From Pharaohs To Prophets

Cairo, Egypt to Tel Aviv, Israel

from AU$9,032.00 AU$8,580.40

Day 1: Cairo

Arrive Cairo where you will be met and transferred to your hotel for overnight

Day 2: Cairo

Full day tour of Cairo including Memphis and Sakkara followed by a visit to the Pyramids of Giza and the famous Sphinx. Overnight Cairo. (B,L)

Depart for a full day tour of the Egyptian Museum, the Citadel of Salah Din and the Alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali. Your tour will end with a visit to Khan El Khalili, the oldest bazaar in Cairo, where you can shop for souvenirs. Overnight Cairo. (B)

Day 4: Cairo - Luxor

After breakfast transfer to Cairo airport for your flight to Luxor (flight included). On arrival in Luxor transfer to your cruise vessel. Afternoon tour of Luxor and the Karnak Temples. Overnight on board (B,L,D)

Day 5: Luxor - Esna - Edfu

Morning visit to the West Bank including the Valley of the Kings, Temple of Queen Hatchepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. Enjoy sailing across the river Nile, reach Esna Lock, cross the lock and continue sailing to Edfu. Overnight on board. (B,L,D)

Day 6: Edfu - Kom Ombo - Aswan

Take a tour of Edfu by horse-drawn carriage to visit the Temple of Horus. Sail to Kom Ombo, visit the temples of Sobek and Horus, then onto Aswan. Overnight on board. (B,L,D)

Day 7: Aswan

Tour of Aswan including the High Dam and Philae Temple. Experience a short adventure on the Nile by Felucca (small boat) sailing around Elephantine Island. Visit the Aga Khan Mausoleum and the Botanical Gardens of Aswan. Overnight on board. (B,L,D)

Day 8: Aswan – Cairo – Alexandria

Take an optional tour to Abu Simbel, then transfer to Aswan airport for a flight to Cairo (flight included). Arrive and transfer to Alexandria for overnight. (B)

Day 9: Alexandria

Enjoy a tour to Pompey’s Pillar and the Catacomb of Kom Al Shukafa. Also, visit the stunning Fort Qaitbey – established in 1477 on the spot of the Pharos lighthouse. An afternoon visit to the National Museum is followed by a leisurely drive along the Corniche, via the Montazah Gardens, and ending at the unique Alexandria Library. Overnight
Alexandria. (B,L)

Day 10: Alexandria – Cairo – Amman

After breakfast transfer from Alexandria to Cairo airport for a flight to Amman (flight included). Upon arrival you will be transferred to your hotel. Overnight Amman. (B,D)

Day 11: Amman – Madaba – Nebo – Kerak – Petra

After breakfast, we depart via the Kings’ Highway for Petra, visiting the mosaic city of Madaba. On to Mt. Nebo, where according to tradition Moses is buried, to admire the wonderful view of the countryside, the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. Next stop Kerak and on to Petra for overnight. (B,D)

Day 12: Petra

Depart for a tour of the Ancient Site of Petra the city carved into the stone and the treasury. Head for the archaeological site with the hundred temples, the Royal Palaces, the Roman Theater and houses, the Hydria Monument, the Corinthian Tomb and the Monastery. Dinner and overnight in Petra. (B,D)

Day 13: Petra – Wadi Rum – Amman

After Breakfast, departure for 4x4 safari in the
Wadi Rum Desert, the land of Lawrence of Arabia, where you will be enchanted by the striking landscape, the endless sands and the large rock formations appear out of the desert sands. Transfer to Amman for overnight. (B,D)

Day 14: Amman – Tel Aviv

Transfer to the Israeli/Jordanian border for crossing. You will be met on the Israeli side and transferred to your hotel. Overnight Tel Aviv. (B)

Day 15: Tel Aviv – Caesarea – Megiddo – Tiberias

Morning visit to the city of Jaffa where we will take a short walking tour in picturesque alleys of the old, fortified town. Proceed along the coast to Caesarea, capital of Judea under the Romans to visit the Roman Theatre and the Crusader fortress. Continue to Megiddo, identified in the book of Revelations as the site of Armageddon. Drive towards the Sea of Galilee and Tiberias for overnight. (B)

Day 16: Tiberias – Capernaum – Tabgha – Golan Heights – Tiberias

After a tour of Tiberias, where Jesus lived, take a boat ride to Capernaum, which was the centre of Jesus’ ministry. Proceed to Tabgha, the site of the
miracle of fish and loaves, and visit the Church of Multiplication with its 4th century mosaic floor.
Drive on to the Mount of Beatitudes, overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Ascend the Golan Heights for a panoramic view of the peak of Mt Hermon and the rugged plateau below. Overnight Tiberias. (B)

Day 17: Tiberias – Nazareth – Beit Shean – Jerusalem

This morning travel through Cana to Nazareth. Visit the Wedding Church where Jesus performed his first miracle, turning water into wine. Proceed to Nazareth, where Jesus spent his childhood, and the Church of Annunciation. Drive along the Jordan Valley to Beit Shean with its recently excavated amphitheatre. Overnight Jerusalem. (B)

Day 18: Jerusalem – Qumran – Masada – Dead Sea – Jerusalem

Drive through remarkable scenery to the Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Continue
to Masada – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ascend by cable car from the valley floor to the fortress of Masada. Bring your swimsuit, for if weather permits you will have a chance to “float” on the salty, mineral-rich water of the Dead Sea. Overnight Jerusalem. (B)

Day 19: Jerusalem (Old City)

Full day tour of Jerusalem Old City including Mt Scopus and Mount of Olives, a stop at the site where Jesus first gave the Lord’s Prayer, and the Garden of Gethsemane where Judas betrayed Jesus. Enter the Old City from the Cardo and you’ll see the Western Wall and the actual site of the Second Temple, the Temple Mount. Walk the Way of the Cross, the Via Dolorosa, to Calvary and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, housing both the traditional site of Crucifixion and the Tomb of the Resurrection. Then at Mount Zion, enjoy the spectacular panoramic view of Jerusalem, with the traditional tomb of King David and the Room of the Last Supper. Overnight Jerusalem. (B)

Day 20: Jerusalem (New City) – Bethlehem – Jerusalem

Today’s tour includes Ein Karem – a picturesque village on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Proceed to Yad Vashem, the official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust established in 1953, located on the foot of Mt. Herzl. Visit the Israel Museum with a detailed model of Jerusalem from the time of the Second Temple and the Shrine of the Book, which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls. Visit Bethlehem (situation permitting) to see Rachel’s Tomb and the Church of the Nativity. Overnight Jerusalem. (B)