Tour Jordan and Egypt , Egypt and Jordan a La Indiana Jones in 17 days,

DAY 1 - DEPARTURE - Wednesday
We take off aboard Lufthansa, British Airways or Olympic Airways jet from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. (Ask about stopovers in Europe.)

International Air fare add on:
For departures from most west coast cities, as well as Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth or Atlanta in , please add $250 to the above rates. This doesn't apply when you handle your own air fare.

DAY 2- CAIRO - Thursday
Our Egypt-based staff greets you in bustling Cairo airport and escorts you to your hotel . Complimentary Egyptian visa fee (valid for American, Australian, NZ, EU & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival).

Visa will be issued upon arrival.
As you exit the gate, you will pass through a door or two , down some stairs , then walk for 2-5 minutes , until you pass the duty free shops, at the end of a wide corridor , you will see the security officers. There you will be met by a local representative, who will be holding a sign with the name you prefer to use for the sign .
Our local representative will then take your passport to obtain a stamp from the cashier / bank window and escort you to speak with the passport officer. He will escort you through another last check on your passport as you exit the passport control, into customs area, he will assist you in collecting your luggage and clearing customs . After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private vehicle) to the hotel

The Roman Empror Octavious visting Alexander the Great Tomb in Alexandria, 30 BC, after he defeated Marc Anthony adn Cleopatra, the location of Alexander the Great Tomb is unknown

DAY 3 - Alexandria Friday (cBL)
We leave Cairo before sunrise - if you are able to extend your stay in Egypt by one day, then we can overnight in Alexandria tonight to allow for a more relaxed itinerary - ( private air conditioned car/driver/guide). We drive across northern Egypt & the Nile Delta heading northwest for Alexandria: Full day tour of the Greco Roman Museum, the Catacombs, the Roman Amphitheater, Qayet Bey Fortress housing recovered items from the French Fleet & Napoleons Flag Ship " L'Orient", sunk by the British & Admiral Nelson, east of Alexandria. Qayet Bey Fort was built on the same site of the ancient wonder of the world : the famous Alexandria Light House. A brief stop at " El Selsela" the site of the Underwater reserve where Cleopatra Place was discovered, as well as Caesar Kiosk. Lunch at a local restaurant , then its off to the new site for the Alexandria Library before heading to Wadi El Natroun monastery almost midway to Cairo , where early Coptic Christians retreated here to escape the Roman persecution in the 4th century AD. The Egyptian Pope of Alexandria is always chosen from the Monks of wadi El Natroun. Reach Cairo early evening and your hotel.

DAY 4 - CAIRO- Dahshour, Memphis, Sakkara - Saturday (cBL)
A morning tour takes us to the time capsule treasure of Dahshour, the newly-opened pyramid field south of Cairo: DAHSOUR - we'll motor to the edge of Cairo, to Dahshour, the newly-opened pyramid field south of Cairo. We visit the great pyramid of Senfru, father of Cheops, and other structure:

The "Discovery" of Dahshour:
For almost half a century, the great field of huge pyramids near the desert village of Dahshour, 25 miles south of Cairo, has been off limits to the public. Confined within the perimeter of a military base were many pyramids, including the great 4500-year-old pyramid built by Senfru, father of Cheops. Senfru's pyramid, the largest in Egypt until his son built Giza's Great Pyramid, is rhomboidal in shape: it tapers more distinctly on its upper half. All the pyramids were coated in thick plaster at one time. Most have lost these protective, decorative sheaths, but Senfru's--miraculously--is still in place.

After lunch at a local restaurant : The afternoon is for Memphis and Sakkara, including the Step Pyramid of Zoser & Nobles tombs/Mastabas.

DAY 5 - CAIRO- Giza Pyramids Sound & Light Show - Complimentary Home Hosted Dinner - Sunday (cB)
Today Cairo is yours to explore on your own. In the evening, we return to the Pyramids for an awe-inspiring sound-and-light show.

