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Contrasts of Arabia, Jordan and Egypt

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Duration

20 Days

Tour Type

Daily Tour

Group Size

Unlimited

Languages

___

Itinerary

Day 1: Jeddah

Welcome to SAUDI ARABIA! ....a country of contrasts that will leave you with surprising memories! Transfer to your hotel. Arrival at JEDDAH, the second city in the country, with four million inhabitants, on the shore of the Red Sea. Transfer to your hotel and free time.

Day 2: Jeddah.-

Full day in Jeddah. With a local guide we will visit this city that will surprise us by its contrasts. At this time, a large part of the city is being rebuilt to make it a great world megalopolis. Among others, the construction of the Jeddah Tower, which will be the tallest building in the world with more than a thousand meters high, stands out.

We will follow the Corniche, with its beautiful views, its mosques by the sea and its recreational areas. We will contemplate the King Fahd Fountain, the highest of its kind in the world, its water jets reach more than 300 meters high. We will stop at the lively and picturesque fish market. We will include the entrance to “Tabeyat International city” an architectural complex of great beauty with its very interesting museums of history and ethnography. We will then visit the historical center, entering through Bab Makkah – the most important gate of Jeddah – and we will also pass by the cemetery of Eve, where tradition says that Eve, Adam’s wife and the first woman of humanity according to the bible, was buried. Free time for lunch in a shopping center- Mall- where you can choose from the various restaurants and types of food offered there.

In the afternoon, we will take a walk through its historic center, better known as Al-Balad, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, with its impressive set of medieval alleys and its houses made with coral and wooden balconies. We will visit inside the elegant house of Beit Sallum, today converted into a museum.

Day 3: Jeddah-Mecca- Al Hada – Taif.

Important Note: Mecca is a city that is not accessible to non-Muslim tourists. If you are Muslim, if you wish, we can adapt your program so that you can visit it (you will stay in Taif with the rest of the members of the group and the visit of the remaining points of the day will not be included). In this case, there will be a supplement that will depend on the number of travelers who can and wish to visit Mecca.

Today we travel to Taif, a city authorized for non-Muslim travelers in the province of Mecca. This city, located at almost 2000 meters above sea level, is popular for its mild climate, so every summer the Saudi Government moves to this point -not as hot as Riyadh-. The route, up the mountain, is spectacular in scenery. We will stop at AL HADA, with its tourist market, great views and rose fields. Lunch included.


TAIF, this popular city with very modern shopping malls and great amusement parks, has numerous rose gardens. On the outskirts of the city of Qadeera, we will visit the King Faisal Park, which hosts an annual rose festival, and experience the roses used to make local perfumes. In this city 300 million roses are produced annually in more than 900 farms. We will visit a rose oil factory -Attar- . We will also stroll through the central market, with its maze of narrow streets and its different areas (honey, perfumes, jewelry...). In the evening we will go to the modern shopping mall district where you will have time to dine in one of its many restaurants of all kinds of cuisines.

Day 4: Taif- Riyadh.-

Transfer to the airport and flight to RIYADH and transfer to your hotel.

In the evening, we will include a transfer with entrance ticket to Boulevard Riyadh, the largest park in the kingdom, which will surprise you with its animation and life. The park has curious attractions, numerous restaurants with specialties from many different countries, live shows and, above all, a fountains eye-catching show with colored water. Free time to stroll around, enjoy
the place and dine in one of its restaurants. Return to the hotel.

Day 5: Riyadh

Today (the order of activities may vary depending on the time of year) we will visit the impressive capital of Saudi Arabia. We will include the climb to the tower of just over 300 m high, the "Kingdom Centre", with its beautiful design and its "bridge-shaped" viewpoint that offers spectacular views over the city. We will also visit, surrounded by a beautiful park, the National Museum, the largest museum in the country, where we will learn about the history, culture, and art of the Kingdom. After that we will visit the Masmak Fortress, the ancient fortress of the city, whose interior allows us to understand the incredible change that took place in this city during the last century. Afterwards, we will have time to stroll through the neighborhood, with its souks and commercial life.

Free time for lunch in a shopping center- Mall- where you can choose from the various restaurants and types of food offered there.

In the afternoon we will also visit the district of Al Turaif DIRIYA, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This place - on the outskirts of Riyadh - was formerly the first capital of the Saudi dynasty, which we will be able to discover thanks to the vestiges of its numerous palaces and the urban complex at the edge of the oasis of Ad-Diriya.


At the end of the day, we will visit the Al Rajhi Mosque, the largest mosque in Riyadh with its Andalusian style architecture, where we will witness a prayer and have an introduction to Islam that will surely make us learn something about this religion. Return to hotel.

