Egypt and Jordan Oldest Archaeological Wonders

After a satisfying breakfast, we set off into the desert east of Amman to explore three remarkable Umayyad-era structures collectively known as the desert castles. Qasr al-Kharrana, with its imposing square towers, speaks to a time when these buildings served as caravanserai and meeting places along ancient trade routes. Qal’at al-Azraq, built from black basalt, carries a particularly storied history — it was here that Lawrence of Arabia based his operations during the Arab Revolt. Quseir Amra is arguably the most extraordinary of the three, its interior walls covered in vivid 8th-century frescoes depicting hunting scenes, bathing beauties, and the constellations. After this desert excursion, we return to Amman for lunch at a local restaurant, sampling falafel and hummus as they were meant to taste. The afternoon is devoted to the capital itself: a walking tour takes in the imposing Roman Amphitheatre, the Folklore Museum tucked within its walls, and the hilltop Citadel with its sweeping views. We’ll also dive into the bustling souks, where you can taste Knafeh — a warm, syrup-drenched cheese pastry — and pick up a few key Arabic phrases for the road ahead.
Overnight: Amman
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Leaving Amman behind, we head north into greener, more undulating countryside toward Jerash, one of the best-preserved Roman provincial cities anywhere in the world. Walking through its colonnaded streets feels genuinely transporting: the oval Forum, the grand Nymphaeum, the soaring columns of the Artemis Temple, and the South Theatre — where acoustics remain remarkable to this day — all paint a vivid picture of life under Roman rule two millennia ago. From Jerash, we drive to Ajloun, where a dramatic 12th-century Ayyubid castle crowns a forested hilltop. Built under the command of one of Saladin’s generals, the castle later expanded under the Mamluks and played a pivotal strategic role in repelling the Crusaders. The forested hills surrounding it are popular walking territory, and the views across the Jordan Valley are spectacular. Our final destination today is the village of Rasoun, where a welcoming Jordanian family opens their home to us for the night. Before dinner, we take an evening walk through the quiet surrounding hills to discover Bronze Age dolmens — ancient stone burial chambers dating back some 5,000 years, standing silent and extraordinary in the landscape.
Overnight: Rasoun homestay
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

We share a final breakfast with our generous hosts in Rasoun before heading south toward one of Jordan’s most spiritually charged landscapes. Our first stop is Madaba, a town whose streets sit quite literally on top of Byzantine history — beautiful ancient mosaics have been unearthed beneath its churches and homes for decades. The jewel of Madaba is the Madaba Map, housed within St. George’s Church: a 6th-century floor mosaic that represents the oldest surviving cartographic depiction of the Holy Land, with Jerusalem at its center. From Madaba, we ascend to Mount Nebo, where the Bible records that Moses climbed to look upon the Promised Land he would never enter, and where he was buried. The panoramic view across the Jordan Valley toward the hazy outline of Jerusalem is stirring regardless of your faith. Following lunch, we descend dramatically to the lowest point on Earth — the Dead Sea. Here the afternoon is entirely yours: float effortlessly in the hypersaline water (no swimming required or even possible in the usual sense), slather yourself in the famous mineral-rich mud, and unwind by the resort pool as the sun sinks low.
Overnight: Dead Sea Resort
Meals: Breakfast

Today’s drive takes us along the Dead Sea’s southern shoreline before climbing up through dramatic mountain scenery toward Petra. The landscape is nothing short of spectacular — deep canyons and gorges plunge toward the water on one side while terraced cliffs rise steeply on the other. Midway through our journey, we pause at the Dana Biosphere Reserve, Jordan’s largest protected natural area. A short walk here rewards you with sweeping views of valleys and wadis, and in spring the hillsides burst unexpectedly green and flower-filled. The restored Dana village itself is charming, its stone houses clinging to the cliffside. We stop for lunch before pressing on to Shobak, where an imposing Crusader castle perches on a conical hill surrounded by orchards and farmland. Built in 1115 by Baldwin I of Jerusalem, it predates the more famous Kerak Castle and retains an austere, haunting atmosphere. We arrive in the Petra region as the evening deepens. For those with the energy, a magical optional experience awaits: Petra by Night transforms the ancient Siq into a candlelit procession, with hundreds of flickering flames guiding you toward the dramatically lit Treasury.
Overnight: Petra
Meals: Breakfast

