Day 1
Cairo - Free Day. Your Egypt travel adventure begins with you being met at Cairo airport and transferred to your hotel. Our Oasis Reepresentative will meet those of you who have arrived at our Hotel for an informal get together. (No meals)
Day 2
Cairo - The tour starts in the bustling metropolis that is Cairo, with our own Egyptologist guide for the day. We spend the morning at the Egyptian History Museum and after lunch we explore the world-famous Pyramids - inside and out - and the Sphinx at Giza. Trips to Cairo aren't complete without a camel ride which is also included and is guaranteed to be a good laugh. In the evening we catch an overnight train to Luxor. (Two meals)
Please note: The Egyptian Government are currently giving consideration to making it mandatory for tourists to travel on Sleeper Services for the train journey from Cairo to Luxor. Whilst we have always found the 1st Class reclining seats comfortable, should the authorities decide to impose this restriction then there would be an additional charge for your trip to reflect this increased cost, currently estimated to be around £25. However this proposal has been around for some time, and has never been acted upon, so we think it unlikely to affect your trip. We will contact you straight away to advise you of any changes in respect of this.
Day 3
We are transferred from the train station to our Luxor Hotel in the morning. There will be some free time in the morning to explore Luxor and the local market or simply relax by the hotel swimming pool. In the afternoon we explore Luxor's sights. The vast Karnak Temple complex beats every other monument in Egypt except perhaps the pyramids of Giza and is a must on any Egypt tour. Built on an awesome scale (it does house the gods after all!) its Levithian size will astound you! We include a visit to Karnak Temple reached by your own horse-drawn carriages. There is also the option of the Sound and Light Show in the evening. Luxor Temple is in the centre of town within easy walking distance of our hotel. (One meal)
Day 4
Luxor -Today we visit the Valley of the Kings & Workers, where our guide shows us around a number of tombs. Intended by the Pharaohs who built them to be the ultimate insurance policy on eternal life, the tombs are very well hidden and we have to scramble down long dark underground shafts to discover their dramatic and quite amazing funerary glory. We will also visit the Colossi of Memnon and there is also the option to visit the Valley of the Queens. After this those who want can take a sturdy donkey each and have an hours ride through the villages of the West Bank, a great opportunity to see local life and lots of fun (it may be too hot to do this in the summer months)! You have a free afternoon where it is possible to visit a local orphanage which Oasis sponsors. (One Meal)
Day 5
Luxor to Hurghada - We visit Luxor Temple with an Egyptologist guide in the morning. In the afternoon we travel for four hours by road to the Red Sea resort of Hurghada where we overnight in a local hotel. (One Meal)
Day 6
Hurghada to Dahab - We catch the morning hydrofoil ferry for the short hop across the Red Sea to the Sinai Peninsula. We now transfer you to the most relaxed and, for many, the most enjoyable place in Egypt. We arrive in Dahab in time for a seafood lunch and a cold beer on the beach! (One Meal)
Please note: we are one of the very few companies operating tours in Egypt that uses the hydrofoil across the Red Sea, thus doing away with the very long and tedious 18hr bus journey and allowing an extra day in Dahab.
Days 7 to 9
Dahab - With year-round sunshine, warm sea temperatures and a laid-back atmosphere, it is no wonder Dahab has become so popular with travellers - especially those on our Egypt Encompassed trips.
Here almost 'anything goes' and our stay in Dahab can become quite hedonistic! Here also there are no big tourist hotels nearby and we stay in a small air-conditioned hotel 5 minutes walk from the beach. This part of the Red Sea is also known as one of the world's top diving locations, with spectacular coral gardens and marine life you can snorkel to within metres of the beach. There is the opportunity to scuba dive, desert trek by camel or quad bike, visit St Catherine's Monastery and climb Mt Sinai (where Moses received the Ten Commandments) or simply relax on the beach. (No meals)
Please note: On the Jordan section of this trip you will not be accompanied by an Oasis Tour Leader. Our local English speaking rep in Jordan will be your point of contact.
Day 10
Egypt to Jordan, Wadi Rum - Starting out early today, our local representative in Dahab will collect you from your Hotel in the morning for the transfer from Dahab to Taba. He will escort you to the border point, from where you will cross into Israel. On the other side of border control, you will be met by an Oasis rep who will escort you by private bus the 15 km journey to the Jordanian border. Although this doesn't allow you to see much of Israel, it is a more reliable mode of travel than the ferry over the Red Sea to Jordan, which seems beset by delay and cancellation. On the Jordanian side of passport control, you will be met by your Jordanian driver. If time allows, we will stop for lunch in Aqaba, a small but interesting town by the Red Sea where you will find local cafes where you can have a coffee and watch everyday life go by, and try some local food for lunch.
