Compare Jordan & Egypt: Petra to the Pyramids, Small Groups 2023 by Tauck vs Pyramids, Abu Simbel, Nile Cruise & Jordan Tour by Memphis Tours

Day 1 Arrive Amman, Jordan

Tour begins: 6:00 PM, Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea. A transfer is included from Amman airport to the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea, a luxurious beachfront resort nestled on the shores of the ancient salt lake at the lowest point on Earth. Join us this evening for a welcome reception and dinner tonight.

MEALS : D

LODGING : Kempinksi Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea

Day 2 Roman Antiquities in Jerash / Dead Sea / Jerash

Set off on an excursion to Jerash, site of one of the best-preserved ancient Roman cities in the Middle East and a window to its past glory as an important imperial city. Your local guide shares expert insights about the sites you will see, including Roman temples, squares, arches, baths and theatres, often colonnaded and always astounding. See Hadrian's Arch, built in 129 AD, the ruins of the Temple of Zeus, the South Theatre, built to accommodate some 5,000 spectators, and the meticulously restored North Theatre. After lunch at a restaurant in Khayl, drive through Amman back to your hotel; at a lecture at the hotel this evening, an expert on ecotourism offers insights on the social complexities of the region and what life is like for young Jordanians today. Dinner tonight is at your choice of selected restaurants.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Kempinksi Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea

Day 3 Dead Sea to Petra

Thousands of years of biblical history unfold today on a visit to Mt. Nebo where you will see the view Moses saw when he looked out over the Promised Land. Continue to Madaba for a visit to St. George Greek Orthodox Church where the remains of the oldest known map of the Holy Land, painstakingly assembled from more than a million pieces of colored stone, cover the church floor. Enjoy a fabulous lunch at a local, family-run restaurant, then drive to the ancient Nabataean city of Petra, carved out of sandstone cliffs around 6 BC, where your hotel is just steps away from the archaeological site. Dine with a local family this evening, or at your choice of restaurants at the hotel.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Movenpick Resort Petra

PORTOFCALL : Petra, Jordan

Day 4 The "Lost City" of Petra

Imagine riding aboard a camel cart through a hidden desert canyon that opens up to a magnificent red rose city dating back to the 1st century BC. Ancient master builders carved palaces, temples, tombs and more into the stone cliffs you will see here today. Picture yourself standing in awe at the 130-foot-high Khazneh, (The Treasury), intricately decorated with Corinthian capitals, friezes, statues and more, like Indiana Jones did in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Discover Royal Tombs, celebrating the achievements of the dead long gone and built high on the mountain side, and marvel at the ancient amphitheatre with seating for more than 8,000 spectators, along with numerous temples sculpted in sandstone. Lunch at an onsite restaurant before returning to your hotel for an afternoon at leisure. Join us tonight for a private tented dinner in the desert, enjoying a fruit-infused hubbly-bubbly smoke, music and dancing by a local troupe of sword dancers.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Movenpick Resort Petra

PORTOFCALL : Petra, Jordan

Day 5 Wadi Rum to Aswan

Take a morning excursion to the otherworldly landscapes of Wadi Rum, known as the Valley of the Moon for the lunar-like dunes and towering sandstone cliffs found here. Exploring by 4x4 vehicle* makes your visit unforgettable. Fly from Aqaba to Aswan, then drive to your hotel on the banks of the Nile, a Victorian palace once frequented by royalty, heads of state, and Agatha Christie. Dine tonight at 1902, the hotel's signature French restaurant, steeped in Moorish elegance.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Sofitel Legend Old Cataract

PORTOFCALL : Aswan, Egypt

Day 6 Abu Simbel / Felucca Cruise / Embark Ship

Fly to the Nubian village of Abu Simbel for a locally guided visit to its massive temples cut into a solid rock cliff during the reign of Ramses II in the 1200s BC. The Great Temple stands 98 feet high with four seated colossi flanking the entrance and smaller statues depicting Ramses' conquered enemies lining up below. The smaller temple, some 40 feet high, is adorned by four colossi depicting Ramses and two of his queen Nefertari at a height of 32 feet. Fly back to Aswan, and pause for a photostop at the Aswan High Dam. End your day with a felucca cruise as the sun sets on the Nile; arrive at your riverboat on the Nile; settle in, and dine aboard ship tonight.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Oberoi Zahra

PORTOFCALL : Aswan, Egypt

Day 7 Saint Simeon Monastery, Philae Temple & Kom Ombo

A full day of Egyptian exploration begins with a boat ride to Westbank followed by a visit to the ruins of Saint Simeon Monastery, surrounded by sand and high walls, once housing some 300 monks in the 10th century. Next, take a motorboat to Agilkia Island to see the sacred Temple of Isis at Philae, one of the last of the ancient temples built in the "classic" Egyptian style; when the Aswan dam was built, the temple complex was disassembled and rebuilt on Agilkia Island to save it from being lost underwater. Cruise to Kom Ombo, where its unusual twin temples are just a short walk from your ship. Temple reliefs here feature a unique engraving thought to depict the first representation of medical and surgical instruments. Return to your ship late afternoon and continue cruising.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Oberoi Zahra

