Welcome to Saudi Arabia, a country of contrasts that will leave you with amazing memories. A transfer to your hotel in JEDDAH, on the shores of the Red Sea, the country´s second city, with four million inhabitants.

19:00 hrs.- We meet our guide at the hotel reception. We will take a walk through the historic center, better known as Al-Balad, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, with its impressive set of medieval alleys and its houses made with coral and wooden balconies. The lighting of the neighborhood at night makes it especially attractive and there are very nice restaurants.

21.00 hrs.- Transfer to the hotel.

Note: All mentioned hotels below are for your reference only, you might also check-in other same-level hotels.

The order of the itinerary as well as the timetables are subject to change.

09.30 hrs. Departure from the hotel.

Full day in Jeddah. With a local guide we will explore this city of astonishing contrasts. At the moment a large part of the city is being rebuilt to make it a great global megalopolis. The construction, among other things, of the Jeddah Tower stands out, which will be the tallest building in the world upon completion with more than a thousand meters high. We will continue towards the Corniche, with its beautiful views, its mosques by the sea and its recreational areas. We will contemplate the King Fahd Fountain, the highest of its kind in the world, its water jets reach more than 300 meters high. We will make a stop at the active and picturesque fish market. We will include admission to "Al Taybat International city", an architectural complex of great beauty with very interesting history and ethnography museums. We will visit the historic center again, entering through Bab Makkah - the most important gate in Jedah. We will see inside the elegant house of Beit Salloum, today converted into a museum. We will also pass through the Eve cemetery, where, according to the tradition, Eve, Adam´s wife and the first woman of humanity, according to the Bible, was buried. Free time for lunch in a shopping center - Mall - where you can choose among various restaurants and types of food offered there.

In the afternoon we will visit the Al Rahma Mosque, better known as the floating mosque, as it was built on the shores of the Red Sea with pillars on the water. We will also enjoy the lively marina, very close to the tracks, where the Formula 1 racetrack is held.

19:00 hrs.- Transfer to the hotel.

After breakfast.

Total distance covered: 423 km.

09:00 hs.- we leave for the Arabia inland, large highways crossing deserts and mountains take us to the holy city of MEDINA - "the luminous city".

13.30 hrs.- Arriving at noon, we will make a stop at a large shopping center at the entrance to the city to have lunch in its "food court", according to your preferences. We are in an imposing historical destination, one of the two most sacred cities in Islam, a destination, where millions of pilgrims arrive every year and a city prohibited for non-Muslims until very recently. It is in a holy place, respect for its inhabitants and beliefs and wearing an appropriate way of dressing is required. We will walk around the immense Prophet´s Mosque (Al Masjid an Nabawi), an amazing and luminous mosque with 10 minarets with capacity for a million visitors, built by the prophet himself and the place where he is buried. We will visit the UHUD mountain, an important pilgrimage site, where the prophet´s forces clashed against the troops of Mecca. You can walk along its immense esplanade and climb the mountain, but remember to do so in silence and respecting the hundreds of pilgrims who will surround us any day. In the Quba Mosque, in the year 622, the prophet and his followers laid the first stone of what would be the first mosque in history, although the current building is more recent. From this point we will walk to the nearby garden and well of Ethiq, where the different tribes of the place came out to greet and give water to the Prophet and his companions who had recently arrived in Medina after his persecution in Mecca. We will then have some free time in the city center so you can stroll through its shopping areas or - if you'd like to - visit the Hejaz Railway Museum (in the old Ottoman train station).

In the afternoon we will visit the Al Madinah museum about the history of the city. At dusk we will go towards the Al Masjid mosque to feel once again the emotions, when we observe the thousands of people entering at prayer time and admire the illuminations. Dinner included.

22:30 hrs.- Arrival at the hotel.



 

After breakfast, we'll continue our journey, traveling through some of the most stunning desert regions in the world. In a volcanic area with breathtaking landscapes, we'll visit Khaybar, a historic region. This area was a Jewish settlement on the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th century and is renowned for the Battle of Khaibar, which took place in 628 AD during the time of the Prophet Muhammad. In this battle, Muslim forces led by Muhammad defeated the Jewish tribes. We'll explore its historic fortress and walk through its beautiful oasis (admission included). Surrounded by impressive desert scenery, we'll proceed to one of the most spectacular places in the world: the region and oasis of Al-Ula, an authentic open-air museum nestled in nature. Here, you'll encounter stunning rock formations, canyons, and ravines, rivaling the majestic treasures carved by its former inhabitants. Upon arrival, we'll visit the iconic Elephant Rock (Jabal Al Fil), an awe-inspiring geomorphological phenomenon—a 52-meter-high rock shaped like an elephant. Dinner will be included.

