Israel, Egypt, Jordan - July, August, Sept: - Which order??

Hello,

You are probably already aware, but July - September are extremely hot in all three of those countries. Drink lots of water!

From Bangkok, I would think Amman would be the most economical city to fly into.

Ramadan is July 21-Aug 19 in 2012, so maybe that would be a slightly better time to visit Israel rather than predominately Muslim countries. Ramadan doesn't mess things up too bad for travelers, especially in tourist areas, but it can be hard to buy and eat food while the sun is up!

So if you are coming in early July, maybe spend the first 2-3 weeks in Jordan, then pop over to Israel for a few weeks, and finish in Egypt.

Hi, I know also that there are cheap flights from Kuala Lumpor to Cairo so you could also check that out if flight prices are quite different than you could always start in Egypt... If they're not that different than I'd start North and go South, it only gets hotter in August and September and in Egypt you'll probably be closer to water if you go to places like Dahab, Sharm, Nuweiba etc... so it's obviously nicer to be somewhere like that than in Petra!

Ramazan doesn't make it too much harder to travel but it does make some (ie taxi drivers) crankier, so if you have the choice Israel would be good during that time but not manditory.

I travelled Egypt last July / August and it was okay. The only time I was quite miserable was after a very long train / bus to Aswan where temperatures are very high. Electrolites would be a good thing to bring with you to put in water!

Have fun!

Yallah mentioned Ramadan, but not Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year), which starts on September 16 this year and is the first of a long string of religious holidays lasting on and off for the best part of a month. You want to be out of Israel before then if you are hoping to avoid crowds and inflated prices.

The weather will be more or less equally awful in all the countries you plan to visit. Just make sure you get up early, take a nap and do things smoothly. The positive thing is thriving nightlife as soon as temperatures cool down.

I'd say that your first consideration should be budget issues. Egypt is very cheap, while Jordan is more expensive and Israel is extremely expensive. I'd spend as much time as possible in Egypt and spend beachtime there (Sinai's Dahab is a must and so are the hippy Bedouin beaches between taba and Nuweiba). In Jordan I'd focus on Petra and forget about the Dead sea due to the heat. In Israel I'd focus on major highlights such as Jerusalem to avoid spending it all; be aware that most budget hotels and youth hostels will be fully booked, sometimes weeks in advance. A solution can be to stay in Palestine, which is cheaper (Ramallah or Bethleem for instance).

I agree with the above recommendations that since you do have a lot of flexibility it's better to avoid visiting Israel during the September holidays and Egypt and Jordan during Ramadan.
The hot summer weather is something to consider when you make plans but don't let it deter you. You CAN and should visit all of the sites (including the Dead Sea) but you shouldn't plan to walk around too much around mid day.
That said, you can actually go out for some great hikes that are especially attractive during the summer:
http://www.tiuli.com/track_info.asp?lng=eng&track_id=85
http://www.tiuli.com/track_info.asp?lng=eng&track_id=124
http://www.tiuli.com/track_info.asp?lng=eng&track_id=98
http://www.parks.org.il/BuildaGate5/general2/data_card.php?Cat=~25~~989817747

As for beach time, I would recommend 2 places: Mediterranean beach time in Tel Aviv and Red Sea beach time in Sinai.
In Tel Aviv you'll get white sandy beaches packed with both locals and tourists out to have a good time. In the afternoon you can enjoy the city and later on- the nightlife.
In the Red Sea, I second catw's recommendation for either Dahab (small town, many places to eat, rocky beach, great diving) or the small camps north of Nuweiba (isolated,usually sandy beach, QUIET). The only issue is the deteriorating security situation in Sinai so just check out the situation before you go. Eilat, Aqaba, and Hurgada are all fun as well but not as good as Sinai.
As where to base yourself, during 2 weeks in Israel, I'd spend 3-4 nights in Tel Aviv, 4-5 in Jerusalem, 2-3 in the north, and 1-2 either in Ein Gedi or in Mitzpe Ramon.

Wherever you go in this period its going to be very hot and some places like Dead Sea/Red Sea are even hotter and sometimes reach up to the high 40's. Luxor / Aswan also very high temps. Cities like Amman, Jerusalem etc will be in the mid 30's but may feel hotter.

This period is quiet because many of the locals flee to cooler climates or go out after sunset. The secret is get up
early 0630 and finish by 11.30am and then rest until 4pm and continue...

As mentioned above bear in mind the religious holiday and work around them.

Regarding Catw's recommendation for "hippy Beduin beaches" in Sinai -
on another thread she recommended that I read Ha'aretz. So I did - and this is one of today's stories:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/bedouin-take-control-of-egypt-holiday-resort-demand-660-000-ransom-1.408875
As usual, Catw is on top of the situation .....

And for more words of wisdom from catw, read this thread in its entirety. Old, but still worth it!

Thanks for the wonderful replies - I appreciate the effort.

Yes, I realize that it will be hot, but I was not asking to avoid the Heat, juts the best weather conditions :)
Before traveling to this area, I will have just spent 6 months in SEA and then 2 weeks in the Desert in the USA (Las Vegas) so my ability to handle the heat should be ok. I have also traveled extensively in Northern Colombia, Cuba and Mexico where the heat was oppressive, but did not stop me enjoying my experience. Thanks for the tips though.

OK, so I should look to avoid Israel in September and Egypt and Jordan during Ramadan then.

I'll keep working on a Plan / Schedule and post back up when I have more info.

Thanks once again, you've all been a great help :)