Insights for Women Travelers

Men are welcomed as well
16 - Day Adventure. Tour starts : Weekly on Thursdays, locally escorted

Egyptian women's roles in home and society are changing dramatically

They welcome new educational and career opportunities, but want to preserve traditions and family values. Come with us to meet Egypt's women, see how they live, share meals with them, and go beyond misconceptions- beyond the veil. We'll meet artisans and learn their crafts, travel through striking landscapes, and explore the deep history, art, culture and society of the Nile Delta and old Cairo Coptic biblical quarter from a woman's point of view.

DAY 1 - CAIRO- Thursday : Weekly - May - Oct

Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. Complimentary visa is issued upon arrival only for American, Australian, NZ, EU , Canadian & Japanese citizens, passports must be valid for at least 6 month beyond the date of your arrival.

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)

We start with the best of Cairo: the Egyptian Museum, Citadel of Saladin and its Alabaster Mosque, where you will participate in a " Q & A " presentation on "Women in Islam " as well as "Women in Egypt".

After lunch at a charming local restaurant, we wander through the alleys of the 12-century district of Khan el-Khalili with it's Caravanserai, Medieval Trade Centers , and bazaar shops that changed little since 12-13 century. You 'll have some time to wander on your own maybe in search of souvenirs.

Finally we walk the narrow streets of Old Cairo, once a Roman fort, later the Jewish Quarter, then the Coptic Christian Quarter. We visit the Coptic churches of Abu Serghius and Al Molaka, the Coptic Museum, and Ben Ezra synagogue. While we are at one of the churches or the Coptic Museum we'll discuss how the Nile Delta environment and local Egyptian tradition has affected women in the Nile Valley regardless of their religion.

In the evening, it's all aboard! We'll settle you into your private wood-panelled sleeping compartment on the train bound along the banks of the Nile. Sleeper train is rated 3 stars , if you prefer to fly please add $ 150 per person to any of the listed rates , You'll enjoy dinner on board , as the lights of villages reflect in the river.

DAY 3 - Luxor - ( or Aswan ) - Saturday (BD)
After breakfast on board, the train arrives at Luxor , where we'll settle you into your Nile Cruise .

Morning tour of one of the local girls school, you may wish to bring with you a small gift of school supplies , pencils, notebooks etc. to give to the children .

Tour the gigantic Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and the mighty Temple of Luxor are our goals in the morning

DAY 4- Luxor - Sunday - Board your Nile Cruise (BLD)
Cruise is from Aswan or Luxor , we 'll confirm the availability at the time of booking
Crossing the Nile , we tour the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens,we tour as well the great temple of Queen Hatshepsut & Colossi of Memnon .
Evening Sound & Light show at Karnak .

DAY 5- ESNA EDFU - Monday (BLD)
We cruise by Esna to Edfu, where we board horse-drawn carriages for the ride to the Temple of Horus. Returning to our ship, we set sail for Kom Ombo. In the evening, there's a jolly galabia party aboard.

DAY 6 - ASWAN & KOM OMBO Tuesday (BLD)
We explore the twin Temples of Haroeris and Sobek at Kom Ombo, then sail south to Aswan. After lunch we board a graceful felucca and cruise among the islands with a tour of the Island temple of Philae, returning to our ship in time for tea.

DAY 7 - Aswan- Camel Caravan Wednesday (B)
Check-out after breakfast. Tour of Kalabsha Temple dedicated to the ancient god Mandulis, and the goddess Isis . Built during the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus , the small rock-cut temple of Beit El Wali, built by Ramses the Great , and the small yet charming Kiosk of Qertassi.
Check -in at the Movenpick in Aswan or Old Cataract ( supplement $ 85 per person for Old Cataract )
( Subject to availability ) for deluxe category, and Basma hotel for First & Tourist class category.
Afternoon tour of the Nubian Museum, then a short camel caravan & ride to visit a local Nubian Village for tea with the local women in their homes.

DAY 8 -Abu Simbel / Cairo Thursday (B)
Abu Simbel We've planned our visit to Abu Simbel to be a highlight of your Egyptian adventure. Rising before dawn, we drive along the shore of Lake Nasser, watching the sky lighten and the sacred sun rise above the horizon. We reach the great temples while the air is clean, clear and cool, and the sun's light still golden‹just right for photographs. In the larger temple, colossal figures of Ramsis 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, after which retire to a comfortable hotel for refreshments. Just as planeloads of visitors arrive to throng the temples we begin our leisurely drive back along the shore to Aswan Airport. Fly back to Cairo and your hotel.

