Crossroads of Civilization: Egypt, Israel & Jordan
Full Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive Cairo where you will be met by our Egypt Tours and Travel tour manager, who will meet and assist you. Later, transfer to your hotel, the luxurious and historical Marriott Mena House Hotel. Pyramid view room. Overnight.
Day 2
Meet with your Egypt Tours tour guide. Start your sightseeing by visiting the Pyramids of Giza. Cheop's Pyramid, the largest of the three, was built during the 4th Dynasty around 2690 BC and is one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. In front of the pyramids of Chephren, you will find the Sphinx carved from a single piece of stone. It is a lion with a pharaoh's head thought to be a portrait of the Pharaoh Chephren. Enjoy a camel ride by the pyramids. Continue your tour by visiting the Egyptian Museum; famous for its antiquities from Egypt's Pharaonic period, which dates back some 50 centuries and includes the fabulous treasures of King Tut-Ankh-Amon. Also, visit the outstanding Mummy Room in the Museum. Afternoon excursions to Old Cairo, visiting the very old Coptic churches, Abu Serga Church, built over the crypt where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph stayed while in Egypt, while also visiting the Hanging Church, and the oldest Jewish Synagogue of Beni Ezra. In the afternoon, visit the Citadel of Salah el-Din and, the Alabaster Mosque of Mohammad Ali and the medieval bazaars of Khan El-Khalili, where you can bargain for your jewelry, copper, silver, and hand-tooled leather items. Return to your hotel. Overnight.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 3
You will be met by your Egypt Tours tour manager and transferred to Cairo Airport for your early flight to Aswan. Upon arrival at Aswan Airport, you will be met and transferred to embark on your 4-days / 3-nights Nile cruise journey on M/S Royal Lilli. Later, visit "Felucca" the Elephantine Island, the Mausoleum of Agha Khan, and the Botanical Gardens. Overnight onboard ship.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4
Visit the Unfinished Obelisk in the ancient granite quarries and the High Dam. Cruise to Kom-Ombo. Visit the Ptolemaic Temple of Kom-Ombo, which was dedicated to two gods: the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon-headed god Haroeris, dating back to 180 BC, during the Ptolemaic era with additions made during Roman times. Cruise to Edfu. Overnight on board.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5
Visit the Temples of Horus (237 BC) the best-preserved Egyptian temple in existence. Cruise to Luxor via Esna. Overnight onboard ship.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6
Cross to the West Bank of the Nile, visit the Necropolis of Ancient Thebes. Explore the Valleys of the Kings and Queens where tombs of 64 pharaohs and 57 queens have been discovered, and enter some of the most important burials, including the famous Tomb of King Tut. Visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. In the afternoon, visit the Temple of Karnak, which took over 1500 years to build and is considered the world's largest religious complex. Visit the Temple of Luxor, started by Amenhotep III, and completed by Ramses II. Disembark your cruise ship, where you will be met and transferred to Luxor Airport for your flight back to Cairo. Upon arrival at Cairo Airport, you will be met by your Egypt Tours tour manager and taken to your hotel for an overnight stay at the Inter-Continental Semiramis Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 7
A day at leisure for last-minute shopping or you can purchase an optional tour from our Cairo office. Overnight.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 8
You will be met by your Egypt Tours tour manager and transferred to Cairo Airport, where you will be helped with your check-in for your departure flight to Tel-Aviv. Once you arrive in Tel-Aviv, you will be met and transferred to your luxurious hotel, the Dan Hotel in Tel-Aviv. Overnight.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 9
Travel through the Sharon Plain via Netanya to Caesarea, once the Roman capital of the country. See the excavations of the Roman statues, the aqueduct, and the Roman Theater, which has been restored to its former glory as a concert venue. Drive along the Via Maria to Megiddo. Visit this biblical city rebuilt by King Solomon and walk through the 9th century BC water tunnel. End our tour in Haifa. Overnight at the Dan Carmel Hotel in Haifa.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 10
Start your tour to Haifa at the summit of Mount Carmel, for a panoramic view of Haifa Bay and the Western Galilee. Proceed to the Bahai Center and visit the exotic Persian gardens. Drive to Acre, once the capital of the Crusader Kingdom, visit the Crypt of St. John and the underground Crusader city. Continue to Safed, the mystic city of the Upper Galilee, visit the beautiful ancient synagogues and the artists' colony. On to the Golan Heights, see the former Syrian fortifications and the Israeli town of Katzrin. Continue to a kibbutz, a wonderful opportunity to learn about the kibbutz life. Overnight at the kibbutz.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 11
