Antiquities of Egypt with Optional Jordan - Registrations closed, March 05 to 21, 2024
Egypt and Jordan have long been on our "bucket" list.  Once we decided that "the time has come" and started doing research, we learned just how much more there is to experience than the Great Sphinx and Pyramids of Giza in Egypt or Petra in Jordan! So, we decided on a full 10 days in Egypt, including a 4-night Nile River Cruise, plus five additional days in Jordan to allow us time to experience more of the rich and diverse heritage of both ancient lands.
 
We invite you to read through the day-by-day description of what we have planned.
If you decide to join us, we urge you not to delay: advance interest in this tour outpaces any in the past so it is likely to sell out quickly.

Reservations will be honored in the order of receipt and we reserve the right to prioritize those who choose the full tour, including both Egypt and Jordan.

PRICES AND CONTENTS

Prices, per person

10-day Egypt program
:
  $4,530 sharing a double
$5,880 single occupancy



5-day Jordan option:
  $1,730 sharing a double
$2,200 single occupancy


All prices are stated in
U.S. Dollars




Package prices include

Accommodation in these
carefully chosen facilities:


Five nights at the 5-star
Steigenberger Hotel El Tahrir


Four nights on the 5-star
Sonesta St. George-1

One night at the
Radisson Blu, Cairo-Heliopolis

Two nights at the 5-star
House Boutique Suites, Amman

Two nights at the 5-star
Petra Moon Luxury Hotel

One night at the 4-star
Aitch Boutique Hotel Airport


Breakfast each day

Lunch or dinner every day,
both during the cruise

Water, coffee, and tea will be provided at all meals; alcoholic beverages are not included
(often not available)

 All internal flights in Egypt
plus Cairo to Amman

Airport transfers

Ground transport by
private coach

  Seats for concerts by the
Cairo Symphony Orchestra and the Amman Chamber Orchestra if performances are scheduled
 
  Sightseeing and excursions with expert guides
as described to the right



PLEASE BE AWARE:

Policies regarding non-Muslims can and do change from time to time, which is to say, a mosque that is open to non-Muslims today might not be tomorrow.

Occasionally, a site we are scheduled to visit may be closed or offer only limited access because of restoration
or updating of facilities.
We will adapt as necessary.

Security is an issue, especially in Egypt. Our itinerary is on the "well-beaten" track and sites
are normally well-guarded.

We have chosen top-drawer, 5-star hotels, providers, and cruise ship, being mindful of both your comfort and security.

To make best use of your time and energy, we will fly to and from Abu Simbel, rather than spending 3 hours on a bus,
each way, for a 2-hour visit.

We are also providing electric carts into and out of the archaeological site at Petra




FLIGHTS

Turkish Airlines offers the shortest transit times and best connections, both directions, via Istanbul.

As soon as schedules and pricing for March 2024 are available, we will attempt to book group rates for those flights, including both Economy and Business fares.

 
 
YOUR SCHEDULE, DAY-BY-DAY



Tuesday March 5: Depart for Cairo. Turkish offers by far the best schedules, both directions;  we are exploring the advantages of a group contract and will share that information as soon as we have it.

Wednesday March 6: Late afternoon arrival in Cairo and transfer to the Steigenberger Hotel El Tahrir for a 5-night stay.

Thursday March 7: Today we discover Islamic Cairo. We drive to the  citadel of King Saladin, one of the most impressive defensive fortresses dating to the Middle Ages, offering sweeping views over Cairo. The citadel is home to the 19th-century Muhammad Ali (Alabaster) Mosque and a number of museums including Al Gawhara (Jewel) Palace Museum. 14th-century Sultan Hassan Mosque, located just below the Citadel, is one of the largest mosques, not only in Egypt, but in the whole Arab world. Continue to visit Khan El Khalili Bazaar. Lunch included.

Friday March 8: The pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx are among the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Each of these spectacular structures served as the final resting place of a king of the 4th Dynasty (c. 2613–2494 BC). The Great Pyramid of Giza was built for king Khufu (c. 2589–2566 BC), and the other two for Khafre and Menkaure, his son and grandson. Khufu’s pyramid is both the oldest and largest of the three, and the first building to exceed it in height would not be built for another 3,800 years! Following lunch, we visit the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), scheduled to open this year - one of the largest, most modern, and most talked-about new museums in the entire world. When everything is finally transferred not only from the current Egyptian Museum’s publicly displayed collections but also from its much more vast private storage areas, the GEM will host about 100,000 ancient artifacts, 4,549 of which will be from the tomb of the famous King Tutankhamun.

Saturday March 9: Visit Saqqara, the necropolis site of the ancient capital city of Memphis and Egypt's largest archeological site. We will discover the famous Step Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest known complete stone building complex in the world (2630 to 2611 BC) built by Imhotep, one of the first recognized architects in history.  The step pyramid was the Egyptians' first successful attempt to build a pyramid. Lunch included. The Cairo Symphony typically performs at the historic Cairo Opera House on Saturday evenings; if they do, we plan to attend.

Sunday March 10: Discover the oldest part of the city, known locally as Masr al-Qadima or “Old Cairo,” the heartland of Egypt’s indigenous Christian (Coptic) community. When Jews were exiled from Jerusalem in AD 70, some found refuge in Egypt; Ben Ezra, the country’s oldest (9th-century) synagogue is here. We discover the narrow cobbled alleyways running between high stone walls, and visit the Church of the Virgin Mary (aka the "Hanging Church") and the Church of St. Sergius (Abu Serga). The former was built atop the southern gatehouse of the Roman-built Babylon Fortress, and gets its name from the fact that its nave is suspended over a passageway. This unique location gives the church the impression of hanging in mid-air. We finish over lunch "with a view."

