Pyramids to Petra

8 days (Cairo)

Destinations visited: Jordan, Egypt, Cairo, World

Grading:

Adventure touring level

Grading Definitions

Discovery & Cruising

These are our least demanding trips. These journeys of discovery and cruises involve little or no extended activity and are suitable for people with a basic level of fitness and good health. The itinerary may take place in remote areas (with basic facilities) and may involve long travel days on various types of transport. Sightseeing may be conducted on foot and all participants should be capable of carrying their own luggage from vehicle to hotel rooms. These adventures do not go above 2500m and rarely involve camping.
Suggested preparation: Once or twice a week, we recommend you walk on undulating terrain for an hour, for at least 2 -3 months prior to departure.

Adventure Touring

Suggested preparation: Two or three times a week, we recommend you walk on undulating terrain for an hour or more, for at least 3 months prior to departure.

Introductory

These trips involve trekking or walking, cycling, rafting or sea kayaking for up to five or six hours a day at a slow but steady pace and should never be misinterpreted to mean they are easy trips. These trips do not spend time at altitudes above 4000m and are usually a week in duration. You will need a reasonable level of fitness and good health.
Suggested preparation: 30 minutes of aerobic type exercise, (either cycling or jogging) three times a week for three months leading up to your trek. For trekking, hill walking with a daypack in variable weather conditions is also recommended. For a cycling adventure, road cycling twice a week for three months prior to departure is recommended.

Introductory to Moderate

These trips involve a combination of what is described in our INTRODUCTORY and MODERATE levels. The emphasis is on introductory activity with several moderate stages

Moderate

These adventures involve trekking, cycling, rafting or sea kayaking for up to 6 or 7 hours a day at a steady pace. These trips may spend successive days at altitudes not generally exceeding 5,500m and are usually between 10 and 15 days in duration. You will need a good level of fitness and be in good health.
Suggested preparation: 45 minutes of aerobic type exercise, three to five times a week for the three months leading up to your trek. Hill walking with a pack in variable weather conditions or road cycling is also recommended depending upon the activity you plan to undertake.

Moderate to Challenging

These adventures involve trekking, cycling, rafting or sea kayaking for up to 6 or 7 hours a day at a steady pace. These trips may spend successive days at altitudes not generally exceeding 5,500m and are usually between 10 and 15 days in duration. You will need a good level of fitness and be in good health. Suggested preparation: 45 minutes of aerobic type exercise, three to five times a week for the three months leading up to your trek. Hill walking with a pack in variable weather conditions or road cycling is also recommended depending upon the activity you plan to undertake.

Challenging

These adventures involve trekking, cycling or rafting in remote areas in variable weather conditions for up to 8 to 10 hours a day (possibly more subject to weather conditions and altitude). This may include spending successive days at altitudes not generally exceeding 6000m. These trips may often be over three weeks in duration. You will need an excellent level of fitness, be prepared to carry a daypack weighing up to 8kgs (and in some cases a full pack) and be completely comfortable in adverse weather conditions.
Suggested preparation: One hour of aerobic type exercise, four to five times a week for three to six months prior to departure. Hill walking with a pack in variable weather conditions or on/off road cycling is also recommended.

Entry Mtn/Exploratory Treks

These adventures are classed as expeditions. They involve either extreme trekking and or basic mountaineering. Expect remote and poorly defined trails in variable weather conditions for up to 12 hours a day (possibly more subject to weather conditions and altitude). This may include a number of demanding high pass crossings and evacuation may be difficult from remote areas. Suitable for first time mountaineers wishing to take the step from trekking into the realm of mountaineering. Prior experience trekking at altitude is preferable but not essential and you should be comfortable in adverse weather conditions. Prior technical mountaineering experience is not necessary. Terrain will involve low angle snow slopes. Ropes may be used during treks for glacier travel and steeper sections of ice and snow. When mountaineering, basic mountaineering instruction is given by our mountaineering guides.
Suggested preparation: For grade 8-10 mountaineering expeditions you will need to be very fit and healthy. A minimum of 1 hour of aerobic exercise per session, four to five times a week is essential. Running and cycling in hilly areas is particularly beneficial as are multi day walks on the weekends. This is the ideal time to try out your boots and other gear to make sure you are prepared and ready for your expedition. If you are considering Intermediate or advanced level trips, you will need to discuss your preparation leading up to the trip with our expert staff.

