Egypt, Jordan and Israel tours: what the trip really involves

How do the three countries fit together?

The three meet around the Gulf of Aqaba, at the northern tip of the Red Sea. Aqaba in Jordan, Eilat in Israel and Taba in Egypt sit within a short drive of one another. That corner is what makes the combination work: on a good routing you cross land borders rather than flying between all three countries separately.

The rest of the map is less friendly. Cairo sits far to the north-west, and the Nile temples around Luxor and Aswan are several hundred kilometres south of it again. Most itineraries therefore use an internal flight in Egypt, then work up through Sinai and Israel and across into Jordan, or run the same route in reverse. Expect several long road days whichever way round you go.

How long is realistic, 16 days or 21?

Sixteen days is the floor. That buys roughly three days in Cairo, three or four on a Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan, two around Petra, one in Wadi Rum, three in and around Jerusalem, and the rest spent moving. Twenty-one days is more comfortable and lets you add Amman, Jerash and a slower Dead Sea stop. Under a fortnight, you are paying to sit in vehicles and queues. Two countries done properly beats three done at a jog.

What are the border crossings actually like?

You cross on foot, with your luggage. Vehicles and guides rarely come with you, so one driver drops you on one side and a different driver meets you on the other. Between Egypt and Israel the crossing normally used is Taba, near Eilat. Between Israel and Jordan there are crossings in the south, at Eilat and Aqaba, and others further north. Allow several hours for each, and expect questions, queues and baggage checks.

Rules change. Opening hours, fees, visa arrangements and which crossings are operating at all can be revised at short notice, and where a crossing sits affects which visas are issued there. Israel generally issues a separate entry card rather than stamping passports, but the neighbouring stamps still show your route. Check your own government's travel advice for all three countries, and your operator's latest routing, before you commit and again shortly before departure.

What is worth your time, and what is not?

Giza, Cairo's museum collections, the Luxor west bank, Abu Simbel, two days at Petra and a night in a Wadi Rum camp all justify the effort. Some things do not. Sound and light shows are dull. The Dead Sea float is a twenty-minute novelty, so one night on that shore is plenty. Nile cruise boats vary far more than the brochures suggest, and some itineraries include shopping stops that are simply sales pitches. A tacked-on Red Sea beach day usually costs a travel day for very little.

Who should skip this itinerary?

This is a hard trip. Early starts, heat from April to October, security checks, uneven ground at Petra and the Luxor temples, and border days that eat into the good hours. Anyone with limited mobility, a low tolerance for queues, or a wish to stay put for a few days will get more out of Egypt and Jordan alone, or Jordan and Israel alone. The third country keeps. Younger children often run out of patience in week two.

How are Egypt, Jordan and Israel tours put together and priced?

Three countries means three sets of guides, permits and vehicles, so these trips are usually run by one ground operator working with partners in the other two countries. Ask who is actually on the ground in each country, and who you call when something goes wrong at seven in the morning. That answer tells you more about an operator than any itinerary page does.

Pricing is by enquiry rather than off a shelf, because dates, cruise standard and hotel level move the total a long way. Ask for a written breakdown before you commit: which meals, entry tickets, internal flights, border fees, visas and tips sit inside the quoted figure, and which are paid locally. On a three-country trip those extras add up quietly.