eSIM for Middle East

This plan covers the Gulf states, Türkiye, Jordan, Egypt, Israel and parts of the Caucasus and North Africa on one eSIM. The Gulf has some of the fastest 5G anywhere, but the rules change at every border: WhatsApp and FaceTime calls have long been blocked in the UAE, while desert and mountain routes in Oman, Jordan and Egypt still have real dead zones.

A three-country route of ancient sites linked by short flights: Istanbul and Cappadocia in Türkiye, Amman, Jerash, Petra and Wadi Rum in Jordan, then Cairo, Giza and Luxor in Egypt, avoiding land crossings and Sinai.

Length

14 days

Bases

7

When to go March to May and October to November are best, with warm days at Petra and Luxor and cooler nights in Cappadocia and Wadi Rum; summer is very hot in Egypt and Jordan. Regional tensions in 2026 have caused airspace closures, so check FCDO advice and your flights before each leg.

1. 01

   Day 1 Istanbul

   Istanbul: Sultanahmet

   Start at Hagia Sophia, then cross the square to the Blue Mosque, timing visits around prayer times and dressing modestly. Go underground into the Basilica Cistern, then visit Topkapı Palace and its Harem. In the evening, walk down to the Galata Bridge for the view of the old city's domes.

   Signal Strong 4G and 5G on Turkcell or Vodafone across the historic peninsula and on the trams.

2. 02

   Day 2 Istanbul

   Istanbul: the bazaars and the Bosphorus

   Explore the Grand Bazaar and walk down through the market streets to the Spice Bazaar and the Süleymaniye Mosque. In the afternoon, take a public ferry or a Bosphorus cruise from Eminönü up the strait past Dolmabahçe Palace and Rumeli Fortress, returning at sunset.

   Signal Good in the bazaars, though the covered Grand Bazaar can be weaker deep inside. The Bosphorus ferries stay in coverage.

3. 03

   Day 3 Istanbul

   Istanbul: Galata and the Asian side

   Climb the Galata Tower in the morning for the view over the Golden Horn, then walk the length of İstiklal Avenue, past the old tram and the passages off it, to Taksim Square. In the afternoon, take the public ferry across to Kadıköy on the Asian shore for its food market and the Moda seafront. Return for an evening of meze in Karaköy.

   Signal Strong coverage on both shores and on the cross-strait ferries.

4. 04

   Day 4 Göreme

   Fly to Cappadocia: Göreme

   → Flight Istanbul to Kayseri or Nevşehir, about 1 hour 20 minutes, then a shuttle of about 1 hour.

   Fly to Kayseri or Nevşehir and transfer to Göreme. Visit the Göreme Open-Air Museum, with frescoed rock-cut churches, then walk through Love Valley or Pigeon Valley among the fairy chimneys. Watch the sunset from one of the viewpoints above the town and book a balloon flight for the morning, weather permitting.

   Signal Good in Göreme town and at the museum; patchy deeper in the valleys.

5. 05

   Day 5 Göreme

   Cappadocia: balloons and an underground city

   Watch or join the dawn balloon flights over the valleys. Later, join a day tour or drive south to the Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı underground city, carved several levels deep into the rock, then walk a stretch of the Ihlara Valley along the river past more painted rock churches. Finish at the Uçhisar Castle viewpoint at sunset.

   Signal No signal deep in the underground cities; weaker on the Ihlara Valley floor. Good at Uçhisar.

6. 06

   Day 6 Amman

   To Amman: the Citadel and downtown

   → Flights Kayseri or Nevşehir to Amman via Istanbul, about 5 to 6 hours including the connection.

   Fly to Amman, usually connecting via Istanbul, and check that your onward routing avoids any airspace closed at the time. In the late afternoon, climb to the Amman Citadel for the Temple of Hercules and the Umayyad Palace, with views over the city's hills, then walk down to the Roman Theatre and the downtown souks, ending on Rainbow Street.

   Signal Your phone switches to Orange, Zain or Umniah in Jordan. Good 4G across Amman.

