Jewels of the Near East
Best of the Nile ,Cairo , Petra and Istanbul

A Grand 14- Day Tour of : Cairo , Abu Simbel , Petra , Istanbul and a four day Nile Cruise
With an extended stay in Cairo and Giza

Enjoy your honeymoon or Anniversary vacation on the Nile and the two gems of the East Mediterranean : Turkey and Egypt. Compare with the 12-Day Edition.
Start Weekly in Istanbul Year Round . Nile Cruise Cruise embarkation from Aswan or Luxor

DAY 1 -- ISTANBUL - Tour starts daily in Istanbul - Friday
Our staff meets your flight and escorts you to your hotel.

DAY 2 -- ISTANBUL (BL) - Saturday
We dive right into this fascinating city with visits to its top sights: Topkapi, the palace of the Sultans for centuries; Hagia Sophia, the greatest church in Christendom for a thousand years; the Blue Mosque, with its exquisite blue tiles; the Byzantine Hippodrome, scene of chariot races and gladiator combat; and the eerie Sunken Palace cistern beneath it . Breakfast at the hotel , Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant .

Honeymoon on the Nile

DAY 3 - Cairo - (B) -Sunday
Breakfast is included at your hotel. Our local rep will assist with your transfer to Istanbul Airport .
Air ticket is included & issued in Istanbul for Istanbul / Cairo air fare, tax included.
Arrive at Cairo Airport: Visa fee is included & issued upon arrival for citizens of : EU, US, Australia, NZ, Canada, and Japan, you're responsible for your passport being in order & valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of arrival. Transfer is included to your hotel: Deluxe : Grand Hyatt , Le Meridien , Sofitel el-Gezirah or similar, First Class : Oases or Shepheard's.

Visa will be issued upon arrival.
As you exit the gate, you will pass through a door or two , down some stairs , then walk for 2-5 minutes , until you pass the duty free shops, at the end of a wide corridor , you will see the security officers. There you will be met by a local representative, who will be holding a sign with the name you prefer to use for the sign .
Our local representative will then take your passport to obtain a stamp from the cashier / bank window and escort you to speak with the passport officer. He will escort you through another last check on your passport as you exit the passport control, into customs area, he will assist you in collecting your luggage and clearing customs . After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private vehicle) to the hotel

DAY 4 - CAIRO - Monday (BL)
Today we see Cairo's major sights: the Egyptian Museum, including the Mummies Room. We'll continue on to Old Cairo to tour the Coptic Museum, and the Church of Abu Sergha, and the Beni Ezra Synagogue.
We'll see where , according to the legend, Moses was found along the banks of the Nile by the Queen of the Nile and Pharaoh's wife . We'll take our lunch at a local restaurant.
Enjoy a walking tour of the ancient Khan El Khalili Bazaar district , then a brief stop at El Rifai Mosque where the late Shah of Iran is buried , as well as King Farouk Egypt's last king, before we head back to your hotel.

DAY 5 - CAIRO / ASWAN/ Abu Simbel (B) ,Tuesday
Private air-conditioned vehicle and private guide in Abu Simbel
Early breakfast at the hotel. Very Early morning Transfer is included from your hotel to the airport.
Domestic air fare between Cairo and the cruise is included, issued & delivered in Cairo . Your flight will make a brief stop in Aswan then continues on to Abu Simbel .

In Abu Simbel your own private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur and private guide will be waiting for your : Tour the mighty Temples of Ramses the Great & his Queen:
In the larger temple, colossal figures of Ramses are seated with the gods and attended by his queen and daughters. The smaller temple is dedicated to Queen Nefertari, who appears as Hathor, the goddess of love, joy and fertility, symbolized by the benevolent cow. We explore these fine temple by ourselves in the quiet of the morning, admiring their ancient aura and artistry, before we head back to Aswan by air.

Upon Arrival in Aswan : We proceed to the Movenpick Elephantine , or Old Cataract Hotel ( Deluxe ), or Basma Hotel Aswan ( First Class ) , overlooking the Nile and the ancient island of Elephantine. Remainder of the day at leisure.

Day 6 - Aswan - KOM OMBO - Board your Nile Cruise - Wednesday (BLD)
Breakfast is included at the hotel . Morning tour of the Nubian Museum, before we head for the Nile cruise : M/S Monaco, M/S Mojito for deluxe ( or similar ), M/S Nile Dream , M/S Ruby for first class ( or similar. then visit the Aswan High Dam, the red granite quarries of the ancient pharaohs, , and the Island temple of Philae , dedicated to the Ancient Goddess ISIS. Return to your cruise in time for lunch and Check . After a shipboard lunch, we set sail for Kom Ombo, where we explore the twin Temples of Haroeris and Sobek. We continue our cruise to Edfu, where we dock for the night.