DAY 9 - CAIRO Friday (BLD)
MEET AMERICAN & EUROPEAN WOMEN IN CAIRO
In the morning, we visit the majestic pyramids of Giza, the Valley Temple and the timeless Sphinx. After lunch we drive to Dahshour, the newly opened pyramid field south of Cairo. We visit several ancient structures, including the great pyramid built by Senfru, father of Cheops.

On our way back to Cairo , we stop at the village of Harania, after a brief tour we'll have a group discussion , that will include an American or a European woman /women who settled in Cairo to share their own insight on/about the Egyptian Society & Egyptian Women. These guests will join you for lunch at a charming local restaurant

Dinner is included at a local home:
Meet the locals, you may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family ( T shirt , small souvenirs of your home town):
This evening we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right into the homes of some of the people of Cairo l! You'll be invited to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties, you'll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new friends, they're sure to have questions about your own background. Once the ice is broken, you'll enjoy a lively evening, and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, you may enjoy dinner in a quiet restaurant with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

DAY 10 - Departure: Cairo / Athens Saturday (B)
Our representative escorts you to the airport for your flight to Athens, air fare is included in economy class Cairo Athens , tax included .
Our local representative will meet you at Athens airport, assist with arrival procedures, and escort you to your hotel. You'll have time on your own to explore the Greek capital, browse for treasures and curios, and venture to a terrace cafe or a fine meal in the old Plaka district.

DAY 11 - Sunday - ATHENS (B)
On your first morning in Athens we show you the top sights: the Acropolis and its museum, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian's Arch, the Theater of Dionysus.

The Acropolis hill, so called the "Sacred Rock" of Athens, is the most important site of the city. During Perikles' Golden Age, ancient Greek civilization was represented in an ideal way on the hill and some of the architectural masterpieces of the period were erected on its ground.
The first habitation remains on the Acropolis date from the Neolithic period. Over the centuries, the rocky hill was continuously used either as a cult place or as a residential area or both. The inscriptions on the numerous and precious offerings to the sanctuary of Athena (marble korai, bronze and clay statuettes and vases) indicate that the cult of the city's patron goddess was established as early as the Archaic period (650-480 B.C.).

During the Classical period (450-330 B.C.) three important temples were erected on the ruins of earlier ones: the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, and the Temple of Nike, dedicated to Athena Parthenos, Athena Polias, and Athena-Apteros Nike, respectively. The Propylaea, the monumental entrance to the sacred area was also constructed in the same period.
The monuments on the Acropolis reflect the successive phases of the city's history. Some of them were converted into Christian churches, houses of the Franks and later on, of the Turks. After the liberation of Athens from the Turks, the protection, restoration and conservation of the monuments was one of the first tasks of the newly-founded Greek state. This major effort is continued until today, with the large-scale restoration and supporting of the monuments, which started in the 1970's and is still in progress.
The first excavations on the hill were conducted between 1835 and 1837. More systematic work was carried out in 1885-1890 by Panagiotis Kavvadias.

In the afternoon, plunge into the city as you like ( on your own ) for sightseeing and shopping.

DAY 12 - Monday - Corinth Canal , MYCENAE, EPIDAURUS (BD)
We set forth from Athens to tour classical Greece, passing Corinth and its steep-walled canal as we go. We visit the Theatre of Epidauros famous for its remarkable acoustics. Then proceed to Nauplion ( brief stop) , finally we reach Mycenae, center of ancient Mycenaean civilization (2800-1100 BC); the legendary home of the Atreides, is situated upon a small hill-top on the lower slopes of Euboea Mountain, between two of its peaks, on the road leading from the Argolic Gulf to the north (Corinth, Athens, etc.), we tour the site and the tomb of Agamemnon.

The site was inhabited since Neolithic times (about 4000 BC) but reached its peak during the Late Bronze Age (1350-1200 BC), giving its name to a civilization which spread throughout the Greek world.

