Middle East adventure in Egypt, Jordan & Syria
| country: | Egypt, Jordan, Syria |
| location: | Luxor |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | 2008: 17 Sep, 4 Nov, 26 Nov, 20 Dec 2009: 21 Mar, 9 May, 17 May, 31 May |
| price: | From £395 (21 days) excluding flights, plus £140 local payment |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
From the Pyramids of Giza to the majestic rock hewn Rose Red City of Petra, to the Dead Sea and serene desert camping at Wadi Rum, you will experience the highlights of travel to the Middle East in our popular & action-packed 21 day overland adventure.
The expedition vehicles for our Middle East overland tours can carry 24 people, although the average group size is around 18. Accommodation is mostly camping, but also in locally-owned hotels, on a felucca, and an overnight train.
This trip also runs in reverse, from Damascus to Cairo.
The expedition vehicles for our Middle East overland tours can carry 24 people, although the average group size is around 18. Accommodation is mostly camping, but also in locally-owned hotels, on a felucca, and an overnight train.
This trip also runs in reverse, from Damascus to Cairo.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Our travel to the Middle East begins! The tour departs at 9am for the Egypt section of our Middle East tour. With an Egyptologist Guide we visit the world-famous Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza and here we also include a camel ride. In the afternoon our guide takes us to the Egyptian History Museum before we catch an overnight train to Aswan. |
| Day 2-3: | Arguably the most attractive city on the Nile, Aswan is imbued with the relaxed attitude of the Nubian people who live here. During the two days we are in Aswan we stay in a two star, locally-owned hotel. You will have the opportunity to visit Abu Simbel, the great stone monuments built by Ramses II, as well as a number of temples and tombs on the West Bank of the Nile, across the river from Aswan, accessible by ferry or felucca. Elephantine Island is also well worth visiting, with small ferries crossing to and fro' all the time. |
| Day 4-5: | From Aswan we take a traditional Egyptian sailboat or 'felucca' on the Nile River a "must-do" experience during any travel to the Middle East. We spend the next two days aboard watching Egypt glide by and sleeping under the stars. As well as the felucca captain, we also have a cook who will be preparing three meals a day for us while on board. We have the option of stopping off at Kom Ombo and visiting the Temple of Horus at Edfu, before continuing on to Luxor. |
| Day 6-7: | Luxor is where we join our overland truck and we camp here for three nights. We visit the Valley of the Kings on donkeys and your local guide will explain the 3000 year old history of the Pharaohs and their mummification and journey through the underworld. There is also the option to go to the Valley of the Queens and the Valley of the Workers, Queen Hatshepsuts Temple, Karnak Temple with its sound and light show, and Luxor Temple. |
| Day 8: | From Luxor we camp overnight in the desert and then crossing the Suez Canal we may catch sight of the huge ships that seemingly pass through the desert sands, before continuing on to St Catherine's Monastery where it is possible to climb Mount Sinai. This is an amazing place to watch the sun rise over the Sinai Desert. |
| Day 9-12: | Dahab on the Red Sea coast is our base for the next three days. Here, you can snorkel or scuba dive to some of the best coral reefs in the world, go desert quad biking or just lie on the beach. You can also take a one-day camel safari and trek off-road down the desert coastline. |
| Day 13-14: | This morning we leave Egypt by ferry across the Red Sea to Aquaba in Jordan. From here it is a short drive into the Wadi Rum desert where we camp overnight. The silent nights are unforgettable with their stunning blanket of stars. Wadi Rum has some of the most spectacular desert scenery anywhere in the world and it was here that Lawrence of Arabia and his Arab forces had their secret base. Here you have the option of taking a 4WD jeep safari with Bedouin guides. |
| Day 15-16: | Climbing into the mountains we spend the next two nights in a locally-owned hotel at Petra. Situated in a deep ravine with towering sandstone cliffs and hills, the ancient City of Petra is carved out of the rock. The sheer size and architecture of the rock hewn buildings is quite breath-taking. The Nabetaeans who built Petra over 2000 years ago grew to immense wealth by first plundering and then extorting 'safe passage' tolls from the spice and slave caravans that had to pass through their territory. Eventually the Romans took Petra, and some of their influence can also be seen. |
