Simply Jordan Egypt 175583: A Culinary and Cultural Itinerary Through Two Ancient Civilizations

What Is Simply Jordan Egypt 175583?

Simply Jordan Egypt 175583 is a 14-day escorted group tour operated by Globus Travel since 2019, designed for travelers seeking immersive cultural engagement without sacrificing comfort or authenticity. The itinerary spans two UNESCO World Heritage-rich nations—Jordan and Egypt—with seven nights in Jordan (Amman, Petra, Wadi Rum, Aqaba) and six nights in Egypt (Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, and a Nile cruise aboard the MS Farah). Unlike generic ‘bucket list’ tours, this program emphasizes food literacy: guests dine at family-run mansaf houses in Madaba, learn to shape falafel from scratch in Cairo’s Khan el-Khalili, and taste 3,500-year-old date varietals in Siwa Oasis. All meals labeled 'B' (breakfast), 'L' (lunch), or 'D' (dinner) are included per the 2024 brochure—totaling 38 meals, of which 22 are locally hosted. Departure dates run March–October; the average group size is 24, with a minimum of 16 required for departure. Airfare is excluded, but internal flights (Amman–Cairo on EgyptAir Flight MS814, 1h22m; Luxor–Aswan on Nile Air Flight NP217, 45m) are fully coordinated and included.

Amman: Where Levantine Flavors Meet Urban Energy

Amman serves as the gateway to the tour—and its culinary heartbeat pulses strongest in the narrow alleys of downtown’s Jabal al-Weibdeh and Al-Balad. On Day 2, the tour begins with a guided visit to the Roman Theatre and the adjacent Nymphaeum, followed by lunch at Hashem Restaurant, a 1952-founded institution known for its 24-hour service and signature musakhan: sumac-marinated chicken layered over taboon-baked flatbread with caramelized onions and toasted pine nuts. Each portion uses precisely 180g of free-range chicken breast, sourced from local farms near Salt, and is served with a side of house-made labneh (strained yogurt at 10% fat, fermented for 18 hours).

Market Immersion at Souk Jara

The afternoon includes a hands-on food walk through Souk Jara, Amman’s Saturday farmers’ market established in 2005. Here, guests sample qatayef (stuffed pancakes) filled with Akawi cheese from Hebron and drizzled with rosewater syrup made from Damascene roses grown in the Golan Heights. Vendors include Al-Maqdisi Sweets, whose qatayef batter ferments for exactly 4 hours using wild yeast captured from Amman’s limestone air—a technique passed down since 1938. Market stops also feature olive oil tasting from Baraka Farms (cold-pressed extra virgin, 0.2% acidity, harvested October–November), and za’atar blends containing thyme, sumac, toasted sesame, and wild oregano harvested at 1,200 meters above sea level in Ajloun.

Dinner at Al-Qasr Restaurant: A Royal Feast

Dinner on Day 2 takes place at Al-Qasr Restaurant in the historic Abdali District. Guests sit on low cushions around copper trays while being served mansaf, Jordan’s national dish. The version here uses 1.2kg of lamb shoulder slow-cooked for 5 hours in jameed (fermented dried yogurt) from Karak, then poured over 2.5kg of saffron-infused rice and garnished with 120g of toasted almonds. Each table receives one communal tabaq (large platter), encouraging shared eating per Bedouin tradition. The jameed is rehydrated in 1.8L of water for 22 hours prior to cooking—no shortcuts permitted.

Petra & Wadi Rum: Bedouin Hospitality and Desert Ingredients

Day 4 brings travelers to Petra via a scenic 3-hour drive from Amman along Highway 15. At the ancient Nabataean city, the tour includes a private sunset walkthrough of the Siq and Al-Khazneh—followed by dinner at Al-Barakat Camp, a licensed Bedouin-owned site just outside the Petra Archaeological Park. Here, food isn’t served on plates but on hand-stitched goat-skin sharshaf pouches, echoing centuries-old nomadic practice.

Cooking with the Howeitat Tribe

On Day 5, guests join members of the Howeitat tribe for a desert bread-making workshop. Using a traditional taboon oven heated with acacia charcoal to 320°C, participants shape markook dough (a blend of 70% whole wheat and 30% white flour, hydrated at 68%) into paper-thin rounds. The dough rests for 20 minutes before stretching—never rolling—to preserve gluten elasticity. Each guest produces four rounds, cooked in under 45 seconds. The finished bread accompanies za’atar made from herbs foraged that morning near Little Petra, and fresh goat milk butter churned on-site using a 120-year-old wooden zir (clay churn).

Wadi Rum’s Date Culture

After checking into the Desert Rose Camp (a 20-tent eco-lodge certified by Jordan Tourism Board), guests tour a date palm grove maintained by the Zalabieh family since 1922. They taste three cultivars: Barhi (soft, caramel-like, 28% sugar content), Khadrawi (crisp, nutty, 24% sugar), and Hayani (dense, molasses-forward, 31% sugar). Dates are harvested manually between August 15 and September 30, with each tree yielding approximately 80kg annually. The camp’s breakfast features date-and-almond energy bars baked with organic tahini from Ma’an and raw honey from Sinai bees.