Monday March 11: Fly to Luxor and transfer to the Luxury Sonesta St. George, one of the newest, smallest, and most elegant ships on the Nile, offering a full-service spa and fitness center, restaurant, bars, and nightly entertainment.  All cabins come with  double-glass panoramic French windows that open to bring in fresh breezes from the Nile, and impressive bathrooms featuring spa units including steam bath, Jacuzzi and water massage. Throughout, the imaginative decor is in a vintage French style, creating an air of decadence and luxury.

During our four-day cruise, with our own private guide, we will see Kom Ombo with its unusual double temple; Edfu, the largest temple dedicated to Horus; Luxor with the Valley of the Kings and the greatest monument to the gods of ancient Egypt, Karnak Temple; the temple of Queen Hatshepsut; and the Colossi of Memnon. All meals included on board.

Friday March 15: Early morning disembarkation and flight to Abu Simbel to visit the Great Temple, dedicated to Ramses II, and the Small Temple dedicated to Queen Nefertari, the beloved and favorite wife of Ramses II (1244 BC). Carved out of a sandstone cliff on the west bank of the River Nile, these temples are among the most magnificent monuments of the ancient world, built to celebrate King Ramses II’s victory over the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh (1274 BC), which was believed to be one of the largest chariot battles in history. The two temples were moved from their original location in 1968 after the Aswan High Dam was built, as it threatened to submerge them. The relocation was completed thanks to an international effort led by UNESCO, and the temple was admitted into its list of World Heritage Sites in 1979. Fly back to Cairo where we overnight at a hotel near the airport, to facilitate your departure tomorrow, whether onward to Jordan or back to the States.

Saturday March 16: Those not heading home today will take a morning flight to Amman, Jordan. After dropping our bags at the House Boutique Suites, we visit the Amman Citadel with its impressive historic buildings including the remains of the Temple of Hercules and the 8th-century Umayyad Palace, an extensive complex of royal and residential buildings that was once home to the governor of Amman. We continue to the 6,000-seat 2nd-century Roman theater, the most impressive monument of old Philadelphia, as Amman was known when it was part the Roman Decapolis, the cities network on the frontier of the Roman Empire in the southeastern Levant.  Then we stroll through an open-air marketplace. Dinner follows.

Sunday March 17: This morning, we drive to Jerash, often called the "Pompeii of the East." Being one of the largest and best-preserved Roman ruins outside Italy, Jerash impresses with its Forum, Hadrian's Arch, the Colonnaded Street, Oval Plaza, Nymphaeum (ornamental fountain), and the Temple of Artemis.

Today's lunch is a "do-it-yourself" affair at Beit Sitti in Amman: established in 2010, Beit Sitti ("Grandmother's House") was created by 3 sisters to keep their grandmother's legacy alive. It offers a cook-and-dine experience: you learn how to prepare a traditional  4-course Arabic meal with the help of a Hajjeh (grandmother figure), and then get to eat the food that you prepared. The business employs many Jordanian women experiencing hardship, empowering with monthly income as well as independence and new experiences with people from various backgrounds. Beit Sitti is more than just food: it’s an opportunity to immerse in another culture, to ask questions, and to learn.

Monday March 18: This morning, we head south along the King’s Highway, forged by ancient royalty, stopping at Mount Nebo, were Moses by tradition first caught sight of the Promised Land. After soaking up panoramas of Israel and the River Jordan, we travel to Madaba, stopping at St. George’s Church to see a treasure of early Christianity: a 6th-century Byzantine mosaic floor that is the oldest surviving map of Palestine. We then continue to Wadi Musa, the town where Petra, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, is located and rest overnight before tomorrow's full-day visit. Dinner is included at the hotel.

Tuesday March 19: Hidden behind an almost impenetrable barrier of rugged mountains, the rock-carved city of Petra enchants visitors. Siq, a long narrow gorge, opens into a natural square dominated by Petra's most famous monument, the Khasneh (Treasury). The ancient city gradually unfolds, one monument leading to the next. The sheer size of the city and the quality of beautifully carved facades is staggering, displaying the creativity and industry of the Nabateans who made Petra their capital more than 2, 000 years ago. From here, they established an elaborate network of caravan routes which brought spices, incense, myrrh, gold, silver, and precious stones from India and Arabia. Dinner is included at the hotel.

Wednesday March 20: On our way back to a hotel near Amman airport, we stop at Kerak to view its crusader castle, one of the largest in the region, and at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Umm ar-Rasas, a mostly unexcavated archaeological site known for its magnificent Byzantine mosaics. Farewell dinner is a farm-to-table experience: after exploring the owner's house, we sit around a communal table and enjoy an artisanal 5-course meal. Each dish is cooked using locally-sourced ingredients, with a cultural relevance and a story shared with us as we enjoy our last meal together.

Thursday March 21: Depart from Amman airport for home or further adventures.

The mask of Tutankhamun
The mask of Tutankhamun
Sphinx
Sphinx
Sultan Hassan Mosque
Sultan Hassan Mosque
Cairo Citadel
Cairo Citadel
Pyramids of Giza
Pyramids of Giza
Step Pyramid of Djoser
Step Pyramid of Djoser
Edfu Temple
Edfu Temple
Kom Ombo Temple
Kom Ombo Temple
Nefertari praising the Seven Hathors
Nefertari praising the Seven Hathors
Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel
Roman Theater
Roman Theater
Jerash ruins
Jerash ruins
Cooking at Beit Sitti
Cooking at Beit Sitti
Al Siq Canyon
Al Siq Canyon
Treasury at Petra
Treasury at Petra
The Great Temple at Petra
The Great Temple at Petra
Monastery at Petra
Monastery at Petra