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Cleopatra's
Egypt
An
11 Day tour of Egypt , including Fayoum Oases
This exceptional package includes Egypt's highlights ,in all its variety,
from the wonders of the Great Pyramids to a Nile Cruise almost as wondrous
as what you'll see!
We have even included all the tips. No hidden charges,
no additional tax
For a sailing boat edition on board the
" Royal Cleopatra",
please click here
DAY
1- CAIRO - Thursday - Weekly - Year Round
Our Cairo-based personnel will meet you at the airport and see you to
your hotel near the fabled Nile. You'll have time to relax. The rest of
the day is yours. Fascinating Cairo awaits you! Venture out amid the spice
shops, cafés, peddlers from bygone days, modern-day professionals, and
an unforgettable array of sights, sounds, and aromas. Visa fee is included
& issued upon arrival. Your passport must be valid for at least
6 month beyond the date of arrival. Valid for American , Australian, EU
, Canadian, Japanese , Mexican and NZ passports.
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
2- Cairo - Friday (BLD)
After breakfast : We'll motor to the edge of Cairo,
to the mysterious Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza.
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. Dinner is included at Abu el-Sid restaurant.
DAY
3 - On
Desert Safari for the Day - Fayoum Oases - And you thought the Pyramids
were old ,
Saturday (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
4 - CAIRO - Sunday - (BLD)
Today, we'll explore the wonders of the Egyptian Museum, with its treasures
of the ancient pharaohs: mummies, statuary, precious stones and metals.
Travellers have long come to Cairo just to gaze on these sights, but our
day has just started. Then it's onward to the Citadel of Saladin and the
Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.
Dinner is included at La Bodega restaurant .
DAY
5 - ASWAN, CAMEL CARAVAN - Monday - Nile Cruise (BLD)
After a very early breakfast on to the Airport for your flight to Aswan
( or Luxor) .
Ticket is included ( in economy class but free upgrade to business class
when available) In Aswan, we'll settle you into your cabin on a Nile steamer.
Fruit basket at your cabin, with our compliments.
We start our tour with the world famous Nubian Museum .
Then we return to the boat for lunch.
You
may
have seen feluccas sailing the Nile in Cairo . Now we'll experience Egypt
at its most authentic, as we sail in one of these graceful craft. Then,
to really immerse yourself, try your hand at camel riding! We'll
take willing passengers on a traditional caravan to enjoy tea with
Nubian villagers. Only Travel in Style affords this unique opportunity
to meet and interact with local people. We are proud to offer this insight
into the Nubian way of life. In the evening your guide will call on you
for a horse-drawn carriage ride throughout Aswan souks and water front.
DAY 6 - ASWAN, KOM OMBO - Tuesday - (BLD)
After breakfast on board, we'll visit the dams at Aswan, including the
High Dam, a modern wonder in this ancient land. At the ancient granite
quarry, we'll see an obelisk left unfinished, then board a launch on Lake
Nasser to visit the Temples of Philae, rescued from rising waters. Back
aboard our cruiser, we'll sail northward down the Nile at a stately pace,
disembarking for a visit to Kom Ombo, the twin temple dedicated to the
crocodile river god, Sobek.
DAY
7 - EDFU, ESNA - Wednesday - (BLD)
Your own Horse-drawn
carriages or air-conditioned vehicle meet us at riverside to take us through
Edfu to the Temple of Horus, best-preserved in all of Egypt. Later, we'll
cruise to Esna, and by evening, we'll be in fabled Luxor.
DAY
8- LUXOR - Thursday - (BLD)
We'll cross the Nile to view an array of ancient splendors:
the tomb chambers of the Valley of the Kings; including King Tut's Tomb,
the imposing tomb-temple of Queen Hatshepsut ; and the Colossi of Memnon.
We 'll tour as well the Ancient Workers Village at Deir El Medineh,
the first known "Workers Village" these were the true creative
heroes who built the temples & tombs for the mighty Pharaohs of the
Nile Kingdom.
Deir
El Medinah is on Luxor's west bank you get a totally different perspective
on ancient Egyptian life, at the ancient workers' settlement of Deir el-Medinah.
