Add-ons to OAT Egypt & the Eternal Nile tour

Tel Aviv was our least favorite city in Israel. Haven’t been to any of the others but Jordan was very interesting, we liked it alot.
PS, we booked our Egypt trip about one year in advance.

Yay! Your going to Egypt! No advice on the stop-overs sorry, but if it were me, I would pick Dubai.

Haven't been to the other 2 but we spent 3 nights in the UAE pre-cruise just before the pandemic. We really enjoyed Dubai, as well as Abu Dhabi, which is doable as a day trip.

Of the two I've been to (not on OAT stopovers):
Tel Aviv: Interesting contrast with the Arab Middle East, and Israel is so small that you can see plenty else in your 3 days if you want. Jerusalem is less than an hour away by bus. Also very close to your final destination in Jordan. Keep in mind that Israel can be quite cold in winter, much more so than Egypt (this is true of Jordan as well). I was there in February and encountered snow, hail, sleet and rain as cold as any European city in winter (but also some nice weather).
Nairobi: Too far out of your way en route to Jordan. Nairobi is ok (and there is a small national park right near the city where you can see African animals in the wild) but not Kenya at its best. If you go there (which I recommend), do it when you have enough time to take a proper multiday safari and/or visit the coast, not just for 3 days.

I would also be tempted by the uniqueness of being able to visit Addis, or by the modern craziness of Dubai for a short stay at a time when its weather is at its best.

Mardee, I'm doing that same Jordan itinerary as a pre-trip extension for the OAT Israel tour. I'm arriving two days early to Amman and I have arranged a driver to pick me up at the airport and drive me to Wadi Rum, where I'm spending two nights in a Bedouin camp. Then they will pick me up and return me to the hotel in Amman where the OAT tour starts. Since the OAT itinerary doesn't include Wadi Rum, and I really wanted to go there, I am glad I was able to work that out.

If you wait until I get back from my trip (in November) or read about it in my blog, maybe you can consider that as an option.

I've also asked OAT in the past about other stopovers besides the ones they offer. They can book the airfare for you and you make all the rest of the arrangements on your own. So if there's somewhere you'd want to go for a few nights, you always have that option.

Also, if you have miles or a preferred airline, I suggest you look into booking your own flights. It may cost more or less than what OAT charges for airfare, but you won't know until you do your own research.

Hi Mardee - your choices appear to be Dubai or Tel Aviv, as the Nairobi and Addis Ababa stopovers are not offered if you take the Jordan pre-trip. I was just on the OAT Israel tour with Jordan pre-trip in April/May. If you have the time, I agree with spending your additional few days at a stopover vs arriving early in Amman. In Amman, we stayed at the Grand Hyatt - loved it, but not too much to visit in the immediate walking vicinity. One couple arrived 1-2 days early and arranged a day trip to the Dead Sea, so that is an option. If you like ruins, you will love the visit to Jerash! And make sure you start your walk/hike in Petra when they first open so you can beat the crowd and have a full day to explore. Our TL adjusted the day's start time so we were walking in at 7AM and by late morning, several of us split off and hiked up to the Monastery - well worth it if you enjoy hiking! There is a good memoir, Married to a Bedouin, that will give you a good understanding of what life was like for the Bedouins living in the caves just a few decades ago. Your TL can point to the 'modern' village where they were moved to by the government. For Tel Aviv, maybe check the location of the hotel where you would stay? Our Royal Beach hotel was right on the southern end of the long stretch of sandy beach. What a beach scene ! Boardwalk, bike lanes, lots of restaurants, tons of people out, felt very safe. Much more modern and cosmopolitan than Jerusalem, but if you want a relaxing but beautiful way to get over jet lag, Tel Aviv might be a good option. Our location was also very walkable to Carmel market and Old Jaffa. I haven't been to Dubai.

Edited to add: I traveled in late spring, maybe check the weather conditions for Jan/Feb as that might affect your choice. Agree a visit to Wadi Rum would be interesting ! (but long drive to/from Amman)

Barbara, I am very excited about Jordan and am so glad I booked the extension. And good to know that the time is normal, lol! Thanks for your thoughts on Tel Aviv. I did like what Slate said about being able to get to Jerusalem but jet lag will be a factor asnoted below.

Tammy, I know - woo hoo!!!! I don't think I've been this excited in a long time about a trip - I guess because the tour concept is new to me. I can't wait to start my packing list for this!

CJean, thanks! I didn't even think about Abu Dhabi being so close to Dubai - that's good to know!

Slate, thank you! Okay, so Nairobi is definitely out. I was interested but I think you're right about waiting to do a full safari. I saw Barbara's comment about Tel Aviv and it's not at the top of my radar, but I do like the idea of being able to visit Jerusalem while I'm there. I am a bit worried that it might be too much, though, considering it would be my first stop after a long flight. And that's the only time that particular stopover is available. Dubai and Addis are both available at the end of the tour so it might make more sense to pick one of them. Of course, I'll probably be very tired by the end of the tour, so maybe it makes no difference. Sigh.

Okay, so much more now to think about.

Lane, the Wadi Rum excursion sounds very interesting - I would love to hear more about that when you get back. I did know that you could choose other cities, but I think I'm getting a little overwhelmed at this point and can't even handle 4 choices, lol! I did do some research into flights and based on prices over the next 6+ months, I could probably find something a few hundred dollars cheaper. But given that I won't really know until the flights for that time period open up, I'd just as soon let them do it. And that way if anything goes wrong with cancelled flights or delays, I can turn to OAT (hopefully).

Your choices appear to be Dubai or Tel Aviv, as the Nairobi and Addis Ababa stopovers are not offered if you take the Jordan pre-trip.

sloo, where does it say that? I'm a little confused. On the website, it says on Nairobi and Addis that Please note: This Stopover option is only available before or after the main adventure or after our Alexandria's Glorious Past post-trip extension, but is not available before our Jordan: The King's Highway from Amman to Petra pre-trip extensions. So I assumed this means I could take it after the "main adventure", which I'm assuming is the Egypt tour. Is that not correct? Thank you for the descriptions of everything. It all sounds so wonderful! So many decisions - I just want to go everywhere! :)

Mardee - I agree, it looks like the Nairobi and Addis Ababa stopovers are available after the main trip (Egypt). I misunderstood and thought you were looking for pre Jordan options - stopovers vs arrive Amman early.

Oh, I'm sorry for the misunderstanding! If I added a stopover in Tel Aviv, it would probably make sense to do it first, but I would like to do a few nights in Amman. Definitely something to think about. Thank you all so much for the help!