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Great
Nile Cities And Arabia
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Octavious
visiting Alexander the Great's Tomb in Alexandria just after
the Roman Emperor defeated Cleopatra & Marc Anthony. He
left his coat as a token of respect to Alexander the Great. The search continues for Alexander the Great's Tomb. |
DAY
5 - ALEXANDRIA and Wadi Natrun Monastery -Thursday & Sunday (BL)
Morning tour of the local souks and Zanket El Setat Bazaar
district .
A brief stop at " El Selsela" the site of the Underwater reserve
where Cleopatra Place was discovered, as well as Caesar Kiosk. Lunch
at a local restaurant. Visit the new site for the Alexandria Library
before heading back south towards Cairo and Wadi
El Natroun monastery almost midway to Cairo , where early Coptic Christians
retreated here to escape the Roman persecution in the 4th century AD.
The Egyptian Pope of Alexandria is always chosen from the Monks of wadi
El Natroun. Reach Cairo early evening and your hotel.
Grand Hyatt , Conrad Cairo Hotel or similar
DAY
6- CAIRO - Ottoman Cairo , Home Hosted Dinner - Friday & Monday
(BLD)
We continue our explorations with a half-day tour through medieval Khan
el-Khalili, the bazaar district, to admire the ancient streets, houses
and mosques. We tour as well the Carvanserai of Wekalet El Ghouri ,
Beit El Kritlya /Gayer Anderson old Ottoman Houses (Built 15th century).
The afternoon is devoted to: the former Royal palace of Abdeen &
Manial Palace, the Palace of Egypt's last Crown Prince.
Home
hosted dinner, Complimentary
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 a quiet evening with your travel companions, by letting us know
your preferences.
DAY
7 - LUXOR - Nile Cruise - Saturday & Tuesday
(BLD)
After a short morning flight to Luxor, we check in on our Nile
cruiser . Welcome fruit basket.
Following lunch aboard, we tour Luxor Museum the stupendous Great Temple of Amon at Karnak and the smaller-but still immense-Temple of Luxor.
DAY
8 - VALLEY OF THE KINGS Sunday & Wednesday
(BLD)
After breakfast we tour the Valley of the Kings,including King
Tut's Tomb, , the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahari.
Followed by the Colossi of Memnon, returning to our ship for lunch. The afternoon is for Deir el Medina the Ancient Workers Village , where the first known "Sit-down" Strike against the Pharaoh took place, its said that the "Palace" did back down and made good on the back bay , in sesame oil ! 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.
You'll be back on board in time for tea and an excellent dinner. Complimentary galabya will be delivered to your cabin.
DAY
9 - ESNA & EDFU - Monday & Thursday (BLD)
We cruise to Esna during the night. Go thru the locks, then cruise to
Edfu, where we board horse-drawn carriages for the short ride
through the town to the stupendous Temple of Horus, the best
preserved temple on the Nile. Returning to our ship, we set sail for
Kom Ombo. In the evening there's a galabia party. If you've tried
our flowing Egyptian garment ( the galabya), tonight's the night to
try it on!
DAY
10 - KOM OMBO & ASWAN Tuesday & Friday
(BLD)
First thing in the morning we explore the twin temples of Haroeris,
the sun god, and Sobek, the crocodile god, at Kom Ombo, then reboard
our ship for the voyage south to Aswan. After lunch we board
a graceful felucca and cruise among the islands. Followed by visit to
the Nubian Museum.
Complimentary Egyptian sweets/ pastry .
DAY
11 - Aswan , Abu Simbel - Cairo - Wednesday & Saturday
(B. