Jordan/Egypt
Wonders of the Middle East: An Exploration of Egypt & Jordan
Program No. 24423RJ
Experience the ancient and modern wonders of Jordan and Egypt on a once-in-a-lifetime journey that leads to the Great Pyramid of Giza, Petra and the Wadi Rum desert.
Participant Reviews
Based on 24 Reviews
SHOWING
This was my first Road Scholar adventure. Overall, it was an amazing experience. The guides were great but very different. Ramzi was warm and caring, and his love for his country was heart-warming. He is the guide I will remember forever. George was great too, a pro who knows so much about everything.
As an experienced traveler, I absolutely loved the way RS handles the passage through airports. It was a breeze and luckily since we had 4 inland flights. The luggage handling was great.
My criticism comes to the schedule. Even though this is a long trip and we see many amazing sites, there was little time to rest and recuperate. The relentless pace is why I would rank this trip lower.
5 stars for the guides.
3 stars for the itinerary and pace. Hotels were mostly fine and the dining out was exceptional with one that didn't live up to the rest. Hotel buffets were only average and boring. The cruise ship experience was lackluster. The boat was antiquated and dim. The food was mundane. Very disappointing.
Not sure I'll do another RS but grateful this was the one I got to do.
— Review left December 28, 2025
This was definitely a trip of a lifetime. Jordan and Egypt were both rich experiences.
As some others have noted, this trip could be longer to spend more time at various places. Early wake ups and so much sometimes crammed into one day was exhausting. Bus rides, plane rides - why do other countries'(not USA) airlines serve a meal for only an hour and a half plane ride? Loved that. The actual walking was usually not strenuous. Just a busy schedule. Meals were adequate, although I would have preferred more restaurant meals and fewer buffets.
Our guides, Ramzi and George, were both helpful and knowledgeable.
Glad I made this trip. Three weeks would have been even better. :-)
— Review left December 26, 2025
This was a marvelous trip! Everything I hoped for and more!
Feedback for RS: This trip should be about 4 days longer.
Guide in Jordan was well liked but we always seemed to be behind schedule. Perhaps lacks in control of group such as sticking to times. Cost us 35 minutes when he left Whispers behind in Wadi Rum.
As compared to our guide in Egypt, who was much more professional and clearly gave reasons for why everyone must be on time. He had good control of the group. His knowledge of Egyptology was amazing!
— Review left December 25, 2025
Absolutely amazing trip! This trip far exceeded my expectations, especially the wonderful leaders, Amr and Hamada!
— Review left December 22, 2025
Visiting Jordan was a wonderful surprise. Petra of course was a goal but Jordan had so much more to offer.
— Review left December 19, 2025
Our trip to Jordan and Egypt was packed with many of the must see sites in these two countries. We saw so many amazing places and things. Some connections require short nights with limited sleep time. The trip is physically challenging, but well worth the effort. We are so glad we went.
— Review left November 23, 2025
Our trip was very good with the exception of blocks of time with little scheduled and then other times that were too crammed with intense activity.
The trip to Radii Rum was a major disappointment. The opportunity to see the night sky in the desert was lost due to the choice of location. There were search lights (WHY?) and loud unpleasant dance (?) music. The clamp units were nothing like we’ve enjoyed on other trips. I can’t understand why the description of the highlighted experience of seeing the desert sky was ruined.
We won’t get another chance.
The hotels were all very nice!
Our guides were great. Radwan and Ammani were always engaged and helpful, very knowledgeable and kind.
Thank you for the opportunity to review our experience.
Cathy Hathaway
— Review left November 21, 2025
Wonders of the Middle East - Jordan and Egypt was a fantastic trip with excellent group leaders and accommodations. I learned so much about this part of the world and toured ancient sites that I previously had just read about. It was a trip of a lifetime for me and so thankful I went with Road Scholar as it was exactly as described and well supported from start to finish!
— Review left November 16, 2025
This was an exceptional learning experience with study guides Ahm and Mostafa who were experts in their knowledge of Jordan and Egypt. I would recommend this program without any reservations.
— Review left November 15, 2025
Wonderful to experience the sites we visited. The activity classification was appropriately set as very strenuous.
— Review left November 4, 2025
Petra was seen and can be believed, now. The rest of Jordan was more interesting than expected. Hotels all exceeded expectations. Lots of food choices were available with much local cuisine. Egypt tour was just right.
— Review left October 31, 2025
Enjoy and experience the wonders of Jordan and Egypt. Petra and Pyramids are a mind opening experience.
— Review left October 29, 2025
WOW! We rate this 15-day adventure equal to our two-week Africa Safari which we have held as the gold star for travel/learning experiences. Our trip was further enhanced because we toured both Jordan and Egypt while Ramadan was occurring. Ramadan became a catalyst of more learning about Islam as a religion and as a culture. We witnessed the celebratory dinners, the physical decorations, which led to more questions - and answers - about the culture; it was fascinating. Our enthusiastic Jordan guide, Oria, was filled with knowledge and wanted to share all of Jordan with us, not just Petra, but the entire country. We would have enjoyed two more days in Jordan so we could tour Aqaba since we were so close and perhaps have spent another day at the Dead Sea.