Cairo: Layers of Flavor Across 4,500 Years

Following the EgyptAir MS814 flight from Amman to Cairo International Airport (Terminal 3), the tour enters Egypt with a seamless transfer to the Le Méridien Pyramids Hotel in Giza. Day 8 opens with a sunrise visit to the Giza Plateau—including reserved access to the Great Pyramid’s interior (limited to 300 visitors daily, booked 90 days in advance)—and concludes with lunch at Felfela, a Cairo institution founded in 1959 near Tahrir Square.

Felfela’s Signature Dishes

Felfela’s menu reflects mid-century Egyptian cosmopolitanism. Guests receive a complimentary ta’amiya (fava-bean fritter) sampler: three versions—Alexandrian (with dill and mint), Upper Egyptian (spiced with cumin and coriander), and Delta-style (enriched with parsley and garlic). Each fritter contains exactly 110g of soaked and peeled fava beans, mashed with 15g of red onion, 8g of garlic paste, and 3g of ground cumin. They’re deep-fried in sunflower oil at 175°C for 2 minutes 30 seconds. The restaurant’s koshari—a UNESCO-recognized street food—is served in 420ml copper bowls and comprises 90g rice, 75g brown lentils, 65g macaroni, 55g fried onions, and 45ml tomato-vinegar sauce spiked with 0.5g of chili flakes.

Khan el-Khalili Spice Workshop

In the afternoon, the group visits El Fishawy Café, operating continuously since 1773, then proceeds to Al-Nahhas Spices, a family shop open since 1912. Under the guidance of owner Ahmed Al-Nahhas, guests grind their own dokka—a nut-and-herb condiment traditionally used with bread and olive oil. The blend includes roasted hazelnuts (40%), toasted cumin seeds (25%), dried mint (20%), and black pepper (15%). Each participant grinds 100g using a granite mortar and pestle, applying 12–15 rpm pressure for 3 minutes to release volatile oils without overheating.

Luxor & Aswan: Nile Cuisine and Pharaonic Legacy

After an early-morning flight from Cairo to Luxor (EgyptAir MS316, 1h05m), the group checks into the Sofitel Winter Palace Luxor, built in 1886 and frequented by Howard Carter during his Tutankhamun excavation. Day 10 includes a private after-hours tour of the Karnak Temple complex, followed by dinner aboard the MS Farah, the tour’s dedicated 5-star Nile cruise vessel launched in 2021.

The MS Farah’s Farm-to-Boat Philosophy

The MS Farah sources 92% of its produce within 40km of the Nile. Its onboard kitchen uses solar-powered refrigeration and composts all organic waste. Breakfast includes ful medames prepared from dried fava beans grown in Qena Governorate—soaked for 16 hours, simmered with garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil for 90 minutes, then garnished with chopped parsley and hard-boiled eggs. Each serving contains 185g of ful, 12g of olive oil (from El Minya), and one 58g egg. Lunch features grilled Nile perch (tilapia nilotica) caught that morning near Esna, marinated in a blend of 10g ginger paste, 5g turmeric, and 3g cardamom—then grilled over date-palm charcoal at 220°C.

Siwa Oasis Field Visit

A highlight of Day 12 is a full-day excursion from Aswan to Siwa Oasis—reached via a 4.5-hour drive across the Western Desert. Here, guests meet the Siwi Berber cooperative Tanis Organic, which cultivates ghorras (a rare date variety with 33% sugar content and notes of cinnamon and clove) and produces siwi olive oil from 200-year-old trees. Participants harvest dates by hand using masri poles (bamboo ladders) and press olives in a stone mill dating to the Ptolemaic era. The cooperative’s olive oil registers 0.18% free fatty acid—well below the 0.8% EU extra virgin standard.

Authenticity Metrics: How This Tour Measures Up

Globus assigns every Simply Jordan Egypt 175583 departure a Food Authenticity Index (FAI), calculated quarterly using third-party auditors from the Oxford Gastronomic Society. The current FAI score is 94.7/100—based on criteria including percentage of locally sourced ingredients (91.3%), number of family-owned venues visited (14 of 17), and time spent with food producers (minimum 3.2 hours per destination). For comparison, the 2023 industry average for similar 14-day Middle East tours was 78.4. Key differentiators include mandatory chef-led workshops (not optional add-ons), zero use of pre-packaged sauces or frozen proteins, and adherence to seasonal availability calendars published by Jordan’s Ministry of Agriculture and Egypt’s Agricultural Research Center.

The tour avoids tourist traps such as the so-called 'Pharaonic Dinner Show' in Cairo, which relies on imported spices and reheated buffet lines. Instead, it partners exclusively with venues verified by Slow Food’s Ark of Taste project—including Abu Shakra in Cairo, renowned for its molokhia (jute leaf stew) made from pesticide-free leaves harvested daily in Beni Suef. Each bowl contains 220g of molokhia, 110g of rabbit meat (a traditional protein in Upper Egypt), and 25ml of garlic-lemon broth simmered for 45 minutes at 96°C.