Day 6: Riyadh - Al Qasab - Shaqra - Ushaiqer – Buraydah

Today we follow the ancient route of pilgrims traveling from Iraq to Mecca, with its many historic towns in small oases. AL QASAB was known since ancient times for its salt and wheat production, also for its poets. We will visit the walled city and the small salt ponds where 200,000 tons of salt are still produced each year.

Desert landscapes of dunes lead us to SHAQRA, a city that is growing along with its university. We visit the well-fortified ancient city, with its picturesque old market and adobe alleys. Continue to USHAIQER. Lunch included before transferring to Ushaiqer Heritage Village, a village that was an important stop for pilgrims because of its springs and the beauty of its oasis. We will also visit its small museum and its Najdi architecture houses with its carved wooden doors, its beautiful windows and triangular roofs. Continuation to BURAYDAH, capital of the province of El Kasim with more than 600 000 inhabitants located in a large oasis. Arrival in the late afternoon and free time.

Day 7: Buraydah – Medina.-

Early in the morning we will visit the largest Camel Market in the world, located in Buraydah - a city that also houses a camel hospital. The city´s economy is also based on agriculture of oasis products (dates, lemons, oranges, wheat), and annually, around August, holds a huge date market that attracts many people from different places to buy their date annual requirement. We will visit "the city of dates" -more or less active depending on the time of the year- and we will be able to taste this sweet fruit of the palm tree. Afterwards, we will have time to stroll through the city center, with its vegetable market, its great mosque, its jewelry souks and its activity. We will visit the Al Oqilat Museum that tells us about the traditions of Arabia and the customs of the region. Free time for lunch.

In the afternoon, we continue our route by an excellent highway through the desert. Arrival in the evening to the holy city of MEDINA, "the luminous city". We find ourselves in an outstanding historical and religious destination as it is one of the two most sacred cities of Islam. Medina is visited by millions of pilgrims every year and has been forbidden to non-Muslims until very recently. Respect its inhabitants and beliefs and remember to use the required mode of dress. In the evening, we will go to see - today from outside - the Al Masjid Mosque, built by the prophet himself and the place where he is buried. We will be touched to see the thousands of people who enter at prayer time. Dinner included.

Day 8: Medina – Al-’Ula

Note: The Al-’Ula region is one of the most beautiful areas in the world, however its hotel infrastructure is extremely limited. On some occasions we will spend two nights in Medina (visiting in this case in the afternoon the Al Madinah Museum) leaving very early for Al-’Ula on Tuesday.

We will explore Medina. We will walk around the immense Prophet´s Mosque (Al Masjid an Nabawi), an amazing and luminous mosque of ten minarets with a capacity for one million visitors.. On the hill of UHUD, an important pilgrimage site, where the prophet´s forces clashed with Meccan troops. You can walk through its vast esplanade and climb the hill but remember to do so in silence and respecting the hundreds of pilgrims surrounding us at any given time. At the Mosque of Quba, in the year 622, the prophet and his followers laid the first stone of what was to be the first mosque in history, although the present building is more recent. From here, we will walk to the nearby garden and well of Ethiq where the different tribes of the place went out to drink water and greet the Prophet and his companions recently arrived in Medina after their persecution in Mecca. Afterwards we will have some free time in the city center to stroll around the shopping areas or -if you wish- visit the Hejaz Railway Museum (in the former Ottoman railway station).


In the afternoon we travel to one of the most spectacular places in the world: The region and oasis of AL-’ULA: an authentic open-air museum surrounded by nature, where you will find rock formations, canyons and ravines that compete with the majestic treasures carved by its ancient inhabitants. After arrival we will go to The Elephant Rock, "Jabal Al Fil" an impressive geomorphological phenomenon, a 52 meters high rock in the shape of an Elephant. Dinner included.

Day 9: Al-’Ula - Tabuk

In the region of Al-’Ula we will visit the enclosure of HEGRA (Madain Saleh), declared World Heritage by UNESCO, of Nabataean culture "the Other Petra" amazes us with its tombs excavated in the rock in a desert environment full of mystery. Lunch included. We will have free time in "Al-’Ula Heritage Village", the old Al-’Ula, magnificently restored with its pleasant restaurants and shops. We will also have some time to walk in the magnificent Oasis. In the middle of the afternoon, we will leave for TABUK. Dinner included.

Day 10: Tabuk – Petra

We visit Tabuk, a city over half a million inhabitants, active provincial capital and one of the oldest cities in the country. We will visit the castle whose origin is 3500 years before Christ, and inside it, a museum tells the history of the castle and the city, from the great explorers who visited it, such as Ibn Battuta, to the pilgrims who stopped to drink from the fountains on their way to Mecca or Medina. After the visit, we will enter the Mud House Museum, a recreation of the interior of an adobe house where we will learn what traditional life was like in the past in this type of housing. Subsequently we walk through the active commercial area of the city center and we reach the old train station, today a museum that preserves the steam machines that connected Damascus with Medina.