This evening we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right into the homes of some of the people of Cairo ! You'll be invited to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties, you'll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new friends, they're sure to have questions about your own background. Once the ice is broken, you'll enjoy a lively evening, and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, you may enjoy a quiet evening at the hotel with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences. You may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family ( T shirt , small souvenirs of your home town).

DAY 6 - CAIRO -Sleeper Train - Monday (BLD)
Your exploration of the ancient world begins today! First stop is the Egyptian Museum, with its treasures of the ancient pharaohs: mummies, statuary, precious stones and metals. We'll also stop at the Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque. Then it's on to Giza and the mysteries of the Pyramids and Sphinx. In the evening, we settle you into your private wood-panelled sleeping compartment on the train bound along the banks of the Nile. You'll enjoy dinner in the dining car, as the lights of villages reflect in the river.The sleeper train is rated 3 stars modest. Private compartment, upper and lower berth. There is no triple occupancy on board the train. Each train car has two bathrooms, one at each end of the car, Very modest and very basic. No showers on board. The tracks are not smooth enough to allow you to get a good night sleep. If you prefer to fly , please add $ 175 USD per person , in this case you will overnight tonight in Cairo , and fly tomorrow morning.

DAY 7 - ASWAN ABU SIMBEL Tuesday (BLD)
After breakfast on board, your train arrives in Aswan, where we settle you into your Private car /Driver guide and on to Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel We've planned our visit to Abu Simbel to be a highlight of your Egyptian adventure , we drive along the shore of Lake Nasser, watching the sky lighten and the sacred sun rise above the horizon. We reach the great temples while the air is clean, clear and cool, and the sun's light still golden. In the larger temple, colossal figures of Ramses are seated with the gods and attended by his queen and daughters. The smaller temple is dedicated to Queen Nefertari, who appears as Hathor, the goddess of love, joy and fertility, symbolized by the benevolent cow. We explore these fine temple , after which retire to a comfortable hotel for refreshments. Just as planeloads of visitors arrive to throng the temples we begin our leisurely drive back along the shore to Aswan, arriving in time for a late lunch at your hotel. Dinner is also included at the hotel

DAY 8 - ASWAN Wednesday (BLD)
After breakfast on board, your train arrives in Aswan, where we settle you into your cabin on your Nile steamer. We'll visit the enormous dams at Aswan, then board a launch on to visit the Temples island of Philae, dedicated to the Ancient Egyptian Goddess of Isis, that was later worshiped in Rome as well as Ancient Greece, the temple was rescued from rising waters and reassembled on this island , this Island temple , dedicated to the Ancient Goddess ISIS :

Two millennia ago the Mediterranean world was enthralled by the mystery of Isis:

"I, Isis, am all that has been, that is or shall be; no mortal man hath ever seen me unveiled."

Called Aset by the ancient Egyptians, the goddess was a Madonna in the Mediterranean tradition that stretches far, far back to the primitive Mother Goddess from Anatolia, home to some of the oldest human communities on earth.

Isis was the powerful and quick-witted protector of her son Horus, the Sun God. Ancient peoples throughout the Mediterranean regarded Isis and Horus as the perfect Madonna and Child. Another legend says she was also the mother of the fertility god Min who, judging from the depiction of him on temple walls, needed no help from Viagra!

Because of her wisdom and skill at protection, she was admired as a good magician capable of healing the sick and protecting the dead in their journey to the Underworld.

Isis is portrayed regally, as a queen seated on a throne (which may be the meaning of her name), often holding her son Horus as a baby. Other images show her with broad, magnificent gilded wings able to protect the world. Return back to your cruise in time for tea.

DAY 9 - KOM OMBO Thursday (BLD)
We cruise northward down the Nile today, at a stately pace, disembarking for a visit to Kom Ombo, the twin temple dedicated to the crocodile river god, Sobek. We'll also see Haroeris, the solar disk.

