Detailed Itinerary

Day 1

Saturday 24 April

Arrive Amman

Welcome to Jordan!

On arrival at Queen Alia International Airport, you’ll be met by our local representative and assisted through arrival formalities, including immigration and your pre-arranged visa.

From the airport, we’ll transfer by private vehicle to our hotel in Amman, where there’ll be time to settle in before an optional welcome drink and dinner at the hotel this evening.

Accommodation: 5-star hotel, Standard Room (twin share)
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Day 2

Sunday 25 April

Amman – Jerash – Amman

After breakfast, we’ll leave Amman for Jerash, one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the region.

Entering through the South Gate, we’ll explore the vast Oval Plaza before continuing along the colonnaded street towards the Arch of Hadrian, built in honour of Emperor Hadrian’s visit in 129 AD.

This afternoon, we’ll return to Amman to explore the city on foot. We’ll make our way through the bustling downtown area, taking in its souks, historic landmarks and local food before visiting Rainbow Street, known for its cafés, shops and lively atmosphere.

Tonight, we’re heading into the kitchen.

Beit Sitti—Arabic for My Grandmother’s House—was founded by three sisters in their grandmother’s former home in Jabal Al Weibdeh. Together, we’ll prepare a traditional four-course Arabic meal before sitting down around the table to enjoy what we’ve made.

It’s a wonderfully personal introduction to Jordanian food, traditions and hospitality.

Accommodation: 5-star hotel, Standard Room (twin share)
​Meals: Breakfast, dinner

Day 3

Monday 26 April

Amman – Madaba – Mount Nebo – Wadi Rum

After breakfast, we’ll leave Amman and begin our journey south through Jordan.

Our first stop is Madaba, famous for its 6th-century Byzantine mosaic map of the Holy Land, one of the oldest surviving maps of the region.

From here, we’ll continue to Mount Nebo, where Moses is believed to have first seen the Promised Land. From the summit, there are sweeping views across the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea and, on a clear day, as far as Jerusalem.

Then the landscape begins to change as we travel towards Wadi Rum.

Known as the Valley of the Moon, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is a vast desert landscape of red sand, sandstone mountains and dramatic rock formations.

On arrival, we’ll settle into our Bedouin-style desert camp. If you’d like to see Wadi Rum from a rather different vantage point, there’s the option of a one-hour sunset camel ride at an additional cost.

This evening, we’ll have dinner at the camp beneath the desert sky.

Accommodation: 4-star desert camp, Deluxe Tent (twin share)
​Meals: Breakfast, dinner

Day 4

Tuesday 27 April

Wadi Rum – Petra

Wake to the stillness of Wadi Rum before heading out on a two-hour 4WD safari through the desert.

We’ll travel across sand dunes and through canyons surrounded by towering rock formations, stopping along the way to see ancient petroglyphs and inscriptions that tell the story of thousands of years of human life in this extraordinary landscape.

Later, we’ll leave Wadi Rum and travel by private vehicle to Petra.

Once the thriving capital of the Nabataean Kingdom, Petra was carved directly into the rose-coloured sandstone more than 2,000 years ago and today is both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

After checking into our hotel and freshening up, we’ll return to Petra for our first glimpse of the ancient city at Petra by Night.

We’ll walk through the candlelit Siq before emerging in front of the Treasury, illuminated by thousands of candles. With traditional Bedouin music and storytelling adding to the atmosphere, it’s quite an introduction to what awaits us tomorrow.

Accommodation: 5-star hotel, Standard Room (twin share)
​Meals: Breakfast

Day 5

Wednesday 28 April

Petra

Today we get to properly explore Petra.

We’ll enter through the Siq, the narrow sandstone gorge that winds for more than a kilometre before revealing that famous first glimpse of Al-Khazneh—the Treasury.

Accompanied by our local guide, we’ll learn more about the Nabataeans who built this extraordinary city as we explore tombs, temples and monuments carved directly into the rose-red sandstone cliffs.

We’ll visit the Roman Theatre and see the Royal and Palace Tombs, where Nabataean and Greco-Roman influences come together in the architecture.

After our guided tour, the rest of the day is yours to continue exploring Petra at your own pace. Those feeling energetic might tackle the approximately 800 steps to the Monastery, while others may prefer to wander the ancient colonnaded street or find somewhere to sit and take it all in.

