We arrive in the Jordanian capital and transfer to our hotel. As guests' arrival times vary, we have no group activities or meals.

After meeting our fellow guests and Jordanian tour director at a morning briefing, we begin our touring with a visit to the King Abdullah I Mosque, featuring a massive sky-blue mosaic dome. We then visit Amman’s 6,000-seat Roman Theatre, built in the 2^nd century CE and still in use today; and the ancient Citadel (El-Qala), which offers excellent city views from atop one of Amman’s seven hills. For lunch, we enjoy Jordanian specialties in the home of a gracious local family. Tonight, we gather for a welcome dinner at a local restaurant.

Today we tour the well-preserved Roman ruins of Jerash, the “Pompeii of the East.” Jerash ranks as the largest Roman site outside Italy, and we explore the colonnaded streets, theaters, churches, and temples, then enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Dinner tonight is on our own.

En route to Petra today, we visit Mount Nebo, where legend holds that Moses was buried after finally glimpsing the Promised Land. While here, we explore the 4^th- and 6^th-century Byzantine churches, the first of which was built to commemorate Moses’ death. We then visit an active mosaic workshop before continuing to Madaba, the famed “City of Mosaics,” where we see the Madaba Map, a mosaic map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land dating to the Byzantine era. After lunch at a local restaurant, we travel to fabled Petra.

Today we explore Petra – the “rose-red city, half as old as time,” and a UNESCO World Heritage Site – where ancient builders carved an entire city of temples, tombs, and homes into the sandstone faces of the Sharah Mountains. We spend a full day exploring this dramatic Nabatean site which ranks as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Highlights of our touring include the Treasury (a key backdrop in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), a 3,000-seat theater, colonnaded streets, temple façades, shrines, and funerary halls. We end the day with a hands-on Jordanian cooking class at Petra Kitchen, where the furnishings, décor, and tableware are handcrafted by local artisans.

This morning’s touring brings us to Siq al-Barid, the “Little Petra” complex a few miles north of the main site. Then we head south to Wadi Rum and our tented camp set amid the shifting sands and towering stone monoliths. Upon arrival, we take a sunset jeep ride through the desert, then enjoy dinner tonight at our camp.

This morning, we venture out again to explore the ancient valleys and dramatic rock formations of this otherworldly landscape. Our tour culminates in a zarb lunch at a local Bedouin camp, where we enjoy a dish of meat and vegetables cooked in an underground oven. The rest of this afternoon is at leisure before dinner together tonight.

We fly today to Cairo, one of Africa’s (and the world’s) greatest crossroads of ancient and modern. After meeting our Egyptian tour director, we begin our touring at the Citadel of Saladin, then explore the vibrant Khan el-Khalili bazaar, one of the largest in the Middle East. We dine tonight at our hotel.

This morning begins with a tour highlight as we visit the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which opened to great fanfare in late 2025. Built in the shadow of the pyramids, the GEM showcases 700,000 years of Egyptian history – including the entirety of the famed King Tut collection. After our visit, we are free for the remainder of the day.

Today we encounter the astounding Pyramids of Giza, the wonders of antiquity that have drawn visitors for millennia. Here, too, we see the enigmatic Sphinx, whose leonine body and human face were carved from a single piece of limestone. After lunch, we explore Old Cairo, including el Muallaqa, the “hanging church” built over the bastions of a Roman gate; and Ben Ezra Synagogue where, according to legend, baby Moses was found floating on the Nile. Late this afternoon we return to our hotel, and are at leisure for dinner on our own.

We fly today from Cairo to Luxor, home of the world’s “greatest open-air museum,” whose vast temple complexes, tombs, and statues represent the pinnacle of Egyptian architecture. Upon arrival, we visit the Luxor Museum, then dine together at a local restaurant.

This morning, we explore the mile-long ruins of Karnak, built over two millennia and considered by many to be Egypt’s finest temple complex. Then we visit neighboring Luxor Temple, whose builders included both Tutankhamun and Alexander the Great. We enjoy lunch at the home of a local family before an afternoon at leisure.

We cross the Nile today to explore the treasures of Luxor’s West Bank, starting with the Colossi of Memnon, two 64-foot-high statues of Amenhotep III, and the Temple of Hatshepsut honoring one of the few female pharaohs. We then tour the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens, two beautifully preserved burial sites. Tonight, we gather for a farewell dinner at our hotel.

We have the choice to rise very early to see the West Bank from above on a hot air balloon ride (at additional cost). This morning is at leisure before an afternoon flight to Cairo.

This morning, we depart for the Cairo airport for our flight to the U.S.