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Home > Destinations > Middle
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Pyramids and Petra Adventure
Our journey through Egypt, the Sinai Peninsula and Jordan traverses a region who's social and political evolution built the bedrock on which rests Western civilisation today. The ancient events that shaped our modern perceptions took place in this landscape of spectacular natural beauty. In Egypt, Hatchepsut invented the idea of immaculate conception, Akhanaten invented monotheism, and even today's White House in America is a copy of Roman architecture, iteslf an imitation of Egyptian palacial designs. On Jordan's ancient 'Kings Highway' trod many illustrious historical feet, including those of Nebuchadnezzar, Ramses II, Abraham, the Queen of Sheba, Moses, Marcus Anthonius, Cleopatra, Mohammed, Jesus, General Allenby, to name but a few. We explore Roman Jerash and Byzantine Madaba, and Mt. Nebo where Moses first saw the Promised Land. We take a 4WD into Wadi Rum, discover Petra, "... rose red city, half as old as time.... In the Sinai we climb Mt Sinai, where Moses is reputed to have spoken to God, and we explore Egypt's tombs and temples, its pyramids and peoples, and marvel at the history and beauty of the world's greatest ancient Empire. DAY 1 : CAIRO: MEET TRANSFER
Today we arrive in Cairo, capital of Egypt and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth. The center of modern Cairo is Midan Tahrir (Tahrir Square), its Victorian colonial architecture blending with the art deco and modern to produce a timeless city. The Egyptian Museum, Groppi's Cafe, Garden City, the American University, the Old Nile Hilton and many other landmarks cluster around Tahrir. On arrival at Cairo International Airport we are met and transferred to our hotel located in the center of the city. Overnight Shepheards Hotel or similar. DAY 2 : CAIRO: EGYPTIAN MUSEUM, PYRAMIDS, WISSA WASSEF
Following breakfast, we depart for the Egyptian Museum in which we also visit the Mummy Room (included). Our guide will escort us through a collection documenting more than 4000 years of Egyptian history and daily life. Afterwards, we lunch at the famed Felfela Restaurant serving traditional Egyptian and Middle Eastern cuisine, and then embark on a journey to the Pyramids of Giza. Of the 80 pyramid complexes in Egypt, the pyramids of Giza are the largest and most renowned. The Great Pyramid, built by King Khufu 4500 years ago is the last surviving wonder of the ancient world. We also visit the adjacent Solar Boat Museum and the enigmatic Sphinx. Next on the agenda is a visit to the Ramses Wissa Wassef School of Art located in Harrania, close to the Pyramids. This little known school is a philanthropic organization that locates prodigy children in rural Egypt to offer them free education and board to develop their artistic talent. Overnight Shepheard's Hotel or similar [BL] DAY 3 : O/N TRAIN: CITADEL & KHAN EL KHALILI MARKET. LUNCH
This morning we stow our packed bags in the hotel store room and depart to explore Medieval Cairo. Our first stop is the imposing Citadel, located at the heart of Old Cairo. Built by the fabled hero Salah El Din, this mighty fortress has dominated the citys skyline for eight centuries, and encompasses the magnificent Mosque of Mohamed Ali. Following free time to buy our own lunch, we plunge into Khan al-Khalili, the citys main bazaar and Africas largest market. The narrow, almost biblical alleyways are lined with silk and spice merchants, silver stalls, food, craftwork, painting and alabaster emporiums and shops of enticing merchandise. Returning to the hotel to collect our stored bags we transfer to the railway station to catch the Overnight Train to Aswan. The train is modern a Wagon Lits from France with 9 twin cabins per railway car. Each car has a steward who prepares and serves your meals. Each car also has two clean toilets. All cabins are A/C twin berth with lockable doors, a fold down top bunk and a fold down table. All sheets, blankets and pillows are supplied and all beds are dropped down by the steward after diner. Evening meal and breakfast are served in our cabins, with a bar car available for drinks and snacks during the evening. PLEASE NOTE: As of 2009, the food for the evening meal on the train is not good We have therefore arranged for a boxed meal to be supplied by the local agent and given to you prior to your boarding the train. Overnight Sleeper Train [BLD] DAY 4 : LUXOR: KARNAK TEMPLE