Departure from the hotel and arrival in Tabuk according to the timetable of the Hegra visit.

In the region of Al-Ula we will visit the enclosure of HEGRA (Madain Saleh), declared World Heritage by UNESCO, of Nabataean culture "the Other Petra" amazes us with its tombs excavated in the rock in a desert environment full of mystery. Lunch included. We will have free time to stroll and enjoy its comercial streets, and its magnificent Oasis. In the afternoon we will leave for TABUK. Dinner included.

 

08.00 hrs.- Departure from the hotel.

We visit Tabuk, a city over half a million inhabitants, active provincial capital and one of the oldest cities in the country. We will visit the castle whose origin is 3500 years before Christ, and inside it, a museum tells the history of the castle and the city, from the great explorers who visited it, such as Ibn Battuta, to the pilgrims who stopped to drink from the fountains on their way to Mecca or Medina. After the visit, we will enter the Mud House Museum, a recreation of the interior of an adobe house where we will learn what traditional life was like in the past in this type of housing. Subsequently we walk through the active commercial area of the city center and we reach the old train station, today a museum that preserves the steam machines that connected Damascus with Medina.

12.00 p.m. - We finish our sightseeing.

Departure to Al Mudawara border. Only 100 km separates us from JORDAN.

13.00 hrs.- Arrival at the border of Al Mudawara on the Jordanian side from Tabuk.

15.00 hrs.- Arrival and departure to Wadi Musa, brief stop where we will visit the Spring of Moses where supposedly Moses hit the rock with his rod and the water gushed out.

15.15 hrs.- Departure from Spring of Moses.

15.30 hrs.- Arrival at the Petra Museum, an excellent exhibition that allows us to understand the history of the Nabataeans and learn about magnificent pieces found in the area.

16.00 hrs.- Departure from the Petra Museum.

14.15 hrs.- Arrival at the hotel. Dinner included. Overnight in Petra. Petra is the ancient capital of the kingdom of the Nabataeans. This civilization occupied the city in the 6th century B.C. and took advantage of the city´s location as a strategic lodging point for caravans during the Silk Road.

Travelers who wish to do so can go in their free time to an old Turkish bath or get to see the lights and sounds show in Petra.



 

Breakfast.

Known as the "Pink City", the "Lost City" or the "City of Stone", it is considered the jewel of Jordan and one of the Seven Wonders of the World since 2007.

07.00 hrs.-Departure from the hotel to visit Petra, we will access through the narrow canyon and discover the temples and tombs carved into the cliffs in this city founded 300 years before Christ. Lunch included.

14.00 hrs.- Departure from Petra to Wadi Rum, an impressive desert that is famous for being the setting for famous films where ´Dune´, ´Lawrence of Arabia´ or ´Star Wars´ have been filmed. We will be able to enjoy unparalleled sunsets and starry nights.

16.00 hrs.- Arrival at Wadi Rum- Valley of the Moon, a magical ecosystem of the Jordanian desert that has extensive red sand dunes and imposing sandstone arches, at the visitor center we take all-terrain vehicles to visit some of the most impressive landscapes, we stop in the town of Rum where we know the ruins of the Nabataean temple. We include a ride of about 45 minutes on a camel through the desert. We will also visit the Khazali Canyon, in this spectacular place we will see the engravings that show us the origin of the Arabic language.

18.00 hrs.- End of activities in Wadi Rum.

18.15 hrs.- Arrival at the camp. Dinner included. Accommodation.





 

After breakfast.

08.00 hrs: we leave for AQABA, Jordan’s second city, lying on the banks of the Red Sea.

08.45 hrs.: Arrival in the city of Aqaba.

09.45 hrs: Panoramic city tour of Aqaba.

10.00 hrs: Arrival at the Araba border crossing with ISRAEL, EILAT, and arrive in this modern and tourist city with its excellent beaches. There's time to relax, have lunch and stroll around. Are you tempted to have a swim.

14.00 hrs: We then continue towards the EGYPT border, and into Sinai. On the way, there's chance to take photographs of the Pharaoh's Island with the powerful fortress of Saladin. Continue to SAINT CATHERINE /TABA. Arrival, accommodation and dinner included.

Arrival time from Santa Catalina / Taba will depend on the duration of border crossing procedures.

FEES: At the border crossing from Jordan to Israel and from Israel to Egypt, every traveler must pay an entry/exit fee for the different countries. Jordan: $15 (exit fees), Israel: $32 (exit fee), Egypt: $45 (entry visa, which is actually $25 visa + $20.Approximate rates and subject to change without prior notice by the authorities of the country.

Drones and cameras with a 5,5 mtr zoom are prohibited as well as other types of professional equipment cameras ( Europamundo is not responsiblefor objects that may be seized at borders by the authorities of the countries)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to exceptional circumstances or due to a small number of participants, it may happen that we will cross directly from Jordan to Egypt by boat, taking the AQABA- TABA FERRY with a duration of just over two hours. During the ferry crossing, there will be no assistance from any guide.







 

Breakfast.

07.00 hrs.-: Departure from the hotel and drive to St. Catherine´s Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai.

09.00 hrs.-: We visit the impressive walled monastery of SAINT CATHERINE. According to tradition, this is where Moses saw "the Burning Bush that burned without being consumed". The monastery, which is a sacred place for Jews, Christians and Muslims, belongs to the Orthodox Church and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

12.00 hrs.-: Stop at the WELL OF MOSES, a biblical site that looks like a small oasis.

16.00 hrs.-: Lunch included in route. After lunch, We will leave Sinai through the tunnel under the SUEZ CANAL.

20.00 hrs.- : Arrival in CAIRO at the end of the afternoon. Accommodation.



 

Note: In summer temperatures are higher, so visits to archaeological sites are made earlier in the day to avoid the hottest hours of the day. It is recommended to wear sports shoes, sunglasses, sunscreen and a hat or cap for these visits.

Breakfast.

07:00 hrs: We will visit the esplanade of the Pyramids, the most famous of which are those of the pharaohs Cheops, Kephren and Mykerinos (entrance to the interior of the pyramids not included), as well as the enigmatic Sphinx. Afterwards we will visit the Papyrus Institute for about 30 minutes, where we will see how the papyrus is handmade.

11:30 hrs: Visit the Coptic Quarter, which is nowadays one of the meeting places of the Egyptians and one of the oldest areas of the city. Visit the Hanging Church.

12:30 hrs: Visit the Citadel, built by order of Saladin in 1176 and completed in 1182. From 1218 until the 19th century it was the official seat of the Egyptian government. The history of this area is full of palace intrigues, assassinations, overthrows and massacres such as that of the Mamluks in 1811. Representative buildings include the Muhammad Ali Mosque, also known as the Alabaster Mosque, built on the model of Istanbul´s Hagia Sophia.

13.45 hrs: Lunch included in a local restaurant.

15:00 hrs: Visit the Egyptian Museum, which is about 10 km from the Pyramids and contains one of the most important and impressive archaeological exhibits in the world. The jewel of this exhibition is the treasure of Tutankhamun which occupies the entire upper floor. Remember that it takes at least a week to visit it in its entirety.

17:00 hrs: Departure from the Egyptian Museum and return to the hotel.

18:00 hrs: Arrival at the hotel and accommodation.







 

Transfer to the airport first thing in the morning to depart by flight (included) to ASWAN airport. From the airport we continue directly by road towards ABU SIMBEL. The drive to Abu Simbel takes 3.5 hours one way and 3.5 hours return. We include a boat trip on Lake Nasser and from the lake we will contemplate its impressive architecture. Lunch included in a typical Nubian restaurant. We will visit the temples of Abu Simbel carved into the western cliff of the desert by Ramses II in the 12th century BC, with 20-meter-high statues, dedicated to the god Amon Ra, as well as visit the Temple of Nefertari, dedicated to the goddess Hathor. In the middle of the afternoon we return to ASWAN, overnight in our excellent hotel.

After breakfast at around 07.00 a.m. we start our full day in Aswan.

08.00 hrs: We will visit the beautiful Temple of Philae dedicated to the goddess Isis and located on a small island that is only accessible by boat.

10.30 hrs: Including a visit to the city and the Red Granite Quarry, where the famous Unfinished Obelisk is located. We´ll observe the ingenious procedure used by the ancient Egyptians for the extraction of granite blocks.

12:00 hrs: Lunh included.

13:30 hrs we´ll enjoy a felucca ride along the river, typical fishing boats.

