Rum. This morning there is time to revisit Petra, before we travel to the wild desert of Wadi Rum. Enjoy an SUV safari experience through this silent red landscape to our Bedouin desert camp. Here we enjoy a traditional Jordanian dinner and settle down to sleep in comfortable tents, away from the lights and noise of civilization.

Wadi Rum - Shobak - Wadi Mujib - Dead Sea. We leave the desert today and head to the imposing hill-top fortification of Shobak Castle, built by the Crusader King Baldwin I in 1115. After exploring this site, we continue to the shore of the Dead Sea, more than 400 metres below sea level.

April - October departures will enjoy a trek to Wadi Mujib before we descend to the Dead Sea. The Wadi Mujib canyon is one of Jordan’s most remarkable natural features and you should prepare to get wet as we travel along the Siq Trail.

Today is free to relax on the Dead Sea as you please. Enjoy bobbing in the mineral-rich waters, where the high salt content will keep you afloat. There is also an optional excursion to the Ma’in hot springs this afternoon.

Saturday. Dead Sea - Amman. Our tour comes to an end today with a departure transfer to the airport. These transfers are offered at 23:00 on the evening of day 13 or at 04:00, 07:00, 09:00, 12:00 and 16:00 today.

If you have extra time and wish to head back to Amman, why not book our 2 day end in Amman add on? Perfect for those who wish to spend more time in Jordan's ancient capital, Amman.