On arrival at Luxor Station we are met and transferred to our hotel. After some time to relax we depart on a guided tour of Karnak Temple. Karnak is a truly phenomenal place with its monuments built, quite literally, on the scale of the gods. Added to through many dynasties by zealous pharaohs competing to out-do each other in architectural gifts to their gods, Karnak developed into the worlds most dominant religious and political city, and remained so for a thousand years. It was to destroy the entrenched power base of the priests of Amun that Akhenaton moved the court away from Thebes to El Armarna a new capital city he built (near present day El Minya), and changed the religion from Amun to Aten. In doing so, Akhenaton invented monotheism and became Atens only pope. Thus, Akhenaton set in motion a course of events that eventually led to his and his wifes murder, the restoration of the priests of Amun at Karnak, the puppet king Tut Ankh Amuns brief regency and quick murder by Ay, high priest of Amun, and Tut Ankh Amuns low key burial ceremony that led to the only royal tomb that has ever been discovered intact in Egypt. After our tour, we return to the hotel. The remainder of the afternoon and evening is free to explore Luxor Temple, visit Luxor Museum, or just to wander the town and visit the market. Your guide is on hand to advise and to assist. Overnight Steigenberger's Nile Palace or similar [B] DAY 5 : LUXOR: WEST BANK TOUR. KARNAK SON ET LUMIER
As the sun rises in the east the Nile's East Bank is associated with life and boasts an array of temples, gardens, and palaces. The sun sets in the west, so the West Bank is associated with death and is host to countless mortuary temples and tombs. Starting early, we cross to the West Bank; the land of the dead. Pausing first at the Colossi of Memnon, two monumental statues that once guarded the now lost funerary temple of Amenophis III, we continue to the magnificent royal tombs of The Valley of the Kings, each wall decorated with texts from the Book of the Dead. Here, we visit a number of tombs, including that of Tut Ankh Amun (King Tut). Our next destination is the terraced temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Dier al-Bahri, destroyed by her successor Tuthmosis III and painstakingly reconstructed by Polish archeologists. We then drive to the Valley of the Queens and view the Tombs of the Princes and, if open to the public, the last resting place of Nefartari, the famously beautiful wife of Ramses II. Discovered in 1906 and restored by J. Paul Getty, Nefartaris is perhaps the worlds most stunning ancient tomb; it is difficult not to be moved by such a visit. Mid-afternoon, we return to the hotel and the remainder of the day is at leisure. In the evening we include a visit to Karnak Temples Sound and Light Show by calesh (horse drawn carriage). Steigenberger's Nile Palace or similar [B] DAY 6 : ASWAN DRIVE ASWAN. EDFU AND KOM OMBO TEMPLES
Today we drive 210 km / 130 miles along the east bank of the Nile to Aswan, through fertile fields and local villages. Our first stop is the Temple of Horus at Edfu. Begun in 237 BCE by Ptolemy III, the temple was finished 200 years later by Ptolemy XII (Cleopatras father). Edfu is in excellent condition and is, in effect, a Greek copy of an architectural style already ancient in Ptolemys day. Our next stop is Ptolemaic Kom Ombo, a unique construction of twin temples side by side, each architecturally mirroring the other. One is dedicated to Horus (and his brother Haroeris, the sky-god and god of healing), the other to Sobek the crocodile-god of the Nile. An interesting frieze illustrates a large array of surgical instruments from the Ptolemaic (Greek) period and details the medical techniques of child birthing at about the same time as Octavian became Caesar Augustus and defeated Cleopatra and Marcus Antonius (Marc Anthony) at the battle of Actium in Greece. Near the entrance is a room containing stuffed and embalmed crocodiles, some more than twenty feet long, and some over two thousand years old. Continuing our journey, we arrive in Aswan late afternoon and check into our hotel. Overnight Isis Island Resort Hotel or similar [B] DAY 7 : ASWAN: CAMEL RIDE, NOBLES, ST. SIMEONS, PHILAE
This morning we embark on a motor boat crossing to the West Bank and a local village where we meet the families of the camels we will ride and share an informal breakfast with them. We then mount camels for the short ride to the 12th Dynasty Nobles Tombs, then into the desert to visit the Coptic St. Simeons Monastery (circa 6th c), and then o9n to the Mausoleum of the Aga Khan. En route back across the Nile, we stop at Kitcheners Island for an early picnic lunch (included), in the shade of the botanical gardens. The Island was named after the British Field Marshal, Lord Kitchener during his unsuccessful attempt to relieve General Chinese Gordon, besieged in Khartoum by the Maghdi. After lunch, we reboard our boat and cross back to the East Bank where we board our vehicle and depart for Philae Temple. Driving past the High Dam and Low Dam en route, we take the 15-minute boat ride, perhaps the most memorable approach to any of Egypts monuments, to Philae Temple. With the construction of the Aswan High Dam, Philae was destined to disappear forever beneath the waters of the soon-to-be-created Lake Nasser. Fortunately, Philae was saved by UNESCO building a coffer dam around the temple in 1977, and pumping out the water. The temple was carefully dismantled; every block assigned a number and its position noted. A nearby island called Agilkai was modified to resemble Philae Island and the temple was reassembled in exact replica. In 1980 Philae once again opened to the public. Today, Philae is one of the highlights of any visit to Aswan, and its lake location allows for some great photography. We return to Aswan late afternoon. Overnight Isis Island Resort Hotel or similar [BL] DAY 8 : CAIRO: ABU SIMBEL EXCURSIN. FLY CAIRO