While most of the imposing stone monuments and sites of Egypt honor the
lives and after-lives of royalty, Deir el-Medinah gives us unique and
surprising insights into the ordinary citizens who constructed and decorated
the tombs.
Here
we'll see the excavated homes shared by laborers with their domestic animals.
These quarters were surprisingly large, with three good-sized rooms, courtyard,
kitchen, and even storage cellars. While ancient Egypt might not have
been a workers' paradise, we'll see that artisans and builders were highly
regarded in their community. We are proud to be the only operator to offer
regular visits to this singular ancient settlement in its tour and cruise
programs.
DAY
9 - LUXOR, CAIRO - Fri (BLD)
Check out from our cabins. In the morning we'll visit the imposing Great
Temple of Amon at Karnak and the great Temple of Luxor before heading
back to the boat for lunch. Public facilities on board are always
available till its time for the evening transfer to board the overnight
sleeper train back to Cairo, dinner is served on board.
DAY 10 - CAIRO - Saturday - (B)
Morning arrival, our local rep will escort you to your hotel. Breakfast
will be served at the hotel. You'll make your own program for your last
full day in Cairo. Perhaps you'll do some shopping at the fabulous Khan
El-Khalili bazaar, or return to the fabulous Pyramids, or take an optional
tour, or spend the day with new friends. Don't miss your chance to mingle
with the crowds, the peddlers, and the street entertainers who give life
to Cairo!
DAY 11 - DEPARTURE FOR HOME - Sunday - (B)
After
breakfast, our staff will see you to the airport and assist you with all
the formalities before you board your flight for home. You'll arrive the
same day. Bon Voyage!
This
tour starts weekly , year round.
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RATES per
person in US
| Start
Cairo |
Deluxe
A
Hyatt - Conrad
or Similar |
Deluxe
B
Hilton - Sofitel
or Similar |
Modest
First Class Hotels
Oases or similar |
| Triple |
US$
2729 |
US$
2511 |
US$
2300 |
| Double |
US$
2869 |
US$
2695 |
US$
2450 |
| Single |
US$
3999 |
US$
3505 |
US$
3480 |
- Children's
Discount :
10 years of age or younger, sharing room with parent, receive a discount
of 15 percent.
YOUR
TOUR INCLUDES:
-
Egyptian domestic air fares , in economy class as described in the itinerary.
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All airport transfers and taxes in Egypt.
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Hotel accommodations (including taxes).
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Set-menu (table d'hôte) meals as indicated in the itinerary above.(B
= Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner).
-
Nile cruise with all shore excursions and meals.
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Guided sightseeing by air-conditioned motorcoach,including all admissions
fees.
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Lonely Planet travel guidebook
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Visa Fee
Egyptian visa fee is included , visa issued (Only for holders of U.S.,
Brazilian , Mexican, Australian, NZ , EU, Canadian and Japanese. Passports
with six months of validity remaining at time of arrival).
- On
Board the cruise, , Complimentary welcome fruit basket, Galabya,and
an Egyptian Sweets/pastry platter
- Complimentary
welcome drink upon arrival on board the Nile Cruise.
- Complimentary
welcome fruit basket on board the Nile Cruise.
- Large
bottle of water ( per person ) delivered to you cabin daily while you
are on board the Nile Cruise.
- Tea
or coffee an bottled water with each / every meal while you are on board
the Nile Cruise.
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We have even included all the tips to your porters,
drivers, guides, and the crew on board your cruise . No hidden charges,
no additional tax
DRESS
CODE
All of our Nile cruise vessels are fully air conditioned. Onboard dress
is casual except at dinner, when smart casual is the rule. Lightweight
cotton and other natural fiber clothing is best, with swimsuits and sun
hats for the sundeck and pool. Bring a light sweater or light jacket for
cool mornings and evenings, but most days are warm to hot, with very little
rain. Comfortable walking shoes are essential for shore excursions.
- Not
included:
Personal expenses
- Beverages,
and meals not specifically mentioned
- Travel
insurance
Combine
Egypt & Athens : Cleopatra with Athens extension.
The
lounge on board the ultra deluxe Movenpick Nile Cruise
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