From Petra to the Pyramids: Jordan and Egypt Experience To Holiday Planner

This 13-day package lets you experience the greatest sites in Jordan and Egypt. Starting in Amman, wander the Roman remains of Jerash, float on the salty waters of the Dead Sea, uncover the ancient city of Petra, and adventure with a Bedouin in the Wadi Rum desert. Next, cross by land from Jordan to Egypt by driving shortly through Israel. In Egypt, you will spend the first night at St Catherine on the Sinai, before you reach Cairo, the largest city in Africa. See the Pyramids of Giza, the treasures in the Egyptian Museum, and roam the streets of Old Cairo. Cruise the Nile from Aswan to Luxor with stops in Kom Ombo, the Valley of the Kings, and the great temples in Karnak and Luxor. Return to Cairo for your international departure. This tour is a balanced combination of guided excursions and free time for your explorations to discover the secrets of ancient civilizations, wonderful landscapes, and fascinating cultures. We are Holiday Planner for the best Travel Services Partner.

13 Days | 12 Nights

Tour Types: Private

Runs: Thu, Sun, Tue

Accommodation: 4* Hotels, Camp, Nile Cruise

Minimum Age: 12

 

Highlights

•  Bob like a cork in the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth.
•  Tour the rock city Petra, the ancient capital of the Nabataeans.
•  Experience Bedouin hospitality in a camp in Wadi Rum desert.
•  Visit the old St Catherine Monastery and climb Mount Sinai.
•  Stand in front of the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx.
•  Discover the Nile on a 3-night cruise from Aswan to the Luxor.
•  Visit the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Luxor and Karnak.

 

Tour Itinerary

Day 1
Amman Airport – Amman    
1 Stop

 

Amman Airport

Ahlan Wa Sahlan – Welcome to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan! Our representative meets you with a signage before the immigration and assists you with the procedure. After you collect the luggage and pass the customs, the representative matches you with your driver. The ride to the hotel in Amman takes around 50 minutes. Check-in, rest of the day at leisure.

• 50 mins
•  Sulaf Hotel or similar

Day 2
Amman – Jerash – Amman 2.5 Hours City Tour – Amman
2 Stops

 

Jerash

Your driver takes you to the Roman ruins of Jerash, about 50 km away from Amman. Set in the hills of Gilead, Jerash is the best example of a Roman provincial city in the Middle East. See the Hippodrome, the spectacular Forum, Roman colonnaded street, the Nymphaeum, the Temple of Artemis and the North Theatre. Time to stroll around the remains on your own.

• 2 hours

 

Amman

Then back to Amman, the bustling capital of Jordan. Though already mentioned in the Bible as Rabbat Ammon, the city is modern with only a few ancient attractions we visit today. Head downtown to explore the Citadel hill with remains from the Roman to the early Islamic period and a small Archaeological Museum. Onto the opposite Roman Theatre from the 2nd century with 6,000 seats. From here stroll along the vibrant Souq with its different shops and stalls. Return to your hotel in Amman.

• 3 hours
•  Sulaf Hotel or similar
•  Breakfast

Day 3
Amman – Mt Nebo – Dead Sea Beach – Kerak Castle – Petra    
4 Stops

Mt Nebo

A tour of several hours in the south of Jordan lies ahead of you. Your driver takes you to Mt Nebo. From here overlook the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea and parts of the Holy Land. According to the Bible this is the place where Moses was granted to see the Promised Land before he died and alleged to be his burial place.

• 45 mins

 

Dead Sea

Drive down to the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea. Enjoy this natural wonder with leisure time at the beach and the unique experience, to float on the salty buoyant waters.

• 2 hours

 

Kerak Castle

Then to the remains of the Crusader castle Kerak. Explore the underground passageways, enjoy the view and imagine how the forces of Salah ad-Din besieged this stronghold several times.

• 45 mins

 

Petra

Afterwards, drive 2 hours to your hotel in Petra for check-in and a leisurely evening.

• 2 hours
•  P Quattro Hotel or similar
•  Breakfast

Day 4
Petra – Petra Visit – Petra    
1 Stop

Petra

Today visit the highlight of Jordan, the red rose city Petra! You are able to start as early as 06:00, but early birds don’t forget to ask the hotel for a breakfast box the day before. Petra is Jordan’s top attraction and was founded around the 6th century B.C. by the Nabatean Arabs. Initially a nomadic tribe, they developed agriculture techniques and became successful as traders. Meet your local guide and pass the narrow canyon, the so-called Siq, with its colourful sandstone. At the end you will be rewarded with a view of the most beautiful monument, the Treasury. Continue via the Street of Facades to the Royal Tombs and Pharaoh’s Castle. After around 2 hours the guide says farewell to you at the restaurant area. You have free time to explore Petra on your own. The young at heart for instance have the chance to climb the 800 stairs to the 45 meters high Monastery El Deir. Return along the same trail to the main gate, and from here back to the hotel. Overnight in Petra.