This morning we fly to Ramses IIs mighty temples of Abu Simbel. As was Philae Temple, Abu Simbel, about to be drowned under Lake Nasser by the construction of the Aswan High Dam, was cut into blocks and reassembled on the side of a totally man-made hill 200 feet above the original location. This massive effort, also instigated by UNESCO, is almost as phenomenal an achievement as the original construction. We visit the Great Temple dedicated to Ramses II, and the smaller Temple of Hathor built in honor of Ramses favorite wife, Queen Nefartari. Following our visit, we return to the airport for our flight back to Aswan. Later we fly to Cairo. On arrival we are met and transferred to our hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure in Cairo. Overnight Shepherd's Hotel or similar [B] DAY 9 : ST. CATHERINES: NIGHT ASCENT MT SINAI
Drive across the Sinai to St. Catherines Monastery. On arrival, we visit the monastery which is located at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Constructed by order of Emperor Justinian between 527 and 565 ACE, St. Catherines is built around what is thought to be Moses' Burning Bush of biblical legend. It is a spectacular natural setting and contains many priceless works of art, including Arab mosaics, Greek and Russian icons, sacerdotal ornaments, marbles, reliquaries, including one donated by Czar Alexander II in the 19th century. But of perhaps even greater significance, the monastery hosts the second largest collection of illuminated manuscripts; some 3,500 volumes in Greek, Coptic, Arabic, Armenian, Hebrew, Slavic, Syriac and Georgian. In the mid 19th century the fourth century Codex Sinaiticus was discovered here (it is now in the British Museum in London). The Monastery even has a small 10th century mosque which was probably built to appease the Islamic authorities of the time. The small Chapel of St. Triphone, known as the Skull or Charnal House, houses the skulls of centuries of deceased monks. After checking into our hotel, for those who wish we should have a very early night in preparation for our night ascent of Mount Sinai (optional). We get up at 02h00, drive to Monastery, and begin our ascent around 03h00, to arrive before the dawn and watch the sun come up over the beautiful orange, ochre and mauve shadows of the Sinai. Many pilgrims make this journey, and various groups singing different hymns in different languages are a feature of such a visit. But despite the cacophony, and for some because of it, dawn on Mt. Sinai is not easily forgotten. Overnight Wadi el Raha Hotel or similar [B] DAY 10 : AQABA: DRIVE NWEIBA. RED SEA FERRY TO AQABA
Departing St. Catherines in the morning we arrive in Nweiba on the Red Sea coast in time to catch the ferry to Aqaba. Departure customs are performed on shore prior to embarkation. Check with Jordanian Embassy whether you need to have obtained your Jordanian visa in advance. Jordanian entry cards are available on board and should be completed before arrival in Aqaba, where Jordan customs are traversed on disembarkation. Outside customs you will be met by your Jordanian English speaking driver / escort and transferred to your hotel. Overnight Intercontinental Hotel or similar [B] DAY 11 : AQABA: FREE DAY
Today is left entirely at leisure for you to relax on Aqabas beaches and to rest up before tomorrows wonder, Petra. Diving is available, both have a go and for qualified divers. Overnight Intercontinental Hotel or similar [B] DAY 12 : PETRA: DRIVE VIA WADI RUM
This morning we drive to Petra via a visit to Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum (the valley between Jebel Um Ishreen and Jebel Rum) has always been known for its good spring water; the Bedouin frequently pitched their tents here to water their flocks and so Rum has long been a central gathering point for local bedou. The lands to the south are also well watered and were a valuable asset to the tribe - well worth fighting for if necessary. The enigmatic British officer T.E. Lawrence accompanied the Arab irregular cavalry as it attacked and captured Aqaba from the Turks during the Great Arab Revolt of 1917-18 ACE. Wadi Rum was the setting for the film "Lawrence of Arabia" which depicted these events and made Wadi Rum famous. It also gave birth to the mythology that T.E. Lawrence and the Arab irregulars actually rode through Wadi Rum en route attack the Turks at Aqaba. Unfortunately, this never happened. The Arab forces, quite logically, took the more direct, faster and easier route where the highway to Aqaba today lies. However, this legend has brought many to Rum, and when they arrive, it matters not who has been here before - for Rum is one of the earths truly beautiful places. On arrival at the roads end Resthouse, we take 4x4 vehicles deep into Rum, and explore this beautiful valley for two hours. On our return to the resthouse there is time to purchase a light lunch before we re-board our road vehicle and continue to Petra, arriving mid afternoon. Overnight Crowne Plaza Hotel or similar [B] DAY 13 : PETRA: GUIDED TOUR OF PETRA