Start the day with a visit to the church of Annunciation in Nazareth. Drive to Capernaum, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, see the ruins of the Synagogue and the Church of St. Peter. Continue to Tiberias, the lovely rest town. Visit the Synagogue of the Hammat. Travel through the fertile Jezreel Valley to Beit Alpha, where the beautiful synagogue mosaic floor is displayed. Drive along the Jordan Valley to Jericho, the oldest city on earth, and explore the ruins of the biblical site. Proceed to Jerusalem. Overnight at the King David hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 12
Visit the Tomb of King David and the room of the Last Supper on Mount Zion. Enter the Old City, walk through the newly restored Jewish Quarter, and visit the Cardo and the Western Wall. Walk along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Drive around the old city, view Mount Scopus, and enjoy a magnificent panoramic view of the Old City from the Mount of Olives. Continue to Bethlehem, stopping at Rachel's tomb. Visit the Church of Nativity, return to Jerusalem. Overnight at the King David hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 13
Drive to Hadassah Medical Center at Ein Karem to see the famous Chagall stained glass windows. Proceed to Bayit Vagan to view the scale model of Jerusalem as it was during the second temple period. Continue to Yad Vashem, a memorial of the holocaust. Continue to Israel Museum, visit the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea scrolls are housed. See the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, and the Givat Ram Campus of the Hebrew University. Overnight at the King David hotel in Jerusalem.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 14
Drive through the Judean Desert to the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on the surface of the globe. View the caves at the Qumran site, where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered by desert Bedouins. Proceed along the Dead Sea to Massada, the site of the most dramatic act in the Jewish history, ascend by cable car and tour the mouth, see the excavations enjoy the view of the wilderness. Time and weather permitting, an opportunity will be provided to float on the Dead Sea, before returning to Jerusalem. Overnight at the King David hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 15
Start your day by traveling to the Allenby bridge (the crossing point between Israel and Jordan) around 10:00 A.M., you will be met by our Jordanian representative who will help you with your passport control, then you will be transferred to Jerash; the best-preserved city of Roman times. Visit the theaters, temples, churches, and colonnaded streets. Continue to Ajlun to tour the 12th century Saracen Castle, built by one of Saladin's lieutenants in the campaign against the Crusaders. Transfer to your overnight stay at the Marriott Hotel in Amman.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 16
Drive southward along the Kings' Way to Petra, visiting Madaba with the oldest map of the Holy Land, and its Mosaic School, Mt. Nebo and the alleged burial site of Moses which overlooks the Dead Sea and the Jordan Valley; then drive through the magnificent scenery of Wadi Mujib to Kerak to visit the Crusader Castle. Continue to Petra. Overnight at the historic village of Tibat Zaman.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 17
A full-day tour visiting the many sites of Petra on horseback and then on foot. Petra is a city that was carved into the rose-red Sharah Mountains by the Nabateans and was lost to Civilization until re-discovered by the Swiss Burkhardt. Walkthrough the Siq, a narrow and winding fissure between the cliffs, to reach the Treasury, the Roman Theater, the Courts, Qasr Bint Pharaoun, Temple of the Winged Lion, and other monuments. You may climb up the Monastery if you wish. Overnight in Petra at Tibat Zaman village.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 18
Drive to the lowest spot on Earth and experience effortless floating in the waters of the Dead Sea. Continue northwards to Pella in the Jordan Valley, considered to be one of the largest, richest, and most important archeological sites in Jordan. Continue our tour to Um Qeis, Gedara was renowned in its time as a cultural center. Um Qeis boasts an impressive colonnaded terrace and the ruins of two theaters, as well as a spectacular view of the Sea of Galilee, the Yarmouk River, and the Golan heights. Transfer back to Amman for check-in at your accommodation, the Inter-Continental Semiramis hotel. You will be met and transferred by our representative to a Jordanian home for dinner and a friendly social discussion to get to know the local people and see their way of life. Transfer back to your hotel for overnight.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 19
You will be met and transferred to Amman Airport for your departure flight.
Meals: Breakfast
Also Included: All transfers and touring within Egypt and Jordan are operated by private car (personalized service) with a guide and driver. Entrance fees to all sights mentioned, and the services of a professional English speaking guide. Also included in package price, service charges imposed by hotels, porterage, meeting and, assistance at hotels, airports, and docks.
Extensions & Optional Tours: Extra days and optional tours to sites are available upon request.
Crossroads of Civilization: Egypt, Israel & Jordan
Price
$7849
Single Supplement
$1289
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