Itinerary Details
Abercrombie & Kent: Petra to the Pyramids & a Nile Yacht Cruise
Day 1 Amman, Jordan
Arrive in Amman, where you are met by an A&K representative
and privately transferred to your hotel.
The St. Regis Amman
Meals:
Day 2 AqabaProceed to Mount Nebo, where Moses is said to have seen
the Promised Land he would never enter. Just beyond,
Madaba — the “City of Mosaics” — reveals the oldest preserved mosaic map of the Holy Land. Composed of two
million pieces of colored stone, it informed scholars about
Jerusalem’s layout after its destruction and rebuilding in AD
70. Continue to Aqaba and check in to your hotel. Tonight,
sit down to a special welcome dinner at the members-only
Royal Yacht Club.
Kempinski Hotel Aqaba Red Sea
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3 Wadi RumAfter a morning at leisure in Aqaba, travel to Wadi Rum — the
“Valley of the Moon” — which you explore by 4x4, traversing
rose-tinted vistas and visiting a place where Lawrence of
Arabia once lived. Tonight, embrace Bedouin life with a Chef ’s
Table dinner beneath twinkling desert skies before returning to
your hotel.
Kempinski Hotel Aqaba Red Sea
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 4 PetraExplore stunning Petra, the ancient Nabataean city carved
from solid rock. Enter through a narrow gap, the Siq, to view
the majestic Treasury, Temple of the Winged Lions and Palace
Tomb. Once a stop for camel caravans bearing spices and silk,
Petra was lost for 1,000 years until it was rediscovered in 1812
by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. After lunch,
relax on a drive to your hotel along the shore of the Dead Sea.
Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 The Dead SeaThis morning, enjoy one of these Design Your Day options.
Explore Third-Century Jerash, “Pompeii of the Middle
East,” with its well-preserved Roman ruins, on foot.
Explore Amman, visiting its historic downtown, the
Citadel and the impressive Roman Theater.
Visit Bethany Beyond the Jordan on the eastern bank of
the Jordan River, known as the baptism site of Jesus.
Enjoy time at leisure, free to float in the restorative waters
of the Dead Sea.
Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 6 Cairo, EgyptFly to Cairo. This afternoon, visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities (or the Grand Egyptian Museum, upon its opening) to view a vast trove of artifacts.
Four Seasons Hotel Cairo At Nile Plaza
Meals: Breakfast
Day 7 LuxorThis morning, fly to Luxor and journey to the Temple of
Karnak, where generations of pharaohs wished to record
their names. Walk through the Great Hypostyle Hall with its
expertly aligned columns, a sight to behold. Board ‘Sanctuary
Zein Nile Chateau,’ embarking on a three-night cruise to
discover the Nile’s significant impact on ancient Egyptian
civilization. After lunch, visit the striking Temple of Luxor.
Along the front of the temple pylons, there were six large
statues of Ramses II (of which three remain), while behind the East Tower is the Courtyard of Ramses II. Marvel at the
Colonnade of Amenhotep III, which consists of 14 papyrus-headed
columns, leading to the Court of Amenhotep III.
'sanctuary Zein Nile Chateau'
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Days 8-9 Nile CruiseDiscover the Valley of the Kings, the legendary burial
ground of the pharaohs, including entrance into the tomb
of “the boy king,” Tutankhamun. View the impressive
Temple of Hatshepsut before returning to ‘Sanctuary Zein
Nile Chateau’. Continue cruising to the Temple of Horus,
the falcon-headed god. Built in 230 BC by Ptolemy III, and
having spent much of the modern era buried in sand and
debris, this well-preserved and colorful structure reveals
what temple worship in ancient Egypt was like. Sail toward
Aswan while enjoying a Scenic Sundowner overlooking the
Nile.
'sanctuary Zein Nile Chateau'
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 10 AswanDisembark in Aswan and ride a motorized boat to Philae
Temple on the island of Agilika. Continue to the impressive
granite quarries and site of the Unfinished Obelisk, thought
to have belonged to Queen Hatshepsut or Queen Nefertiti.
Arrive at your historic luxury hotel. Dating back to 1899,
the property was built by Thomas Cook to house European
travellers, among them Sir Winston Churchill, Margaret
Thatcher and Agatha Christie, whose novel, Death on
the Nile, included this Victorian palace. Board a felucca
(traditional sailboat) and sail around Elephantine Island,
and dine in your hotel’s famed 1902 restaurant.
Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 11 Abu Simbel & CairoFly to Abu Simbel and discover the commanding twin
temples of Ramses II — Egypt’s longest-ruling pharaoh —
and his wife, Queen Nefertari. Located on the banks of Lake
Nasser, this site is both an ancient and a modern engineering
marvel. Return to the airport and fly to Cairo via Aswan.
Check in to your hotel and spend the remainder of the day at
leisure.
Four Seasons Hotel Cairo At Nile Plaza
Meals: Breakfast
Day 12 CairoThis morning, visit the necropolis of Sakkara, site of the
storied Step Pyramid of King Djoser and the oldest-known
Egyptian pyramid. Then, join your expert A&K Egyptologist
and discover the pyramids built for Cheops, Chephren
and Mycerinus on the Giza Plateau. Ride Like a Local, by
camelback, as you take in the panorama of the Giza Plateau
backdropped by the soaring pyramids. Also see the fabled
Great Sphinx, a monumental limestone statue. Tonight, toast
to your travels with fellow guests at a farewell dinner.
Four Seasons Hotel Cairo At Nile Plaza
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 13 CairoTransfer to the airport and board your flight home.
Meals: Breakfast