Jordan is a small country at theboundary of the Levant and Arabianfaunal areas, and is one of the mosteasily reached and welcoming of MiddleEastern countries. It has a predominantlyMuslim population but its monarch andparticularly his late father, King Hussein,have pursued strong links with the West aswell as neighbouring Arab countries.Following the great success of our annualspring tour, this shorter itineraryconcentrates mainly on the south-westcorner of Jordan, an area that holds someof the most dramatic mountain scenery ofthe Middle East. Here, the varied wildlifehabitats are controlled by a variety of rocktypes. The highland plateau reaches 1,736metres, and is cut by deeply incised wadisthat provide routes down to the plains ofWadi Araba below. In between lie dramaticsandstone mountains, their gorges and redmesas capped by white domes. It is againstthis backdrop that we will walk in search ofbirds - some unique to this region, othersvisiting from other climes. We will also haveample time to explore the coast at Aqaba- a resort which lies on one of the world'smain bird migration routes. Much of thispart of Jordan has a desert climate but onlyone area we will visit has anythingapproaching the classic image of barrensand dunes. Instead we will see how varied,and rich in wildlife, a desert can be.In October, after six months of drought,many birds are concentrated in areas ofwater and springs, especially the SinaiRosefinch. Some of our sightings will befamiliar European species in unfamiliarsettings, whilst others such as Finsch'sWheatear, Great Black-headed Gull orpossibly a rarity or new bird for Jordan willattract more attention. Our visit coincideswith the end of the autumn migration andanything could turn up, from raptors andwaders to warblers and shrikes. SootyFalcons breed late and will have fledgedyoung at this time of the year; with luck weshould locate this Middle East equivalent ofthe Eleonora's Falcon. Our tour begins with a flight to Amman, fromwhere we will drive to Azraq. Here we willexplore the Shaumari Wildlife Reservebefore heading into the boulder-strewn,lunar landscape of the black Basalt Desert.Moving south we reach Dana, for many oneof the chief highlights of the holiday. Fromthis ancient hill-top conservation village wewill visit Wadi Dana, a spectacular wildlifereserve of Jordan's Royal Society for theConservation of Nature and home to someof the country's most attractive and uniquebirds. Tristram's (Syrian) Serins breed here,as do resident Sinai Rosefinch, Bonelli'sEagle, Griffon Vulture, Eagle Owl, Hume'sTawny Owl, Rock Martin, Long-billed Pipitand Fan-tailed Raven. Our overnight stay atDana will give us time to explore the highground at the head of the wadi, as well asnearby woodland and a very productivedrinking pool.Next we head into the Petra mountains,bound for Jordan's most famous site. Petrais renowned for its antiquities; it was a citybuilt by the Nabataean people as a tradingcapital, was later occupied by the Romansbut was ultimately by-passed by new traderoutes and subsequently fell into oblivion ...until, that is, it was rediscovered in 1812.The Nabataean and Roman cultures left anawe-inspiring array of rock carvedmonuments, which we will have plenty oftime to appreciate. However, the naturalwonders of Petra are only marginally lessstunning, with colour-banded sandstonesdisplaying extraordinary forms of naturalart. Here we will walk away from the maintourist trails, hoping to encounter suchbirds as Barbary Falcon, Desert Lark,Scrub Warbler, Orange-tufted Sunbird andthe elusive Sooty Falcon.Journeying south from Petra to Aqaba, wenow climb up to the high steppe country ofthe Sharra Highland Plateau, beforedescending to our next destination - WadiRum. Immortalised by Lawrence of Arabia(and the film that followed) this famous siteis an excellent place in which to search for Jordan's desert birds. White-crowned Blackand Mourning Wheatears feed at the baseof the