7. 07

   Day 7 Amman

   Jerash and Ajloun

   → About 1 hour each way by road.

   Drive north to Jerash, one of the best-preserved Roman cities outside Italy, walking the colonnaded street, the oval plaza and the theatres. Continue to Ajloun Castle, built by Saladin's forces, for views over the hills. Return to Amman for dinner.

   Signal Good at Jerash and Ajloun. Stay well away from the Syrian border area: the FCDO advises against all travel within 3 km of it.

8. 08

   Day 8 Wadi Musa

   The King's Highway to Petra

   → About 4 to 5 hours with stops, or 3 hours on the Desert Highway.

   Drive south on the King's Highway, stopping at Madaba's mosaic map of the Holy Land, Mount Nebo and Kerak Castle. Arrive in Wadi Musa in the evening; if it is a Monday, Wednesday or Thursday, join Petra by Night along the candlelit Siq.

   Signal Patchy on the empty stretches of the King's Highway; good in Wadi Musa.

9. 09

   Day 9 Wadi Musa

   Petra

   Enter at opening and walk through the Siq to the Treasury. Continue past the Street of Facades and the Royal Tombs, then climb the 800-odd steps to the Monastery. If you have energy, take the High Place of Sacrifice trail back down. A Jordan Pass covers entry and the visa for many nationalities.

   Signal Patchy inside Petra: some signal near the Treasury and the main colonnaded street, but weak or none on the Monastery trail. Download your Jordan Pass and map before entering.

10. 10

    Day 10 Wadi Rum

    Wadi Rum

    → About 1.5 to 2 hours by road from Wadi Musa.

    Drive to Wadi Rum and join a jeep tour with a Bedouin guide through the red-sand desert: Lawrence's Spring, the Khazali Canyon inscriptions and the rock bridges. Stay overnight at a desert camp and watch the stars away from any light. Check the latest FCDO updates first, as there were attacks and interceptions around nearby Aqaba in September 2026.

    Signal Wadi Rum village has some coverage, but desert camps often have little or none and rely on slow wifi. Tell someone your plans.

11. 11

    Day 11 Cairo

    Fly to Cairo: the Egyptian Museum

    → About 4 hours by road from Wadi Rum to Amman Airport, then a flight to Cairo of about 1.5 hours.

    Drive back to Amman and fly to Cairo. In the late afternoon, visit the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square, or go straight to Khan el-Khalili bazaar and the medieval streets of Islamic Cairo around Al-Muizz Street for the evening.

    Signal Your phone switches to Orange, Vodafone or Etisalat in Egypt. Good 4G across central Cairo.

12. 12

    Day 12 Cairo

    Giza and Saqqara

    Arrive at the Giza pyramids at opening, walk round the Great Pyramid and the smaller queens' pyramids, then go down to the Sphinx. Visit the Grand Egyptian Museum nearby for the Tutankhamun collection and the giant statue of Ramesses II in its atrium. In the afternoon, drive south to Saqqara for the Step Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt's oldest.

    Signal Good at Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum; patchier at Saqqara away from the entrance.

13. 13

    Day 13 Luxor

    Fly to Luxor: Karnak and Luxor Temple

    → Flight Cairo to Luxor, about 1 hour, or the overnight sleeper train.

    Take an early flight to Luxor. Spend the afternoon at the Karnak temple complex, walking through the Great Hypostyle Hall and its 134 columns to the sacred lake, then take a taxi or walk the Avenue of Sphinxes to Luxor Temple at dusk, when it is lit up. Walk the Nile corniche or take a felucca at sunset.

    Signal Good 4G in Luxor and at the East Bank temples.

14. 14

    Day 14 Luxor

    Luxor's West Bank: the Valley of the Kings

    Cross to the West Bank early, before the heat. Visit the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari and the Colossi of Memnon. If you can, take a dawn balloon flight first. Return to the East Bank for your flight home.

    Signal Weak inside the royal tombs and patchy in the valley; good at the main ticket offices and back in Luxor.