Intermediate Mtn Expedition

Participants should be competent and self sufficient in the outdoors and have experience in multi day trekking at altitude. Prior experience on an entry level mountaineering expedition is highly recommended. The terrain will involve low to moderate angle snow slopes and traveling on crevassed glaciers. Experience using ice axe and crampons is preferred but not essential.
Suggested preparation: For grade 8-10 mountaineering expeditions you will need to be very fit and healthy. A minimum of 1 hour of aerobic exercise per session, four to five times a week is essential. Running and cycling in hilly areas is particularly beneficial as are multi day walks on the weekends. This is the ideal time to try out your boots and other gear to make sure you are prepared and ready for your expedition. If you are considering Intermediate or advanced level trips, you will need to discuss your preparation leading up to the trip with our expert staff.

Advanced Mtn Expedition

These are our most challenging expeditions. Clients must have prior mountaineering experience. Most are participatory expeditions & involve load carrying, setting up of camps, cooking and campcraft. Altitude is generally greater than 6500m. Some of these expeditions also involve “technical” climbing and are for experienced alpine climbers / mountaineers only. Technical expeditions involve steep climbing at high altitude (including rock climbing). Participation on one of these expeditions is subject to acceptance by one of our high altitude mountaineering guides.
Suggested preparation: For grade 8-10 mountaineering expeditions you will need to be very fit and healthy. A minimum of 1 hour of aerobic exercise per session, four to five times a week is essential. Running and cycling in hilly areas is particularly beneficial as are multi day walks on the weekends. This is the ideal time to try out your boots and other gear to make sure you are prepared and ready for your expedition. If you are considering Intermediate or advanced level trips, you will need to discuss your preparation leading up to the trip with our expert staff.

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Appreciate the wonders of Pharaonic Egypt and Jordan.

This journey aims to capture the rich historical legacy of Egypt, from the Pharaonic sites of Cairo to the biblical wilderness of the Sinai Desert. From Cairo we visit the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, where our qualified Egyptologist guide brings these icons to life. Journeying into the Sinai and the land of the Bedouins, we follow the footsteps of Moses to the summit of Mount Sinai. We will visit the beautiful St. Catherine's Monastery and take a boat to the port of Aqaba in Jordan. From there we tour the dramatic Wadi Rum by jeep and continue to magnificent Petra and Little Petra. A full day is set aside to explore this area and includes time to fully appreciate the awesome Treasury and Monastery. Our trip concludes with a swim in the Dead Sea before enjoying the sights of Jordan's modern capital, Amman.

Highlights

Cairo, great pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, Egyptian Museum & Citadel
Mount Sinai
St. Catherine's Monastery
Tour the dramatic Wadi Rum by jeep
Magnificent Petra and Little Petra
Sights of Amman, Jordan

Itinerary

Day 1 Join Cairo, visit the Great Pyramids

Upon arrival in Cairo on Day 1 you will be met and transferred to the group hotel which will be our overnight accommodation. A group briefing will be held in the morning before we make our way to visit Pyramids. Before appreciating the best preserved pyramids at Giza, we visit the Step Pyramid at Saqqara which shows the style of construction used to build them. The Step Pyramid was built by the Pharaoh’s chief architect, Imhotep, in 27BC and was at that time the largest stone construction ever built. Following our visit to Saqqara, we travel to the nearby old capital of Memphis. Little remains of the once grand and thriving metropolis, except a small museum and garden. We spend time visiting the gardens where statues of Ramses II can be viewed. The Great Pyramids of Egypt set on a plateau in the Arabian Desert, are one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the reason for which becomes evident as we first set our eyes on these awesome monuments. We explore the main sites. We will enter the Kings Chamber and marvel at the sophisticated construction of this ancient site. We include a visit to the Solar Barque Museum, where the remains of a wooden boat, perhaps used in the funeral procession for a Pharaoh, can be seen. Time is spent appreciating the majestic Sphinx and wondering at the mystery that surrounds this enormous structure.

Day 2 Cairo, Egyptian Museum, Citadel and Coptic Quarter

Cairo is a city of more than 18 million people – a bustling, dusty and boisterous metropolis with an abundance of character and history. Our time here is limited although we have included the highlights and focused our itinerary on the archaeological importance of the city and its surrounds. This morning we have a city tour including visits to the Coptic Quarter, the Citadel and the Alabaster Mosque. A full afternoon is spent at the Egyptian Museum, providing you with an excellent insight into Egyptian history from the Old Kingdom right through to the Roman Empire. The highlight of the museum is the Tutankhamen exhibit which houses the treasure from the tomb discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter. Although he was an insignificant Pharaoh, Tutankhamen’s tomb contained a stunning array of gold, including pure gold sandals. It is astounding to imagine what treasures a significant Pharaoh may have taken into their next life, had their tombs not been ransacked. We return to the hotel in the late afternoon for a rest before dinner.

