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EGYPT & JORDAN January 13-February 2, 2010 SOLD OUT, WAITLIST ONLY
WED, JAN 13 - DEPART U.S. The adventure begins today as we board an Air France jet bound for Paris. THU, JAN 14 - PARIS-CAIRO We arrive in Paris and connect with an early-afternoon flight to Cairo. Upon arrival this evening, we transfer to our hotel in Giza. Grand Pyramids Hotel FRI, JAN 15 - CAIRO We begin today’s sightseeing with the chaotic and colorful Friday camel market at Abu Rawash, the largest in Egypt. In downtown Cairo, we visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities for a look at the many treasures unearthed from Egypt’s tombs, including the riches of Tutankhamun. After a typical Egyptian lunch at Felfela, we explore Saladin’s Citadel and the beautiful Alabaster Mosque within the citadel walls, followed by a stop at a papyrus shop to peruse local handicrafts, before returning to our hotel for dinner. Grand Pyramids Hotel (BLD) SAT, JAN 16 - CAIRO Today we have a guided visit to the Great Pyramids, the Sphinx, and the Solar Boat, with plenty of free time to explore and photograph these sites on your own. After a relaxing lunch in an oasis restaurant, we stop at a nearby carpet shop to see how these products are made before returning to the Pyramids for a panoramic view of the grand monuments in late-afternoon light. This evening we enjoy a sound and light show at the Pyramids. Grand Pyramids Hotel (BL) SUN, JAN 17 - CAIRO-ABU SIMBEL Early this morning we fly to Aswan to see the High Dam and Unfinished Obelisk before driving across the desert to Abu Simbel, the colossal temples of Ramses II and his queen, Nefertari. Dedicated to the god Ra-Horakhti, it took 25,000 workers a period of 25 years to complete this massive complex, which was cut into over a thousand transportable pieces, some weighing as much as 15 tons, and placed safely above the water level until it could be reassembled at a new site 200 feet higher than its original site. Our hotel overlooking Lake Nasser is within walking distance of this breathtaking sight, so you can take the guided tour and then explore at your own pace. This evening we enjoy a memorable sound and light show. Seti Abu Simbel Hotel (BLD) MON, JAN 18 - ABU SIMBEL-ASWAN We photograph Abu Simbel’s temples in golden morning light before driving back to Aswan. This afternoon we visit the dramatic Temple of Isis on Philae Island. Later, feluccas take us to Elephantine Island, with time to walk through the colorful Nubian village there, before a sunset sail on the Nile. Isis Aswan Hotel (BD) TUE, JAN 19 - ASWAN-LUXOR Another felucca sailing this morning at sunrise before driving north along the Nile to Luxor. En route, we stop at Kom Ombo Temple, dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god, and Harwar, the hawk-headed god. Farther on, Edfu Temple, dedicated to the falcon-headed Horus, is one of the finest examples of Ptolemaic art in Egypt. We also visit Esna before arriving in Luxor, where we transfer to our hotel overlooking the Nile. Iberotel (BLD) WED, JAN 20 - LUXOR The morning is at leisure to shop or explore Luxor on your own. You might want to take an optional hot-air balloon flight over the West Bank, a lovely experience at sunrise. This afternoon we visit Luxor Temple, a strikingly graceful piece of architecture on the bank of the Nile, and the Temple of Karnak, the most important temple in all of Egypt during the height of Theban power and prosperity. A caleche (horse carriage) ride takes us through parts of the town we might not otherwise see. Tonight, the sound and light show at Karnak recounts the history of Thebes and the lives of the many pharaohs who built sanctuaries, courts, statues, and obelisks in honor of Amun. Iberotel (B) THU, JAN 21 - LUXOR The West Bank of Luxor was the necropolis of ancient Thebes, a vast City of the Dead where magnificent temples were raised to honor the cults of pharaohs entombed in the nearby cliffs, and where queens, royal children, nobles, priests, artisans, and even workers built tombs which ranged, in the quality of their design and decor, from the spectacular to the ordinary. Our West Bank sightseeing includes the huge pair of statues known as the Colossi of Memnon; the Ramesseum, ruins of a massive monument raised by Ramses II to the ultimate glory of himself; Medinet Habu, mortuary temple of Ramses III; and the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahri. After lunch in a rooftop restaurant, we enter lavishly decorated tombs in the famed Valley of Kings and Valley of Queens. Iberotel (BLD) FRI, JAN 22 - LUXOR-CAIRO This morning we fly to Cairo and transfer to our historic downtown hotel, situated on the bank of the Nile just two blocks from the Egyptian Museum. The remainder of the day is at leisure to explore, shop, and photograph on your own. Shepheard’s Hotel (B) SAT, JAN 23 - CAIRO-ALEXANDRIA The agriculturally rich fields of the Nile Delta have been cultivated for thousands of years. Date palms, indolent donkeys, and photogenic dovecotes or “pigeon castles” suggest we’re visiting a postcard oasis. We drive though the Nile Delta today en route to Alexandria, once the shining gem of the Hellenistic world. It lies on the north coast of Egypt, west of where the Rosetta branch of the Nile leaves the Delta, and where the desert meets the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean. City sightseeing here includes the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina; the white marble Roman amphitheatre; Pompey’s Pillar and the Serapeum; the Catacombs of Kom ash-Suqqafa, the largest known Roman burial site in Egypt; and the 15th-century medieval Fort Qait Bey which guards the entrance to the Eastern Harbour. Sofitel Cecil Alexandria (BLD) SUN, JAN 24 - ALEXANDRIA-SIWA OASIS Today we drive to Siwa Oasis via El Alamein and Marsa Matrouh. The small coastal village of El Alamein is most famous as the scene of a decisive Allied victory over the Axis powers during World War