Jeddah

Jeddah

Jeddah- Medina

Medina – Al-’Ula

Al-’Ula - Tabuk

Tabuk – Petra

Petra- Wadi Rum.-

Today we have the most exciting day of the trip: First, we visit the impressive archaeological site of PETRA, which is accessed through a narrow canyon, and discover the temples and tombs excavated on the cliffs in this city that was founded 300 years before Christ. After lunch (included) we leave for the impressive desert of WADI RUM. At the Visitor Centre we board 4x4 vehicles to visit some of the most impressive landscapes. We stop in the town of RUM to visit the ruins of the Nabatean temple. We include a 45-minute camel ride through the desert. We will also visit the Khazali Canyon. In this spectacular place, we will see the engravings that reveal the origins of the Arabic language. Dinner and accommodation included in a desert camp.

Wadi Rum- Aqaba- Eilat- Saint Catherine.-

***VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to the warlike situation in Israel, while the conflict is ongoing, the passage through EILAT will be eliminated from the stage. The stage will be carried out by crossing by direct ferry from Aqaba, Jordan, to Taba, Egypt, thus avoiding passing through Israel.



After breakfast, we leave for AQABA, Jordan’s second city, lying on the banks of the Red Sea. We walk through the center before continuing to the border of 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? 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. Arrival, accommodation and dinner included.

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.

Saint Catherine- Well of Moses- Cairo.-

At the foot of Mount Sinai, 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. We then continue on through the Sinai Desert’s picturesque landscapes. Lunch included in route. Stop at the WELL OF MOSES, a biblical site that looks like a small oasis. We will leave Sinai through the tunnel under the SUEZ CANAL. Arrival in CAIRO at the end of the afternoon. Accommodation.

Cairo.-

Full day visit where we explore the famous Pyramids of Cheops, Kefren and Micerinos (tickets to go inside the pyramids are not included), and also the impressive Sphinx, which is sculpted from rock. Visit to the Egyptian Museum with its ancient art and where the treasure of the Lost Tomb of Tutankhamen is kept. Lunch included. Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque. We will take a walk through the Coptic neighborhood where we visit the Hanging Church built above a Roman fortress.

Cairo – Wadi Natrum – Alexandria

Distance: 280 km

Landscapes: Stretches of deserts and the rich agricultural region of the Nile Delta.
Notes: Please dress appropriately for the visit of the monasteries. On certain religious festivals monasteries may remain closed to tourist visits.


07.30 hrs- We leave Cairo, traveling to the Wadi Natrum region, an area known for its Coptic monasteries since thousands of Christians, fleeing in the fourth century from Roman persecutions, settled in the area. The monasteries, fortified because of the attacks suffered in different historical periods, are places that receive the visit of many pilgrims and will allow us to discover their traditions. Coptic popes are chosen from among the monks of these monasteries.


09.00 hrs- Monastery of Saint Macarius. Entrance included to the monastery, founded in 360, where one of its monks will guide us through the enclosure.


10.00 hrs- Saint Macarius, departure.
10.45 hrs- Anba Bishoy´s Monastery. Entrance included. The fortified tower of this monastery, founded in 340, is accessed by a drawbridge. We will visit - also guided by a monk - the church, the refectory and the fortress, where several Coptic Popes are buried. Time to stroll through the lively area and visit the huge new cathedral.


11.45 hrs- Anba Bishoy, departure. We continue our route to the north of the country.
13.45 hrs- Alexandria, arrival in this port city of more than 5 million inhabitants. Lunch included. We visit this afternoon the great fortress Qaitbey (entrance included), built in 1480 on a narrow peninsula where the Hellenistic lighthouse was located, which was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. After that, by coach we travel the cornice, chaotic, noisy, commercial or elegant according to the areas. Free time. Accommodation.

Alexandria – Rashid- Rosetta – Cairo

Distance: 350 km.
Landscapes: Landscapes of the Nile Delta, with its fertile lands, small towns and thousands of palm trees.
NOTE: The fortress of Rashid is not very visited, sometimes it can be closed (in that case we will see it externally and walk through the picturesque village of fishermen and farmers)


08.30 hrs- We continue our visit of Alexandria, entering the impressive Catacombs Kom Shuqqafa (entrance included) , the largest Roman cemetery in Egypt, we will be surprised by the fusion of Pharaonic and Greco-Roman style. From here we will walk with our guide between narrow, very commercial and bustling alleys to the Pompey Column, an immense column 30 meters high that rises on the ruins of a temple. Afterwards we will stop to photograph externally the new Library of Alexandria, inaugurated in 2002 with a very modern architecture and that reminds us that this city, in the third century BC. was one of the greatest cultural centers in antiquity. The Library of Alexandria at that time guarded more than half a million papyrus scrolls. Lunch included.

13.00 hrs- Alexandria.- departure. Continuation of our route to Rosetta. In this small city, very close to the mouth of one of the tributaries of the Nile, the Rosetta Stone was found, just over a meter high, which was key to deciphering the hieroglyphic writing of the Egyptians since it contains the same text written in hieroglyphics, demotic and ancient Greek.

14.15 hrs- Rashid Fortress, located within walking distance, in a picturesque small village of streets full of local life and with numerous multi-colored fishing boats on the banks of the Nile. Inside its fortress (entrance included) we can see a replica of the Rosetta Stone.

15.00 hrs- Fortress of Rashid- departure
15.30 hrs- Rosetta. Arrival in this pleasant small town next to the Nile where we will walk through the center seeing (externally) the old Ottoman houses with their brick and wood architecture. We will also include a ride on the Nile by boat to admire the views and activity of the fishing boats in the area.

17.00 hrs- Rosetta- Departure.
21.00 hrs- Cairo. Arrival at the end of the day.

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