DAY 7 - EDFU & LUXOR (BLD) - Thursday
We board horse-drawn carriages (or motor vans) for the ride to Edfu's Temple of Horus, one of the best-preserved Ancient Egyptian temples on the Nile. After lunch , we continue our cruise down the Nile to Luxor. Afternoon tea is served on the sun -deck. Dinner & entertainment on board.

DAY 8 - LUXOR & THEBES (BLD) - Friday
Today we tour the Valley of the Kings, Queen Hatshepsut's Temple of El Deir El Bahari , and the Colossi of Memnon. After lunch, the afternoon is free for shopping. Afternoon tea is served on deck. Dinner & folk dance show on board.

DAY 9 - LUXOR and KARNAK / Cairo (B) - Saturday
After breakfast, check - out . We tour the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak , the "mother" of all temples, and the smaller yet charming Temple of Luxor, checking out of our cruise vessel before lunch. Transfer is included back to Aswan airport . Domestic air fare is included as well back to Cairo .
In Cairo , we meet you at the airport & escort you back to your hotel: Deluxe : Grand Hyatt, Le Meridien , Sofitel Gezirah, Sheraton, Sonesta or similar, First Class : Novotel by the Airport, or Oases by the Pyramids.

DAY 10 - Giza - Sunday (BLD)
Private air condition car for your tour today . Private chauffeur .

Your exploration of ancient Egypt continues today! We'll start after breakfast : we'll motor to Giza to tour the mysterious Sphinx , Cheops Royal Barge Museum and the Pyramids on the edge of Cairo.

Those who are fit and adventurous enough may wish to penetrate into the heart of the Great Pyramid, to the King's Chamber your ticket is included with our compliments (or the interior of Kephren Pyramid). Taking a camel ride (Included) is entirely your own choice!

Lunch is included at the Mena House. The afternoon is dedicated to Memphis and Sakkara including the Nobles Mastabas and the Zoser Step Pyramid .

DAY 11 - On Desert Safari for the Day - Fayoum Oases - And you thought the Pyramids were old , Monday (BL)
We leave Cairo by sunrise ( private air conditioned car/driver/guide): Full day Fayoum Oases including:
Hawara Pyramid, El Lahoun Pyramid, Ruins of Karanis, drive by Lake Qarun, lunch is included at a local restaurant.

The wilds of the desert begin right on the outskirts of Cairo, and continue for hundreds of miles to the east and west, through sands, rock, mountains, oases, and a surprising variety of scenery and inhabitants.

Join us for a day ranging across the desert like modern nomads. In place of camels, we’ll travel in comfortable, reliable four-by-four Toyota Land Cruisers. Your guide and drivers will meet you at your hotel, and soon you’ll leave bustling Cairo behind as you undertake the drive toward the Oasis of El Fayoum, 150 kilometers to the southwest. Hard as it is to believe, a great inland sea once covered these sands. It was a holy reserve of sacred crocodiles, symbolized by the god Sobek.

We’ll visit the temple of Kom Oshim, drive over ancient lake beds, and alongside the waters of today’s Fayoum Lake to reach the fishermen’s village of Chak Chouk. There we’ll stop for a lunch of fish caught fresh that morning. There will be time to wander the village lanes and discreetly watch the everyday activities of baking flatbread, irrigating crops from the lake’s waters, and bringing in the catch. We’ll also include the craft and pottery museum where the best works of local artisans are on display.

Then it’s into our four-by-fours again, for an off-road adventure! We’ll head alongside and across desert washes, between dunes, and over ancient lake beds for 35 kilometers to the Valley of the Whales ( In Arabic : Wadi-El-Hitan) . Incredibly, these great mammals once thrived - almost forty million years ago- in waters surrounded by sands. We’ll stop and gaze in amazement at their fossilized remains alongside smaller sea creatures that remain in stone.
This valley was discovered in 1936 , by the German geologist George Schweinfurth in the northwestern corner of Wadi El-Rayan.

The valley provides evidence of one of the major changes in this mammal evolution has been declared by the UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site. It is believed that these land based whales once had feet that may have helped them somewhat while ashore . A team from the University of Michigan discovered in the late 80's that these Zeuglodon whales did have rudimentary feet , this was a startling discovery , suggesting that whales of Wadi El-Hitan had recently started living in water as well , these whales were not related to any of the whales we have today , rather a more slender body and may grow up to 75 feet long. Several skeletons of whales are exposed in the sand. George Schweinfurth named this extinct specie the Zeuglodon Isis Whales .

