Two-day excursion to Petra and Jerusalem from Sharm El Sheikh

Tour Details:

Day 1:

We will pick you up at your hotel in Sharm El Sheikh around 2 a.m.; You will recognize our driver by the sign with your name in his hands. You will be transferred to the port of Taba, from where you will take a ferry to Aqaba, Jordan. In addition, we will provide you with any assistance in passing through passport and customs control. Our driver will be waiting for you at the port of Aqaba. Travel time to Petra will take about 2 hours.

In the unofficial world ranking, Petra was included in the New Seven Wonders of the World, but was officially designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.  The city is carved into numerous  rocks with its temples, tombs, small and large residential buildings, tombs, as well as staircases and streets.

Getting to Petra is not easy at all, first you will need to overcome the rather narrow, poorly lit Siq gorge. It’s not a very long hike, but for an additional fee you can rent a camel, horse or donkey for the ride.

The Siq will take you directly into the city and you will see the most famous building – El Khazneh (Treasury) –  the Treasury, which is known to many from numerous photographs, postcards, travel magazines and even films. By the way, “Treasury” has nothing to do with its name, most likely it was just a mausoleum (royal), but according to some rumors, it was here that countless treasures were hidden.

Over the centuries, residential and other buildings of the city gradually disappeared, and about 1400 years ago Petra was completely abandoned by the inhabitants of the city and forgotten by the Western world until almost the 12th century A.D. Some tombs survived earthquakes, conquests and oblivion. For some time, Bedouin families used them as housing, but were forced to leave due to the development of tourism in the area since the 1970s and 1980s.

The “Treasury” itself is about 40 meters high and 25 meters wide, but you will be able to see other huge monuments as well. One of them is rightfully considered to be Ad-Deir, the “Monastery” (almost 50 meters wide and about 45 meters high), which is located not far from the city itself. It is not a tomb, but a temple of the divine king of the Nabataeans, but when the population converted to Christianity in the 4th century A.D.,  then it began to serve as a monastery, which has retained its name to this day.

Next, you will discover the Facade Street, the former center of the city, with its many rock-cut tombs, which date back to the Nabataean and Byzantine periods, and at the very end,  the amphitheater (designed for more than 5000 seats) built by the Nabataeans and enlarged by the Roman conquerors. A short walk up the hill, you can see some of the largest tombs, the so-called Royal Tombs.

Exploring this amazing lost city in its magical atmosphere, astounds the imagination with the grandeur of architectural and artistic masterpieces.

After this unforgettable visit, we will take you to one of the hotels in Aqaba, where you will spend the night.

2nd day:

After breakfast at the hotel, we will pick you up to head towards the Israeli border, towards the so-called Holy Land.

Now our way will lie through the Arabian Valley and the Negev desert towards the Dead Sea. Here you will stop for about 90 minutes to relax for a while and swim in the sea. The Dead Sea is a salt lake located in western Israel. The water level of the Dead Sea is 400 meters below the level of the World Ocean. It is the lowest land area on Earth. Due to the high salt content (about 33%), no animal or mammal can live in this water. But it is very useful for the human body. Try it, it easily keeps you on its surface!

If you plan to swim in the Dead Sea, don’t forget to bring your bathing gear.

After this break, we will travel to Jerusalem, the holy city where the three great monotheistic religions intersect: Judaism (the place where the religion of the ancestors of the Jewish people originated 3000 years ago), Christianity (the place where Jesus spent his last days, was crucified, resurrected and ascended to heaven) and Islam (the place that the Prophet Muhammad visited during his overnight journey).

First of all, you will visit the Mount of Olives, known not only as a religious site, but also as a Jewish cemetery, which is more than 3,000 years old and where about 150,000 graves are located. From the observation deck you can enjoy a fantastic panoramic view of both the entire city and some of its famous landmarks.

And now your journey through the holy places of Jerusalem begins.

Remember that you will visit places that are considered holy for believing Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

We ask our tourists (men and women) to show respect and dress appropriately in clothing that covers at least the knees and shoulders. Thank you

First of all, we will show you the Western Wall, also known as  the Western Wall, which is located at the foot of the Temple Mount. It is a small piece of the most important sanctuary for all Jews, the Second Temple, which was destroyed during the war with the Romans in 70 AD. Since then, this place has been a holy place for pilgrimage for all Jewish believers. Every year,  about a million people, praying and hoping for God’s support, leave notes with wishes in the cracks of this wall.

If the entrance to the Temple Mount is open on the day of your visit, then you will definitely climb up to see the Rock Dome Mosque, which is one of the main shrines for Muslims. To date, its complete reconstruction has been completed, and the magnificent monument with shiny gilded domes is the hallmark of Jerusalem. You will also see the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the most important mosque in Jerusalem and the third most important mosque in the world.

Remember that the entrance to the Rock Dome and Al-Aqsa Mosques is allowed for tourists only with a special permit from the city administration. Therefore, unfortunately, you will only be able to see it from the outside.

We will continue your journey with a walk through the bazaar, the Arabian market, where you may buy some souvenirs for yourself.

And now you will touch the history of Christianity – the “Via Dolorosa“, the “road of sorrow”, the path that Jesus walked to the place of his execution, carrying a cross on his back. At the end of this path, we will reach the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as  the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. It has been a place of pilgrimage for Christians since its construction almost 1700 years ago. But in 1009 it was destroyed by the Muslim caliph.  But a few years later, its repair and reconstruction began. In the church, you will see the rotunda, under which the Edicule with the Holy Sepulchre is located.

After visiting this holy place, you will have lunch at one of the local restaurants, and then you will continue your journey through the Christian shrines – from the burial place of Jesus to his birthplace, Bethlehem. You will see the Church of the Nativity, which was built over the grotto, the cave where, according to the scriptures, Jesus was born. It is one of the most important Christian sites. The church was built at the beginning of the 4th century AD and rebuilt in 565. You You will be able to see it in its original form, so it is considered one of the oldest churches in operation today.

Remember, Bethlehem is currently in Palestinian-controlled territory and therefore may not be accessible at any time. It’s not our fault. In that regard, we are expanding our review programme for Jerusalem.

At this point, your journey through the Holy Land is over, and passing modern-day Jerusalem, you head south, back to the Egyptian border, and back to your hotel, Sharm el-Sheikh.