dkrt

Hello FT's,

Looking at doing the following itinerary with 2, maybe 3 persons. Our dates - mid September 15 to October 15 or October 20 to November 5 are what's available for us. Even though it appears we have ample time, we are just trying to schedule our trip for about 17 days within our time frames. We are thinking of:

Day 1&2 - USA to Cairo
Day 2-3 -Giza
Day 4 -Fly to Luxor
Day 4-5 Luxor
Day 6 - Fly to Amman, then to Petra
Day 7 - Petra and then to Wadi Rum, overnight in Wadi Rum.
Day 8 - Wadi Rum to Jerusalem
Day 9-14 Jerusalem, Dead Sea and ?
Day 15 TEL to USA

Our schedule is very flexible especially if we go 9/15-10/15 opening.

Would appreciate any comments and suggestions and any recommendations on guides in Egypt, Jordan and Israel. We are adventurous and go almost non-stop until in our beds for the night.

Much thanks.

mbgg

You have only 11 days net, excluding traveling days between countries. Three countries in eleven days is a very hectic itinerary.

Sept-Oct are the holiday period in Israel and it is preferable to arrive after oct 16.

How are you planning to go from Wadi Rum to Jerusalem ?

You should base yourselves in Jerusalem during your stay in Israel. The Dead Sea and Tel Aviv are easy day trips from there. However if you rent a car in Eilat you should stay overnight at the Dead Sea before proceeding to Jerusalem.

BillScann

Consider flying to Sharm and then taking the ferry to Aqaba and working your way north through Jordan. The Jordanian side of the Dead Sea is imho much nicer and you don't have to think about the politics. You'd then cross to Jerusalem via Allenby.

mbgg

What do politics have to do with the Dead Sea ?
On the Israeli side - in addition to the spas -you can also visit Massada, Ein Gedi and Qumran.

BillScann

Quite a lot, I'm afraid. The Dead Sea is Jordanian on the eastern bank and part of the occupied West Bank on its western bank. Many describe the Israeli exploitation of resources along the Dead Sea as economic theft and therefore a violation of their international responsibilities as the occupying power on the West Bank.

Besides, in Jordan you can visit Jerash and Madaba.

mbgg

Massada and Ein Gedi are both in pre-1967 Israel and not in the West bank. The "exploitation of resources" by the Dead Sea Works at Sodom are also in pre-1967 Israel and the plant was operating even before 1948. Please check your facts before you try to politicize a thread with inaccurate information.

Jerash and Madaba are near Amman and not on the Dead Sea. Nobody suggested that he not go to Jordan altogether.

FlyingELAL

BillScann, I'm suspect you are mistakenly brainwashed without ever visiting the area. See mbgg's post with some facts you should know.

Tourism-oriented, if you look at the Dead Sea region (Which is a desert region):
* The largest oasis in the Dead Sea region is Ein Gedi, on the Israeli side
* The impressive site Masada, which is also designated by UNESCO as a world heritage site, is on the Israeli side
* The drive to Jerusalem, clearly stated by dkrt as a station in his tour, is an easy and rather quick one. If you come from Jordan through Allenby border crossing (as suggested by BillScann), then you should know it is known to have frequent delays and is unrecommended for use for tourists.

stockmanjr

Doing this via public transit is annoying but doable imho. Guess via Aquba into Eliat would be best as there isn't any public transit options via Amman.
Cheers
Howie

mbgg

You have three options for going from Eilat to Jerusalem: drive, bus or fly.
- Drive: takes over 4 hrs. The advantage is the convenience in stopping along the way, e.g. at the Dead Sea, the Ramon Crater, etc. Note that most agencies are closed from Friday afternoon until Sunday morning.

- Bus: takes about 5 hrs. You should book in advance:
http://www.egged.co.il/Eng/main.asp?lngCategoryID=2771
You can check the schedules on the same site. Note the limited Saturday schedules.

- Fly: takes less than an hour. You can fly with "Arkia" or "Israir" to either to Ben Gurion airport (then take the shuttle to Jerusalem) or to Sde Dov, the Tel Aviv municipal airport (less convenient if you are going to Jerusalem):
http://www.arkia.com/flights-in-israel
http://www.israirairlines.com/?mode=page&page=14635

MrHalliday

FWIW I did it this way, solo...

fly into TLV, public bus to Eilat,
taxi to Jordan border, walk across, taxi on other side to Petra.
Petra to Jerusalem via Allenby,
(private car organized by front desk at Crown Plaza Petra).

dand99

I have not been to the Jordanian side, but would expect it to be both cheaper and much more basic (fewer amenities, all concentrated in the hotel perhaps) - if cost is a factor that might be important.

joshwex90

Bill is right that on the Jordanian side, you don't have to think about the politics. You can just enjoy. Fortunately, the same is true of the Israeli side

OP, you say Wadi Rum to Jerusalem. Are you planning on crossing in Eilat or by Allenby?

JDiver

Please withhold purely political commentary and opinion; there is a proper place for that (OMNI, and specifically OMNI P/R,) not in a destination forum. Counter-commentary is inappropriate as welk; if you feel a post is dilatory, inappropriate or otherwise not in order, please notify the moderators.

Suggestions, recommendations, practical advice (e.g. transiting via the Allenby bridge) are welcome and appropriate.

Thank you,

JDiver
Senior Moderator