Mysteries of Israel, Jordan and Egypt 20 Day Tour with the Sonesta St George Nile Cruise

Arrival at Tel Aviv International Airport. A Noah Tours representative will meet you after passport control and accompany you to your transfer to your hotel.

After breakfast drive through Jaffa, an ancient port city and the oldest part of Tel Aviv. Continue on to the ancient city of Caesarea which was built by King Herod the Great while driving along the beautiful Mediterranean coast. We will then proceed to Haifa, passing by Mt. Carmel to see the famous Bahai Gardens. From Haifa, we will drive to Nazareth and the Church of Annunciation. Pass by Cana, where the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine took place.  End the day with an overnight in Tiberias/Galilee Sea. 

Start the day with an exciting boat ride on the Galilee Sea. Continue to visit Biblical Magdala and its most recent excavations and discoveries. See the Ancient Synagogue, mentioned in the Bible, from the Period of Jesus. Ascend up to Mt. Beatitudes, where Jesus gave the “Sermon on the Mount”.  Continue the day in Capernaum, known as “The Town of Jesus”, and visit the synagogue and Peter’s house. Take a lunch break with a delicious St. Peters fish lunch. Next, we will visit Tabgha, the place where the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes took place. You will also have the amazing opportunity to see the famous mosaic under the altar of the ancient church of Tabgha. Proceed to the Golan Heights and have an overview from above. End the day at your hotel in the Galilee Sea for your overnight.

Begin the morning by driving along the Jordan River to Yardenit Baptismal Site. Visit Qumran and see the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Travel on to Masada where you will take a cable car up to the fortress. The history of the famous Jewish fortification will unfold before your eyes; the palaces built by King Herod, the synagogue, and the bathhouses used by the Jews. Descend Masada by cable car and drive to the Dead Sea for some relaxation and a dip in the water. Overnight at a Dead Sea hotel and spa where you will be able to take advantage of the spa facilities.

Check out from our hotel. Start our journey to Jerusalem ascending via the Judean Desert. Go up to the Mt. of Olives, a cemetery that once was covered in olive groves, where you will have a magnificent panoramic view of Jerusalem. A visit to Israel’s official memorial to the Holocaust, Yad Vashem, located on Mt. Herzl. Depart for Bethlehem to see the Church of Nativity located at Manger Square. Overview of the Judean Desert and Shepherd's Field. Finish the day back in Jerusalem continue the day with an exciting tour of the Mahane Yehuda Marketplace (Shuk) and experience life as an Israeli. Return to the hotel in Jerusalem for your overnight.

The morning will begin with the Garden of Gethsemane, the place where Jesus prayed and his disciples slept the night before his crucifixion. Make your way to Mt. Zion where you will visit David’s Tomb and the site of the Last Supper, also known as the “Upper Room”. We continue to the Christian Quarter where you will enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Jesus was crucified. From there, walk where Jesus walked and make your way down Via Dolorosa (Stations of the Cross). The day will continue with a trip to The Cardo, what used to be a main street in the Old City during the time when Judea was under Roman rule. Go down to the Western Wall and spend some time in reflection and/or prayer. Overnight in Jerusalem.

Today will begin with a short city tour in New Jerusalem, we will pass by the Israeli parliament “Knesset”, and if time permits, stop by the famous menorah. We will visit the Israel Museum, Israel’s national museum, where you will see the Dead Sea Scrolls as well as a model of the Second Temple. Transfer to Allenby Border where a Noah Tours representative will meet you at the other side and transfer you to the beautiful city of Petra. Overnight in Petra. 

Drive to Petra and enter the Rose City of Petra through the Siq, a narrow passage through the mountains that has inspired people for centuries. Travel up to the treasury which suddenly appears at the end of the gorge, leaving the visitors breath-taken by its size, colour, and beauty. Continue into the heart of this ancient city carved into the mountains, passing hundreds of tombs and monuments and a spectacular Amphitheatre, which once held 3,000 spectators. Stop for a sit-down lunch before leaving Wadi Mussa - the new town of Petra. Drive to Amman. Overnight in Amman.

Visit Madaba, famous for the unique mosaic map of the Holy Land, which can be found on Saint George’s church floor. Then visit Mt Nebo, the place where Moses looked over the Holy Land and the Dead Sea. This is considered the burial place of Moses as this is where he was seen for the last time. Here, you can visit the memorial church bearing his name. If the sky is clear, the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea, and Jericho will meet your eye. Back to Amman for your overnight. 

