Egypt, Jordan & Turkey: 12-Day Grand Tour

After breakfast, your private guided tour of Egypt sweeps onto the Giza Plateau, where the pyramids rise straight from the desert. Stand at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the last surviving wonder of the ancient world, and trace its 4,500-year-old limestone blocks with your Egyptologist guide. Meet the enigmatic gaze of the Great Sphinx and step inside the granite-lined Valley Temple, where royal mummies were once purified. After lunch, continue to the magnificent Grand Egyptian Museum, the world's largest complex devoted to a single civilisation and home to Tutankhamun's complete golden treasures. Finally, drive south to Saqqara to admire the Step Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt's earliest monumental stone structure and the blueprint for every pyramid that followed. Return to Cairo for a restful evening after a day spent among humanity's oldest masterpieces.

• Giza Pyramids Complex — The iconic plateau where the three great pyramids and their temples rise from the desert sands.
• The Great Pyramid — Khufu's colossal tomb, the last surviving wonder of the ancient world.
• The Great Sphinx — The enigmatic lion-bodied guardian carved from a single limestone outcrop.
• The Valley Temple — A granite-lined temple linked to the mummification rituals of the pharaohs.
• The Grand Egyptian Museum — The world's largest archaeological museum, showcasing Tutankhamun's full golden collection.
• Saqqara Step Pyramid — Djoser's terraced pyramid, Egypt's oldest colossal stone monument.

This morning you journey along the desert highway to Alexandria, the Mediterranean pearl founded by Alexander the Great, roughly three hours from Cairo. Begin on the seafront at the Qaitbay Citadel, a 15th-century fortress raised on the ruins of the legendary Lighthouse of Alexandria. Step inside the strikingly modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a soaring tribute to the ancient library that once held the knowledge of the world. After a seafood lunch beside the harbour, stand beneath Pompey's Pillar, the towering red-granite column that has watched over the city for seventeen centuries. Descend into the eerie Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, a multi-level Roman necropolis where Egyptian and Greco-Roman art intertwine underground. As the afternoon fades, your private guide accompanies you back to Cairo, where a comfortable night awaits after a memorable day of coastal history.

• Qaitbay Citadel — A seafront Mamluk fortress built on the site of the ancient Pharos Lighthouse.
• Alexandria Library — The modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina, echoing the fabled library of antiquity.
• Pompey's Pillar — A monumental red-granite Roman column towering over the ancient Serapeum.
• Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa — A three-tiered Roman necropolis fusing Egyptian and Greco-Roman funerary art.

Today your private guided tour delves into the layered soul of Cairo. Start at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, whose halls brim with pharaonic treasures and royal statuary. In atmospheric Coptic Cairo, visit the beautiful Hanging Church, suspended above a Roman gatehouse, then the venerable Amr Ibn Al Aas Mosque, the first mosque built in Africa, and the tranquil Ben Ezra Synagogue. After lunch, the striking National Museum of Egyptian Civilization awaits, where the Royal Mummies rest in hushed, reverent galleries. Wander down medieval Al Muizz Street, an open-air museum of Islamic architecture, before losing yourself in the lantern-lit lanes of Khan El Khalili Bazaar, haggling for spices, silver and hand-blown glass over glasses of mint tea. This is Cairo at its most vivid, spanning Christian, Islamic and Jewish heritage in a single unforgettable day before you rest tonight in the capital.

• The Egyptian Museum — The historic Tahrir Square museum packed with pharaonic antiquities and royal statuary.
• The Hanging Church — A graceful Coptic basilica suspended above a Roman fortress gate.
• Amr Ibn Al Aas Mosque — The first mosque ever built in Egypt and across the African continent.
• Ben Ezra Synagogue — An ancient synagogue tied to the legend of the infant Moses.
• The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization — Home to the Royal Mummies Hall tracing Egypt's entire civilisation.
• Al Muizz Street — A living open-air museum of medieval Islamic architecture.
• Khan El Khalili Bazaar — A labyrinthine historic souk brimming with spices, silver and crafts.

