Explore The Oldest Civilization In The World With One Of The Seven Wonders Access To The Holy Land (17 Nights /18 Days )

Description

Day by day

Day 1: Cairo

Welcome to Egypt. You'll be met on arrival at Cairo airport and transferred to your hotel.

Day 2: Cairo

This morning after breakfast you’ll see some of the world’s most iconic sights – the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. Instantly familiar yet retaining a mystique and power, getting up close to these incredible pharaonic tombs is amazing. Explore these structures that have stood tall for 4,500 years, and for an additional charge you may be able to go inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu, (although occasionally it may be closed to visitors). The inside thoroughfares of the Pyramids are very small and very warm, so for those suffering from claustrophobia, it is not recommended. Please note that you'll be required to walk around the Pyramids complex. It can be very hot in the summer months, so be prepared for little shade and pack appropriate clothing, sun protection, and carry lots of water. 
Afterwards, make your way to the Egyptian Museum, home to one of the world's great collections of antiquities. Wander the treasure-filled halls of the museum, and make sure to check out the Mummies Hall (optional) for a close encounter with some of the country’s most important queens and pharaohs. The masses of gleaming artefacts recovered from the tomb of Tutankhamun are an impressive sight to behold. From gold jewelry to the famous golden death mask and his gilded sarcophagi, this pharaoh was certainly prepared for the afterlife.

 Take some time to relax or get some supplies before you board an overnight sleeper train to Aswan (approximately 13 hours).

Day 3: Aswan

 The Nile, Elephantine Island and white-sailed feluccas: welcome to Aswan, Egypt's southernmost city. Its easy-going charm is due in no small part to its large Nubian population. The city is Egypt's southern gateway to Africa and an important market town, so take time here to check out one of the country's best bazaars. When you arrive you’ll explore the beautiful Temple of Isis (the Goddess of health, marriage, and wisdom), which was rescued from the rising waters of the Nile and relocated on Philae Island. It's a marvel of decorative pylons featuring some of Egypt's finest carvings – definitely one of the real gems of Upper Egypt. In any free time, you might choose to visit the excellent Nubian Museum ( OPTIONAL ), which showcases the history, art, and culture of the Nubians. 

 This evening you’ll experience modern Nubian culture first-hand with a visit to a nearby village. You’ll join a local Nubian family for dinner and get an unforgettable insight into the daily life of the local people. This is a rare and memorable experience, giving you the chance to become fully immersed in the local culture.

 Day 4: Nile cruise

This morning take a short flight (approximately 45 minutes) from Aswan to Abu Simbel, where you’ll explore some magnificent temples. Built by Ramses II, it was the gateway to Egypt for Southern Africans and its imposing facade clearly delineated the line between what was the Pharaoh's land and what was not. With the four gargantuan statues of Ramses guarding the Great Temple, carved directly out of the mountain on the west bank of the Nile, this is one of Egypt's most memorable sights.
 
Return from Abu Simbel and transfer to meet your Nile cruise boat. Enjoy a fantastic mix of total relaxation and organized sightseeing on an iconic Nile River cruise to Luxor. 

  Day 5: Nile Cruise

Continue your leisurely cruise down the Nile, with today’s stop Kom Ombo Temple, north of Aswan. Built on a high dune overlooking the Nile, the complex sits picturesquely ruined on the river's edge and dates back to the early 2nd century BC. The complex is unique because it has a mirror-image design, divided down the middle, with either side dedicated to a different set of Gods. One half is known as the Temple of Sobek (the crocodile-headed god of fertility), and it includes details on the Ancient Egyptian's relationship with crocodiles, whom they revered and feared in equal measure. The other half is dedicated to Haroeris (also known as Horus the falcon god), and the whole temple is full of fascinating reliefs. 
Return to the cruise boat where you’ll continue traveling upriver, with free time relaxing on the sundeck and taking in the surrounding sights – desert hills forming a backdrop to lush riverbanks, fishermen casting their nets and farmers working their land.

 Day 6: Nile Cruise

 Today finds you moored near Edfu, a beautifully preserved temple also dedicated to Horus, the falcon-headed god. You will disembark and discover the lively streets of Edfu town – get acquainted with the bustling town centre and the bazaar. 
Visiting the Temple of Edfu is included in your itinerary however you may want to read our notes below before you decide.  Back on board continue towards Luxor passing through the Esna Locks.   It is not uncommon to have to queue to proceed through the locks, a great opportunity to check out the process from deck with a cool drink in hand, and listen to the shouts of the many captains as they navigate there way through the various small boats of merchants selling their wares to a captive audience - Life on the Nile. 
Settle back and make the most of the incredible views across one of the world’s greatest rivers and your last night on board.