Day 8 Edfu and The Temple of Horus

Mid-morning, visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu, one of the most beautiful and best-preserved temples in Egypt, with its roof still intact. It took 180 years for the temple to be built and during your guided visit you'll discover why. Massive statues of Horus as a falcon guard entrances and the reliefs on its interior walls relate the story of the birth of Horus and depict Ptolemaic rulers making offerings to the gods and destroying their enemies. Return to your ship for an afternoon and evening at leisure aboard your cruiser.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Oberoi Zahra

Day 9 Explore the Valley of the Kings & Queens

Buried under the sand for more than 1,000 years, Luxor's Temple of Karnak is the largest complex of its time ever built, developed over a thousand years. Explore the site with an expert guide who shares insights about its history and construction, including the 134-columned Great Hypostyle Hall. A locally guided visit to Luxor Temple, connected to Karnak by an avenue of sphinxes, and dating back to the 1300s BC, follows. Return to your Nile cruiser for lunch and an afternoon excursion to the Valley of the Queens with a visit to the beautiful tomb of Nefertari, the great wife of Pharaoh Ramesses II, where the hieroglyphics amaze. Continue to the Valley of the Kings for an after-hours private visit that includes entry to King Tutankhamun's tomb, renowned for the wealth of valuable antiquities it contained when it was discovered unopened in 1922. Return to your ship for dinner at leisure.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Oberoi Zahra

Day 10 Fly to Cairo & Visit the Egyptian Museum

Disembark ship for an early flight to Cairo this morning, touching down late morning. Following an early lunch at a local restaurant, visit the Egyptian Museum, housing the world's largest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts including many of the treasures found in King Tutankhamun's tomb. Check into your room at Marriott Mena House in Cairo, where the remainder of the day is at leisure.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Marriott Mena House

PORTOFCALL : Giza, Egypt

Day 11 Pyramids of Giza & Saqqara

Drive to nearby Giza this morning for a guided tour of its storied pyramids, including the Great Pyramid of Giza, the last of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World, that have stood as defining symbols of Egypt for millennia. View the most instantly recognizable statue in the world, crafted in limestone with the body of a lion and the head of a king – the Great Sphinx has been mysteriously reclining atop its Giza plateau for more than 3,000 years, guarding still the unanswered secret of who built it and why. After lunch, visit the pyramids at Saqqara, site of the necropolis (burial ground) for the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis. The pyramid you will see here is the Step Pyramid, a magnificent reminder of the early architecture of the pharaohs of the Old Kingdom. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

MEALS : B

LODGING : Marriott Mena House

PORTOFCALL : Giza, Egypt

Day 12 Treasures of Old Cairo

Located on the right bank of the River Nile, the historic district of Old Coptic Cairo predates its modern-day processor with sites that date back to the 6th century BC, including ones allegedly visited by the holy family of Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus. A guided tour includes Roman ruins, Ben Ezra Synagogue, ancient Coptic churches including St. Sergius and the Hanging Church, and your choice of the Al Rifai Mosque or the Sultan Hassan Mosque, a short drive away. Enjoy some free time to explore as you please before joining us for a farewell reception and dinner at the hotel this evening.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Marriott Mena House

PORTOFCALL : Giza, Egypt

Day 13 Journey Home

Tour ends: Cairo. Fly home anytime; hotel checkout time is noon. A transfer is included from Marriott Mena House to Cairo Airport. Allow three hours for flight check-in at the airport.

MEALS : B

PORTOFCALL : Giza, Egypt

Day 1: Arrival Cairo - Welcome to land of the Pharaoh’s

Your tour manager will meet and assist you at Cairo International Airport and then he will escort you to the hotel by exclusive air-conditioned deluxe vehicle. At hotel the tour manager will assist with a smooth check-in and review your holiday itinerary with you to establish and confirm pick-up times for each tour.

Overnight in Cairo.

Day 2: Pyramids / Museum Tours

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast at your hotel in Cairo and then met by your personal guide who will accompany you to Giza Plateau to visit one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Great Pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Mykerinus, famous Sphinx, and Valley temple facing the great statue. Lunch at a good quality local restaurant. Then transfer to enjoy the Egyptian Museum. Continue driving to Islamic Cairo, where you will be able to explore Khan El Khalili, Cairo’s old bazaar.. Back to your hotel. Overnight in Cairo.

Day 3: Fly to Aswan - Aswan sightseeing Tours

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Early transfer to Cairo Airport for your flight to Aswan where you will be met and assisted by a Memphis Tours representative, who will then transfer you to visit the famous High Dam, majestic Philae temple of devotion to the two goddesses Isis and Hathor, and the massive Unfinished Obelisk, still resting on its side in the stone quarries of ancient Egypt. Then, back to the Hotel and overnight in Aswan.