| Day 17: | A visit to the lowest point on Earth! The Dead Sea is over 1000ft below sea level, very hot throughout the year, and is claimed to have many therapeutic qualities. Situated in the northern-most point of the Great Rift Valley of Africa it is formed by the River Jordan which flows into it. Here you can indulge in relaxing mud baths and an unusual swimming - or rather floating - experience in this highly buoyant salt sea. This is another one of the 'must do' activities of any travel to the Middle East. In the late afternoon we have a short drive to Mt Nebo with its stunning views over Israel - it is also the final resting place for Moses. |
| Day 18: | We arrive in Amman, the capital of Jordan the following morning. Steeped in history - it is mentioned in the Old Testament and the Bible - it is now a modern, cosmopolitan Arab city with an extremely friendly and well-educated population, many of whom speak English and is a very interesting and bustling city to wander around for a few hours. |
| Day 19-21: | It is a four hour drive to Damascus, the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. We spend two days in this fascinating, friendly and safe city, which still contains much of the mystery of the orient with its busy bazaars, decaying charm, polite people and some of the Islamic world's oldest monuments. |
travellers' tales
Highlights were bumbling through the beautiful Middle Eastern desert on a large yellow truck with new friends, climbing Mount Sinai by moonlight and seeing the sun rise from the summit. (more)
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.how this holiday makes a difference
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On this trip we stay at small, locally run campsites or hostels, and, where possible, buy our food in local markets, thereby directly supporting local communities. When we eat out we use local restaurants, not international chains and we encourage our clients to try food from street vendors.
We use local companies to run all our excursions and local guides at sites of historical interest. For example, in Egypt we use local Egyptologist guides to visit the Pyramids and Sphinx. In Luxor, our local rep Tayeb, sources the donkeys for the trip to the Valley of the Kings from his own family and neighbours and has been doing so for the past five years. This allows village families to gain extra income beyond their subsistence farming. In Aswan clients undertake a 2 day felucca trip. The feluccas are owned and run by Ahmed Fauzi and his extended family – we have been supporting their tiny felucca business from its start. They have recently managed to expand to 3 small sail boats which completely support their large extended village family. In Jordan, we use Bedouin guides for 4WD treks into the more inaccessible areas of Wadi Rum. We limit our group size to 24 thereby reducing their cultural and environmental impact on the region. Before commencing the tour all our clients are provided with detailed pre-departure info which includes information on Responsible Travel. This information is re-emphasised by our Tour Leader at the start of the trip - clients are, for example, advised about respecting local customs particularly in terms of dress and behaviour; water conservation; animal welfare - a salient feature of this trip as we use carefully selected donkey and horse transport in Luxor - again supporting local communities. Charities supported on this trip We support two charities on this trip. In Cairo we have donated computers, teaching materials and provide regular financial assistance to the Sudanese Community Development Program - a school for Sudanese refugee children. We have also helped the school set up a Sponsor-a-Child scheme and arranged a letter exchange scheme between the children there and a school local to our UK office. This promotes opportunities for inter-cultural understanding and provides the Sudanese children with great encouragement. We can arrange pre or post-tour visits to the school, and many of our clients regularly donate old clothes and shoes to the Sudanese Refugees via our collection system at our Cairo Hotel.  In Luxor we sponsor the Sunshine Project International, a home for abandoned and orphaned children. Apart from a regular financial commitment we have also donated bedding and play equipment to the school and even delivered a sandpit from the UK. Luckily there was no need to deliver any sand! Clients are given the opportunity to visit the home and regularly donate baby toiletries and toys directly there themselves.We also donate one pound to Tourism Concern for every booking made with us. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |