Need help with Israel, Petra and Egypt tour
 

Hi all -

My family and I (large group) will be arriving in Israel in mid-August. Many of us 8 adults & 5 children will be taking a trip to Petra August 26-27 from Jerusalem. I have been in contact with Isram tours and Desert Eco Tours (comments on tour operators). Originally we planned on going over the Allenby Bridge Crossing but it now seems that the Eilat/Aqaba Crossing is a better choice. First, does it make sense (cost & time) to rent a bus to take us down to Eilat from Jerusalem or fly from Tel Aviv into Eilat? The plan is to cross over into Jordan the afternoon of 8/26 visit Wadi Rum and then overnight near Petra. Any hotel recommendations would be great (Taybet Zaman, Movenpick and Crown Plaza).
Monday, 8/27 we will be touring Petra... that evening most of the family will be returning to Tel Aviv via Eilat... flying I assume.

My wife and I and 2 children will be departing for Egypt for a few days before returning to Tel Aviv on 8/31. One tour operator suggested that we hire someone to drive us from Eilat on 8/27 to Cairo. He said it would take about 4 hours. The other tour operator said it was more like 10 hours to drive... not certain I believe either of them. The only other options are to have someone drive us to Amman and fly to Cairo or drive to Sharm el Sheikh and fly Egyptair to Cairo. Any help would greatly be appreciated.

We plan to stay at the Le Meridien Pyramids.

8/28 visit Pyramids/Sphinx in the a.m., relax in the afternoon and maybe visit Mohamed Al mosque and the market of Han El Halili in the late afternoon/evening.

8/29 a.m. flight to Luxor, Valley of the Kings, Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and then return that evening to Cairo.

8/30 Egyptian & Solar Boat Museum and tour Cairo

8/31 Early a.m. El Al flight from Cairo - Tel Aviv.

I appreciate your comments and help.

Thanks,
Andrew

Hi
Both of the tour operators you mentioned are reputable and should be excellent.But they offer a different kind of tour. <a href="http://www.desertecotours.com/Englis...ours.asp" target="_blank">Desert Eco Tours</a>
is more on the adventurous side. They have a two day Wadi Rum and Petra tour in which you travel by jeep and sleep in a Bedouin hospitality camp. Looking at the page I see that the price is $340 per person. You can add a hotel upgrade and there is even a hot air baloon option.

<a href="http://isram.com/isram/index.htm" target="_blank">Isram Tours</a>
, a well known and experienced operator, has a short tour to Jordan. They have a three day tour leaving from and returning to Jerusalem. In this case, you dont have to worry about Eilat and can catch a flight from Tel Aviv to Cairo after returning to Jerusalem (or take a bus from Jerusalem). Isram also has a combined Jordan and Egypt tour. The Jordan tour goes to Petra where you get a private guide and go by horseback into the red, desert city. They also go to other great Jordan sites which it would be a shame to miss if you are already in Jordan. Madaba with a famous byzantine mosaic of the holy land. Mount Nebo from which Moses is said to have had his glimpse of the promised land. Jerash is amazing--a very well preserved and large ancient Greco Roman city. Here is the <a href="http://isram.com/isram/intro3.asp?TO..._ID=1791" target="_blank">itineary for the tour</a>

The three day tour starts at $725, it's a more upscale tour. By the way, three days in Egypt doesnt really make sense and sounds much too short.

If you want a cheaper operator, <a href="http://www.mazada.co.il/English/Stor...ountry=6" target="_blank">Mazada Tours</a>
goes to Egypt and Jordan and is more of a budget option.

We stayed at the Movenpick a couple of years ago and it worked out just fine. It is what I would call an american style hotel -- the common area was quite nice with high ceilings, bar area, restaurant (although we thought the food was just so-so) and there was a rooftop terrace that we enjoyed. The room was large with 2 (!) kings, an in-room bar, and a spacious, modern bath. As a note, we paid extra for the view but I would not recommend doing so. There isn't much view as the sites are below the horizon. We could walk down to Petra from hotel, which was easy and convenient. Start your day early as the heat is oppressive! We particularly liked the Queen Noor crafts tent inside Petra. Proceeds go to the Bedouin crafters. What a treat you have ahead of you!