In the afternoon you are transferred to your desert camp in Wadi Rum in time for sunset. Tonight you will be sleeping in a traditional Bedouin goats hair tent in the middle of the desert. Bedding, towels and evening meal are included. Thankfully there are no hotels in Wadi Rum, the area has been declared a national park and only the Bedouin are allowed to live here. In many ways not much has changed since the times of Lawrence of Arabia almost 100 years ago. (Dinner, O/night Wadi Rum)
Day 11
Wadi Rum to Petra - A sunrise in the Wadi Rum Desert is an experience not to be missed - you can wake very early and climb one of the nearby rock formations in order to watch the sunrise before having breakfast back at the camp. After breakfast your Bedouin guides will take you in 4 wheel drive jeeps to explore more of the bizarre rock formations that rise out of the desert floor and also visit some of Lawrence of Arabia's desert haunts, such as the spring that supplied him and his desert army with water - here there are also Nabataean inscriptions. After completion of your jeep safari your driver will collect you for the two hour drive to Wadi Musa, the small town which is the base from which to visit the rock city of Petra.
Our hotel here is near the entrance to Petra. You'll have a free afternoon in which time you can wander around the small town or relax with a Turkish bath, available locally. During our time in Wadi Musa your driver will also include a visit to Shobak Crusader Castle. Built by the Crusaders in the 12th Century it is perched dramatically on the crest of a hill with high walls and amazing views. (Breakfast , O/night Petra)
Day 12
Petra - After breakfast we visit one of the single greatest attractions in the entire Middle East region - The Rose Red city of Petra. We include a local guide for approximately three hours, who will take you through the Siq, the long narrow corridor between sheer sandstone cliffs, which brings you out at the treasury. Your guide will explain about the various tombs, and the history of the Nabataeans and later the Romans, as well as the significance of the various rock hewn structures. You will have the rest of the day to explore this amazing site at your own pace. There is also the option of Petra by night; a two-hour candle-lit guided visit through the ancient city with music and stories to help you experience Petra the way travel-weary traders of old must have known it.
Day 13
Dead Sea to Madaba - After breakfast your driver will be waiting to take you to the lowest point on earth - the Dead Sea. At 400m below sea level it is hot all year round. The Dead Sea is extremely buoyant so drowning or sinking is a tricky feat, in fact it is almost impossible to swim! It's best to take a magazine and lie on your back and have a read while you float or view Israel just a few kilometres away on the opposite bank. You leave the Dead Sea late afternoon and visit Mt. Nebo about 1 hours drive away. Here there are dramatic views over Israel, the Dead Sea and if it's not too hazy the walls of Jericho. Mt Nebo was Moses final resting place and the church in his name, built in 394 Ad is still functioning and has some spectacular and entertaining mosaics over 1500 years old. A few minutes away is our final destination, the small friendly town of Madaba just outside Amman. We stay in a small family run hotel with a swimming pool. (Breakfast, O/night Madaba)
Day 14
Your trip finishes after breakfast. However you may wish to allow time to explore this interesting town. There is plenty to see and do here in Madaba, including visiting St. Georges Church (which has the oldest known map of the world), various Roman ruins in the Archaeological Park and old Bysantine Churches with ancient Mozaic floors, all within easy walking distance. Another 'must do' in Madaba is a visit to the Haret Jdoudna restaurant. Only 5 mins walk from the 'Church of the Map' it is regarded as having the best food in Jordan and you can choose to eat in its ancient building or outside in a vine covered courtyard. Madaba is only 30 mins away from Amman and the International Airport and transfers can be easily arranged with the hotel, please just ask reception. (Breakfast)
If you wish to spend a night in Amman then it is easy to arrange a transfer to Amman with the Mariam Hotel in Madaba, and there are plenty of hotels to choose from.
Please Note: The Jordan section of this trip will not have an Oasis Tour Leader. You will have an English speaking Jordanian driver, who will escort you by bus. He will check you into each hotel and remain for half an hour or so to make sure that you are comfortable and happy. He will collect you from each overnight place and will be there half an hour before departure. From when you leave Petra through to the Dead Sea and the overnight In Amman, your driver will be with you all the time. You should feel free to ask him questions about Jordanian life and culture, though please bear in mind he is not a tour guide. For Wadi Rum Jeep safari and in Petra you will have local guides who are included in the trip price.
Although very uncommon, there may be occasions when we need to make alterations to the itinerary below due to circumstance out of our control. This would most likely be alternative transport arrangements when our preferred option was not available. It is extremely unlikely even if this was necessary that we would not manage to see the highlights detailed below.
