Petra, the Pyramids and a Nile Yacht Cruise

Explore third-century Jerash, the “Pompeii of the Middle East,” walking its well-preserved Roman ruins. After lunch, get to know Amman, visiting the Citadel and the impressive Roman Theater.

Journey this morning to Mount Nebo, in the footsteps of Moses, for expansive views of the Holy Land. Proceed to Madaba, known as the “City of Mosaics” for its spectacular Byzantine and Umayyad examples of the vividly colored local stone tiles. Travel to Wadi Rum — the “Valley of the Moon” — which you explore by 4x4, traversing rose-tinted vistas and visiting a place where Lawrence of Arabia once lived. “Vast, echoing and God-like,” as Lawrence himself once described it, the area takes its name from the grandest of Jordan’s wadis, or valleys, and for the past thousand years it has witnessed life among the nomadic Bedouin and the trading caravans en route to or from the Arabian Peninsula. Tonight, embrace Bedouin life firsthand with a chef-led dinner beneath twinkling desert skies.

You’re on your own time today, free to float in the restorative waters of the Dead Sea. Sitting some 1,300 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on the planet. Since the days of Cleopatra and Herod the Great, people have flocked to its waters in pursuit of their curative secrets. Alternatively, you may opt to visit Bethany Beyond the Jordan, on the eastern bank of the Jordan River, known as the baptism site of Jesus.

Fly to Cairo, set on the Nile delta. Egypt’s “city of a thousand minarets” enjoys a rich architectural tradition that includes no less than the only remaining Ancient Wonder of the World — the Great Pyramid of Giza — as well as the Grand Egyptian Museum, which you visit this afternoon to view a vast trove of artifacts including treasures from the tomb of Tutankhamun, better known as King Tut.

Fly to Luxor and journey to the Temple of Karnak, where generations of pharaohs wished to record their names. Walk through the Great Hypostyle Hall with its expertly aligned columns, a sight to behold. Board Zein Nile Chateau, embarking on a four-night cruise. After lunch, disembark to visit the striking Temple of Luxor and marvel at the Colonnade of Amenhotep III, which leads to the Court of Amenhotep III.

Discover the Valley of the Kings, the legendary burial ground of the pharaohs, including entrance into the tomb of “the boy king,” Tutankhamun. Also view the impressive Temple of Hatshepsut before returning to your boat.

Disembark at Kom Ombo (hill of gold) to visit the Greco-Roman temple dedicated to Haroeris (the sun god) and Sobek (the crocodile god). Continue to Aswan and boat to Philae Temple on the island of Agilika. Then board a felucca (traditional sailboat) to sail around Elephantine Island and later dine aboard Zein Nile Chateau.