Backpacking Egypt & Jordan is a 16-day small-group trip from $2,599 per person with a $350 deposit. The Pyramids of Giza, a felucca sail on the Nile, the Valley of the Kings, the Lost City of Petra and a night under the stars in Wadi Rum. For travellers aged 18-45, in groups of 6-16, with 20 activities and 17 meals. Departures run from 10 October 2026.
Cairo → Aswan → Luxor → Faiyum → Amman → Petra → Wadi Rum → Aqaba → Madaba
Egypt & Jordan
9 stops
Welcome to Egypt. Land in Cairo, check into the hotel and take a breather before meeting your group and your tour leader this evening. The first night out together is all about introductions, a first taste of Egyptian food and getting to know the people you will be crossing two countries with.
The big one comes first. After breakfast we head to Giza to stand in front of the Great Pyramid, the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing, then on to the Sphinx. In the afternoon we explore the Grand Egyptian Museum, Cairo's vast new home for the treasures of the pharaohs. Tonight we board an overnight train south to Aswan.
Wake up in the far south of Egypt, where the Nile runs blue between granite boulders. This morning we visit the Temple of Philae, set on its own island, before checking in. The afternoon is free to wander Aswan at your own pace, and as the sun goes down we head out to Elephantine Island. Dinner is included tonight.
There is no better way to see the Nile than from a felucca, the traditional wooden sailing boat that has worked this river for thousands of years. We spend the morning drifting north before stepping ashore for Edfu Temple, one of the best preserved in Egypt. Then it is on to Luxor to check in and explore the local market.
This trip is our two trips joined into one. The first eight days follow Backpacking Egypt, from the Pyramids to Aswan, Luxor and the desert. On day 9 we fly to Amman and pick up Backpacking Jordan from its second day, through Jerash, Petra, Wadi Rum, Aqaba and the Dead Sea.
It suits you if you want to see both countries in one go, with the flight between them sorted for you.
Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are the most comfortable times, warm and sunny without the extreme heat. Summer is very hot in southern Egypt, often above 40°C in Aswan and Luxor, which is why the sightseeing days start early. Winter is mild in Egypt but cold at night in the Jordanian desert and in Petra.
Our guides Egypt weather and Jordan weather have the month-by-month detail.
The minimum age is 18 and the trip is designed for travellers aged 18 to 45, with most people in their twenties and early thirties.
Plenty of people join on their own, so you will be travelling with a group of like-minded people from the first night.
15 breakfasts and 2 dinners are included. The dinners are in Aswan on day 3 and at the desert camp in Wadi Rum on day 13.
Other lunches and dinners are not included, which leaves you free to eat where you like, from koshari in Cairo to mezze in Amman. The group often eats out together and your tour leader will know the good local places.
You stay in twin-share hotel rooms for most of the trip, with one night glamping at a desert camp in Wadi Rum.
Two nights in Egypt are spent on overnight trains: Cairo to Aswan on day 2, and Luxor back north on day 5. They save two long days on the road and are part of the adventure.
By plane. On day 9 we fly from Cairo to Amman together, and the flight is included in the price of your trip.
Everything else is included too: private transport in both countries, two overnight trains in Egypt and the felucca sail on the Nile.
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