Today ranks among the most extraordinary days of any traveler’s life. Petra — the rose-red city half as old as time — demands and rewards every step you give it. We begin with a 2–3 hour guided tour, entering through the Siq, a narrow slot canyon that rises 200 meters overhead and at points narrows to just two meters wide. Ancient Nabatean water channels run alongside the path, and the anticipation builds with every twist and turn until the Treasury suddenly reveals itself in a blaze of carved sandstone grandeur. Beyond it lies the main basin: hundreds of tomb facades, a ruined Roman amphitheatre, colonnaded streets, and the Royal Tombs carved in tiers above. Free time allows the adventurous to climb the 800-plus steps to the breathtaking Monastery, or scale the ridge to the High Place of Sacrifice. Walking distances are substantial — plan for at least 10–12 km — though horse carriages and donkeys are available for those who need them. Late afternoon, we leave Petra and drive into the vast silence of Wadi Rum. Bedouin hosts welcome us to camp beneath towering sandstone cliffs, a traditional dinner is prepared, and a sky ablaze with stars provides the perfect ending.
Overnight: Wadi Rum Bedouin Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Wadi Rum reveals its full grandeur this morning from the back of a jeep. Our Bedouin guides know every dune, rock arch, and hidden canyon, steering us through a landscape so otherworldly it has doubled as Mars in numerous Hollywood productions. We stop to scramble up rust-colored sand dunes, examine the delicate shapes carved by millennia of wind erosion, and marvel at natural rock bridges that frame the endless desert sky. But today is about more than scenery — it’s about people and their way of life. We join a local shepherd and their flock on a walk to a traditional Bedouin tent, where we roll up our sleeves to help prepare lunch. Those who wish can try their hand at shearing wool, grinding and roasting coffee beans in the traditional manner, or baking bread over an open fire. It’s hands-on, warm-hearted, and genuinely memorable. After returning to camp and collecting our bags, we set off north along the Desert Highway back to Amman. The evening is relaxed and sociable — local coffee shops near the hotel are perfect for a final night of conversation and reflection on the week in Jordan.
Overnight: Amman
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning we transfer to Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport for your flight to Cairo. Please note that this flight is not included in the tour price, as it is often more economical to incorporate it within your main international ticket — but we are happy to assist with booking if you prefer. Upon landing at Cairo International Airport, a team member will be waiting to greet you and escort you smoothly to your five-star hotel in the city. After checking in and freshening up, we’ll introduce you to the surrounding neighborhood and run through the plan for tomorrow’s sightseeing. The remainder of the day is yours to explore Cairo at your own pace. This city rewards curiosity at every turn: the chaotic, exhilarating street life of downtown, the quiet grandeur of the Nile corniche, the aroma of shisha drifting from pavement cafés, the calls to prayer echoing across rooftops.
Overnight: Cairo
Meals: Breakfast

Egypt’s greatest hits, and they don’t disappoint. The morning begins with a drive to Giza, where the three great pyramids rise impossibly from the desert plateau on the city’s southwestern edge. With one of our expert Egyptologist guides at your side, the experience transcends the merely visual — you’ll understand what these structures meant to the civilization that built them, how they were constructed without modern machinery, and what they tell us about ancient Egyptian beliefs surrounding death and the afterlife. The Great Pyramid of Khufu, standing at 146 meters when intact, remains the largest stone structure ever built by human hands. You’ll also have the option to descend inside the pyramid — a tight, atmospheric crawl through history unavailable to your guide due to ticket restrictions. The Sphinx stands guard nearby, time-worn and serene. After lunch, we head to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, whose crowded, magnificent galleries house the world’s greatest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts. The Tutankhamun rooms alone — glittering with golden death masks, jewelry, and funerary furniture — justify the visit entirely. This evening we transfer to the station for our overnight sleeper train to Aswan, settling into private twin-berth compartments as Egypt slides past the windows.
Overnight: Sleeper train
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Waking on the sleeper train to find the landscape transformed into pure Upper Egypt — ochre desert, swaying palms, and the wide silver ribbon of the Nile — is a genuine pleasure. We arrive in Aswan and transfer to a hotel with glorious river views. Aswan is a slower, softer city than Cairo, with a soul deeply rooted in both African and Arab cultures. The Nile here is broader and more stately, busy with traditional felucca sailboats drifting between lush green islands. We spend the morning exploring the souks, which spill over with spices, perfumes, Nubian crafts, and colourful textiles. Aswan is also the heartland of the ancient Nubian civilization, whose people have inhabited this stretch of the Nile for thousands of years. We visit a local Nubian village, where brightly painted houses and a genuinely welcoming community offer insight into a culture unlike any other. Lunch here is traditional and delicious. In the afternoon, we take a short scenic boat ride to the Island of Philae to explore the magnificent Temple of Isis — rescued piece by piece from rising floodwaters and reassembled on higher ground in one of archaeology’s great logistical feats.
Overnight: Aswan
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