14:15 hrs: In the afternoon (including arrival on felucca and a stretch of camel ride!) we will visit the Monastery of SAINT SIMEON, it was a large monastery in Roman times, then it was transformed into a caravanserail. We also pass by the modern Coptic church and the mausoleum of the Aga Khan (not visited).

16:45 hrs: We will visit the picturesque village NUBIAN VILLAGE, with its colorfully painted houses, its tourist and commercial life.

Afterwards, free time in our excellent hotel, where you can enjoy its large swimming pool and its facilities.

Note: the order of the views may be changed depending on the time of year.



 

After breakfast, around 07.00 hrs. We start our beautiful road stage following the Nile valley. Beautiful landscapes with the presence of the Nile, its immense palm groves, its small and very active populations.

08.30 hrs: We stop next to the temple of KOM OMBO, overlooking the Nile River, dedicated to two deities: Sobek, the crocodile god, and Horus, the falcon god. The temple is symmetrical and is divided into two identical parts, one dedicated to Sobek and the other to Horus. The temple is famous for its reliefs and hieroglyphs depicting daily life in ancient Egypt, as well as mythological and medical scenes. We also visit the impressive museum of the Crocodiles (several of them mummified).

09.30 hrs: Departure from Kom Ombo.

11.00 hrs: We continue to EDFU, we visit here one of the best preserved and most impressive temples in all of Egypt: the Temple of Edfu, also known as the Temple of Horus. Built 2300 years ago dedicated to Horus, the God of the sky.

13.00 hrs: Departure from the Temple of Edfu.

15.00 hrs: We continue to ESNA, its great temple is one of the few Egyptian temples that still retains its original roof, providing a unique view of the ancient architecture and original colors. The temple was buried under sediment and mud from the Nile for centuries, which helped preserve it from erosion and degradation. It was rediscovered in the 19th century. In Esna we can also see the restored caravanserai and from the outside we can see the floodgates on the Nile

16.00 hrs: Departure from the temple of Esna and continue our route to LUXOR, arriving at the end of the afternoon. Night at hotel.

Important remarks: On this day the lunch included will be picnic lunch provided by the hotel in Aswan. There are no toilets on the route between Edfu and Luxor.



 

Luxor, the city of 100 gates is located in ancient Thebes where it was the capital of Egypt during the New Kingdom for 1500 years. Luxor, Arabic for "palaces" is considered 'the best open-air museum' in the world with immense cultural and architectural heritage.During our stay in Luxor we will get to know one of the most impressive ancient cities on the planet (tickets included to the places mentioned). Early in the morning (around 06.00 hrs.), from our hotel we will take a private boat to cross the Nile River, with its peace and impressive views early in the morning, we go to the west bank.

07.00 hrs.-: We stopped in front of the Colossi of the Memnon, two impressive statues of Amenhotep II. After that, we visit the fantastic temple of Medinet Habu, the temple of Ramses II, large and magnificently preserved, its scenes of wars will surprise us.

08.30 hrs.-: We visited the "Valley of the Artisans" Deir el-Medina, a little-visited place, here they lived and are the tombs of great builders and craftsmen who built and decorated the royal tombs of ancient Egypt. We will visit three tombs, their paintings show scenes of daily life at that time

10.30 hrs.-: We will visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut (Deir el Bahari) is located, considered the first woman to occupy the position of pharaoh.

11.30 hrs.- We also visit the famous VALLEY OF THE KINGS where the tombs of the main pharaohs are hidden. Among these tombs, composed of several rooms and corridors leading to the corresponding burial chambers (we include, in addition to the general admission, a ride in an electric cart to access the enclosure and tomb of Ramses -which requires additional entry-). Return to the east bank of Luxor. Free time for lunch.Lunch not included.

15.00 hrs.-: We visit KARNAK, it housed the most important religious complex in Ancient Egypt, highlighting the immense temple of Amun-Ra, our guide will take us to the little-crowded temple of Khinsu.

17.00 hrs.- visit the LUXOR MUSEUM, which shows us an impressive collection of objects and mummies found in this area.

18.30 hrs.- After sunset we include entrance to the Temple of Luxor, its illumination makes it magical at this hour. Time to stroll in the commercial area (souk) near the temple.

Note: The order of the visits will vary based on climatological factors and procuring to visit the different locations at times of less affluence.





 

After breakfast, transfer to the airport and end of our services.