Trip Overview

The Planned Route

The Author, Nathaniel, and our Mom (Tut, Tut, and Mummy) will set forth from JFK on Monday the 22nd on a direct flight bound for Cairo, arriving the following morning in this bustling city. The remainder of the day will be spent recuperating from our overnight journey in anticipation of a visit to the Egyptian Museum on the 24th, the home to a great sample of the marvels of antiquity. 

The next day we depart for nearby Giza, where we will visit the famous necropolis as well as make a day trip south to Dahshur and Saqqara to see more pyramidal wonders. These include the Step Pyramid of Djoser and the Bent Pyramid constructed for Sneferu. The former monument is notable for being the first Egyptian pyramid, around 4500 years old.

Our journey next takes us by train south along the Nile to Luxor, known in ancient times as Thebes. Here we hope to see several New Kingdom marvels including Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, and the Colossi of Memnon. Our contemplation of these ancient structures will consume three days, after which we depart south once again by train for Aswan on the first day of November.

In Aswan we will enjoy scenic desert vistas, a felucca ride on the Nile, and, in a suitable juxtaposition to the ancient wonders seen hitherto, the Aswan Dam. One day will also be spent visiting Abu Simbel in what will be our greatest foray South, four hours by bus through the desert along the length of Lake Nasser.

Our last full day in Egypt will be spent traveling back to Cairo (more than 500 miles), where we will spend the night before flying to the Jordanian capital of Amman. We will not linger in this dusty city on our first visit, opting instead to drive directly south to Petra, home to the famous buried city which we will visit the next day.

On the 7th of November we will depart from Petra and drive north back to Amman, this time taking a more scenic route which will bring us along the Dead Sea with a possible stop to visit the Baptismal site of Jesus on the Jordan River. This busy day will end with a visit to the Roman ruins in Amman.

What may be the most interesting day of the trip in terms of travel will begin on the 8th with our crossing into Israel via the Allenby Border Bridge. Here we expect long lines and interrogations by the Israeli officials, a sure recipe for a fun day. Once across, assuming none of our party is denied entry, we head to Bethlehem for a three day stay part of which we will spend seeing the sites in this city as well as Jerusalem. One day we also plan to visit the ancient stronghold of Masada further south.

Following this residence in the West Bank, we head to Tel Aviv for our remaining few days. Here we plan to take day trips to the Roman city of Caeserea and the region around the Sea of Galilee.

On the 14th of November our party will separate, with Tut and Tut returning home to South Carolina and Mummy heading further East to rendezvous with Maryrose for a journey around South East Asia.