For those who rise early this morning, the optional excursion to Abu Simbel is not to be missed. Driving south through the desert before dawn, we arrive at the twin temples of Ramses II and Nefertari in time for the sunrise — a moment of almost unreal grandeur. The four colossal seated statues of Ramses guarding the Great Temple are among the most recognizable images in all of ancient Egypt, and the interior painted reliefs are extraordinarily well preserved. Like Philae, these temples were rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser and relocated in a UNESCO engineering marvel during the 1960s. Those who opt out enjoy a free morning in Aswan. This afternoon, the full group reunites to board a traditional wooden felucca for an unhurried sail northward along the Nile. There is something profoundly calming about the felucca experience — wind in the sail, the riverbank drifting past at walking pace, the Nubian crew singing softly. Meals are prepared on a companion facilities boat, which also provides toilets and showers. As evening falls, mattresses are laid on deck beneath mosquito nets and a canopy of stars. Those preferring more comfort may opt to return to the Aswan hotel overnight.
Overnight: On board felucca
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Morning brings fresh light on the Nile and a final breakfast on the felucca before we bid farewell to our crew and dock near the magnificent Temple of Edfu. Dedicated to the falcon-headed god Horus, Edfu is the most completely preserved temple in Egypt — its towering pylons, deep hypostyle halls, and inner sanctuaries giving a vivid sense of what all Egyptian temples must have looked like when they were still in use. We continue north toward Luxor, passing farmland, sugar cane fields, and villages strung along the riverbank. Luxor sits atop the ancient city of Thebes, and the concentration of ancient monuments here is unmatched anywhere on Earth. After checking into a splendid five-star hotel on the Nile’s east bank, the afternoon offers welcome free time to relax, swim, and decompress. As evening arrives, we take a leisurely walking tour of Luxor Temple, which sits in the very center of the modern city. Floodlit at night, its vast columns and avenue of sphinx statues create an atmosphere of theatrical, timeless grandeur. A sound and light show occasionally illuminates it further — worth checking locally for scheduling during your visit.
Overnight: Luxor
Meals: Breakfast

This is the day Luxor delivers its full, almost overwhelming weight of history. We cross the Nile to the West Bank, where the City of the Dead spreads across the pale limestone hills in a landscape that feels genuinely apart from the living world. In the Valley of the Kings, our guide leads us into several royal tombs — each one a tunnel of painted walls depicting the deceased pharaoh’s journey through the afterlife in extraordinary detail. Colors that have survived three thousand years underground remain startlingly vivid. We also visit the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, rising in elegant colonnaded terraces against a sheer cliff face, and the artisans’ village of Deir El-Medina, where the craftsmen who built the royal tombs lived and were themselves buried. The iconic twin Colossi of Memnon stand watch over the floodplain as we depart the west bank. An optional hot air balloon flight this morning offers an unforgettable sunrise view over the whole landscape. After lunch, we cross back to the east bank for Karnak — the largest religious complex ever built. The Hypostyle Hall alone, with its 134 massive columns adorned with hieroglyphs, leaves virtually every visitor speechless.
Overnight: Luxor
Meals: Breakfast