Drive from Amman to visit Ajloun, a military castle that was used by the Islamic armies of Saladin to protect the region against the crusaders. Next, visit Jerash, the Pompei of the East. Jerash has been covered by sand for centuries, which is the main reason why it is still so well preserved. You will enter Jerash through the monumental South Gate and find yourself wandering around in a Roman city. You will walk in the Oval Plaza surrounded by colonnades, and visit the Roman theatre and Byzantine churches with mosaic-covered floors. Enjoy a stroll along Jerash's main road, the Cardo, and pass by the Nymphaeum. You may experience the marvellous acoustics of the theatre, at the Jerash music festival which takes place every year. See for yourself how the Romans built the earthquake-proof columns of the collonaded streets. After the visit, drive back to Amman.

Discover three of Jordan's famous desert castles. Learn about these fabled castles, built by Umayyad rulers during the 7th and 8th centuries. Explore UNESCO-listed Qasr Amra, famous for its 8th-century frescoes of hedonistic scenes, before continuing to the atmospheric Qasr Kharana and Qasr al-Azraq castles, the latter of which was used as a military base by Lawrence of Arabia during World War I.  Transfer to Amman Airport for your flight to Cairo. Overnight in Cairo. 

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Aswan. Aswan is known for its beautiful Nile Valley scenery and its peaceful aura. Spent some free time in Aswan getting to know its views and attractions.  Tomorrow morning there is an optional tour at Abu Simbel.

Embark with the Sonesta St George Nile Cruise before lunch at 12:00 PM. Lunch on board. Visit the High Dam, Philae temple & Sail on the Nile by Motor Boat. Afternoon tea. Captain’s Welcome Cocktail Dinner on board. Overnight on the cruise.

Optional tour to Abu Simbel.

Breakfast on board. Sail to Kom Ombo. Visit the Temple shared by two gods Sobek and Haeroris in Kom Ombo. Sail to Edfu. Lunch on board. Visit Edfu Temple. Dinner on board. Sail to Esna. Overnight on the cruise

Early morning sail to Luxor Breakfast on board. Visit the West Bank, the Valley of the Kings and Queens, the temple of Queen Hatshepsut at El-Deir El-Bahari and the Colossi Memnon. Lunch on board. Afternoon tea. Dinner on board. Overnight on the cruise.

Breakfast on board. Disembark at 08:00 am. Visit East Bank (Karnak and Luxor Temples).  See the Karnak Temples, which are the largest Pharaonic temple complex in the world, with some parts constructed by Ramses II. Continue to the Temple of Luxor, another startling temple that was established around the 14th century BC. After the tour transfer to Luxor Airport for your flight back for your overnight to Cario.

We begin our day with a tour of the ancient city of Memphis which lies some 12 miles south of Cairo. The ancient city is now an open-air museum testifying to the magnificence of its four thousand years of history. Near Memphis lies the necropolis of Saqqara, a vast, ancient burial ground, featuring numerous pyramids, including the world-famous Step Pyramid of Djoser. We then proceed to the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx located, on the Giza Plateau. The Great Pyramids of Giza are considered one of the seven wonders of the world. The Valley Temples surrounding the pyramids provide an insight into dominating religious motives of the era. Return to hotel for overnight.

Visit the Egyptian Museum, with its fantastic display of ancient civilization. Next, see the Mosque of Mohammad Ali, the Citadel, the old city, and the Ben Ezra Synagogue also known as the Geniza Synagogue. Its storerooms were found to contain over 2,000 medieval manuscripts, a collection known as the Cairo Geniza. After, visit one of the oldest and most famous Coptic Churches in Egypt, the El Mullakah Church (Hanging Church). Continue to the City of the Dead, a four-mile-long grid of tombs and mausoleums where people live and work amongst their ancestors. End today's tour at  Bazaar Khan el-Khalili. Overnight in Cairo.

With an early morning drive from Cairo to Alexandria, start by visiting Catacomb Kom El Shoqafa, the largest and most important burial site in Egypt. Next, Pompey's Pillar, a memorial column made out of red Aswan granite erected by the Roman ruler of Egypt in honour of Emperor Diocletian. Conclude at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a major library and cultural centre located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a commemoration of the ancient Library of Alexandria that was destroyed centuries ago. Overnight in Cairo. 

After breakfast, check out of the hotel and drive to Cairo Airport for departure.