 Day 7: Luxor

Your Nile cruise comes to an end in the open-air museum of Luxor – from the spectacular temple complex of Karnak to the Valley of the Kings, Luxor is full of wonderfully preserved reminders of the Pharaohs. 

You’ll also explore the magnificent Karnak Temple, which is perhaps the most impressive of all the ancient Pharoahs' monumental works. One of the world's most celebrated temple complexes, Karnak is a house of the gods built over a period of some 200 years. Your guided tour of this vast temple of impressive pylons, obelisks, and chapels will reveal its finest sections, such as the Avenue of Sphinxes and the Great Temple of Amun.
The rest of the day is free for you to relax, shop in the excellent bazaar (open until quite late) or perhaps experience the atmosphere of a local teahouse.

 Day 8 Luxor

Today you’ll hop in a private minivan and discover some the many wonders of ancient Thebes. Your first stop is the Colossi of Memnon, two 17 metre-high statues on Luxor's west bank. Carved from granite blocks, they represent the Pharaoh Amenhotep III and were once part of an impressive colonnade. 
Continue on to the spectacular royal burial site of the Valley of the Kings. Buried under the arid hills here are over 60 tombs of pharaohs, many richly decorated with reliefs and paintings. With your leader, explore this sprawling and spectacular place, where the pharaohs of the New Kingdom (16th to 11th century BC) were secretly interred for all eternity, and where discoveries are still being made. Your group leader will explain the history and legends of these remarkable people, their funerary rites, and the significance of the many paintings and hieroglyphics, still well preserved in the deepest tombs. You will visit three of the most interesting royal tombs and then continue to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, a stunning colonnaded building set against high cliffs that create a spectacular natural amphitheatre. One of Egypt’s greatest queens, she built this temple to prove her importance among the ancestors. 

The afternoon is yours to explore – perhaps you'd like to shop in the market or visit the world's first Mummification Museum to discover the secrets of pharaonic preservation.

Day 09 : Cairo

Catch a short flight back up to Cairo this morning (approximately 1.5 hours). On your return to the capital, visit the Islamic parts of the city and the frenetic backstreets of the local bazaar (Khan el-Khalili) with your trip leader. A labyrinth of narrow streets and passageways, Khan is one of the biggest and oldest markets in the world. The 'Khan', sprawling around an old area known as Al-Azhar, is a quintessentially Cairo experience – a warren of alleys with stalls serving up a succession of intoxicating scenes. It retains a distinctly medieval feel. You might explore the gold market, ‘Perfume Street’ and the spice market, where heady aromas hang in the air like a thick blanket of Damascene cloth (which can be purchased next door in the cloth market). Then maybe gather together you fellow travelers for a celebratory kebab, kofta, or sheesha as this Egypt Experience comes to an end.

 Day 10: Cairo

 Transfer to Cairo airport for flight to Amman.

  DAY 11 AIRPORT - AMMAN - JERASH –AMMAN:

• Meet and assist at the airport
• Transfer to the hotel
• Departure for the site of Jerash and the free visit of the ancient Roman city beautifully preserved, which would have been founded by Alexander the Great in the 4th century before J-C
• Lunch at "Jerash Artemis Restaurant" (Jerash).
• Return to Amman for dinner and overnight.

 DAY 12 AMMAN – KINGS WAY (MADABA –MOUNT NEBO-KERAK) - PETRA:

• After breakfast, you leave for Madaba just 20 minutes south of Amman.
• You will take the famous Kings Highway to Madaba, a city full of mosaics and also an important religious place since this is where the Greek church of St. George is located.
• Then visit the Mont. Nebo, presumed site of the tomb of Moses with a view of Jericho, the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea, then visit the church of which has mosaics dating from the sixth century.
• Continue to Kerak: visit Kerak Castle, one of two Crusader castles in Jordan, on a rocky mountain at 4300 feet.
• Lunch at “Falcon Rock Restaurant” (Kerak)
• Road to Petra: Visit the majestic site of Petra also called "Lost City", the ancient capital of Nabataeans nomads, known for its cliffs and canyons in shades of pink, red and yellow sandstone and which brings together more than 800 monuments and tombs dug out of the rock. This is one of the 7 wonders of the world, this exceptional UNESCO World Heritage site is imbued with an unforgettable atmosphere:
• Visit of Khazneh (treasure)
• Visit Deir (the monastery)
• Visit to the high place of sacrifice
• Visit of the lower city with the Roman city
• Visit of the street of the facades
• Visit the royal tombs
• Theater visit
• Possibility of walks
• Very nice hike to Jebel Harun (Mount Aaron), for the more athletic
• Dinner and overnight at the hotel