In Egypt our guide Bassem was really wonderful. Even before our journey began, Bassem contacted us all with information and whetted our appetites for Egypt. Now that the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is open, we used our Cairo free time to visit. What a phenomenal museum! Future tours should always make time for it. The Nile Cruise was also not only informative, but FUN! Serenely floating up the Nile while sitting on the top open deck and enjoying afternoon tea was an experience straight out of a movie. We all smiled and laughed expecting to meet Agatha Christie. the Valley of the Kings we toured five tombs (any more and one's head might explode from all the information). I highly recommend that RS include the Ramses III tomb. As a group we learned its significance and importance so we purchased an extra ticket to see it, and we were not disappointed. More time in Cairo was a delight. We visited The original Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, walked - and shopped - through a bazaar, and as we sped by, Bassem pointed out and told us about the City of the Dead (cemetary) where Egyptians now live because of a lack of affordable housing. What a trip - not just seeing, but understanding!
— Review left June 28, 2025
In addition to my earlier review a suggestion would be to extend the number of days of the program . There were two early wake up calls (1-2 Am) from Jordan to Cairo and from Cairo to Aswan on Egypt air. Trying to adjust to the new time zones and then adjust to disturbed sleep pattern was unhealthy. With the additional time hopefully more flights would be available.
— Review left April 24, 2025
This program to Jordan and Egypt was great. Fun and informative, but a bit rushed at key sites.
— Review left April 22, 2025
When is it that you know you have experienced the trip of a lifetime? Perhaps when you find yourself scrolling through photos to recapture some of the wonder of what you have just seen, or laughing over the friendships and new discoveries you've just made. But ultimately it is the sense of having fulfilled a dream and wanting others to experience it as well. If that is the case, the Wonders of the Middle East fits the bill! What a perfect two weeks, and so fortunate to have Oria and Bassem as our skilled, patient, and extraordinary guides. Without them, we would not have experienced our first trip to the Middle East with such vivid memories. We loved the organization of the trip and the pace, and found our most enjoyable days the most active ones. Jordan is a lovely country with equally lovely people to match; through Oria's stories, we learned the "facts" of course, but more important how important family and community is to all Jordanians. Through Bassem, we learned history, and often in delightful and imaginative ways; at Philae we learned the basics of complex Egyptian mythology through a "play" he devised, with each of us playing a role...brilliant! There was so much to take in during our visit to Egypt, yet with his patient explanations we all got a sense of the enormity and scope or what we were seeing (though we could hardly believe people could create such monuments 5,000 years ago!). I'm quite certain we hit all the high points, not an easy task for the ambitious schedule. Our highlights were the Wadi Rum overnight, Petra (of course!) and the walk that covered the entire nearly 10 mile course in the valley; in Egypt the Pyramids (and riding on camels!), Valley of the Kings and Karnak/Luxor. We had enough time to see the New Egyptian Museum and the tomb of Ramses the VI, both of which were wonderful. Thank you to Road Scholar for a trip that ran like clockwork and the adventure of a lifetime! Fantastic job, well done! Jerry and Mary Buysse
— Review left April 15, 2025
There is more to Jordan than Petra! Experience Amman with its city bustle of elegant high rises and big business as well as local outdoor markets. Dip your hand in the River Jordan where Jesus was baptized. Float in the Dead Sea and enjoy a healing mud bath. Then you can be dazzled by Petra. At Petra you'll not only be amazed by The Treasury building and the Monastery but you learn about the Nabatean tribe and their expertise in water hydraulics - fascinating! Our expert guide, Oria, not only shared her immense Petra knowledge but she also shared Jordanian culture and marriage customs which added a richness to our adventure we would never have learned on our own.
— Review left April 2, 2025
We highly recommend this program, it fulfilled a bucket list desire of ours. The accommodations were of the highest standard, all five star, which was appreciated by all,
— Review left March 31, 2025
Visiting Jordan and Egypt was very enriching for me and I gained a lot of knowledge about the archaeological finds of Jordan and Egyptian history. This increased my curiosity to learn more about the history of Jordan and Egypt.
— Review left March 19, 2025
The Wonders of the Middle East: An Exploration of Egypt and Jordan was truly amazing; a phenomenal trip that was very well curated and led by top-shelf leaders who had a depth and breadth of knowledge that was above my expectations. From start to finish, the trip was seamless. Accommodations and food are as great as outlined. For me, this trip was all about fulfilling a decades long dream of going to Petra. But, the rest of the itinerary was equally as incredible an experience and learning adventure!
— Review left March 28, 2022
This Program delivers as advertised! Floated in the Dead Sea, went glamping in the desert, wandered through Roman ruins, climbed up onto a pyramid, entered Tut's tomb - and with very knowledgeable Guides throughout.
— Review left March 28, 2022
The trip of a lifetime!!!!!
— Review left March 22, 2022
Though I have often heard false information expounded by other tour guides, Road Scholar programs have guides who are experts and can be trusted. The programs are also well-organized so that participants get a maximum amount of educational content, and transitions between sights are seamless and comfortable.
— Review left March 17, 2022
What an amazing adventure! Our guides, Zach in Jordan and Yasser in Egypt, were so knowledgeable and kind. The group of 12 was very friendly and we all got along well. The sights of Petra, the pyramids, and Valley of the Kings, the cruise on the Nile, were spectacular. So many highlights, I can’t name them all. Thanks to Road Scholar for the journey of a lifetime.
Mandy Learson
— Review left March 17, 2022