14 Night Cruise sailing from Muscat to Aqaba aboard Minerva.

Cruise Description:
Follow the ancient trade routes of the Arabian seas, along the coasts of Arabia and Africa, which still hold the same promise of wealth and adventure which inspired the tales of Sinbad. Discover modern Islamic culture, the ancient Egyptian civilisations along the Nile in Luxor as well as the rose red, Nabataean Petra.

Highlights of this cruise:

Muscat
Muscat has long been the arrival point into Oman for goods and people and is still a 'very elegant town with very fine houses', as observed by Portuguese admiral Alfonso de Alburqueque in the 16th century. Discover this pristine city on a guided tour viewing the Sultan Qaboos Palace and the famous twin forts guarding the city. Travel inland to explore traditional fish markets and visit Nakhl Fort at the foot of the Hajar Mountains.

Salalah
Dhofar's 'perfume city' of Salalah is so named because of its plantations of bananas, papayas and, of course, frankincense trees. Dhofar's trading history can be discovered on a visit to the ruined city of Samhuram, the most important pre-Islamic settlement in the region, while on the outskirts of Salalah you can visit Job's tomb, sheltered in a small house near a mosque.

Massawa
Explore the alleyways and streets of the old town, flanked by low, whitewashed buildings, porticoes and arcades. Many of the buildings were destroyed during the struggle for independence but are now being restored; a unique opportunity to explore a town little visited by travellers from the west.

Safaga
Is the gateway to Luxor on the banks of the river Nile. Discover magnificent Karnak Temple, visit the pharaohs' tombs in the Valley of the Kings or visit the less frequented Valley of the Queens and the fascinating Deir El Medineh workers' tombs.

Aqaba
Aqaba leads to the remarkable Nabataean city of Petra, a former caravan city that linked Arabia, Egypt and Syria-Phoenicia. Hidden in folds of mountains and accessed via a narrow siq, Petra is half-built, half-carved into the rock, a blend of Eastern traditions with Hellenistic architecture. Alternatively, a jeep ride will take you deep into the desert landscape of Wadi Rum, where extraordinarily shaped mountains rise out of the rose-red desert.