 Supplement: Once arrived in Petra, enjoy the magical experience of "Petra by Night": This event is an incomparable wonder experience begins with a walk through the Siq that leads to the Treasure, a bed with over 1,500 candles to bring l main attraction to its spectacular view. Petra by Night runs every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday of each week and starts at 8:30 pm from the Petra Visitor Center to the Visitor Center at around 10:30 pm. The entrance fee to Petra by Night is $ 25. Children under 10 years free. Tickets can be purchased at the visitor center's stores, at local travel agencies in Petra or at the front desk of your hotel.

 DAY 13  Petra – Wadi rum

 Breakfast at the hotel

• Visit Little Petra, also known as Beidha (10Km north of Petra), famous for excavations that revealed a Neolithic village
• Transfer to Wadi Rum: visit the beautiful "Laurence Desert of Arabia" alternating yellow and red sand
• Lunch at "Captain's Camp Restaurant" ( Wadi Rum)
• Bedouin tour in 4X4 to explore the most famous spots of the site: the mountain of "Seven Pillars of Wisdom", the well of Laurence, the large and the small arch
• Night at camp, tent under the starry sky, in the heart of the desert

 DAY 14 WADI RUM – DESERT CASTLES - AMMAN – DEAD SEA:

• After breakfast, departure for the East of Amman, where you will discover the "Qasers" dotting the desert. Dating back to the 8th century, these castles were built by the Umayyad Caliphs of Damascus as hunting houses.
• You will visit the castles of Azraq, Amra, and Kharaneh. These small castles are second homes, places of relaxation and fun, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The use of these places is akin to the French castles that flourished in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

 Lunch at “Azraq Rest House Restaurant” (Azraq)

• Panoramic tour of the citadel, located on one of the highest hills of the capital. The Citadel of Amman has many remains such as the Temple of Hercules which remains only the foundations and some columns and the palace of the Umayyads dating from the eighth century.
• Continuation with the visit of the Roman theater
• Visit traditional markets, churches, and mosques (King Abed Allah Mosque)
• Departure to the lowest point of the earth, "the Dead Sea", 400 meters below sea level where you can swim and relax
• Dinner and overnight at the hotel

 DAY 15 DEAD SEA – ALLENBY – TIBERIAS:

• Arrival in Allenby
• Meet and assist
• Departure for Caesarea Maritime via the coastal road: Caesarea, the port of Herod the Great, was once the capital of Roman procurators and also saw the passage of St. Peter and St. Paul.
• Visit of the Roman theater, the Byzantine remains and the cross fortifications of Saint-Louis.
• Continuation to Haifa, the largest port of Israel, with a magnificent view of the bay of
• Mount Carmel on the remarkable Bahai Temple and its gardens.
• Lunch
• Continuation with the visit of St-Jean-d'Acre, also named during the history Ptolémaïs, Akko or Acre.
• Visit the halls of the knights of the ancient Crusader capital, the underground chambers, the Ottoman caravanserai, the port and the fortifications that allowed the inhabitants of the city to resist the siege of Bonaparte.
• Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Tiberias

DAY 16 TIBERIAS – NAZARETH – JERUSALEM:

• After breakfast, depart for the region of Lake Tiberias or Sea of ​​Galilee. Panorama on the Lake of Beatitudes.
• Lunch fish St-Pierre in Tiberias
• You will enjoy a boat trip on Lake Tiberias to reach the western shore.
• Continuation with the visit of Capharnaüm, the adopted city of Jesus, to see the ruins of the house of St. Peter and the synagogue.
• Continuation to Nazareth, visit the Basilica of the Annunciation.
• Passage through the market of the Old City towards the fountain of the Virgin.
• Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Jerusalem

 DAY 17 JERUSALEM:

The city of David, 800 m above sea level on the hills of Judea is 3000 years old. Eternal capital of the Jewish people and capital of the State of Israel, it carries with it a spiritual message. His name means PEACE. With nearly 600,000 inhabitants, Jerusalem is the political and administrative center of the country.