• 6 hours
•  P Quattro Hotel or similar
•  Breakfast

 

Day 5
Petra – Wadi Rum Jeep Tour and Short Hike – Wadi Rum
1 Stop

Wadi Rum

Just a one and a half hours drive from Petra lies Wadi Rum, one of Jordan’s great landscapes. Meet your Bedouin guide, embark a 4×4 and sit in the open back. Ride through the desert, passing by enormous cliffs, rock and sand formations with the different colours of nature. See along the way Lawrence’s Spring, named after Lawrence of Arabia, the Khazali canyon and rock inscriptions. Lunch break with a sweet Bedouin tea in the shade of a mountain. Continue to the 80 meters high Burdah rock bridge and the smaller Um Frouth, both naturally evolved through wind and erosion over centuries. You have the opportunity to climb Um Frouth, which takes about 15 minutes, and enjoy great views over the surroundings. Next is a walk through the narrow, beautiful Abu Khasheba Canyon. Your jeep driver meets you at the end of the canyon, to take you to your campsite. Here a dinner and the desert night with a hopefully starry sky awaits you.

• 6 hours
•  Sun City Camp or similar
•  Breakfast & Lunch Box & Dinner

Day 6
Wadi Rum – Araba Border – Taba Border – St. Catherine
2 Stops

Araba Border

Check out from camp, and we drive an hour to the Araba Border. You cross into Israel, where we transfer you about 10 minutes to the Taba Border, connecting Israel with Egypt.

• 1 hour

 

St Catherine

On the Egyptian side of the Taba Border our representative welcomes you and the journey continues to St. Catherine on foot of Mount Sinai. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. * We calculate a minimum travel time of 2 hours for the crossing from Jordan to Egypt, but depends on the traffic at that particular day.

•  Daniela Village St Katherine
•  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 7
Mount Sinai Hike – St. Catherine’s Monastery – Cairo    
2 Stops

 

St Catherine

Early in the morning, around 02:00, we ascend to the top of Mount Sinai with a height of 2,200 meters. It is believed, God talked here to Moses through a Burning Bush and Moses received the Ten Commandments. The spot is from religious importance for Jews, Christians and Muslims. The climb to Mt Sinai lasts 2.5 hours and your efforts will be rewarded by a spectacular sunrise and amazing views. Later we visit the St. Catherine’s Monastery. Built in the 6th century the Greek Orthodox Monastery is one of the oldest, continuously active monasteries in the world. See here the Church of the Transfiguration and a museum with manuscripts and icons.

 

Cairo

After breakfast check-out from the hotel. Drive 6 hours to your Cairo hotel, overnight here.

•  Barcelo Pyramids or similar
•  Breakfast

Day 8
Cairo – Pyramids – City Tour Cairo – Cairo    
2 Stops

Pyramids

Enjoy an amazing tour to the iconic Giza Pyramids. Khufu’s pyramid is the northernmost and largest of the three. In classical antiquity it was considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the 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. Its impressive leonine body with the royal head is sculpted in an outcrop of the native limestone. Tour to the Valley Temple.

 

City Tour Cairo

Back in Cairo visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities near Tahrir Square, which its rich collection of objects from Ancient Egypt. A highlight are the precious treasures of Tutankhamon, the most famous king. The museum includes a Mummy Chamber with extra cost. In Old Cairo we view the Hanging Church, the Abu Serga Church, Ben Ezra Synagogue. Return to your hotel in Cairo.

•  Barcelo Pyramids or similar
•  Breakfast

Day 9
Cairo – Cairo Airport – Aswan Visits – Nile Cruise  
2 Stops

 

Aswan

In the morning transfer to Cairo Airport to fly about 1.5 hours to Aswan. Aswan is located in Upper Egypt, about 870 km south of Cairo on the foot of the Nile valley. Our representative will meet and assist you at Aswan airport. Accompanied by your Egyptologist guide explore the city of Aswan including the High Dam, Egypt’s modern example of construction on a monumental scale. The controversial Aswan High Dam contains 18 times the amount of material used in the Great Pyramid of Khufu and created Lake Nasser, the world’s largest artificial lake. Continue to visit the Unfinished Obelisk which was made out of red granite and dedicated to god Amun Ra. By motor boat reach Agilkia Island, where you will visit Temple of Philae that was erected during the Greco-Roman period and was dedicated to goddess Isis. On the walls of the temple of Philae were inscribed the latest hieroglyphic and demotic inscriptions.

 

Nile Cruise

Proceed to the Nile Cruise for embarkation. Dinner and overnight on board.

•  5* Radamis Cruise or similar
•  Breakfast & Lunch & Dinner

Day 10
Nile Cruise: Kom Ombo – Edfu    
3 Stops

 

Kom Ombo

Breakfast on board. 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.