Accommodation: 5-star hotel, Standard Room (twin share)
​Meals: Breakfast

Day 6

Thursday 29 April

Petra – Dead Sea

After breakfast, we’ll leave Petra and journey north towards the Dead Sea, travelling through Jordan’s mountain landscapes and traditional villages along the way.

Sitting more than 400 metres below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth. Its extraordinarily high salt content makes the water famously buoyant, while its mineral-rich mud has been used for centuries for its reputed therapeutic properties.

Lunch is included on arrival, then the afternoon is completely yours.

Float in the Dead Sea, try one of the famous mud treatments or find yourself a comfortable spot and do very little at all. After several busy days exploring Jordan, we think you’ll have earned it.

Accommodation: 5-star hotel, Standard Room (twin share)
​Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Day 7

Friday 30 April

Dead Sea

Today is entirely at leisure.

Return to the Dead Sea for another float, spend the day beside the resort pool or book yourself a spa or wellness treatment.

There is deliberately very little on the agenda today. Tomorrow we leave Jordan and continue our adventure in Egypt, so enjoy the chance to relax.

Accommodation: 5-star hotel, Standard Room (twin share)
​Meals: Breakfast

Jordan Pre-Tour Ends

Egypt Tour Begins

Day 8

Saturday 1 May

Amman – Cairo

Welcome to Egypt!

After breakfast, we’ll transfer to Amman Airport for our flight to Cairo.

On arrival at Cairo International Airport, we’ll be met by our local representative for our included Fast Track Meet and Assist service. You’ll be assisted through immigration with your included Egyptian visa, followed by luggage collection and customs before transferring to our hotel in Giza.

And then we begin Egypt with a fairly spectacular opening act.

This afternoon, we’ll visit the legendary Giza Plateau and stand before the Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. Built more than 4,500 years ago, they remain the only surviving Wonder of the Ancient World.

Accompanied by our Egyptologist, we’ll learn more about the engineering, beliefs and royal history behind the pyramids before visiting the Great Sphinx.

Optional: For a different perspective of the Giza Plateau, you can take a camel or horse ride across the desert at an additional cost.

We’ve also reserved a table for lunch at 9 Pyramids Lounge, with views across the pyramids. Lunch is at your own cost and payable directly to the restaurant.

The evening is at leisure.

Accommodation: 5-star hotel, Standard Room (twin share)
​Meals: Breakfast

Day 9

Sunday 2 May

Cairo

After breakfast, we’ll visit the Grand Egyptian Museum, located close to the Pyramids of Giza.

Home to more than 100,000 artefacts spanning thousands of years of Egyptian history, the museum brings together an extraordinary collection in one vast contemporary space.

We’ll see the colossal statue of Ramses II in the Grand Atrium before making our way up the Grand Staircase and into the museum’s galleries.

One of the highlights is the Tutankhamun collection, bringing together thousands of objects discovered in the young pharaoh’s tomb. Beyond Tutankhamun, the galleries explore Egypt’s rulers, gods, everyday life and civilisation across thousands of years.

Afterwards, there’ll be time to browse the museum shops, stop for something to eat or drink, or simply recover from the sheer scale of everything you’ve just seen.

The afternoon and evening are at leisure.

Accommodation: 5-star hotel, Standard Room (twin share)
​Meals: Breakfast

Day 10

Monday 3 May

Cairo – Luxor

After breakfast, we’ll transfer to Cairo Airport for our flight south to Luxor.

On arrival, we’ll board our home for the next four nights: a small-ship cruise along the Nile.

After lunch on board, we’ll head out to explore Luxor, built on the site of ancient Thebes and home to one of the greatest concentrations of ancient monuments anywhere in Egypt.

We’ll visit Luxor Temple before continuing to the enormous Karnak Temple complex, connected historically by the Avenue of Sphinxes.

Karnak was built and expanded over many centuries by successive pharaohs, which goes some way towards explaining its extraordinary scale.

This evening, we’ll return to the ship for dinner.

Accommodation: 5-star small-ship Nile cruise, Standard Cabin (twin share)
​Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 11

Tuesday 4 May

Luxor – Esna

This morning, we’ll cross the Nile to Luxor’s West Bank and the Valley of the Kings.

For centuries, this was the burial place of Egypt’s pharaohs and powerful nobles, with elaborate tombs cut deep into the surrounding rock.

Our visit includes entry to the tombs of Tutankhamun and Ramses VI, giving us the opportunity to step inside two of the valley’s best-known burial chambers.