DAY 10 - EDFU and LUXOR Friday (BLD)
Horse-drawn carriages or vans meet us at riverside to take us through Edfu to the Temple of Horus, best-preserved in all of Egypt. Then we'll continue beside the Nile to take in an array of ancient splendors: the Valley of the Kings; the imposing tomb-temple of Queen Hatshepsut ; and, back in Luxor, the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak.

DAY 11- SHARM EL SHEIK - RED SEA Saturday (B)
Now that you've seen the best of the Egypt of the Pharaohs, our guides escort you to the airport. You'll fly over the Sinai Peninsula and land at historic Sharm El Sheik on the Red Sea. You're at the beach and free to swim, or explore under the waters.

DAY 12 - SHARM EL SHEIK Sunday (B)
Relax! Today is set aside as a strategic mid-journey break. Spend some time in the sun, but don't miss your chance to snorkel or dive under Red Sea waters for an array of coral and glittering tropical fish.

DAY 13 - MOUNT SINAI Monday (BL)
Our knowledgeable guides arrange a pre-dawn departure into the still-cool wilderness of Sinai, through which Moses led the Children of Israel to the Promised Land. Our goal is the Monastery of St. Catherine, built of rock at the base of Mount Sinai, at the site of the Burning Bush. We tour the monastery, rich in history, icons and sacred paintings, then return to Sharm El Sheik.

DAY 14 - AQABA, PETRA Tuesday (B)
We'll drive to the port of Nuweiba, where we'll board the Red Sea ferry. Across the water in Aqaba, with Israel and Saudi Arabia in sight, our Jordan-based representative waits to greet you. You'll drive north under a towering ridge of mountains, and arrive at your hotel in Petra for the night. Complimentary Jordanian visa fee (valid only for American & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival).

DAY 15- PETRA- Wednesday (B)
We'll spend the entire day at Petra, the stunning desert city hewn by the Nabateans from solid cliffs of pink and violet sandstone. Petra was known in the bible as Sela, and rediscovered only in 1812. You'll feel like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark as you penetrate into the city through a narrow sandstone gorge, the Siq, and wander among the Temple of the Winged Lion, tombs, Roman theater, and the imposing Treasury.

DAY 16 - PETRA/ WADI RUM / JERASH - Thursday (BL)
After breakfast at the hotel, we board four-wheel-drive vehicles for an expedition to Wadi Rum, the "Valley of the Moon" where T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") organized Arab resistance to Ottoman rule during World War I. After our visit, we enjoy lunch at a local restaurant then on to Jerash, among the best-preserved Roman cities in the world, to tour its temples, theaters, churches and colonnaded streets. From Jerash, we will escort you back to Amman and your hotel.

DAY 17 - DEPARTURE FOR HOME - Friday (B)
Our staff escorts you to the airport of Amman for your flight home. Or, you may choose to add one of our extensions, and return later from Jordan at no additional cost for your air fare.

For Easter, Christmas, New Year's ( Dec 20 - Jan 3 ) : 20 % supplement will apply

Rates with the upgrade to the MS Sonesta Star Goddess Nile Cruise
Rates per person in USD

For Easter, Christmas, New Year's ( Dec 20 - Jan 3 ) : 20 % supplement will apply

All transfers in Egypt and Jordan, always on a private basis.
International air fares from New York to Cairo with return from Amman in economy class , tax included .
Air fare within Egypt in economy class , tax included.
Private deluxe/ air conditioned / sleeper train compartment on Nile-side train, and Red Sea ferry ticket.
Air-conditioned hotel accommodations with tax and service charges
Sightseeing with professional guide and entrance fees as indicated
Meals as indicated, with pre-set menu (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
Jordanian visa and Egyptian visa fee (valid only for Western EU , Australian, NZ, American & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival).
Jordanian departure tax.

Egypt & Jordan a la Indiana Jones

17 days In- Depth touring of Egypt and Jordan