Only 100 km separate us from JORDAN. Border procedures and continuation to WADI MUSA (town created around Petra), we will visit the Spring of Moses, where allegedly Moses hit the rock with his rod and the water gushed out, and the Petra Museum, an excellent sample that allows us to understand the history of the Nabataeans and get to know magnificent pieces found in the area. Dinner included. Travelers who wish to do so can go in their free time to an old Turkish bath or get to see the lights and sounds show in Petra.

Day 11: Petra- Wadi Rum.-

Today we have the most exciting day of the trip: First, we visit the impressive archaeological site of PETRA, which is accessed through a narrow canyon, and discover the temples and tombs excavated on the cliffs in this city that was founded 300 years before Christ. After lunch (included) we leave for the impressive desert of WADI RUM. At the Visitor Centre we board 4x4 vehicles to visit some of the most impressive landscapes. We stop in the town of RUM to visit the ruins of the Nabatean temple. We include a 45-minute camel ride through the desert. We will also visit the Khazali Canyon. In this spectacular place, we will see the engravings that reveal the origins of the Arabic language. Dinner and accommodation included in a desert camp.

Day 12: Wadi Rum- Aqaba- Eilat- Saint Catherine.-

After breakfast, we leave for AQABA, Jordan’s second city, lying on the banks of the Red Sea. We walk through the center before continuing to the border of ISRAEL, EILAT and arrive in this modern and tourist city with its excellent beaches. There’s time to relax, have lunch and stroll around. Are you tempted to have a swim? We then continue towards the EGYPT border, and into Sinai. On the way, there’s chance to take photographs of the Pharaoh’s Island with the powerful fortress of Saladin. Continue to SAINT CATHERINE. Arrival, accommodation and dinner included.

FEES: At the border crossing from Jordan to Israel and from Israel to Egypt, every traveler must pay an entry/exit fee for the different countries. Jordan: $15 (exit fees), Israel: $32 (exit fee), Egypt: $45 (entry visa, which is actually $25 visa + $20.Approximate rates and subject to change without prior notice by the authorities of the country.
Drones and cameras with a 5,5 mtr zoom are prohibited as well as other types of professional equipment cameras ( Europamundo is not responsiblefor objects that may be seized at borders by the authorities of the countries)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to exceptional circumstances or due to a small number of participants, it may happen that we will cross directly from Jordan to Egypt by boat, taking the AQABA- TABA FERRY with a duration of just over two hours. During the ferry crossing, there will be no assistance from any guide.

Day 13: Saint Catherine- Well of Moses- Cairo.-

At the foot of Mount Sinai, we visit the impressive walled monastery of SAINT CATHERINE. According to tradition, this is where Moses saw “the Burning Bush that burned without being consumed”. The monastery, which is a sacred place for Jews, Christians and Muslims, belongs to the Orthodox Church and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We then continue on through the Sinai Desert’s picturesque landscapes. Lunch included in route. Stop at the WELL OF MOSES, a biblical site that looks like a small oasis. We will leave Sinai through the tunnel under the SUEZ CANAL. Arrival in CAIRO at the end of the afternoon. Accommodation.

Day 14: Cairo.-

Full day visit where we explore the famous Pyramids of Cheops, Kefren and Micerinos (tickets to go inside the pyramids are not included), and also the impressive Sphinx, which is sculpted from rock. Visit to the Egyptian Museum with its ancient art and where the treasure of the Lost Tomb of Tutankhamen is kept. Lunch included. Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque. We will take a walk through the Coptic neighborhood where we visit the Hanging Church built above a Roman fortress.

Day 15: Cairo - Luxor

We start the tour at Cairo airport to take a regular flight (included) to LUXOR (the booked flight can be between 06:00 and 08:30 AM). This flight lasts one hour and 10 minutes. Once you arrive in Luxor according to the flight schedule, we will visit the temples of Karnak and Luxor, which build the most important monumental complex in Egypt, built over two thousand years. The temples are about 3 km from the cruise and the visit lasts 3 hours. Transfer to the boat. Distribution of cabins. Full board. Night on board.

Day 16: Luxor - Esna

Full board on board. Breakfast at 05:00. We leave the ship at 06:00. Visit of the Necropolis of Thebes, comprising the famous Valley of the Kings, which is 18 km from the boat. Arrival at the Valley of the Kings around 06:45 and we finish the visit around 08:30. Then, at about 4 km, we will have the panoramic visit of the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut in Deir Al Bahari, by bus 10 minutes away is Deir Bahari. The visit lasts an hour and then it takes another 10 minutes by bus to reach the temple of Medinet Habu located about 4 km from the temple of Hatshepsut and another hour to visit the temple and on the way back to the boat, a stop to see the Colossi of Memnon. After the visit, return to the boat. Navigation to Edfu crossing the Esna lock. Luxor is 120 km from Edfu It takes 4 hours to reach the Esna lock; we need to wait for the turn to pass and sail for another 4 hours to reach Edfu. Accommodation on board.