rocky slopes, over which Long-legged Buzzard and (with luck) Verreaux'sEagle soar. Around the fort of Jordan'sDesert Patrol, Tristram's Grackle and SinaiRosefinch are frequent visitors. As eveningapproaches, we must continue on toAqaba along a road that drops throughbarren granite hills towards the coast.Aqaba is Jordan's southernmost town,lying at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba. Sea-watching can be productive at any season,as can exploration of the town's sewageworks. This site provides a vitally importantfocus for visiting birds but despite this, israrely visited by anyone except ourNaturetrek groups! Each visit is thereforesomething of an adventure of discovery,and with a daily turnover of birds, we hopeto see a varied selection of interestingvisitors during our stay.Finally, we must drive north to Amman. Thejourney initially takes us through the broadplains of Wadi Araba, where we may makea further search for desert birds, before we reach the Dead Sea and ultimately the capital.Jordan - Birds &ArchaeologyA 9-day holiday in search of the specialist mountain birds and migrants to be found amongst some of thecountry's most dramatic landscapes, plus a visit to the country's most famous archaeological site, Petra.Saturday 15th October - Sunday 23rd October 2011 Cost: £2,295Saturday 13th October - Sunday 21st October 2012 Cost: £2,295Book direct on 01962 733051or see page 280 for Booking InformationIRAQSAUDI ARABIASYRIAISRAELWADI RUMWADI ARABAAQABAAMMANAZRAQBASALTDESERTKERAKWADI DANAPETRADEAD SEARED SEAJORDANOutline itineraryDay 1Fly Amman. Day 2Azraq.Day 3 Wadi Dana.Day 4/5Petra.Day 6/7Aqaba.Day 8 Amman.Day 9 Fly London.AccommodationStandard tourist class hotels andguesthouses, most with privatefacilities; plus one night of fullyserviced camping. FoodAll included in the price. GradingMostly easy walks, with longer - butfairly gentle - day walks in the Petraand Wadi Dana areas. Grade A/B.FocusBirds and archaeology.LeaderBarry Oxley, plus local guide. Single room supplement£165.ExtensionsExtra days in Aqaba or Amman can bearranged (with or without car rental).Web quick search: JOR02155Sinai RosefinchPetraSooty Falcon

Aphenomenal 6,000 years of recordedhistory, and a prime position on theavian migration route between Africaand Europe, combine to make Egypt oneof the most exciting destinations forbirdwatchers with an appreciation of thepast. Nurtured by the life-giving waters ofthe river, one of the greatest civilisationsever to inhabit the earth developed alongthe Nile Valley leaving, as monuments totheir existence, countless temples,pyramids and artefacts which today arenumbered among the greatest historicalsites in the world. Three continents exerttheir respective influences on a remarkablydiverse avifauna, which is enriched andenhanced by the seasonal movements ofmigrants using the country as a stagingpost for longer journeys. By late October,newly arrived winter visitors may beobserved alongside the resident'specialities' and with cooler weatherconditions, this is an excellent time forbirdwatching. As we travel in the SinaiDesert and along the River Nile we will bevisiting many of the best birding localitiesin Egypt but this is a tour which also payshomage to world famous antiquitiesincluding the Pyramids, Abu Simbel,Aswan and Luxor. We begin our tour in Cairo, the largest cityin Africa. Here we will visit the GizaPyramids and the nearby Sphinx, whichepitomise the reign of the Pharaohs. Afurther glimpse of ancient Egypt isprovided in the fabulous EgyptianMuseum, a cornucopia of ancient artefactswhich includes the astounding treasures ofTutankhamun and masterpieces of earlyEgyptian bird art. We will also visit amarshy area nearby where we have a goodchance of finding such rare WesternPalearctic species as Painted Snipe,Senegal Coucal and White-breastedKingfisher, and typical birds of the regionsuch as Graceful Prinia, Blue-cheekedBee-eater and Common Bulbul. After this