Signature Five-Star Egypt and Jordan Tour

A great chance to see the majesty of the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. you' ll enjoy personalized attention on your tour of these famous symbols of Egypt's ancient civilization. In the Giza plateau area, the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx date back over 4600 years. While there are actually over 100 pyramids in Egypt, the Pyramids of Giza are by far the most famous and are the last of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World. Your qualified Egyptologist guide will provide a fascinating introduction to each of the three pyramids: Cheops, Chephren, and Mykerinus. You will have free time to enter one of the pyramids (additional cost), although your guide is not permitted to enter with you. After visiting the pyramids, you' ll then continue across the plateau for a photo opportunity of the three pyramids rising from the sands, with the Cairo skyline in the background. A short drive to the city side of the plateau finds you standing at the feet of the Sphinx, for thousands of years the enigmatic symbol of Egypt. The Sphinx; has the body of a lion and the head of a king and is surrounded by mystery, including the unanswered questions: how was it built  and why. 

Sakkara was the main necropolis of the old kingdom era. It is a great archeological site where the famous and multi-titled architect Imhotep built the oldest pyramid in Egypt. The first stone structure is 4800 years and was erected in the form of huge solid steps on top of each. (The name Step Pyramid is quite suitable). you will learn in the complex the step pyramid the development of the royal tomb structure.

Your tour guide will accompany you inside one of the tombs of the nobles (tomb of Kagmini) to see murals reflecting daily life activities in ancient Egypt. Moreover, you have the chance to enter the pyramid of Titi, where you can see the oldest form of the pyramid text on the chamber walls (4340 years old.

After breakfast, enjoy an excursion to the Egyptian Museum, which features artifacts from the Pharaonic period. The museum displays a rare collection of 5000 years of art, which is considered the largest and most precious collection of Egyptian art in the world. Over 250,000 genuine artifacts are presented, including an exhibit dedicated to Tutankhamen's collection of treasure, then proceed to old Cairo as you are going to visit Hanging Church, Saint Sergius and Bacchus Church, Ben Ezra Synagogue, overnight in Cairo

After breakfast, catch a flight to Luxor, known in antiquity as Thebes. This extraordinary city served as Egypt&rsquo's capital during part of the Middle Kingdom and at the height of the New Kingdom and was dedicated to the god Amun, one of the most revered deities of the Egyptian pantheon. Explore the Karnak temple complex, a sprawling array of shrines, obelisks, and gateways where Amun and other deities were worshipped; and take the afternoon to wander about Luxor museum. This evening, visit the striking Luxor Temple. With its colonnade of soaring columns and larger-than-life statues, this complex is particularly beautiful after dark, when evocative lighting creates a mystical, dream-like atmosphere for your vessel to begin your cruise down the river this evening.

Today, venture to the famed Valley of the Kings, where the pharaohs of Egypt&rsquo's the New Kingdom chose to build elaborate underground tombs instead of the pyramids typical of the Old Kingdom. Descend into the tomb of Tutankhamun— discovered in 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter— and see the remains of the boy-king. Admire the vivid wall paintings of the mortuary temple of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut. Round off your time in Luxor with a visit to the Colossi of Memnon— two 60-foot-tall stone statues of the pharaoh Amenhotep III, which have guarded the king’s necropolis since 1350 B.C.. 

In the morning, our cruise ship will take us to Edfu to see its marvelous temple. The Edfu Temple is the best-preserved ancient temple in Egypt dedicated to the falcon god Horus. It was built in the Ptolemaic period between 240 and 57 BC. When we return to the ship, we will  cruise towards Kom Ombo where we arrive in the late afternoon.

 We will visit the Ptolemaic Kom Ombo Temple. It was built during the reign of King Ptolemy V (ca. 205 to 180 BC). The Ptolemies constructed the Temple of Kom Ombo to worship the two gods, Sobek – the crocodile god, and Horus – the falcon god. After visiting the site, we will return to the ship for dinner and then we will start sailing south towards

Leave the Nile cruise and explore three of Aswan's most popular and well-known sites. Walk on the High Dam which separates Lake Nasser from the Nile, be astounded at the size of the Unfinished Obelisk, and enjoy the beauty of Philae Temple's island location. Depart your Aswan hotel or cruise ship and travel to the High Dam of Aswan, an engineering miracle when it was built in the 1960s. Containing more material than used in the Great Pyramid of Cheops, the Dam is 11,811 ft long, 3215 ft thick at the base, 364 ft tall, and is carved into from the existing granite, providing irrigation and electricity for the whole of Egypt. From the top of the High Dam, you can gaze across Lake Nasser to Kalabsha temple in the south and the huge power station to the north. Continue to the Unfinished Obelisk in the granite quarries of Aswan where much of the red granite used for ancient temples and colossi came from.

The Unfinished Obelisk still lies where it was carved when a crack was discovered as it was being hewn from the rock. Your qualified Egyptologist guide will explain how the 1-tonne obelisk was carved, and why the crack caused it to be abandoned. The last of the 3 famous Aswan sites you will see today is generally regarded as the best. Philae Temple was carefully moved to its current location (around 500 meters from the original site) when the construction of the High Dam caused surrounding Nile waters to rise.

A short motorboat ride takes you to the island where your guide will take you on a walking tour through the temple before allowing you free time to explore further on your own.

Dedicated to the goddess Isis, Philae Temple has a beautiful setting on an island in the river which has been landscaped to match its original site. Its various shrines and sanctuaries celebrate the deities involved in the myth of Isis and Osiris. This evening, board a felucca—a traditional wooden sailboat of the Nile—

Fly to Abu Simbel in southern Egypt this morning, where your local guide will join you. Head out for a tour of this awe-inspiring ancient site, among Ramses II&rsquo's most impressive building achievements. Four nearly 70-foot-tall statues of the pharaoh grace the entrance to the main temple carved out of a dramatic sandstone cliff. During the Abu Simbel Sun Festival— celebrated twice a year, in February and October— the rays of the sun cast a golden light on the inner chamber, illuminating the seated statues of Ramses and two sun gods. Like the temple at Philae, the Abu Simbel temples were also dismantled and rebuilt at a higher elevation to make way for the Aswan High Dam— a feat of engineering to rival Abu Simbel&rsquo's original construction. After lunch, catch a flight back to Cairo and relax at your hotel.

Fly from Cairo to Amman where you will notice the change in atmosphere as the bustle of one capital fades to the tranquility of another. Arrive in Amman, where you are met by a YET representative and privately transferred to your hotel at the Dead Sea.

Proceed to Mount Nebo, where Moses is said to have seen the Promised Land he would never enter. Just beyond, Madaba — the “ City of Mosaics” — reveals the oldest preserved mosaic map of the Holy Land. Composed of two million pieces of colored stone, it informed scholars about Jerusalem&rsquo's layout after its destruction and rebuilding in AD 70. Continue to Aqaba and check in to your hotel.

After a morning at leisure in Aqaba, travel to Wadi Rum — the “ Valley of the Moon” — which you explore by 4x4, traversing rose-tinted vistas and visiting a place where Lawrence of Arabia once lived. Tonight, dine beneath twinkling desert skies before returning to your hotel.

The journey back to Amman can take two hours with a scenic ride on route to drop you at the airport for your international departure. But for an evening departure, this final transfer can include many intriguing stops. Spend time at the Roman ruins of Jerash for insight into the blend of Greco-Roman architecture and Arab traditions dating back to the 1st century BC or explore the epic 12th-century crusader castle of Kerak, the largest crusader castle in Jordan, before reaching Queen Alia International Airport.