Ancient Empires

22 days - from $4830

An epic journey encompassing myriad ancient sites and civilisations

Few regions of the world can boast such a rich and complex past. Pharaohs, Assyrians, Nabataeans, Greeks, Romans and Turks have all come and gone, leaving many layers of history to delve through. In Cairo, unearth the history of the pyramids and Sphinx, and spend a day exploring the museum and the hidden crannies of the medieval city. Further south, take in all the highlights of Luxor and enjoy a beautiful, relaxing four-night Nile cruise. Later, watch the sunrise from the summit of Mount Sinai and breath in its epic surrounds, before crossing into Jordan. Explore timeless, grandly silent Wadi Rum and discover the ancient carved city of Petra. The old city ruins of Jerash, the Roman Gerasa of antiquity, are a fitting preamble for the basalt city of Bosra, the fabulous desert capital of Palmyra and the Seleucid city of Apamea. In Damascus and Aleppo, we visit the major monuments and browse the wonderful medieval bazaars. A jewel in the crown of our journey is the formidable fortress of Krak des Chevaliers – considered the greatest Crusader castle ever built.

Highlights

• Jordan's capital Amman
• Crusader castle at Shobak
• Luxor's open air museum
• Nile cruise
• Nubean Aswan
• 2000 year-old ruins of Jerash
• UNESCO World Heritage-listed Cairo
• The Valley of the Kings
• Sunrise on Mt Sinai
• Edfu and Komombo temples
• Cairo Museum
• Red Sea resort of Aqaba
• The Dead Sea
• UNESCO World Heritage-listed Petra
• Wadi Rum's red earth desertscapes
• Fourth most holy Muslim site - Umayyad Mosque
• The colonnaded street of Apamea
• The pink granite columns of UNESCO World Heritage-listed Palmyra
• UNESCO World Heritage-listed 12th Century Crusader castle of Krak des Chevaliers
• UNESCO World Heritage-listed ancient city of Aleppo
• Saone's Crusader castle
• Souk al-Hamidiyya of UNESCO World Heritage-listed Damascus
• The 'Dead Cities'
• The 2nd Century Roman theatre of UNESCO World Heritage-listed Bosra

Itinerary:

Day 1: Cairo2: Cairo - overnight sleeper train3: Luxor4: Valley of the Kings - Luxor - Nile Cruise5: Nile Cruise (Edfu - Komombo)6: Aswan7: Aswan8: Cairo9: Mount Sinai10: Mount Sinai - Nuweiba - Aqaba11: Aqaba - Wadi Rum - Petra12: Petra13: Shobak - Dana - Madaba - Amman14: Jerash - Dead Sea - Amman15: Bosra - Damascus16: Damascus - Palmyra17: Palmyra - Krak des Chevaliers18: Krak des Chevaliers - Apamea - Aleppo19: St Simeon's Monastery - Aleppo20: Ugarit - Saone - Tartus21: Tartus - Damascus22: Damascus
Included:

• The services of Peregrine's expert English-speaking local tour leader throughout the tour, and professional local guides at some sites.

• Sightseeing (including entrance fees where applicable): Cairo's Egyptian Museum, pyramids, Sphinx, Gayer-Anderson Museum, Ibn Tulun Mosque and Khan al-Khalili bazaar; Valley of the Kings; Temple of Hatshepsut; Colossi of Memnon; Edfu and Komombo temples; Aqaba; Shobak Castle; Dana Village; Amman; Jerash; Madaba; Bosra; Damascus; Palmyra; Krak des Chevaliers; Hama; Apamea; Aleppo; Ugarit; Saone castle; and Tartus. • Four nights on a comfortable Nile river cruise boat sailing from Luxor to Aswan, with sightseeing stops along the way.

• Horse-drawn carriage ride to the Karnak temple complex.

• Visit to a Nubian village for dinner and dancing with local hosts.

• Optional ascent of Mount Sinai.

• Full day exploring Petra including the Monastery, old Roman road, amphitheatre and several old tombs.

• Wadi Rum jeep safari operated by the local Bedouin.

• An afternoon at the Dead Sea.

• Dinner in a Bedouin tent in Syria.

• Off-the-beaten-track exploration of the 'Dead Cities' - abandoned 1500 years ago.

• Air-conditioned sleeper train from Cairo to Luxor. Accommodation in a private, two-person sleeping berth with beds and linen, an 'airline-style’ dinner and breakfast, and toilet facilities located at the end of each carriage.

• Flight between Aswan and Cairo with all transfers on day 9.

• Free time to explore Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Petra, Aleppo and Damascus.

• Arrival transfer.

International flights, meals unless specified, drinks, departure taxes, visas, travel insurance, tips (see below), spending of a personal nature, optional sightseeing, departure transfer.