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! cruise, and a CAMEL CARAVAN to a Nubian Village . Weekly departures on Start in Cairo Friday, Weekly year round. Add Abu Simbel

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 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

Click here for the Sailing boat Edition . on board the M/S Royal Cleopatra

DEPARTURE NOTES:
This tour departs , weekly, year round For departures during Apr, Christmas, New Year's ; Please add %15 to the rates above.

• Children's Discount :
  10 years of age or younger, sharing room with parent, receive a discount of 15 percent.
• DINING NOTES The set-menu meals included in your tour are indicated in the itinerary: B = Breakfast, (or cB, Continental Breakfast), L = Lunch, D = Dinner. On our luxury Nile cruise vessels, our spacious dining rooms accommodate all passengers at one seating, so there is no need to worry about making reservations.

YOUR TOUR INCLUDES:

• Egyptian domestic air fares , in economy class as described in the itinerary.
• All airport transfers and taxes in Egypt.
• Hotel accommodations (including taxes).
• Set-menu (table d'hôte) meals as indicated in the itinerary above.(B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner).
• A a Nile cruise with all shore excursions and meals.
• Guided sightseeing by air-conditioned motorcoach,including all admissions fees.
• Lonely Planet travel guidebook
• 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.

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.

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.

Do we get sea sickness while sailing the Nile ?
This is river sailing, so do not expect any waves , no rough seas ! Your Nile cruises is actually a floating hotel that moves from place to place along the Nile. Actual cruising times are short and pleasant.

• Not included:
  
  Personal expenses
• Beverages, and meals not specifically mentioned
• Gratuities for local personnel
• Travel insurance (please see our flyer -Upon request).

Combine Egypt & Athens : Cleopatra with Athens extension.

The lounge on board the ultra deluxe Radamis II Nile Cruise