During that period, the acropolis was surrounded by massive "cyclopean" walls, which were built in three stages (ca.1350, 1250 and 1225 BC) except on its SE flank where a steep ravine provided natural defense.
A palace was built on the summit of the hill while towards the Argolic plain lay the wall - painted "Cult Center", the main gate or "Lion Gate" and "Grave Circle A" which contained the treasures now displayed at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. On the NE side, a tunnel leading to a subterranean fountain was built in "cyclopean" masonry in around 1225 B.C.
More tombs, "Grave Circle B", and large tholoi as well as houses were discovered outside the walls. Mycenae was occupied without interruption until 468 B.C. when it was conquered by the city of Argos and its population banished. It was reoccupied in the 3rd century B.C. for a relatively short period. It had been abandoned for some time when Pausanias visited the site during the 2nd century A.D.

We leave for Olympia through Central Peloponnese and the towns of Tripoli and Megalopolis , we overnight in Olympia , the cradle of the Olympic games . Dinner and overnight.

DAY 13 - Tuesday - Olympia - Delphi (BD)
Today we tour Olympia, ancient site of the Olympic games. We visit the great Temple of Zeus, one of the Wonders of the Ancient World, and tour the museum. Then drive on through the plains of Eliad and Achaia until we reach the magnificent bridge that link Rion to Antirion crossing over the Corinthian Bay. We pass through the picturesque towns of Nafpactos ( Lepanto ) and Itea , finally we reach Delphi where we overnight. Dinner is included at the hotel

DAY 14 - Wednesday - DELPHI (BD)
Today it is Delphi, site of the famed oracle, at the foot of Mount Parnassus. During the Mycenaean period, the female deity of Earth was worshipped in the small settlement of Delphi. The development of the sanctuary and oracle though, began in the 8th century B.C. with the establishment of the cult of Apollo. Under the protection and administration of the Amphictyony, the sanctuary continued to be autonomous after the First Sacred War and, as a result, increased its panhellenic religious and political influence. The Pythian Games were re-organized, the sanctuary was enlarged and it was enriched with nice buildings, statues, and other offerings. In the 3rd century B.C. it came under the domination of the Aetolians and later, in 191 B.C., was conquered by the Romans. During the Roman occupation the site was sometimes plundered but was also favored by some of the emperors. With the spread of Christianity, the sanctuary lost its religious meaning and was permanently closed down with a decree of emperor Theodosius the Great.

Depart for Kalambaka , a small town situated at the foot of the astonishing complex of Meteora and its gigantic rocks. Dinner and overnight .

DAY 15 - Thursday - Meteora & ATHENS (B)
Visit Meteora, among striking scenery , perched on top of huge rock which seems to be suspended in mid-air, stand ageless monasteries , where you can see exquisite specimens of Byzantine art. In the afternoon, we drive by the villages of Trikala , Lamia and Thermopylae ( brief stop to take picture of the Leonida's monument across the road , then on to Athens, expect an evening arrival.
For the monasteries tour : Men : No shorts allowed. Ladies : No bare shoulders, no shorts

DAY 16 - ATHENS, departure - Friday (B)
After breakfast. Transfer to Athens Airport to board your flight . Bon Voyage

RATES per person in USD

This tour starts weekly in Cairo. For Easter ( two weeks ) , Christmas/New Year's week, add 15 % to the rates.

The rates include :

• All airfares within Egypt in economy class tax included.
• One way air fare Cairo Athens in economy class tax included.
• All transfers within Egypt and Grecee on a private basis.
• Preset menu meals including B = Breakfast, (or cB, Continental Breakfast) L = Lunch, D = Dinner .
• Guided sightseeing as per itinerary including all entrance fees.
• Hotel as listed, including all tax & service charges.

• All Nile cruise shore excursions, entrance fees, the service of an English Speaking guide.
• Welcome fruit basket upon check-in on board your Nile cruise and a welcome drink upon arrival on board
• Large bottle of water per person per day delivered to your cabin.
• All outside cabins, including all tax & service charges. All meals while on board the Nile cruise : B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner.Afternoon tea is served daily onboard your Nile cruiseOne small bottle of water per person with each meal while on board your Nile cruise . Tea or coffle with each meal on board the cruise

Not included:

• Personal expenses and beverages .

• Gratuities

• International airfares to or from your home country

• Additional meals, drinks and services

• Trip interruption and cancellation insurance (please see our insurance brochure).

Add a spa package to your stay at the Grand Hyatt or Four Seasons :

General Hotel Listing