Budget Felucca Explorer & Totally Jordan - 14 Days

You will be met upon arrival at Cairo Airport and transferred to our start hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax or those arriving early can opt to join our optional Backstreets of Cairo tour which departs the hotel at 10am.

If you'd like to extend your stay in Egypt we also offer a pre or post tour Day Trip to Alexandria.

Cairo - Aswan. Our tour begins with a visit to one of the world's most famous sights this morning - the legendary Pyramids of Giza and the iconic Sphinx. Built over 4500 years ago, the three great pyramids are sole survivors of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World.

This afternoon we take a guided tour of Egyptian Museum, which contains an incredible array of relics and antiquities including the well-preserved mummies, such as those of Yuya and Thuyu - the great-grandparents of King Tutankhamun. These mummies offer a rare glimpse into the past, with some so remarkably preserved that they still have hair on their heads, allowing us to see the incredible skill and techniques used by the ancient Egyptians in their embalming process. We will also visit a government supervised Papyrus Museum. This evening, we board the overnight train to Aswan.

Our train pulls into Aswan early this morning and we check into our hotel. Then we take a scenic boat ride out to Agilika Island for a guided tour of the beautiful Philae Temple, which is dedicated to the goddess Isis. Travelling back to Aswan we visit a perfume oil emporium before spending the rest of the day at leisure. Relax by the hotel pool, explore Aswan's colourful souks and watch a beautiful sunset over the Nile.

Aswan - Nile felucca cruise. Very early this morning there's an optional excursion by road to the spectacular Temple of Abu Simbel, arguably Egypt's most awe-inspiring temple. This gigantic rock-cut temple was created to revere King Ramses II, with four colossal statues of the pharaoh guarding the entrance. In the afternoon we board a felucca for a relaxing two night journey along the River Nile, stopping at villages and islands along the way.

Spend the day relaxing onboard a felucca and enjoying the views as we sail down the River Nile. Soak up the sunshine on deck and perhaps go for a swim. In the afternoon we reach Kom Ombo and take a motorboat to visit this ancient temple, which is dedicated to the crocodile headed god - Sobek. Then we return to the felucca for our second night sleeping under the stars.

Kom Ombo - Luxor. This morning we disembark and drive to Luxor. Home of the legendary Valley of the Kings and Temple of Karnak, 4000 year-old Luxor is ancient Egypt at its best. This afternoon we enjoy a guided tour of the Temple of Karnak, a magnificent religious complex, dedicated to the Theban gods and built on a gigantic scale. In evening there's an optional tour of the beautiful Temple of Luxor with dinner included (book and pay locally). This remarkable temple and the Avenue of Sphinxes which leads to it, are most spectacular at night when they're illuminated by hundreds of atmospheric lights.

Luxor - Cairo. We travel to Luxor's West Bank this morning for a guided tour of the legendary Valley of the Kings, which is home to an array of beautifully decorated pharaohs' tombs, three of which you can enter. Arriving at the West Bank we will be greeted by the towering 18m-high Colossi of Memnon and after the Valley of the Kings we enjoy a tour of the beautiful Temple of Queen Hatshepsut.

Returning to the hotel the afternoon is free to relax by the pool. This evening we board the overnight train to Cairo.

Cairo - Amman. This morning, we arrive back into Egypt's bustling capital. From here, make your own way to Cairo Airport for the flight to Jordan or contact us to book a transfer.

Arrive in Amman and enjoy an included transfer to our hotel where you spend the night. The rest of today is at your leisure to independently explore.

PLEASE NOTE: The flight from Cairo to Amman is not included in the cost of this tour. Travellers need to independently book these flights at a personal cost (total flight cost approximately USD$250 - $350pp) however, we can assist in booking these flights should you require. The flights to be booked are detailed in the tour Trip Notes.

Amman - Jerash - Umm Qais - Amman. Heading north, we visit Jerash, the Graeco-Roman city known as the ‘Pompeii of the East’. Built over 2,000 years ago, Jerash is widely regarded as the best-preserved city of the Decapolis, a confederation of 10 Roman cities dating from the 1st century! We explore the site taking in the colonnaded street, amphitheatre, nymphaeum, forum and more before continuing to Umm Qais (Gadara), a dramatic black-basalt Roman city of the Decapolis with panoramic views over the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights. Later this evening, we head out for a meal and a stroll along Rainbow Street to experience modern Amman with its hip bars, rooftop restaurants, art studios and bookshops.