Today we take a full guided tour of Petra, taking our obligatory horse ride through the Siq. Inside the Petra valley there are buildings, tombs, baths, funerary halls, temples, arched gateways, and colonnaded streets carved from the kaleidoscopic-colored sandstone. We explore the valley with our guide and learn that Petra was the fulcrum of the ancient world's spice and incense route for more than 400 years; a city hidden behind an almost impenetrable barrier of rugged mountains, approachable only through the Siq, the kilometer long sheer-walled chasm through which we have just ridden, that a force of twenty could hold against an army of ten thousand. Built by an industrious Arab people called the Nabataeans who moved up the coast from Felix Arabia (Saudi Arabia) to settle in southern Jordan more than 2000 years ago - the Nabataeans dominated the Frankincense Trade Route along the entire Saudi coast, establishing their capital at Petra. Petra dominated the redistributing of trade goods that arrived via the Red Sea by ship from the Far East (China, India etc), and came north overland on the Frankincense Route from Sheba (Yemen) and from Africa (Somalia, Abyssinia etc). All these goods concentrated in Petra and were distributed throughout the Mediterranean and Europe. Petras administration extracted tax from each camel and wagon that entered the city, and flourished for 400 years as the premier trading city of its age. But then out of the blue, someone designed a shallow bottomed dow-rig sea-going felucca. After that, trade goods from the Far East could be shipped up the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers and transported overland across Syria to the Mediterranean. This halved the long sea journey around Felix Arabian, and Palmyra, a city in the middle of the Syrian desert quickly became prominent as a trading city. As Palmyra grew, so Petra declined. Soon Petra fell altogether, occupied by Roman legions under Trajan (106 ACE) who even then was unable to storm the city, which was captured Trajan cutting off the water supply. Today Petra is a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World. Overnight Crowne Plaza Petra or similar [B] DAY 14 : PETRA: FREE DAY IN PETRA
Today is left entirely free to explore the valley on our own steam. Your entrance fees are included (although no horse or guide), giving you the freedom to embark on a personal adventure in the valley. There are many things to see and places to explore, including the Monastery and the High Places. Outside the main valley, a short drive from your hotel, lies Baida, a Neolithic site of great importance, and Mini Petra, the northern gatepost of the Petra valley. Seldom visited, Mini Petra has some beautiful carvings and facades, and is on a much smaller and more intimate scale the main valley. Consult your driver / escort. Overnight Crowne Plaza Petra and breakfast [B] DAY 15 : AMMAN: KINGS HIGHWAY. KERAK, MADABA, MT NEBO
Today we drive the famous Kings Highway heading north from Petra to Amman. Almost every historical character from the Middle East that you can think of has traveled this road; Ramses II, the Queen of Sheba, Zenobia, Moses, Abraham, Marcus Anthonius, Cleopatra, Augustus, Mohamed, Coeur de Leon, Christ, Lawrence of Arabia, Gamal Attaturk the list goes on and on. Today, it is your turn. The countryside alone might keep you fully occupied, or spotting the Roman milestones which still stand at the side of the road and whos distances are still relevant. Our first stop is the massive Crusader fortress at Kerak, built in 1136 ACE, and retaken by the Arab forces of Salah ud Din Al-Ayyoubi in 1189 ACE. We visit this fortress, guided through caverns and along battlements, and learn of Crusader Renauld de Chattions greed and cruelty and his attacks to pillage the Muslim pilgrim caravans to Mecca that broke the solemn oath his own King Guy had exchanged with Salah ud Din to protect the innocent. De Chattions treachery led to Salah ud Din at last losing patience with the barbaric crusaders. Long superior in armies and tactics, but long patient with the Crusaders, De Chattions violence forced the Arabs to once-and-for-all re take Jerusalem and force the Crusaders out of Palestine for good. Continuing north, the Kings' Highway plunges 600 meters into Jordan's miniature Grand Canyon, Wadi Mujib (the Arnon of the Bible), and although on a smaller scale than the grand canyon, is spectacular non the less. Next, we visit the 6th century Byzantine mosaic map on the floor of Madabas Church - the oldest surviving map of the Holy Land in existence, and we pause here and there is time to purchase your own lunch in one of the cafes. Lastly we visit Mount Nebo, from where Moses first viewed the Holy Land, and from which we can view the Dead Sea and Aarons tomb up high on the mountainside. Arrival in Amman late afternoon. Overnight Ammon Qasr Metropole Hotel or similar [B] DAY 16 : AMMAN: JERASH. AJLOUN, LUNCH WITH LOCAL FAMILY
Today we take a full day excursion from Amman. Our first visit is to Jerash, one of the world's most extensive Roman restorations. We explore its theaters, temples and colonnaded streets.