Day 4: Abu Simble Group Tour

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Memphis Tours representative will pick you up from your hotel in Aswan by a modern air-conditioned coach to enjoy a small group tour to Abu Simbel. The two Temples of Abu Simbel, with their unique style, are considered to be the masterpieces of ancient Egypt. They reflect the glory and grandeur of the new Kingdom. The Egyptian government and UNESCO decided to co-operate in order to save these temples from the flood. The Temple of Ramsses II was dedicated to the four universal gods Ptah, Re-Her-Akhtey, Amun-Re, and to Ramsses II himself. The great Abu Simbel temple is also called The Sun Temple of Ramssess II.The Temple of Queen Nefertari is also Called Temple of Hathor who was the wife of the Sun God so in a symbolic way, the two Temples, that of Ramsses II and that of Nefertari, bring Ramesses II, Nefertari, Hathor and the Sun God together as one. Later on, you will be escorted back from Abu Simbel to your Cruise in Aswan for embarkation.

Day 5: Kom Ombo and Edfu Temples

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

After breakfast on board, you’ll sail to Kom Ombo, where you’ll encounter the twin temple of Kom Ombo, where you’ll learn about the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon god Horus, whose monuments decorate each half of the temple. You’ll have your lunch back on board the ship and sail on to Edfu, where you’ll stop to visit the Temple of Edfu, the best-preserved temple of the ancient world. The structure is dedicated to Horus, the falcon god. Reboard the ship for afternoon tea and a leisurely ride to Esna. Dinner and overnight on board.

Day 6: Luxor Nile Cruise Tours

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

In the early morning, enjoy a relaxed breakfast on board as you sail to Luxor. You’ll then set out to visit the West Bank of Luxor, take an excursion to the Royal Cemetery for 62 Pharaohs, the Valley of the Kings, then to mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, which was built by the architects of the New Kingdom during the 15th century BCE at Deir El-Bahari. You’ll proceed to the towering Colossi of Memnon, and then back to the Nile cruise ship and have lunch aboard. As the ship makes its way up the Nile, you’ll enjoy afternoon tea. Dinner on board and overnight in Luxor.

Day 7: Disembarkation- Fly back to Cairo

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast aboard the cruise before disembarkation, and then you will be accompanied by your tour guide to the ancient Karnak and Luxor temples along the east bank of Luxr then transfer to Luxor Airport for your flight back to Cairo where we will meet you then transfer to your hotel .

Day 8: Fly Cairo to Amman - Hello Jordan

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Cairo International Airport for a flight to Amman. Upon arrival at Queen Alia Airport, our representative will meet and assist you with the customs and immigration procedures. Transfer to the hotel in Amman for overnight.

Day 9: Jerash and Dead Sea Tour

Meals: Breakfast.

On the second day of your Jordan tours after breakfast, we will drive towards north to Jerash, situated in the foothills of the mountain of Gilead, the ancient city is reminiscent of the Roman Empire. Being one of the largest and well-preserved sites of Roman Architecture outside of Italy its grandeur can be seen in the colonnaded street, Oval Plaza the Nymphaeum and the Temple of Artemis.

After this we will drive towards the Dead Sea, Being the lowest point on earth and filled with a variety of minerals with medicinal properties the site has developed into a health spa-like hotspot. The mineral concentration in the mud is used for therapeutic and beauty treatments. Queen Cleopatra and Sheba both were said to have known the value of the site and used it. Due to too high salinity the water supports no form of life hence the name the Dead Sea and floating is very easy. Be sure to prepare to swim and relax in the mud. Overnight in Amman.

Day 10: Day tour to Petra and Wadi Rum

Meals: Breakfast.

Your tour manager will pick you up from your hotel in Amman. After breakfast drive about 2.5 hours to the Rose Red City of Petra, Jordan’s largest attraction. First started in the 6th century B.C. by Nabataean Arabs the city boasts beautiful facades carved directly into the walls of the mountainsides. Arriving at the visitor’s center it’s a 700-meter walk to the Siq entrance which is an impressive 1200 meter long gorge of a kaleidoscope of colors the towers more than 80 meters above you. As you exit the chasm you’re instantly transfixed by the beauty of Petra, chosen as one of the New World Wonders, the place speaks for itself. From there you take a one and half hour drive to the protectorate of Wadi Rum a sprawling desert landscape that impresses you at every turn. Made famous by the film Lawrence of Arabia, there are canyons and cliff, sand dunes and ancient rock glyphs. Before returning to Amman.

Day 11: Final departure - Fly Back Home

Meals: Breakfast

After completing these wonderful Jordan tours you will have a breakfast, according to flight schedule transfer to Amman Airport for departure.