• Direction Mount of Olives, overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. This hill is covered with olive trees, cemeteries, and churches relating to the life of Jesus. Walk to the Garden of Gethsemane, where there is an old olive tree supposed to date from the time of Jesus.
• Entrance into the Old City of Jerusalem by the Gate of "Zion", walk in the Jewish Quarter and the Cardo, former Main Street of the Roman and Byzantine period. We will arrive at the "Wailing Wall", the most sacred place of Judaism, vestige of the Second Temple destroyed in the year 70.
• Visit excavations south of the wall at the Davidson Archaeological Center.
• Lunch at the restaurant "Bourgougies"
• Continuation of the visit by Via Dolorosa, Way of the Cross of Christ, to end the visit by the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
• Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Jerusalem

 DAY 18 JERUSALEM- BETHLEHEM- ALLENBY – AMMAN- AIRPORT:

      Departure to the Israel Museum and Book Sanctuary where the famous Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947 are on display.

• Moment of recollection at Yad Vashem Shoah Memorial.
• Lunch at Yad Vashem Cafeteria
• Departure to Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity.
• Continue to Shepards field
• Late afternoon, transfer to the Allenby border
• Arrival in Allenby
• Meet and assist
• Transfer to Amman
• In the evening, transfer to Amman Airport

Inclusions

• 04 nights at Hotel Cairo or similar on H.B base
• 04 nights at 5 * luxury Nile based F.B
• 01 hotel night in Amman based on B.B.
• 01 night of hotel petra in base B.B
• 01 night of hotel wadi rum in base H.B
• 01 hotel night in Mer Morte in base B.B
• 01 night of hotel in Tiberiade in base H.B
• 01 hotel night in Jerusalem in H.B base
• Professional guide during the tourism program.
• All transfers/transports in Egypt in private vehicles with air conditioning.
• All tourism in the program in Cairo, Luxor, Aswan
• All entrances to tourist sites.
• Dinner cruise show.
• Visa
• Know and attend services on arrival and departure.
• Transportation by private vehicle with driver.
• Private French-speaking guide throughout the tour (from day 1 to 8)
• Tickets according to the program.
• Meals and drinks during visits.
• 07 Nights of accommodation according to the hotels previously located in the HB base
• 4x4 jeep tour in 4 hours in Wadi Rum

Exclusions

Not included in all programs:

• Tips for programs.
• Portage
• Any Extras: such as phone calls, drinks, etc.
• Any optional tour.
• Jordan tax on the Allenby border (USD 21 per person)
• Israel tax on the Allenby border
• Israel Visa if necessary
• Airfare
• Meals and drinks other than those mentioned in inclusions.
• Tips
• Anything not mentioned in inclusions

• Domestic  flight ticket fare in Egypt  450 ​​usd – 600 usd

   

   

Group Size

Minimum 20 Pax 

Cancellation Policy

Cancellation Policy

Cancelation Policy

Cancellations of confirmed bookings 90 days or more prior to departure will receive a full refund minus a $250 (per person) administrative fee and any non-refundable paid fees (e.g. non-refundable airfare, cruise or hotel deposits)
60-89 days will be subject to loss of 30% of program price 30-59 days will be subject to loss of 50% of program price 29 days or less will be subject to loss of 100% of program price

Additional Info

Additional information

• Confirmation will be received at time of booking

• Not wheelchair accessible
• Near public transportation
• Most travelers can participate

• Egypt has a lot of activities, Guide will advise some extra optional excursions covering rest of Egypt tours, Our optional excursions are just recommendations to help our costumers to see the most remarkable sightseeing. Which doesn't mean that we enforce them to pay extra money.
• Hotels & Cruise ships not provide Water through their meals, Only tea or coffee
• TV shows not working in ship through sailing for weak signal also no WIFI in ship
• Passport name, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking for all participants
• You MUST confirm and obtain any visa requirements prior to border crossing.
• All visa requirements are the sole responsibility of the traveller
• Hotels, Trains, Nile Cruises, Meals, Temples, Tombs or other public places, of course, no Private
• Private tour means Private guide & Vehicle Only for Minerva costumers, 2-9 adult tour mean sharing two families the same tours or transfers.
• Hotel second stay always be 5* for Budget & Superior near the airport only 5 min
• depends on your arrival day Ship maybe 3 nights or 4 nights, depends with sailing cruise dates
• This is a private tour/activity
• . Only your group will participate