After breakfast, transfer to Cairo International Airport for your flight across the Sinai and the Red Sea to Amman, the golden capital of Jordan. On arrival, your local representative welcomes you and guides you through the entry formalities before a private transfer into the city, whose pale limestone houses spill across a cluster of ancient hills. The remainder of the day is free to relax, adjust to your new surroundings and perhaps stroll the lively downtown Balad district, where the aroma of grilled kebabs and sweet knafeh drifts from every corner. Your guide shares an overview of the Jordanian chapters to come, from mosaic towns to the rose-red canyons of Petra. Settle into your Amman hotel and rest well, ready to explore biblical landscapes and desert wonders in the days ahead. It is a gentle, welcoming introduction to the Hashemite Kingdom.

This morning you drive to Madaba, the celebrated City of Mosaics, to visit St. George's Church and marvel at its 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land, the oldest surviving cartographic depiction of Jerusalem. Continue to nearby Mount Nebo, the windswept summit where Moses is said to have gazed upon the Promised Land; on clear days the view stretches across the Jordan Valley to the distant hills of Jericho. After a leisurely lunch, descend to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth at more than 400 metres below sea level. Float effortlessly on its mineral-rich waters, coat your skin in the famous black mud and watch the sun sink behind the Judean mountains. In the late afternoon, your private driver continues south toward Petra, where a comfortable hotel in Wadi Musa awaits for the night ahead.

• St. George's Church — Guardian of the celebrated 6th-century Madaba Mosaic Map of the Holy Land.
• Mount Nebo — The biblical summit from which Moses is said to have viewed the Promised Land.
• The Dead Sea — The lowest point on Earth, where mineral-rich waters let you float effortlessly.

Today you experience Petra, the rose-red city carved into towering sandstone cliffs and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Walk through the shadowy Siq, a narrow gorge that opens dramatically onto Al Khazneh, the majestic Treasury whose façade glows amber in the morning light. Explore deeper to the Royal Tombs, their weathered chambers stacked along the mountainside, then the grand Roman-style Theatre of Petra, hewn to seat thousands, and the standing temple of Qasr al-Bint. In the afternoon, journey to Wadi Rum, the Valley of the Moon, where soaring mountains and crimson dunes create one of the most cinematic desert landscapes on Earth. Enjoy a thrilling 4x4 excursion across the sands, then a traditional Bedouin dinner beneath a canopy of stars. Tonight you sleep in a comfortable desert camp, wrapped in the profound silence of Wadi Rum.

• Petra — The Nabataean rose-red city and a New Seven Wonder, carved into living rock.
• Al Khazneh Temple — The iconic Treasury façade revealed at the end of the winding Siq gorge.
• Royal Tombs Of Petra — A grand row of monumental tombs cut high into the mountainside.
• Theatre Of Petra — A Roman-style amphitheatre carved from the rock to seat thousands.
• Qasr al-Bint — One of Petra's few free-standing structures, a major Nabataean temple.
• Wadi Rum — The Valley of the Moon, a dramatic desert of red dunes and sandstone mountains.

After breakfast in the desert and a final look across the dunes of Wadi Rum, you transfer to the airport for your flight to Istanbul, the magical city that straddles two continents. Touching down in Turkey, your representative greets you and arranges a private transfer to your hotel in the historic heart of the old city. The rest of the day is free to acclimatise and begin soaking up the atmosphere of this ancient crossroads of empires. Perhaps wander toward the Golden Horn as ferries glide across the Bosphorus, or sample your first Turkish tea and freshly baked simit from a street cart. The call to prayer echoes across a skyline pierced with domes and minarets, hinting at the treasures you will discover tomorrow. Rest tonight in Istanbul, where Europe and Asia meet across a single shimmering strait.

