Day 6 Felucca Cruise – Luxor
Watch the sunrise over the Nile and then continue by road to Luxor. Along the way, you can stop at the picturesque temples of Kom Ombo and Edfu, perched on the banks of the Nile.

Day 7 Luxor
It’s an early start this morning to avoid the heat of the day….before dawn you will cross the Nile, driving through small villages and past fields of sugar cane to the Colossi of Memnon, from where you will be transported to the Valley of the Kings, where the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt were buried in intricately painted tombs.

Once at the Valley of the Kings, you will have a tour around the site, taking in three different tombs. There is also the option to visit the tomb of Tutankhamun; having heard so much about it many children are keen to see the tomb but are a little surprised to see that it is tiny compared to the others that you visit….the mind boggles at how impressive the treasures of the other tombs must have been!

You will also visit the impressive Hatshepsut’s Temple, the Colossi of Memnon and Deir El Madina, the village where ancient workers lived and built their own tombs. There is quite a lot of sightseeing on this day but you can do things at your own pace, stopping for refreshment and relaxation as needed. If it is too much, you can return to Luxor at any time.

The afternoon is free for you to relax.

Day 8 Luxor
In the morning visit Karnak Temple, just outside Luxor. The temple itself is magnificent and very extensive; you can spend hours exploring the various sections of the temple, gazing up at the vast columns and intricate carvings. You will also visit Luxor Temple, which is smaller but also very impressive.

The afternoon is free for you to relax by the pool.

Day 9 Luxor – Amman
Transfer to the airport for a flight to Cairo and on to Amman. When you arrive in Amman you will transfer to your hotel. If time permits perhaps visit the vast amphitheatre in the centre of downtown Amman this evening.

Day 10 Jerash – Ajlun
Drive about an hour north of Amman to the Roman ruins of Jerash. These are wonderfully preserved and extremely picturesque and it is great fun to explore some of the outlying areas of the site, clambering over the ruins. Later, drive into the hills for a picnic lunch before visiting the beautiful and little-visited crusader fortress of Ajlun with magnificent views over the surrounding countryside. Return to Amman for the night.

Day 11 Dead Sea – Petra
This morning visit Madaba, home to some of the finest Byzantine mosaics anywhere in the Middle East. From here continue to Mount Nebo from where Moses surveyed the promised land. There are fabulous views from here out over the Dead Sea Valley towards Jerusalem. Neither Madaba nor Mount Nebo will necessarily thrill the kids but they will love visiting the Dead Sea. Here you can cover yourselves in thick gloopy black mud (supposed to have therapeutic properties) before washing this off in the buoyant waters of the sea. Prepare for baby-soft skin!

Older children may enjoy a dramatic (but relatively easy) bike ride from Madaba to the Dead Sea, looping down a series of hairpin bends to the Dead Sea Valley.

You will end the day in the small town of Wadi Musa, near the ancient city of Petra. 

Day 12 Petra
A full day to enjoy the Nabatean ruins of Petra with a guide. These are truly breathtaking and a real highlight of your trip. Accessed through a narrow canyon called the ‘siq’, your first glimpse is of the Treasury, an exquisite façade with incredibly intricate carvings. Here the canyon opens out and you soon find yourselves following the old Nabatean road past endless rock-carved facades and the vast amphitheatre. The ruins are very extensive and it is great fun exploring the more remote parts of the site, clambering up to little-visited caves and following small tracks through the desert. 

Day 13 Wadi Rum
Drive to Wadi Rum where you take a 4×4 jeep ride into the desert. Lawrence of Arabia was filmed here and the massive rock outcrops, chiselled by the wind into weird and wonderful shapes, will fire the imagination. You will stop in many different places where you can climb up the sand dunes, explore narrow canyons in the cliffs, climb onto rock bridges and so on.

Later in the day transfer to a Bedouin-style camp for the night; watch the sunset over the desert before congregating around the campfire under the stars.

Day 14 Wadi Rum – Aqaba
Take a morning camel ride into the desert before transferring to Aqaba on the Red Sea Coast. This afternoon head out of town to a beach where you can take a snorkelling excursion in the Red Sea and get a glimpse of the marine life and coral for which the area is famous.

Day 15 Aqaba
Transfer back to Amman airport in time for your flight home.