Explore Asia - Oasis Nomad

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From the Pyramids of Giza to the majestic city of Petra, the Dead Sea and desert camping at Wadi Rum plus troglodyte villages and Libya's Roman ruins, you will experience the highlights of the Middle East in our action-packed 42 day overland adventure.

Days 1 - 6 Our travel to the Middle East begins! Tunis is a safe and very easy city to explore. It has a strong medieval Arab past and the legendary city of Carthage is only a 30 minute bus ride away. Our first stop on leaving Tunis is Dougga, the largest and most dramatic Roman site in Tunisia, and possibly in North Africa. We continue with a short drive to Le Kef, a mountainous village dominated by its fortified Kasbah. We visit the old Roman city of Haidra and the small oasis towns of Nefta and Tozeur where we have some free time to explore. Next we visit Matmata, well known for its troglodyte villages and then head South to Remada and the desert border with Libya.

Days 7 - 11 We cross the border at the small town of Nalut, which has an exceptional qasr (fortified granary reached though underground tunnel) clinging to a steep hillside as well as ancient olive oil presses. The UNESCO World Heritage oasis town of Ghadames is situated on an ancient desert caravan route from West Africa and there is believed to have been a town here for 5000 years. We now cross the desert to Leptis Magna, one of the finest preserved Roman Cities with colonnaded street and a Roman harbour with quay side and warehouses still intact.

Days 12 - 15 We now drive along the Mediterranean coast with plenty of opportunities to freshen up with a swim from one of the many deserted beaches. Our next major stop is at the ancient Greek city of Cyrene. From here it is a short drive to Tobruk , the scene of some of the most important and viscous battles of WW 2 and we will also see some of the 25 kms of fortified trenches and battle remains that circled the town.

Days 16 - 21 From Tobruk we cross into Egypt and visit El Alamein. This was the turning point of WW2 and it is well worth paying your respects at the cemeteries and seeing abandoned tanks and other armour. Next we stop at Alexandria where we can take a trip to the Catacombs in the eerie subterranean Roman Necropolis full of bizarre carvings and an ancient dining room for mourners! The beaches and diving here are also excellent with wrecks of Roman Galleys, French Warships, German U-boats and Cleopatra's Palace. A half days drive away brings us to the bustling city of Cairo.

Days 22-24In Cairo we start with a trip to the world-famous Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza and a truly Egyptian experience - riding camels! In the afternoon our guide takes us to the Egyptian History Museum before we catch an overnight train to Aswan.

Days 25-27 Aswan is imbued with the relaxed attitude of the Nubian people who live here. You will have the opportunity to visit Abu Simbel, the great stone monuments built by Ramses II, as well as a number of temples and tombs on the West Bank of the Nile. From Aswan we take a traditional Egyptian sailboat or 'felucca' on the Nile River. We spend the next two days aboard watching Egypt glide by and sleeping under the stars.

Days 28-30 Luxor is where we join our overland truck and we camp here for three nights. We visit the Valley of the Kings on donkeys and your local guide will explain the 3000 year old history of the Pharaohs and their mummification and journey through the underworld.

From Luxor we camp overnight in the desert and then crossing the Suez Canal we may catch sight of the huge ships that seemingly pass through the desert sands, before continuing on to St Catherine's Monastery where it is possible to climb Mount Sinai. This is an amazing place to watch the sun rise over the Sinai Desert.

Days 31-33 Dahab on the Red Sea coast is our base for the next three days. Here, you can snorkel or scuba dive to some of the best coral reefs in the world, go desert quad biking or just lie on the beach. You can also take a one-day camel safari and trek off-road down the desert coastline.

Days 34-36 This morning we leave Egypt by ferry across the Red Sea to Aquaba in Jordan. Wadi Rum has some of the most spectacular desert scenery anywhere in the world and it was here that Lawrence of Arabia and his Arab forces had their secret base. Here you have the option of taking a 4WD jeep safari with Bedouin guides. We camp overnight under a stunning blanket of stars.

Days 37-39 Climbing into the mountains we spend the next two nights in a locally-owned hotel at Petra. Situated in a deep ravine with towering sandstone cliffs and hills, the ancient City of Petra is carved out of the rock. The sheer size and architecture of the rock hewn buildings is quite breath-taking.

A visit to the lowest point on Earth! The Dead Sea is over 1000ft below sea level, very hot throughout the year, and is claimed to have many therapeutic qualities. Here you can have an unusual swimming - or rather floating - experience in this highly buoyant salt sea.

Days 40-42 We arrive in Amman, the capital of Jordan the following morning. Steeped in history - it is mentioned in the Old Testament and the Bible - it is now a modern, cosmopolitan Arab city with an extremely friendly and well-educated population.

It is a four hour drive to Damascus, the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. We spend two days in this fascinating, friendly and safe city, which still contains much of the mystery of the orient with its busy bazaars, decaying charm, polite people and some of the Islamic world's oldest monuments.

From Damascus it may also possible to join a one-day excursion into Lebannon.

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Call 0845 344 7546 to book now!

Cost Details

Additional local payment £320 to be made at the start of the trip. Some meals not included. It's also possible to join the Cairo to Damascus section for £395 plus £150 local payment