Turkey - Days 1 - 14

We start the trip in Istanbul, Old Constantinople on the Bosphorus. Must sees are the Covered Bazaar, the biggest and oldest covered market in the world, the Topkapi Palace, home of the Sultans and harems of the Byzantium & Ottoman Empire, the Blue Mosque and Santa Sophia, a church now converted into a Mosque.

We leave Istanbul on the first day of the trip for Gallipoli. Famous for the futile WWI invasion and the mass graves of Anzac soldiers, you can wander the bleak remains of the battlefields and trench networks.

We cross the Dardenelles by ferry from Europe to Asia, to Troy, the city made famous by Helen of Troy, Paris and Achilles and of course the Trojan wooden horse. Ephesus is the largest and best-preserved Roman city on the Mediterranean coast. Nearby are the remains of the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Pamukkale is an ancient flow of mineralised water that has created a hillside of white limestone curtained terraces, with ancient spa pools.

In the summer we visit the Turquoise Coast near Kas and Olympos with its eternal flames, taking a boat out to the sunken temple of Kekova.

In central Turkey is Cappadoccia, a region formed from volcanic ash.

The nearby town of Goreme has churches and monasteries carved into the rock with Christian frescoes and valleys full of chimney shaped houses.

Derinkuyu is a massive underground city, 5 storeys deep and miles wide, tunneled beneath the plains it is large enough to hold 15,000 people. Here you can buy some of the best value Turkish carpets and pottery in the world.

Syria - Days 15 - 21

Aleppo in Syria is a trading city with covered markets, citadel and caravanserais. Overlooking one of the few valleys leading inland is the imposing crusader castle Krac-de-Chevaliers. In an oasis in the deserts of eastern Syria we visit Palmyra the ruined city; a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then Damascus the capital with its narrow streets and markets is the oldest inhabited city in the world.

Here you the option to take a day trip to Lebanon visiting the ruins of the temple of Jupiter at Baalbeck (the largest temple ever built) and in Beirut view the destruction along the old Green Line and the famous Hard Rock Cafe. Rebuilt and peaceful on the Mediterranean, it's slowly becoming a modern city once again.

Jordan - Days 22 - 26

You can only try to swim in the Dead Sea, which is so salty you can only float on top; the mud in the city is meant to be very healthy to cover yourself with. The ancient rock cut city of Petra, with buildings and temples carved into the rocky walls of a vast red valley, is one of the must sees of the Middle East. It was lost for a thousand years and is now the set of many feature films such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Wadi Rum was the desert base of the famed 'Lawrence of Arabia' during the Arab revolt in WWI. Hire a camel to ride through the massive rock islands and sheer sandstone cliffs that rise out of an ocean of orange sand.

Egypt - Days 27 - 28

We use a ferry to cross the Red Sea from Aqaba in Jordan to the Sinai in Egypt. We spend a few days at Dahab camp on the beach where you can swim to some of the best coral reefs in the world, only yards from the shore. It's a great spot to relax, while the energetic can scuba dive, snorkel and take trips into the desert.

To Cairo we travel by bus to be met and taken to you hotel on arrival.

Weather Warning - The Middle East has extreme weather; with possible snow and temperatures as low as minus 10C in winter in Turkey, and highs of 50C in summer. For mild weather, travel in spring or autumn. We see the weather as part of the trip experience.