Thanks. I will take a look at the tours and the Movenpick seems a better option fo r my family.

I have been told to take the Allenby Bridge Sunday morning for Petra but the return could be a problem. I was told it closes at 2pm and won't accept anyone after 1pm. Does anyone know the hours of operation for the Allenby Bridge?

Thanks,
Andrew

Four (4) hours from Eilat to Cairo. Don't think so. The ten (10) hours seems more like it.

You may want to consider flying from Amman to Cairo; believe both Royal Jordanian and Egypt Air fly this route, so check schedules. It's one (1) hr.

I would then suggest the Isram tour via Allenby, drive down to Petra, spend whatever time there and be returned to the AMM airport for your flight to Cairo.

Eilat is always a better crossing for a visit to Petra (easier border crossings, less vehicle traffic), but I don't know whether you want to be driving thru the Negav during the heat of summer.

Not current, but there might be a flight from AMM to TLV. There was one a few years back, but who knows what's doing today. If there is, this would be an option for those not going onto Cairo.

Taybet Zaman is a lovely little hotel, but a bit of a distance from the actual Petra site. Movenpick might be a better choice; as I recall, it's right at the entrance to the site.

We have decided to take a car from Petra to Amman for a flight to Cairo. 2 questions... Does anyone know approx. how much it will cost for a car service?

We have a choice of flying EgyptAir or Royal Jordanian Airlines for an evening flight. (RJA is a bit more expensive but not significantly) Any recommendations on which airline to take ... timeliness.. safety. etc.

Thanks,
Andrew

Andrew,
I flew Egyptair 3 times in Egypt; it always boards about the time it should have arrived in the next place (you did ask about on-time). Can't hurt to take Jordanian.

"The plan is to cross over into Jordan the afternoon of 8/26 visit Wadi Rum and then overnight near Petra. ...
Monday, 8/27 we will be touring Petra... that evening most of the family will be returning to Tel Aviv via Eilat... flying I assume."

Wow. This is bordering the impossible. While you could cross into Jordan in the afternoon and cross out the next night, that wouldn't leave you any time to see much of anything, much less experience both Petra and Wadi Rum. Both take time - you need to walk or ride, and just the basic main sites of Petra take a full day. It is very, very large! And Rum is vast. I'd say you need to find another day (or two) to add, and stick to either Rum or Petra.

Thanks Mileagemaven & Hisurfer,

I think Royal Jordanian is our best option esp. since we can now get miles on American Air.

Wadi Rum is not going to happen on this trip. We are planning to stop by Wadi Hudeira for a wet hike in the canyon and possibly Little Petra on the drive down to Petra. Day 2 is all Petra before we take the evening flight to Cairo.

That sounds more do-able! A night in Petra allows you to wake up and walk early. Just remember that it takes about four hours to get from Wadi Mousa (near Petra) to the airport!

"Little Petra" is actually past Petra. It's interesting, though very weather worn. I'd recommend that if you arrive early enough you take a walk to Petra itself. There are many routes through the ruins, all fascinating, and all quite different - so you could do a different route the second day and have almost no overlap.

Hi aks_nyc,

After touring Israel, we flew from Tel Aviv to Eilat by is Israir. We got a good deal for $180 roundtrip. However for you, it will be a lot of money considering how many people are traveling. You could consider renting a van and driving to back and forth from Tel Aviv and Eilat. Actually, you can consider taking the bus to Eilat from Tel Aviv. I know there are several that go each day and are pretty cheap from what I remember, perhaps as cheap as $15/pp each way. The bus takes 5.5 hours if I recall correctly. Search the message board for "eilat" and you will see posts (probably my posts) about the bus options.

We stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Eilat and really liked it there. They have a Desert Eco tours office in the lobby but I would communicate with them beforehand and not wait to book the Petra tours when in Eilat. They are a prominent touring company in Eilat and seems like most people go through them to Petra. Don't forget the Jordan visa fees ($50/pp I think).

Good luck!