splendid introduction to Egypt,we will travel by road to Sharm-el-sheikand visit the surrounding desert and oasesin search of some of the more elusive ofthe local bird specialities. Givenfavourable conditions, large numbers ofraptors and other soaring birds, such asstorks and cranes, use thermals to driftsouth across the Red Sea, providing anamazing spectacle, and the bushes arelikely to be full of passerine migrants.Next, we visit Mount Sinai and thepicturesque St. Catherine's Monastery atthe base of the mountain. We will climbMount Sinai in the cool of the morningand, as we make our way up the zig-zagpath, we will look for White-crownedWheatear, Desert Lark, Tristram's Grackleand Sinai Rosefinch. At the top we will berewarded by fabulous views over thesurrounding area, whilst Brown-neckedRavens circle noisily overhead.Descending from the summit, we visit thefamous ancient monastery where, in thevegetation of its gardens, there is a goodchance of seeing skulking Scrub Warblers,plus a few migrants as well. During ourstay at the Red Sea, we will look for someof the area's specialities such as BrownBooby, White-cheeked Tern, Sooty andWhite-eyed Gulls, plus the delightful littleSooty Falcon. In addition, there will besnorkelling opportunities for anyonewishing to admire the amazingly colourfulunderwater world of the coral reef. We travel next to Luxor, in the Nile Valley,where an afternoon on Crocodile Islandshould produce such species as SenegalThick-knee, Purple Gallinule, Nile ValleySunbird and Lesser Pied Kingfisher. On ourfirst evening in Luxor we will visit thebeautifully illuminated Temple of Luxor andduring our 2-day stay we will further enjoythe many spectacular sights of this formercapital, steeped in six millennia of history.The Collosi of Memnon, Valleys of theKings and Queens, and Karnak Temple willbe unforgettable highlights to complementa fine selection of birds. We travel next to Abu Simbel, Egypt's mostsoutherly settlement, situated on the shoresof Lake Nasser. Here the African influencesin the birdlife are evident in the appearanceof such species as Egyptian Goose, AfricanPied Wagtail and Pink-headed Dove butthere will also be Palearctic migrants tolook for in the lake-side gardens. A boatride on Lake Nasser will enable us toexplore the secluded inlets and islandsthronged with waterbirds and waders,amongst which we could see Pink-backedPelicans and Yellow-billed Storks, twowanderers from Africa regularly occurringhere. The magnificent Abu Simbel Temples,saved from the rising waters of the lake bybeing moved block by block to higherground, will be the focus of an afternoontour and, in the evening, we plan to attend aspectacular sound and light show.We return to Cairo, for a connecting flightto London, to conclude a memorableholiday to a country where ancient andmodern worlds are inextricably linked,providing a unique background for somesuperlative birdwatching.Egypt - Birds & HistoryAn 11-day journey to the southern Sinai Desert and along the River Nile, combining the major sites of both archaeological and ornithological interest.Sunday 16th October - Wednesday 26th October 2011 Cost: £3,395Sunday 14th October - Wednesday 24th October 2012 Cost: £3,395Outline itineraryDay 1Fly Cairo.Day 2Cairo; the Pyramids andmuseum.Day 3/6Sharm-el-sheik; theSinai and St.Catherine's.Day 7/8Luxor; Valley of theKings, Karnak, etc.Day 9/10Abu Simbel and Aswan.Day 11Fly London.AccommodationComfortable tourist hotels withprivate facilities.FoodAll included in the price.GradingA. Easy birdwatching walks (theoptional Mount Sinai climb is morestrenuous!).FocusBirds and Egyptian history.LeaderGerald Broddelez.Single room supplement£295.Web quick search: EGY01156Call now or visit www.naturetrek.co.uk for your free Trip ItineraryLIBYA SUDAN SAUDI ARABIA ISRAEL CAIRO LUXOR SHARM-EL- SHEIK ASWAN ABU SIMBEL SUEZ CANAL RED SEA MEDITERRANEAN SEA EGYPT RIVER NILE Pyramids at GizaLittle Green Bee-eaterSooty Gull