Day 3 Drive to St Katherine

From Cairo we travel west to the Suez Canal which marks the divide between Africa and the Sinai. We stop briefly at the town of Suez to view the large ships making use of this historic canal, before continuing on to the Sinai. Our journey will take most of the day. We expect to arrive at our hotel by mid afternoon and the rest of the day is at leisure for personal exploration. Our hotel is set at Wadi Raha (literally means valley of the rest). The Israelites camped here waiting for Moses whilst he remained on top of Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments from God.

Day 4 Ascend Mt Sinai, visit Monastery, drive to Nuweiba and boat to Aqaba

We rise early to climb the magnificent peak of Mount Sinai. We ascend via the camel path or the “Steps of Repentence” to Eliaja’s Plateau. The final 750 steps have been carved from the mountain rocks tend to get crowded with eager travellers and pilgrims on their way to the summit. We arrive at the summit at 2285m above sea level, in time for a spectacular sunrise over the mountains of south Sinai. There is time for a warming drink before day break and to take in the spectacular view of the sun coming over the hills of Sinai. Our descent is either by the camel path or down the “Steps of Repentance”. We have breakfast before visiting the monastery of St. Catherine. This 6th century Monastery is situated at the foot of Mount Sinai and houses one of the most important icon collections on earth. In addition to the biblical sites of the Burning Bush and Moses Well, we visit the stunning basilica. Our tour concludes with a visit to the charnel house or the Ossuary where relics of monks and hermits are on display. After the monastery, we drive (approx. two hours, 110kms) to Nuweiba. In Nuweiba we have lunch (approx. 12:00nn) and board a vessel and enjoy a boat trip to Aqaba (generally this is late in the afternoon and the speedboat trip takes approx 1.5 hours). Once we arrive Aqaba port we will make our way to the hotel in Aqaba for dinner and overnight.

Day 5 Explore Aqaba, tour Wadi Rum

After breakfast, enjoy free time in Aqaba. Later in the morning we make our way to Wadi Rum, a unique valley of colored sand dunes surrounded by beautiful rugged mountains, which we explore for approx. 2 hours by jeep. This is true ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ country and has some of the most spectacular desert scenery in the world - a desert where black, windsculpted sandstone hills contrast sharply with the pale sands. Many describe this area as the Valley of the Moon. On arrival at the Visitors’ Centre we meet our Bedouin hosts, and transfer by jeep to the entrance to the Rakebat Canyon, immediately opposite Rum Village. We begin our jeep safari and gentle walks through the most interesting canyons of Wadi Rum. This mountain range is a veritable labyrinth of canyons inside and crossing it is an exciting experience. The jeep safari will take about 2-3 hours, so we should reach our camel meeting point in time for a rest and an early lunch. After our jeep safari we continue to Petra for dinner and overnight.

Day 6 Petra

After breakfast we have a full day visit of Petra. Chief among Jordan’s archaeological riches is the soul-stirring, rose-red city of Petra, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Petra is the legacy of the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled in south Jordan more than 2,000 years ago. We will approach the city on foot or by horseback through a 1km long narrow gorge or siq, flanked by towering cliffs. The sudden view of Petra’s most spectacular monument, the Khaznah, or Treasury at the end of the Siq, is a dramatic sight. Used in the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, this towering facade is only the first of Petra’s unique structures. Various walks and climbs reveal literally hundreds of buildings, facades, tombs, baths, funerary halls, temples and haunting rock drawing and reliefs. Late in the afteroon we return to our hotel for a rest, dinner and overnight.

Day 7 Dead Sea, to Amman

After breakfast we travel to Amman, the drive is approx. 263 kms, via the Desert Highway to reach the seaside resort. Time has been set aside to relax by the Dead Sea, and take a dip in the famously buoyant waters which have a saline level around 30 per cent. We enjoy a city tour of Amman, dinner and overnight at our hotel.

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Day 8 In Amman, trip concludes

Our trip concludes after breakfast. Airport transfers can be arranged for additional cost.

Additional Information

Inclusions

7 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 5 dinners
arrival transfer on Day 1 only
sightseeing as per itinerary
good quality 3 star hotel accommodation
ground transport in mini bus (air conditioned)
local English speaking guide throughout
site guides at the major sites visited
site entrance fees as outlined in the itinerary

Summary

7 nights hotels

Trip Main Activities

Adventure touring
Walking

Group Size Min

Group Size Max

Accommodation Summary

Equipment Required

What You Carry

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