Amman - Madaba - Mount Nebo - Umm ar Rasas - Petra. Today we tour the citadel and Archaeological Museum of Amman, before we take a walk through the bustling local souk to enjoy typical Jordanian street treats of falafel and hummus at the country’s most popular local street stand. As the pictures on the wall will prove, the unglamorous food stand was a great favourite of the late King Hussein.

Leaving Amman, we stop first at Mt. Nebo, the site from which Moses saw the Promised Land. Having led the Israelites for 40 years through the wilderness, Moses finally saw them from this breathtaking vantage point. This amazing panorama includes the Jordan River Valley, the Dead Sea, Jericho and the spires and domes of the Mt. of Olives and Bethlehem on the Judean hills just across the wide valley. Later, we visit Madaba en route to Petra where we see the Church of St George, the Madaba Archaeological Park, Apostles Church and Madaba Museum.

Our next port of call is Umm ar-Rasas, one of Jordan’s World Heritage sites and once an important stop on the once busy caravan routes. The impressive mosaic floor of the St. Stephen Church features medallions commemorating all the early Christian pilgrimage sites of the region, and the extensive ruins also include one of the area’s earliest Stylite towers, where a Byzantine hermit lived atop the tower and preached to the pilgrimage visitors. Our final stop of the day is Petra. Consider doing a Petra by Night excursion (approx. USD$45 payable locally) for a tantalizing candlelight stroll through Petra’s Siq….a romantic preview of things to come.

Chief among Jordan’s many archaeological riches is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Rose City of Petra. The city was first settled around 6th century BC by the Nabataean tribe from Western Arabia. Rediscovered in 1812, it remains on the list for many travellers to visit. We access the hidden archaeological treasures of the Rose City on our walk through a narrow, deep siq, where the rocks finally give way to reveal the famous facade of Al-Khazneh (The Treasury). It's also possible to ride a horse through the Siq. Continuing our walk, we’ll go on to explore sections of this fantastic once-lost city which is full of tombs, temples, an impressive amphitheatre and a Roman colonnaded street. The intrepid can ascend the hundreds of rock-cut steps to Ad-Deir, better known as the Monastery. Ad-Deir has a similar facade to that of the Treasury, but is far bigger and the views from the nearby cliff-tops are splendid. Want to learn how to cook Middle Eastern food? Consider our Petra Kitchen Add-on tonight!

Petra - Wadi Rum. There is a chance to revisit Petra this morning before our afternoon drive to Wadi Rum. A vast, silent landscape of ancient riverbeds, pastel coloured stretches of sandy desert and amazing rock formations known as jebels that rise from the desert floor, awaits. Boarding our 4x4 jeeps, we take an exhilarating desert safari across the sand dunes, taking in the breathtaking scenery of Wadi Rum and tonight, we enjoy a Jordanian dinner at our camp.

Wadi Rum - Shobak – Wadi Mujib - Dead Sea. After breakfast at our campsite, we head north along the Desert Highway to visit Shobak Castle, which is perched dramatically on a hill top and was built by the Crusader king Baldwin I in 1115. After exploring the castle we descend some 1300 meters to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on the earth’s surface. More than 400 meters below sea level, the mineral-rich Dead Sea is the world’s original health and beauty spa. Drift out and bob in the waters and slap on some of the famous black Dead Sea mud to give your skin an invigorating boost.

For departures between April and October we head up the King’s Highway to Wadi Mujib and embark on a moderate–paced two hour trek along the Siq Trail. Measuring 500 metres in depth and spanning 4kms across, the impressive Wadi Mujib is one of Jordan’s most remarkable natural landscapes. This dramatic canyon features sheer rocky walls and sparkling waterways that range from puddle height to depths that are perfect for swimming (chest height or deeper) depending on the rainfall. When the water level is high you should be prepared for having to climb up ladders, clamber across boulders and be happy to wade through water. The canyon is just one feature of the Mujib Biosphere Reserve, the lowest nature reserve in the world, home to a surprising diversity of wildlife and plant species. For those not interested in taking the full hike, you can walk part of it or wait by the Visitor Centre until the group returns. After our trek we make our way to the Dead Sea.

Dead Sea - Amman Airport. Hotel check out and included onward transfer to the airport in Amman. Departure transfers are offered on day 14 at 23:00 (evening of day 13), 04:00, 07:00, 09:00, 12:00 and 16:00. If you would like a departure transfer at any other time or a transfer with post tour accommodation this can be arranged at an additional cost, please enquire.