In the evening, you’ll return to your hotel in Cairo. Land transportation in air-conditioned four-wheel-drive Toyota Land Cruiser with the services of driver and English-speaking driver. Lunch is included

DAY 12 - CAIRO-Amman-Tuesday (BD)
Our representative escorts you to the airport for your Amman bound flight. Bon Voyage ! Air fare is included in our rate between Cairo & Amman . Ticket issued and delivered in Cairo tax included
We'll pick you up from Queen Alia Airport, visa is issued upon arrival with our compliment for citizens of the : USA, EU, Canada, Australia, NZ & Japan. Welcome complimentary dinner at the hotel.

DAY 13 -Amman/ Jerash / Petra - Private GUIDE and private Driver - Wednesday (BL)
After breakfast we head with a PRIVATE guide and private chauffeur to Jerash, the best preserved Roman City of the East. Lunch is included at a local restaurant.
On to Mt. Nebo! Then we'll continue to Madaba and visit the site of the oldest map of the Holy Land, St. George's Cathedral. Pressing on to Petra and your hotel : Deluxe : Marriott or Movenpick.
First : Golden Tulip

Day 14 - Petra - Thursday (BL)
A full day tour of Jordan's most famous site, the rose-red city of Petra. Venture through the Siq (the gorge between two towering mountains) until you reach the treasury which, like the most of the structures at Petra, is carved into the rose-red Nubian sandstone.

Day 15 - Departure- Friday (BL)
Our local rep. will escort you back to the airport ( Departure tax is included in our rate) . For those going on to Syria with us. You will continue on to The Syrian border, visit Bosra before continuing to Damascus. Or if you are touring Syria on your own, we'll be glad to arrange for the transfer to Bosra in Syria ( Supplement $65 per person, minimum 2 guests, private car/driver to Bosra)

Salam . Bon Voyage. Have a nice flight .Itinerary is subject to change without notice.

( More cruise images)

RATES per person in USD

Christmas, New Year's & Easter Weeks : Please add %15 to the above listed rates

Sample 4 stars cruises : MS Ruby .Presidential Nile Cruises , MS Nile Dream

Rates for the Five Star Deluxe - Rates per person in USD

Sample deluxe cruises

M/S Monaco , M/S Monte Carlo , M/S Mojito
Queen of Hansa ,MS Solitaire. MS Renaissance . MS Beau Soleil

MS Adonis , M/S Florence. MS Renaissance. MS Solitaire . MS Mirage

Rate Includes :

• Bottled water (large bottle per person daily while on board the cruise)
• One way air fare "Y" class Istanbul Cairo with tax.
• One night hotel accommodation in Aswan at the Movenpick Aswan , Old Cataract or similar for Deluxe , Basma Hotel ( or similar) for first class
• Hotel accommodation in Cairo : Deluxe : Grand Hyatt, Le Meridien , Gezirah Sheraton or similar, First Class : Novotel by the Airport, or Oases by the Pyramids.
• Hotel accommodation with tax & service charge in Amman & Petra as per itinerary.
• Abu Simbel Temples by air but your tour in Abu Simbel will be with your own private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur and private guide , of course including entrance fees
• Welcome fruit basket on board the cruise
• All shore excursions on board the Nile Cruise.
• All entrance fees and the service of an English speaking guide .
• Meals B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner. As well as afternoon tea daily, on board the cruise
• Domestic air tickets between Cairo and the cruise, as well as ABU SIMBEL, tickets are issued & delivered in Cairo, "y" class with tax included.
• All transfers in Egypt & Jordan.
• Lonely Planet, Egypt, Jordan & Istanbul guidebooks .
• Visa fee for Jordan and Egypt, visa will be issued upon arrival at Airports for : American,Australian, NZ, EU , Canadian & Japanese citizens. You are responsible for having your passport in order valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival.

Rate doesn't include :

• International air fare.
• Turkish Visa Fee : in cash upon arrival, or from any of the  Turkish Consulates.
• Trip/travel insurance
• Tips

Dining Room Reservations: Meet other passengers
YOU will not require any, our dining rooms do accommodate all our guests in one seating, one less thing to worry about while you are on the Nile. Enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere with several different languages being heard at dinner.

What to Pack:
Most of the year look forward to warm, even hot weather in Luxor & Aswan, morning & evenings are cooler. For Shore excursions, we suggest comfortable cotton & natural fabric lightweight clothing. Comfortable walking shoes are essential.

Clothing on Board:
Lightweight comfortable & casual clothing. Swimsuits, sun hat. Dining room dress code is casual for breakfast & lunch, but smart casual for dinner. All ships are fully air conditioned

• One way sleeper & one way air fare , between Cairo & the Cruise Private Nile Cruising : Royal Cleopatra
• Add Petra Jordan A La Indiana Jones
• Overnight in Abu Simbel & Watch the Sound & Light Show
• Please click here for the Four Seasons Ultra Deluxe Edition