Three Weeks in Egypt and Jordan

Cairo and the Nile Valley

Cairo opens the route with the pyramids and Sphinx at Giza, the Grand Egyptian Museum nearby, Islamic Cairo and the Khan el-Khalili bazaar, and a day trip to Saqqara and its step pyramid. An overnight sleeper train runs south to Aswan, where the Nile is at its most scenic: granite islands, Nubian villages on the west bank and the temple of Philae. Abu Simbel is a long early-morning day trip from here. Rather than a cruise ship, this route takes a traditional felucca sailboat downstream for two nights, sleeping on deck, before continuing by road past Kom Ombo and Edfu temples to Luxor.

Luxor, Sinai and the Red Sea

Luxor holds Karnak and Luxor temples on the east bank and the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple and the Colossi of Memnon on the west; many visitors also take an early hot-air balloon flight over the west bank. The route then crosses to the Sinai, usually by flying to Sharm el-Sheikh and driving up to Dahab, a relaxed Red Sea town known for snorkelling and diving at sites such as the Blue Hole. Night hikes up Mount Sinai for sunrise, with St Catherine's Monastery at its foot, are a standard excursion.

Jordan: Wadi Rum, Petra and Amman

From Nuweiba a ferry crosses the Gulf of Aqaba to Aqaba in Jordan. Wadi Rum, an hour inland, is a protected desert of sandstone mountains and canyons explored by jeep with Bedouin-run camps. Petra, two hours north, needs at least two full days: the Siq leading to the Treasury, the Monastery climb, and the High Place of Sacrifice. The route ends in Amman, with the Citadel and Roman Theatre, day trips to the Roman city of Jerash and a float in the Dead Sea.

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Visas: Egypt offers an e-visa or visa on arrival to many nationalities, and Jordan issues visas on arrival to many travellers, with the Jordan Pass bundling the visa fee and entry to Petra and other sites for eligible nationalities; check the official Egyptian e-visa portal and the Jordan Pass site for current terms. Transport: the Cairo to Aswan sleeper train, felucca and road transfer cover the Nile; reaching Sinai from Luxor usually means a domestic flight via Cairo; the Nuweiba to Aqaba ferry runs on a schedule that changes often, so confirm it locally; Jordan is covered by JETT buses or a hired car. Weather: October to April is the comfortable season; summer in Upper Egypt regularly exceeds 40 C, and Petra and Wadi Rum can be cold at night in winter. Budget: the mid figure assumes private rooms in mid-range hotels, the felucca trip, a guided day at the Valley of the Kings, a Wadi Rum jeep tour with a camp night and two days in Petra. Safety: several governments advise against travel to parts of the Sinai and some border areas, and conditions in the wider region can change quickly; check your government's current advice for both countries before and during the trip, and expect frequent security checkpoints.