II. Soldiers from many countries are buried in the memorial cemeteries here. The large waterfront town of Marsa Matrouh, built around a charming bay of clear Mediterranean waters and white sandy beaches, is a popular summer destination with Egyptians. The lush and productive Western Desert oasis of Siwa, famous throughout the country for its dates and olives, lies below sea level near the Libyan border in a depression which stretches for nearly 50 miles. Against an awesome backdrop of eroded hills and a sea of sand dunes, Siwa appears like the proverbial mirage -- a wealth of green date palms shading mud-brick villages connected by streams, springs, and irrigated gardens. The center of the town is dominated by the remains of the 13th-century fortress enclave of Shali and the bustling marketplace just below the fort. Albabenshal Hotel (BLD) MON, JAN 25 - SIWA OASIS Siwa’s greatest attraction is the oasis itself, which boasts more than 300,000 palm trees, 70,000 olive trees, and a great many fruit orchards. The vegetation is sustained by more than 300 freshwater springs and streams, and the area attracts an amazing variety of birdlife. During the two days we spend here, we’ll visit the Berber villages of Kharmisah and Bilad ar-Rum; the spring of Abu Shuruf and the nearby village which keeps all the female donkeys of the oasis; the abandoned mud-brick village of Az-Zeitun, beaten by sand and wind, which sits alone on the sandy plain; the Bedouin village of Ain Safi, the last human vestige before the overwhelming wall of desert dunes which stretch for hundreds of miles; the ruins of the Temple of Amun, built between 663 and 525 B.C.; the Temple of the Oracle, where Alexander was given the ram horns and crowned the son of Zeus; Gebel al-Mawta (Mount of the Dead), with tombs dating from Ptolemaic and Roman times; and Cleopatra’s Bath, Fatnas pool, and Lake Siwa. We’ll also take 4WD vehicles into the Great Sand Sea for sunrise and sunset photography. Albabenshal Hotel (BLD) TUE, JAN 26 - SIWA OASIS Continue sightseeing from previous day. Albabenshal Hotel (BD) WED, JAN 27 - SIWA OASIS-ALEXANDRIA We bid goodbye to Siwa today and return to Alexandria, with photo stops en route. Sofitel Cecil Alexandria (BLD) THU, JAN 28 - ALEXANDRIA-CAIRO-AMMAN Any uncompleted city sightseeing from our previous visit can be done this morning before we drive back to Cairo in time to catch an evening flight to Amman, Jordan’s modern capital city. We stop en route to our hotel for dinner at Kan Zaman, a restored Ottoman walled village with good shopping opportunities. Jerusalem Hotel (BLD) FRI, JAN 29 - AMMAN-PETRA Amman was born on seven major hills (jebels), but today spreads across 19. This morning we visit the citadel on top of Jebel al-Qala’a, with its Temple of Hercules and huge Umayyad Palace complex stretching over the northern part of the hill. Part of the palace was built above pre-existing Roman structures, and an entire colonnaded Roman street was incorporated into it. Atop Jebel al-Ashrafiyeh’ is the striking Abu Darwish Mosque, built in 1961 with unmistakable alternating layers of black and white stone. The blue-domed King Abdullah Mosque on Jebel al-Hussein, completed in 1989 as a memorial by the late King Hussein to his grandfather, can house up to 7,000 worshippers inside and another 3,000 in the courtyard area. This is the only mosque in Amman that openly welcomes non-Muslim visitors. After lunch, we drive via the Desert Highway to our hotel at the entrance to Petra. Crowne Plaza Resort Hotel Petra (BD) SAT, JAN 30 - PETRA Petra is magnificent, mysterious, and always thrilling. Two thousand years ago, the Nabataeans carved a city out of the rose-red rock and built an empire based on advanced agricultural techniques and control of the area’s strategic trade routes. Petra was protected for several hundred years by a ring of impenetrable mountains, breached only by the half-mile-long fissure through the mountains known as the Siq. When the Romans finally captured Petra in 106 A.D., it was a large, thriving, and beautiful city. The entire day is set aside for exploration of the hidden city either on your own or with our guide. Crowne Plaza Resort Hotel Petra (BD) SUN, JAN 31 - PETRA-AMMAN This morning we travel back to Amman, once again via the Desert Highway. Stops include St. George Church in Madaba, renowned for its Byzantine-era mosaics, and Mt. Nebo, set on the precipice of a spectacular plateau with sweeping views, on a clear day, all the way to Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. Jerusalem Hotel (BLD) MON, FEB 1 - AMMAN / JERASH / AJLUN Today we drive through the lovely hills of Gilead to Jerash, the best and most complete ruins of a provincial Roman city in the world. Jerash was buried under sand and rubble for centuries, until the German traveler Seetzen discovered the site in 1806. Here, in the monumental hippodrome, we see a Roman Army performance, gladiator fights, and a chariot race, and have time to explore and photograph. After lunch, we drive through beautiful pine forests and olive groves to Ajlun, 12 miles west of Jerash. The town’s main attraction is Qala’at ar-Rab, built by the Arabs in 1184. A fine example of Islamic military architecture, the castle commands views of not only the Jordan Valley, but three wadis leading to it, making it an important strategic link in the defensive chain against the Crusaders. With its hilltop position, it was one of many beacons and pigeon posts that allowed messages to be transmitted from the Euphrates to Cairo in the space of a day. We return to Amman, where our adventure comes to an end as we transfer to the airport about midnight to begin our journey home. Jerusalem Hotel (BLD) TUE, FEB 2 - AMMAN-PARIS-U.S. We board a flight to Paris early this morning, then connect with flights to the U.S., arriving the same day.
Note: Included meals are indicated by B, L, and D for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
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