Egypt & Petra - Tour Destination | Rockjumper Birding Tours

tour name & date for 2010	Egypt Birding & Antiquites I: 3 - 19 Apr (17 days) 3 SPACES REMAINING Petra Extension I: 19 - 21 Apr (3 days) Egypt Birding & Antiquites II: 11 - 25 Sept (15 days) Petra Extension I: 25 - 27 Apr (3 days)
tour cost 2010	Egypt Birding & Antiquites I: US$ 5,100 pp, US$ 650 ss Petra Extension I: US$ 900 pp, US$ 100 ss Egypt Birding & Antiquites II: US$ 4,990 pp, US$ 650 ss Petra Extension II: US$ 900 pp, US$ 100 ss
top birds	Greater Painted Snipe, Pharaoh Eagle-Owl, Greater Hoopoe-Lark, Nile Valley & Palestine Sunbird, Sinai Rosefinch, migrating raptors

Egypt has been the world’s most desirable tourist destination since the birth of tourism several thousand years ago. Marveling at Egypt’s antiquities is a major feature of our tour and we visit all the important sites, from riding camels around the Sphinx and Great Pyramids to being dazzled by the Sound-and-Light show at the giant Abu Simbel statues, close to the Sudanese border. In between we will visit the Egyptian Museum housing Tutenkhamun’s breath-taking treasures, the vast Temples of Luxor and Karnak, the tombs of the Valley of the Kings and the superb Temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo, essential stopovers during our Nile cruise.

Our tour is timed to coincide with the peak of the bird migration between Africa and Eurasia. Storks, raptors, waders and passerines passing through make birding easy and enjoyable. Even whilst exploring the ancient tombs, we will be ticking off birds etched in life-like detail thousands of years ago! Our itinerary will also take us to sites for resident birds including Al-Fayoum Oasis, the Eastern and Western Deserts, the Sinai Peninsula, Red Sea islands, Crocodile Island and the great Aswan Dam. We will be searching for specialities including Spotted and Crowned Sandgrouse, Greater Painted Snipe, Sooty and White-eyed Gull, Pharaoh Eagle-Owl, Greater Hoopoe-Lark, Nile Valley and Palestine Sunbird and Sinai Rosefinch.

The superb and easy birding, combined with the breathtaking antiquities, are augmented by luxurious hotels, a three-day Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor, incredible snorkeling and exciting shopping opportunities; to make this a thoroughly enjoyable tour for both keen birders and non-birding spouses.

Our extension includes a full day exploration of Petra as well as visits to some of Jordan’s top birding sites. Petra is one of the world’s most remarkable antiquities and is regarded as the most astounding ancient city left to the modern world. This capital of the Nabataeans housed an estimated 30,000 people and was manually hewn from the blood-red cliffs of the Sharrah Mountains. Several earthquakes and the rerouting of the trade routes sidelined Petra until it was finally abandoned and remained forgotten for centuries. This is without a doubt, the most “must-see” site in the entire Middle East.

tour name & dates 2011	Egypt - Birding & Antiquities I: 3 - 17 Apr (15 days) Petra Extension I: 17 - 19 Apr (3 days) Egypt - Birding & Antiquities II: 11 - 25 Sept (17 days) Petra Extension II: 25 - 27 Sept (3 days)
tour cost for 2011	TBA
max group size	14 & 2 Rockjumper leaders
tour leaders	Mark Beevers & Rainer Summers
habitats covered	desert, wadis (dry riverbeds), arid scrubby plains, Nile River and associated wetlands, shoreline and off-shore islands, mountains
climate	warm and dry conditions with cooler evenings
tour pace & walking	leisurely pace, undemanding walks on flat terrain
accommodation	comfortable and mostly luxurious
ease of birding	relaxed and easy
no. of species expected	180
top mammals	Rüppell’s Sand Fox, Red Fox, various bats
other attractions	key Egyptian antiquities, Nile River cruise, coral reef snorkeling, Petra, shopping
photographic opportunities	excellent