Please note that our itineraries are not set in stone and can be subject to change.
If you provide us with your flight arrival details AT LEAST TWO WEEKS BEFORE YOUR DEPARTURE DATE we can arrange for you to be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel we use in Cairo.
Middle East Tour D 1 – 4 The first day of your trip is spent in Cairo visiting the Sphinx and Pyramids of Giza with a local guide (this also includes a camel ride around the Pyramids), we also visit the Egyptian History museum in the afternoon – the camel ride, entry fees and the Egyptologist guide are included. After dinner we take the overnight train to Aswan - arguably the most attractive city on the Nile and a highlight of the trip. Here you can walk along the Corniche with its riverside restaurants, some of them floating, and enjoy tremendous views of the Nile cataracts. We spend two days here, which gives you enough time to take a trip out to the stone monuments of Abu Simbel built by the greatest of all Pharaohs, Ramses II. On the fourth day, you have the opportunity to enjoy the Nile River from a traditional felucca sail boat for a two day trip to Kom Ombo.
Middle East Tour D 5 – 8 It is then a short drive to Luxor where we join our truck and pitch tents for the first time. The campsite has a swimming pool and is our base for the next two days to explore the city. Both Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple are within easy walking distance. On our second day in Luxor we organise a trip by donkey to Valley of the Queens and Valley of the Kings. Here, the remarkably well-preserved tombs of Ramses II and Tutankhamun have coloured paintings and hieroglyphics that still seem fresh after 3000 years.
Middle East Tour D 9 – 13 We now drive for a day and a half through the desert towards Dahab on the Red Sea coast. We pass through Hurghada and then cross the Red Sea under the Suez Canal. Dahab is our base for the next 3 or 4 days. Here, you can snorkel or scuba dive to some of the best coral in the world or enjoy the Bedouin hospitality and just relax on the beach. For the energetic you can take a one day camel safari. Trekking off road down the desert coastline with experienced Bedouin guides and camels you will reach areas few tourists ever see. Mount Sinai and St. Catherine's Monastery are nearby deep in the desert. It was here, that Moses received the Ten Commandments. It is a great place, if a little cold, to camp the night and watch the sunrise.
Middle East Tour D 14 – 18 From Dahab we have a short drive to catch the ferry across the Red Sea to Aqaba in Jordan. From Aqaba we camp over night in the desert at Wadi Rum - the desert headquarters of Lawrence of Arabia. Here there is the option to take a guided 4WD jeep safari deep into the desert. Petra - one of the main attractions in the Middle East is only a short drive away and is our next stop, this stone-carved city was only uncovered about 70 years ago after being forgotten for over 1000 years. Walking through an incredibly narrow, rocky defile brings you out to Petra's most famous site -The Treasury - The Nabataeans who carved this vast red city in 3rd Century BC controlled the spice and slave caravans on their way from Asia to Arabia. From Petra we venture down to the lowest point on earth – The Dead Sea. Here, therapeutic mud baths and not so therapeutic mud fights are followed by an unusual swimming experience in this highly buoyant salt sea! In the late afternoon we have a short drive to Mt Nebo where we camp for the night before a short drive to the capital, Amman where we spend a couple of hours.
Middle East Tour D 19 – 25 Syria is close by and our first stop in this fascinating country is the capital - Damascus. We spend three nights in this, the oldest inhabited city in the world. From here there is the option of taking a one day guided tour into Lebanon and Beirut. Syrians are among the most hospitable people you will ever meet. The country has a rich and varied history with the Egyptian, Roman, Babylonian and Persian Empires having all passed through here along with Jesus and his disciples! Then time permitting we travel out to the oasis town of Palmyra where we really get into the desert proper. Sleeping out in this vast wilderness, untainted by artificial light is an experience not to be missed. A half day drive away we visit Crac de Chevaliers - an 800-year-old Crusader Castle - perched high on top of a mountain. Our final destination in Syria is the friendly market town of Aleppo where we have a free day to explore the souks and local tea houses and restaurants or you can choose to steam clean yourself at a local hammam.
Middle East Tour D 26 – 31 Driving through stunning mountain scenery in the crisp clear days of summer, and ice and snow in winter, we wend our way into Turkey. From here we travel inland and upwards for a day to the visually powerful, windswept landforms of Cappadocia. Over the centuries houses, churches, fortresses and even underground cities have been carved into this eerily eroded volcanic rock. The Goreme Valley provides us with an astonishing setting in which to spend a few days investigating the region. We will take you to one of the underground cities where you can explore alone or with a guide this ancient and mysterious area! We then head towards the Turkish coast and stop on the way at Saklikent Gorge where there is the opportunity to go river tubing. On the coast we stay at both Olympus and further up the Mediterranean coast at Olu Deniz. Our accommodation is tree houses and campsites and we spend the next couple of days relaxing on the beach. You can also take boat trips around the coast, tandem paraglide or hire small motor bikes.
Middle East Tour D 32 - 37 We then travel via either Pamukkale where you can swim in warm, mineral-rich water, or take the more visually scenic route towards Marmaris and camp in the mountains. We visit the well known ruins Ephesus where we spend 2 nights. Built by the Greeks a thousand years before Christ and then rebuilt by the Romans, Ephesus boasts an amphitheatre that can seat 24000 and a harbour with no water - still in good condition after all these years. We then stop at the ruins of Troy before we cross the Dardanelle Straits and visit Gallipoli, where in World War I on this blustery and exposed peninsula, ANZAC and British Forces struggled unsuccessfully for nine horrendous months to dislodge Turkish troops from the hills above the beaches. It is a moving experience to visit the war graves and battlegrounds where so much suffering and unnecessary loss of life took place. Australians and New Zealanders make a pilgrimage each year on ANZAC Day to pay their respects to their fellow countrymen who died here. We attend the dawn service on ANZAC Day. It is about a half day drive from here to the final destination of our trip - the exiting and cosmopolitan city of Istanbul where we have our final night’s party! Istanbul as an amazing city and staying for a couple of days after the trip finishes to experience this safe and friendly city and paying a visit to at least the Aya Sofya Mosque, Topkapi Palace or the Grand Bazaar to name but a few is recommended. Our crew can provide you with details and information of hostels to stay at in the Sultanhamet area of central Istanbul.
