Please read the below route notes (Istanbul to Cairo) in reverse.

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 - 42 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.

We visit St. Catherine's monastery. The monastery is reputed to be built on the site of the burning bush, one of the oldest in the world with its charnel house and relics.

Above the monastery rises Mount Sinai the highest mountain in the region. It was here that Moses received the Ten Commandments. You can climb the mountain in a few hours and watch the sunrise across the mountains, descending at dawn via the 3,000 steps.
We cross the Suez Canal where convoys of ocean liners follow the narrow waterway cut through the dunes. We head south along the Red Sea Coast before heading inland across the mountains to the Nile.

Luxor - This stretch of the Nile with its tombs, monolithic statues and dozens of Pharonic temples makes up one immense outdoor museum. Karnak is the largest temple complex in Egypt; its construction spans 50 acres and 3 centuries. Its best seen lit up during the evening sound and light show. Across the Nile are the twin statues of the Colossi of Memnon guarding the road to the Valley of the Kings with Tutankhamon's Tomb, its centuries old hieroglyphic painted walls still looking freshly painted with the boy king's gold funerary casket in its original position.

Aswan - With the desert sands rolling into the river, is the southern most town in Egypt. It is one of the most beautiful towns in the world with the vast desert sands rolling into this ancient river, which begins its journey from Uganda in the heart of Africa 2,500 miles south.

You can cross the Western Desert to monuments Abu Simbel built by Pharaoh Rameses II and rescued from the flooding the Aswan High Dam by the United Nations.

We sail by felucca down the river, a tranquil and beautiful way to see the Nile and the ancient farming life on its banks, while cooking, eating and sleeping in the boat.

We take the train along the Nile to Cairo and arrive in Cairo on the last day of the trip.

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.