 

Edfu

You’ll have your lunch back on board the ship and sail on to Edfu. In the afternoon you’ll visit the Temple of Horus in Edfu, which is considered to be one of the most well-preserved temples in Egypt. It is also the repository of the most detailed legacy on matters of cult and temple function.

 

Nile Cruise

After the tour you will get back to the ship, you will sail to Luxor and enjoy a leisurely dinner and overnight on board.

•  5* Radamis Cruise or similar
•  Breakfast & Lunch & Dinner

 

Day 11
Nile Cruise: Karnak – Luxor East Bank    
2 Stops

 

Luxor East Bank

Short transfer to visit the East Bank of Luxor. Proceed to the most important and most sacred of the sites the Temple of Luxor. It was built by one of the kings of the 12th dynasty and completed by the well-known king Ramses II. The temple was conceived as a remote southern annex to the temple of Karnak, at a distance of about 3 kilometres from it. Hence, it faces the Karnak Temple, and was connected to it by a long processional avenue, flanked by rows of sphinxes on either side. Have a wonderful tour to Karnak Temples, which are the largest structures ever build in the history of mankind. The principal building is that of god Amun Ra, which is the melting pot of religion and politics.

 

Nile Cruise

Back to the Nile cruise for afternoon tea. Enjoy a leisurely dinner and overnight on board.

•  5* Radamis Cruise or similar
•  Breakfast & Lunch & Dinner

Day 12
Luxor West Bank – Flight to Cairo – Cairo   
2 Stops

 

Luxor West Bank

Breakfast on board and disembark. Our representative will meet you and tour starts by crossing the River Nile to Luxor West Bank to see the magnificent Valley of the Kings. It is where cut in rocks tombs for 62 famous kings of New Kingdom, they all are highly decorated and filled with priceless art work. 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 form a natural background to two monumental buildings standing side by side, each belonging to a different period. Last stop to pay a visit at 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.

 

Cairo

Transfer to Luxor Airport for your flight back to Cairo. Flight from Luxor to Cairo last for about 1 hour. Transfer to your hotel in Cairo, check-in.

•  BarceloPyramids or similar
•  Breakfast

Day 13
Cairo – Cairo Airport    
1 Stop

Cairo

Depending on departure time transfer to Cairo Airport to say farewell and board your international flight.

•  Breakfast

 

Inclusions

•  Meet & greet at Amman Airport.
•  English speaking spot guide in Petra (2.5 hours).
•  Bedouin guide for the hike on Mt Sinai.
•  English speaking guide in Egypt on tour days.
•  Entrance fees to mentioned sites.
•  Dead Sea beach use with towel.
•  Jeep ride, short hike and 1 picnic lunch with Bedouin guide in Wadi Rum.
•  Taba entrance tax.
•  Mineral water on board of the vehicle.
•  English speaking spot guide in Jerash (1 hour).
•  3 nights on board of the Nile Cruise on full board basis.
•  1 airport transfer upon arrival.
•  1 airport transfer upon departure.
•  Private transportation in a/c vehicle with English speaking driver.
•  2 nights at hotel with breakfast in Amman.
•  2 nights at hotel with breakfast in Petra.
•  1 night at Wadi Rum Camp with breakfast and dinner.
•  1 night at hotel in St Catherine with breakfast and dinner.
•  3 nights at hotel with breakfast in Cairo.
•  Free Wi-Fi on board of the vehicle.

 

Exclusions

•   Airfare.
•   Departure tax at Egyptian Airports.
•   Entrance fee to the Tutankhamun Tomb in the Valley of Kings.
•   Entrance fee to the Mummy Chamber at the Egyptian Museum.
•   Entrance fee to see the inside of the Chephren Pyramid.
•   Meals and beverage not stated.
•   Entry visa Egypt (25 USD for non-restricted nationalities).
•   Entry visa Jordan (free of charge possible, see Practical Info).
•   Travel insurance.
•   Tips, portage and personal expenses.

Practical Info

• Official check-in time at hotels is 15:00 – and check-out time at hotels 12:00.
• We do not check the availability of accommodation when planning your trip. Once you‘ve booked and any hotel is not available, we search for an alternative and inform you.
• The Nile cruise schedule may be changed in sequence but not in visits according to navigational circumstances. The regular departure days of the 3-night cruises are Friday, Monday, and Wednesday. In the case of a Monday cruise, there is no chance to visit Abu Simbel.
• The quoted Nile Cruise is rated as 5* luxury. The cruise categories in Egypt are 5* luxury, 5* luxury superior, 5* Grand Luxury. Please contact us if you want to upgrade the cruise category.
• Prices for the period from 23 December till 07 January are upon request.
• The Monastery of St Catherine is open from Monday to Thursday and on Saturday from 8:45 to 11:30. On Fridays, Sundays and Holy Days the monastery is closed.