We also visit the nearby Castle of Ajloun or 'Qalaat Errabadh' (Arabic for "Hilltop Castle"), with another splendid view over the Jordan Valley. Built in 1184-85 ACE by Ezz Eddin Osama bin Munqethe, a nephew of the Ayyubid leader Salah ud din Al-Ayyoubi (Saladin), to protect the region from invading Crusaders, it was one of a chain of forts which lit beacons at night to pass signals from the Euphrates River to as far as Cairo. We take lunch with a local family the Wildland touch then return to Amman. Capital of the Ammonites in 1200 BCD and called Rabbath-Ammon in the Old Testament of the Bible, during the 3rd century BCE, Amman was renamed Philadelphia (Greek for "Brotherhood Love") after Ptolemaic ruler Philadelphus (283-246 BCE). After periods of Seleucid and Nabataean rule, the Roman General Pompey made Philadelphia part of the Decapolis League - a loose alliance of ten free city-states bound by powerful commercial, political and cultural interests and under overall allegiance to Rome. During the Byzantine period, Philadelphia was the seat of a Christian Bishop and the city declined somewhat until 635 ACE when the region became part of the Islamic caliphate and its original Semitic name of Ammon, or Amman, was restored. Overnight Ammon Qasr Metropole Hotel or similar [B] DAY 17 : AMMAN: TRANSFER TO THE AIRPORT
Transfer to the airport. Services end
| - Prices, Departure Dates and Included Services - |
Days: 17 | Grade: I (click for grades definition) | 2010 Price: From $4395 per person. Land cost based on Group Size & Season | Group Size | 2-3 | 4-5 | 6-7 | High Season | $4995 | $4695 | $4495 | Low Season | $4895 | $4595 | $4395 |
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| Single Supplement: $695 (click for info) | *Fully escorted throughout in Egypt by Egyprian guide and in Jordan by Jordanian guide. Low season Jan-June. High Season - Easter & Christmas | | | | | 2010 Departure Dates | 2011 Departure Dates | | | (Please call for availability) | (Please call for availability) |
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| | | Included: Domestic Egyptian flight and overnight train journey, all airport and station transfers in Egypt & Jordan, all sightseeing as noted; accommodations as noted; private vehicles with English-speaking drivers, and guides in Cairo, Aswan and Luxor; entrance fees to sites for touring as noted; meals as indicated on itinerary [B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner]; pre-departure services of Wildland Adventures.
| | | Not Included: International flights to/from Egypt or Jordan; departure taxes; Egypt visa, Jordan visa; tips and gratuities; alcoholic beverages and bottled drinks; meals not indicated above; extra costs for optional excursions or services on own or to be paid direct; travel insurance; extra costs due to unanticipated changes in your itinerary for reasons beyond our control are not included. We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance.
| | | Trip Notes: NOTES: Wildland Adventures, Inc. has arranged your trip utilizing the travel services of local in-country ground operators who are independent contractors. These local outfitters, lodges, hotels and other suppliers of your travel services will make every effort to conduct this trip as described in the itinerary. It is however possible that due to transportation schedule changes, weather, delays and unforeseeable acts of God, humans or nature, this itinerary may vary from what is described. Participants must assume all risks whether identified in advance or unforeseen. All optional activities are at your own risk. Extra costs due to unexpected changes in your itinerary for reasons beyond our control are not included. We highly recommend purchasing travelers insurance for trip delay, trip cancellation, baggage, accident or sickness. Representatives are available for assistance at any time during your trip. If preferred hotels are not available, every attempt will be made to reserve alternative accommodations of similar quality. (If upgrade is necessary, higher rates may apply.) All information and services provided are subject to our Reservation Form Terms and Conditions.
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