Arabian Adventure

Details

We spend the first 8 days of this tour exploring Lebanon, located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Though small, Lebanon is rich with history, culture and was the site of some of the world's oldest human settlements.
You'll visit the great Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon with their castles, mosques and bustling souqs, and see the beautiful remains of the Beiteddine Palace. You'll also spend time in Byblos, the oldest continually inhabited city in the world, and explore Baalbek, perhaps the most well-preserved temple complex in the Middle East.
The Lebanon section of this tour is also well suited for lovers of nature and scenery. You will see several natural phenomena, including the Ksara Caves, Rock of Raouche, and the spectacular the Baatara Gorge Sinkhole. You will visit the birthplace of the renowned poet Khalil Gibran at Becharre and see several groves of the famous Lebanon cedar trees, mentioned in the Old Testament. Other highlights include an exploration of the Jeita Grotto, and a wine tasting at the Ksara Caves.

Moving on to Egypt, our tour covers Cairo and the Nile Valley as well as the Red Sea at Hurghada. We start with visits to the iconic Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza where our local Egyptologist guides will start their explanations about ancient Pharaonic history and the evolution of pyramid building. While in Cairo we'll also visit the huge Egyptian Museum, home to a host of ancient artefacts, mummies, and the famous King Tutankhamun display.Next, we board an overnight sleeper train and head south into Upper Egypt, arriving in Aswan the next morning. Aswan is home to one of the most scenic stretches of the Nile and we'll take a boat trip to the beautiful island Philae temple. An option is also available to visit the amazing temples built by Ramses II at Abu Simbel, which were completely dismantled and moved when Lake Nasser was flooded.
We take to the Nile next for a relaxing overnight river cruise on a traditional Nile felucca sailboat, accompanied by our friendly Nubian crew. This is a great way to break up your sightseeing with some relaxation time and to see rural Egyptian life pass you by on the banks of the Nile. After leaving the boat we'll visit Edfu temple en-route to Luxor, which is considered by many as the world's greatest open air museum. Here we'll tour both the east bank of the river to see the huge temple complex at Karnak and Luxor temple, which is beautifully lit up at night; and also the west bank of the Nile to explore tombs in the Valley of the Kings, see Queen Hatchepsut temple and Deir El-Medina, the valley of the artisans, as well as the Colossi of Memnon. You can also take a spectacular hot air balloon flight here if you wish.
After a final night in Cairo, our journey takes us under the Suez Canal and in to the Peninsula, where our final destination will be the beautiful bohemian resort of Dahab. We'll have 3 nights here, where you can choose to either relax or explore the region further on one of our optional tours to Ras Abu Galom, the Blue Hole, Coloured Canyon or even take a hike up Mount Sinai.

The final leg of our journey begins by taking the ferry from Taba to the the Jordanian Red Sea resort of Aqaba from where we'll continue by road into the beautiful desert scenery of Wadi Rum where we'll spend the night in a comfortable Bedouin camp against the towering cliffs. The next morning we take a jeep safari through the sand dunes and past amazing rock bridges before spending some time with a local Bedouin shepherd, learning about their nomadic way of life and how they look after their animals in the desert. Next, we'll explore Jordan's main highlight, the amazing lost city of Petra. We have time for a guided tour here, as well as free time to hike up to the Monastery and High Place of Sacrifice for some amazing views.
Heading north, our next stop will be Wadi Mujib, where we'll hike in the water, through the canyons of the Siq Trail and after a day of adve