We’ll then visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut before stopping at the Colossi of Memnon, the two enormous stone statues that have stood here for more than 3,000 years.

Afterwards, we’ll return to the ship for lunch and begin sailing towards Esna.

Tonight is the Captain’s Welcome Cocktail Party, followed by dinner on board.

Accommodation: 5-star small-ship Nile cruise, Standard Cabin (twin share)
​Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 12

Wednesday 5 May

Esna – Edfu – Kom Ombo

In the early hours of the morning, our ship will pass through the Esna Locks as we continue towards Edfu.

After breakfast, we’ll go ashore to visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu, one of Egypt’s best-preserved ancient temples and dedicated to the falcon-headed god Horus.

We’ll return to the ship later in the morning and continue sailing towards Kom Ombo, with the afternoon to relax on board and watch life along the Nile pass by.

In the late afternoon, we’ll visit the unusual Temple of Kom Ombo. Built during the Ptolemaic period, the temple is dedicated to two gods: Sobek, the crocodile-headed god, and Horus the Elder, represented with the head of a falcon.

Its surviving reliefs and inscriptions offer a fascinating glimpse into religion, medicine and everyday life during Egypt’s Greco-Roman period.

Tonight, it’s time to get into the spirit of things with the ship’s traditional Galabeya party, followed by dinner.

Accommodation: 5-star small-ship Nile cruise, Standard Cabin (twin share)
​Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 13

Thursday 6 May

Kom Ombo – Aswan

This morning, we’ll sail towards Aswan.

After breakfast, we’ll visit the Aswan High Dam and the ancient granite quarries before continuing to the beautiful Temple of Philae, dedicated to the goddess Isis.

When construction of the High Dam threatened to submerge Philae beneath the rising waters of Lake Nasser, the temple complex was painstakingly dismantled and reconstructed on nearby Agilkia Island—a remarkable preservation project in its own right.

We’ll return to the ship for a leisurely lunch before taking to the water again this afternoon, this time aboard a traditional felucca. We’ll sail around Kitchener’s Island and take in views towards the Aga Khan Mausoleum.

Tonight, we’ll enjoy dinner and a Nubian folkloric show on board.

Accommodation: 5-star small-ship Nile cruise, Standard Cabin (twin share)
​Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 14

Friday 7 May

Aswan – Cairo

This morning, we’ll say goodbye to our ship and transfer to Aswan Airport for our flight back to Cairo.

On arrival, we’ll transfer to our hotel, with the afternoon free to enjoy the facilities, have lunch and relax.

Dinner is at leisure this evening before we meet our Egyptologist and head into Old Cairo for an evening walk.

Beginning at Bab al-Futuh, we’ll make our way along historic Al-Muizz Street, discovering some of Cairo’s magnificent Islamic architecture along the way—from mosques and mausoleums to medieval houses and traditional sabils, or public fountains.

Those who wish can stop for a drink at the historic El Fishawy Café before spending some time among the lanes and stalls of Khan El Khalili.

Accommodation: 5-star hotel, Standard Room (twin share)
​Meals: Breakfast

Day 15

Saturday 8 May

Cairo

Today we swap pharaohs and temples for the flavours and streets of modern Cairo.

Beginning in historic Tahrir Square, we’ll explore the boulevards and hidden corners of Khedivial Cairo on foot, learning about the history behind its architecture, landmarks and street life.

And we’ll be eating as we go.

We’ll start with a traditional Egyptian breakfast featuring favourites such as ful medames, taameya—Egyptian falafel—freshly baked baladi bread and local dips.

As we continue through Downtown Cairo, we’ll sample seasonal juices and visit local cafés, food stops and institutions that have been feeding generations of Cairenes.

It’s a chance to experience another side of the city and finish our time in Egypt immersed in everyday Cairo rather than looking at it through a museum cabinet.

The afternoon is free to relax at the hotel or fit in some final shopping.

This evening, we’ll come together for our final dinner. We’ve reserved a restaurant for the group, with dinner at your own cost.

Accommodation: 5-star hotel, Standard Room (twin share)
​Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Day 16

Sunday 9 May

Depart Cairo

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before checking out.

Today marks the end of our Pharaohs & Lost Cities adventure. We’ll transfer you to Cairo International Airport for your onward flight.

After sixteen days, two countries, several thousand years of history and quite a few pinch-me moments, it’s time to head home—or perhaps continue your travels elsewhere.

Meals: Breakfast