Your first stop is Dahshur which has only recently been opened to the public and is not as developed commercially as Giza, still maintaining a certain peace and tranquility to the site. It is most noteworthy for being the site that best demonstrates the change from the “step” pyramid to the “true” pyramid that occurred during the Third and Fourth Dynasties. Continue on to the 14 pyramids of the Sakkara necropolis including one of the world’s oldest stone structures and step Pyramid of King Zoser. Lunch at the Panorama Restaurant with its amazing views over the pyramids and then see the Sphinx and the 4,500-year-old Pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus. At night (currently 9:45 pm,) board your flight to Nairobi, arriving in the early morning (currently 3:30 am) where you’ll be transferred to your elegant hotel. Later in the day, visit Karen Blixen’s home, author of Out of Africa¸ and handfeed the rare Rothschild’s Giraffe at Giraffe Centre. CAIRO MARRIOTT; KAREN BLIXEN COTTAGES.

Begin your exploration of Kenya as you fly to Samburu Game Reserve on the arid fringes of northern Kenya, and home to the colorful Samburu people. Explore the reserve for wildlife species rarely found elsewhere in Kenya – Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe and Beisa oryx. Comb the harsh terrain for the graceful gerenuk, an antelope that spends its day in a bipedal stance amidst the sparse scrub. Discover a pride of lions sleeping in bushes…watch the rare blue-necked Somali Ostrich lope across the plains. Return in the evenings to your tented camp in the Buffalo Springs Reserve, separated from the Samburu Reserve by the Uaso Nyiro River. This is the perfect camp from which to view large numbers of elephants using the river to drink, bathe and play. ASHNIL SAMBURU CAMP.

Your drive takes you to the Equator and then the verdant Aberdare Mountain Range. Through the forest you arrive at the uniquely shaped hotel to resemble an actual Ark, with superb vantage points for viewing the animals visiting the salt-lick and waterhole, at all times of the day and night. Be on the lookout for buffalo and elephant, rhino, forest hog, bushbuck and on occasion lion and leopard, as well as the colorful birds that flit from branch to branch in the forest. THE ARK.

Drive through the picturesque Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru, a shallow alkaline lake, once the haunt of flamingos. You may see leopard resting on the branches of the yellow-barked acacias, rhino, and the Rothschild giraffe. Enjoy lunch and a game run, and resume your drive as you get set to further explore the Rift Valley lakes. Next day, take a boat ride on Lake Naivasha and to nearby Crescent Island, a wildlife sanctuary where you can walk around and view zebra, waterbuck and several species of antelope. Your tented camp evokes the aura of yesteryear and is the epitome of luxury. LAKE ELMENTEITA SERENA CAMP.

Feel like Karen Blixen as you head to the Maasai Mara, Kenya’s most famous reserve. Much the setting for the film Out of Africa, its endless savannah includes lion, cheetah, leopard, giraffe, rhino, hippo and over 500 resident bird species. The reserve covers 700 square miles and hosts the annual migration of up to two million wildebeest, thousands of zebra and an escort of carnivores from the Serengeti plains. An exciting optional activity (at additional cost) is available to experience a hot air balloon over the Maasai Mara. Your luxury lodge is an interpretation of a traditional Maasai Manyatta village of domed huts and is set on the saddle of a hill overlooking the rolling plains, woodlands and rivers that make up the Mara Triangle – one of the world’s richest wildlife sanctuaries. MARA SERENA SAFARI LODGE.

Fly back to Nairobi after basking in one last sunrise over the Maasai Mara. The rest of your day is at leisure. CROWNE PLAZA AIRPORT HOTEL.

Board your flight to Cairo early in the morning (currently 4:25 am) and arrive Cairo (currently 8:05 am); connect to Aswan, transferring to your luxurious vessel. Visit one of Egypt’s modern wonders, the Aswan High Dam, and the island of Agilkia to see the complex at Philae with its third century B.C. Temple dedicated to the goddess Isis. The following day arrive in Kom Ombo, home to an unusual double temple built during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods dedicated to Sobek and Haroeris. Sail towards Edfu while enjoying lunch on board to see one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt dedicated to falcon god Horus. The next morning, explore the ancient city of Thebes, including the Valleys of the Kings and Queens. Stand in awe before the massive Colossi of Memnon and the temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Enter three very distinct tombs with spectacular ancient paintings and carvings that have retained much of their original color. In the afternoon, explore the Luxor Temple, and continue to the extraordinary Karnak Temple, a complex of obelisks, pylons, courts, colonnades, halls, reliefs and sanctuaries once connected to Luxor Temple by a two-mile path lined with sphinxes. M/S SONESTA ST. GEORGE or similar.

Disembark in Luxor and board your return flight to Cairo. Upon arrival, visit the Khan El Khalili Bazaar and wander through the labyrinthine streets to shop for some fantastic bargains. Next day, start your day at the Grand Egyptian Museum, the largest archaeological museum complex in the world and host to more than 100,000 artifacts. For the first time ever, King Tut’s entire treasure collection of 5,000 items is on display. Enjoy a farewell dinner in the evening. The following day, board your flight home with new memories and photos to share with friends and family. CAIRO MARRIOTT.

Fly to the White City of Amman, a modern city holding 5,000 years of history. Explore Jerash, renowned as the ‘Pompeii of the East’ for its remarkably preserved architectural wonders. Visit Madaba, Mt. Nebo and the Crusader Castle at Kerak en route to ancient Petra, carved into the desert’s red sandstone cliffs. Discover soaring temples, elaborate tombs, a Roman theater and one of the most elegant remains of antiquity, Al Khazneh. End your journey with a relaxing sojourn at a resort on the shores of the Dead Sea.