After a leisurely final morning in Luxor, we bid farewell to the Nile Valley and make the scenic cross-desert drive east to the Red Sea coast. The journey takes you through a stark, beautiful emptiness — the Eastern Desert’s pale hills and gravel plains stretching to the horizon — before the brilliant turquoise of the Red Sea suddenly appears. Hurghada has grown from a small fishing village into one of Egypt’s most popular resort destinations, and it’s easy to understand why. The sea here is extraordinarily clear, warm, and rich with marine life. We check into a luxurious five-star resort, and for the rest of today and all of tomorrow, your only obligation is to enjoy yourself. The tour operates on a soft all-inclusive basis for your stay, meaning all meals, soft drinks, and snacks are taken care of, allowing you to fully relax without a second thought about logistics or costs. Those who’ve been on the move since the start of the Jordan itinerary will feel the particular relief of having nowhere to be and nothing to do beyond whatever sounds most appealing in the moment.
Overnight: Hurghada Resort
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Today is yours completely, and it comes at exactly the right moment in the tour. Hurghada’s underwater world is its greatest treasure: the Red Sea’s coral reefs are among the most biodiverse in the world, and whether you’re a certified diver or complete beginner, there are excellent options for getting beneath the surface. Dive centers along the coast offer everything from introductory sessions to multi-tank guided dives at world-class sites. For non-divers, snorkeling trips provide equally spectacular encounters with reef fish, rays, and the occasional turtle. Beyond the water, the resort and surrounding area offer plenty of alternatives: wind and kite surfing on the bay, glass-bottomed boat excursions for those who prefer to stay dry, quad biking across the desert fringe, camel rides along the beach, or simply claiming a sun lounger and working through a good book. The resort pool and beach are immaculate. Hurghada’s marina is worth an evening stroll, lined with restaurants and cafés and backed by the kind of kitsch resort charm that is oddly comforting after two weeks of intense history and culture. Our local representative is available all day to help arrange any activities you wish to book.
Overnight: Hurghada Resort
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After the languid pleasures of the Red Sea, we return to the energy and density of Cairo this morning, making the roughly six-hour drive back across the desert. Those who prefer not to spend the day in a vehicle are welcome to upgrade to an internal flight — just let us know in advance and we’ll arrange it. We arrive in Cairo in the early afternoon and check into a centrally located five-star hotel before embarking on an afternoon walking tour through the atmospheric layers of Old Cairo. Beginning at the great Fatimid gate of Bab al-Futuh, we wind through narrow streets organized by trade — here a lane of coppersmiths, there a row of spice merchants, around the corner bolts of bright fabric and shelves of intricate jewelry. The sensory experience is extraordinary: hammering metal, warm spices, the sweet smoke of incense. We gradually make our way toward the famous Khan el-Khalili bazaar, where the tourist trade intensifies but the atmosphere remains genuinely intoxicating. We pause for refreshing mint tea and a shisha pipe, and this is the ideal opportunity to choose souvenirs — papyrus paintings, blown glass, silver cartouches, or fragrant essential oils — to carry home as memories of this remarkable journey.
Overnight: Cairo
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

All good things end, and today our Egypt and Jordan tour reaches its conclusion. You’ll have the morning to yourself — time for any last-minute exploring, souvenir shopping, or simply sitting quietly with a cup of strong Egyptian coffee reflecting on seventeen extraordinary days. If your flight departs in the afternoon or evening, a half-day optional tour is available to make the most of remaining time in Cairo. One option takes you through the ancient Christian quarter of Coptic Cairo — home to some of the oldest churches in the world — and up to the commanding medieval Citadel of Saladin, with its panoramic views over the city. Alternatively, venture south of Cairo to trace the evolution of pyramid-building at the step pyramid of Saqqara, the experimental bent and red pyramids of Dahshur, and the ruins of the ancient capital Memphis. For those who cannot yet face departure, extra nights in Cairo can easily be added, opening up possibilities including a day trip to the elegant Mediterranean city of Alexandria or a desert excursion to the Valley of the Whales at Wadi Rayan — a UNESCO site where prehistoric whale fossils lie exposed in the open desert. When your time comes, we’ll transfer you to the airport with our warmest wishes for safe travels.
Meals: Breakfast