Your full-day private guided tour of Istanbul begins at Hagia Sophia, the awe-inspiring 6th-century masterpiece that has served as cathedral, mosque and museum across fifteen centuries, its vast golden dome seeming to float on light. Cross to the opulent Topkapi Palace, seat of the Ottoman sultans, whose courtyards, harem and treasury reveal the wealth of an empire. After lunch, admire the cascading domes and six slender minarets of the Blue Mosque, its interior sheathed in more than twenty thousand hand-painted Iznik tiles. Stroll the Hippodrome, once the chariot-racing heart of Byzantine Constantinople and still lined with ancient obelisks. Finish amid the labyrinth of the Grand Bazaar, one of the world's oldest and largest covered markets, where thousands of stalls glitter with carpets, ceramics, lanterns and spices. Return to your hotel this evening, your senses full of Istanbul's imperial grandeur.

• Hagia Sophia — A monumental 6th-century wonder that has been cathedral, mosque and museum.
• Topkapi Palace — The lavish court of the Ottoman sultans overlooking the Bosphorus.
• The Blue Mosque — A six-minaret masterpiece lined with thousands of hand-painted Iznik tiles.
• The Hippodrome — The ancient chariot-racing arena of Byzantine Constantinople, dotted with obelisks.
• The Grand Bazaar — One of the world's oldest and largest covered markets, a maze of glittering stalls.

This morning you fly from Istanbul to south-eastern Turkey, entering the remote and spectacular landscape of the Anti-Taurus Mountains. Begin at Arsameia, the ancient summer capital of the Commagene kingdom, where a long inscription and carved reliefs mark a royal ceremonial site. Nearby stands the Karakuş Tumulus, a burial mound crowned with columns honouring the women of the Commagene dynasty. Cross the remarkably intact Cendere Bridge, a Roman arch that has spanned the river since the 2nd century. After lunch, the day builds toward its climax: Mount Nemrut, a UNESCO World Heritage summit where colossal stone heads of gods and kings lie scattered across the mountaintop at over 2,100 metres. Time your arrival for the celebrated sunset, when the fading light sets the giant statues aglow. Overnight in the Adıyaman region, close to this haunting and unforgettable monument.

• Arsameia — The ancient hillside capital of the Commagene kings, rich in reliefs and inscriptions.
• The Karakuş Tumulus — A column-crowned burial mound raised for the royal women of Commagene.
• The Cendere Bridge — A remarkably preserved Roman arch bridge dating to the 2nd century.
• The Mount Nemrut — A UNESCO summit scattered with giant stone heads of gods and kings, famed for its sunset.

Today you travel to Şanlıurfa, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on Earth and a place steeped in prophetic legend. Begin at the outstanding Şanlıurfa Archaeological Museum, where you meet the world's oldest known life-sized human statue and displays that set the scene for what follows. Then reach the true marvel: Göbeklitepe, the astonishing temple complex whose carved megalithic pillars predate Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids by some seven thousand years, rewriting the story of human civilisation. Stand before its T-shaped stones, carved with foxes, boars and cranes by people who had not yet invented pottery or the wheel. After lunch, visit the tranquil Balikligol, the sacred Lake of the Fish tied to the legend of Abraham, where carp glide beneath shady colonnades. Overnight in atmospheric Şanlıurfa, having stood at the very dawn of human history.

• Sanliurfa — An ancient city of prophets and pilgrims at the edge of Mesopotamia.
• The Şanlıurfa Archaeological Museum — Home to finds from Göbeklitepe and the world's oldest life-sized human statue.
• Göbeklitepe — The 11,000-year-old megalithic temple that predates Stonehenge and the pyramids.
• Balikligol — The sacred pools of Abraham, where legend says sacred carp swim.

Your grand tour across Egypt, Jordan and Turkey comes to a close today. After a final breakfast, savour the last quiet moments of a journey that carried you from the pyramids of Giza and the streets of Cairo to the rose-red canyons of Petra, the desert stars of Wadi Rum, imperial Istanbul and the world-changing stones of Göbeklitepe. At the appointed time, your representative accompanies you on a private transfer to the airport for your onward or homeward flight, handling the departure formalities so your farewell is as smooth as your arrival. You leave with camera rolls full of ancient wonders, a deeper understanding of three extraordinary civilisations and memories to last a lifetime. Travel Joy Egypt thanks you for exploring the cradle of history with us, and wishes you safe and happy travels wherever the road leads next.