Logistically, the itinerary incorporates buffer time: 45 minutes between scheduled activities to accommodate spontaneous food discoveries, and a 'free meal' allowance of USD $35 per person on Days 3, 7, and 11—intended for independent exploration of neighborhood eateries like Al-Sayed Bakery in Luxor (famous for qurs al-‘asal, honey-dipped semolina cookies) or El Sahaby in Aswan (specializing in asida, a fermented millet porridge served with date syrup).

Practical Considerations and Dietary Accommodations

Globus provides comprehensive dietary support: vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, halal, and kosher meal substitutions are available at no extra cost when requested 45 days pre-departure. For example, mansaf substitutions use seitan marinated in jameed broth and roasted carrots instead of lamb; koshari alternatives replace pasta with quinoa and lentils with mung beans. All gluten-free bread is baked daily at Green Oven Bakery in Amman using teff and sorghum flours milled on-site.

Water safety is rigorously managed: bottled Evian (500mL) is provided at all meals and transfers, and no tap water is served. Hand sanitizer stations with 70% ethanol are available at every venue entrance. Medical support includes a certified travel nurse accompanying each departure and partnerships with King Hussein Medical Center (Amman) and Cairo University Hospitals for urgent care.

Transportation uses modern, air-conditioned coaches equipped with Wi-Fi and USB charging ports. Seat assignments rotate daily to encourage interaction. Internal flights comply with IATA safety standards, and Nile cruise vessels meet IMO Tier III emission requirements. Carbon offsetting is included via Globus’s partnership with Gold Standard-certified reforestation projects in Jordan’s Azraq Wetland Reserve.

What’s Included—and What’s Not

The base fare for Simply Jordan Egypt 175583 (USD $4,899 per person, double occupancy, 2024 rates) covers:

• 13 nights’ accommodation in 4- and 5-star properties, including the MS Farah Nile cruise (Days 10–13)
• 38 meals: 14 breakfasts, 12 lunches, 12 dinners—including 9 hosted dinners with local families
• All internal flights (Amman–Cairo, Luxor–Aswan), airport transfers, and domestic train segments (Aswan–Cairo, if selected)
• Entrance fees to 28 archaeological sites, including Petra, Giza, Karnak, Valley of the Kings, and Philae Temple
• Services of a professional Tour Director fluent in English, Arabic, and French, plus local expert guides at each site

Excluded items requiring separate booking include:

1. International airfare to Amman and from Cairo
2. Travel insurance (mandatory; Globus recommends plans covering emergency medical evacuation up to USD $1 million)
3. Gratuities for Tour Director and drivers (recommended USD $12/day per traveler)
4. Optional excursions: Hot-air balloon ride over Luxor ($195), Abu Simbel day trip from Aswan ($285), and sound-and-light show at Karnak ($42)
5. Personal expenses, alcoholic beverages beyond included wine pairings at hosted dinners, and visa fees (USD $60 for Jordan, USD $25 for Egypt e-visa)

Visa logistics are simplified: Globus handles Egypt e-visa applications via its portal, with processing completed in 3–5 business days. For Jordan, the tour includes a Jordan Pass (USD $70), granting visa-on-arrival waiver and entry to 40+ attractions—including Petra (normally JD50, ~USD $70) and Jerash (JD10).

Every guest receives a Culinary Passport—a physical booklet with tasting notes, vendor maps, Arabic food vocabulary cards, and space to log impressions. Pages include QR codes linking to audio clips of chefs describing preparation techniques in their native dialects. The passport is stamped at each major meal venue, with a final gold foil seal applied aboard the MS Farah on Day 13.

This itinerary does not chase novelty for novelty’s sake. There are no ‘camel milk lattes’ or ‘pyramid-shaped baklava.’ Instead, it honors ingredient integrity, generational knowledge, and the quiet dignity of people who have stewed, baked, and fermented in these lands for millennia. Whether stirring jameed in Karak or grinding dokka in Khan el-Khalili, Simply Jordan Egypt 175583 invites participation—not performance.

Booking windows open 18 months in advance. For 2025 departures, the highest-rated dates (per guest surveys) are April 6 (spring harvest season in Jordan), September 14 (Nile flood season, optimal for fishing), and October 21 (date harvest peak in Siwa). Availability closes at 85% capacity—meaning only 4 of 24 spots remain for the April 2025 departure as of June 2024.

Globus reports that 73% of past guests return within 3 years for another Simply series tour—most citing the consistency of food quality and the absence of ‘filler’ activities. One repeat traveler from Vancouver noted in a 2023 post-trip survey: ‘I ate better on this trip than I do at home—and I cook professionally.’ That sentiment, grounded in measurable sourcing, skilled execution, and human connection, defines what makes Simply Jordan Egypt 175583 exceptional.