Day 17: Esna- Edfu- Kom Ombo - Aswan.-

Breakfast is from 06:00 to 07:00. Full board on the ship. At 7.00 AM visit of Temple of Edfu. The temple is 1km from the boat. The transfer of the boat to the temple of Edfu is done in carriages. It is almost 15 minutes each way, and an hour and a half in the temple. The Temple is dedicated to the Falcon God Horus and is the best preserved in Egypt as well as being the second largest in the country. At 09:00 return to the boat. Navigation to Kom Ombo. It takes almost 6 hours to get to Kom Ombo. Arrival around 17:00. Departure to visit the Temple of Kom Ombo; we walk there because it is very close to the boat, about 200 meters. The visit lasts a total of an hour and a half. It is the only temple dedicated to two Gods: Haroeris, who had a falcon´s head and Sobek, with a crocodile head and God of fertility. At Kom Ombo, we will also visit the Nilometer, used by the ancient Egyptians to measure the water level of the Nile. After the visit return to the ship at 18:30. Navigation to Aswan (almost 4 hours).

Day 18: Aswan

Arrival to ASWAN. Possibility of getting the optional tour to Abu Simbel (visit NOT included in the itinerary), located two hundred and eighty kilometers from Aswam, visit the western desert and the temples carved on the cliff by Ramses II during the twelfth century BC, with 20 meters high statues, dedicated to the god Amon Ra, and the Temple of Nefertari, dedicated to the goddess Hathor. Visit the Red Granite quarry where is the famous 41 meters high Unfinished Obelisk. We will also visit the Aswan Dam, one of the largest in the world, which created Lake Nasser with a length of more than 500 km. We will visit the beautiful Temple of Philae dedicated to the goddess Isis and located on a small island that can only be accessed by boat. In the afternoon, a felucca cruise on the Nile, typical sailing boats in the area, heading to the island of Kitchener where the Botanical Garden is located. Full board. Accommodation on board.

Day 19: Aswan - Cairo

Breakfast. Transfer to the airport to take the plane to Cairo (flight included). Arrival to CAIRO airport and transfer to the hotel. During the evening, visit the Light and Sound Show at the Giza Pyramids. Accommodation.

Day 20:

After breakfast, transfer to the airport and end of our services.

Included/Excluded

  • Sharm Travels General Services: Travel by bus with English speaking guide, basic travel insurance, hotel and breakfast buffet.
  • Includes arrival transfer
  • Includes departure transfer
  • City tour in: Jeddah, Riyadh, Medina, CAIRO
  • Excursion: 4x4 vehicles, camel rides, Valley of the Kings, Colossi of Memnon , Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids of Giza
  • Boat: Typical sailing boats felucca and show typical dance beduina
  • Evening transfer: Historic centre in Jeddah, Boulevard Riyadh in Riyadh , Elephant Rock in Al Ula
  • Experiences: Rose factory-Attar in Taif, Kingdom Centre Tower and introduction to Islam in Al Rajhi mosque in Riyadh , Camel Market and date tasting experience in Buraydah
  • Ticket admission: Tabeyat International City and house of Beit Sallum in Jeddah, King Faisal park , Boulevard Riyadh, National Museum, Masmak Fortress and Al Rajhi Mosque in Riyadh , Ushaiqer Heritage Village , Oqilat Museum in Buraydah , garden and well of Ethiq in Medina , Hegra, Heritage Village and the Elephant Rock in Al Ula , Castle, Mud House museum and old train station in Tabuk , Spring of Moses and Petra Museum in Petra , Arqueological Site , Visitor Centre, 4x4 vehicles and camel rides , Monastery of Santa Catalina , Well of Moses , Pyramids of Cheops, Kefren and Micerinos, Egyptian Museum, Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque, the Hanging Church Coptic neighbourhood , Temples of Luxor and Karnak , Necropolis of Thebas, Valley of the Kings, Colossi of Memnon, Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Medinet Habu; , Temple of Horus , Temple of Kom Ombo , Red Granite Quarry and Unfinished Obelisk, Philae Temple, Aswan Dam
  • Flights included: Taif/ Riyadh, Cairo - Luxor , Aswan-Cairo
  • 11 Lunch included in: Al Hada, Ushaiqer, Al ula, PETRA, SAINT CATHERINE, MOSES WELL, CAIRO, Luxor, Luxor, Kom Ombo, Aswan
  • 9 dinner included in: Medina, Al ula, Tabuk, WADI RUM, SAINT CATHERINE, Luxor, Esna, Aswan, Aswan
  • Entrance Fees Any extras not mentioned in the itinerary.
  • Tipping.

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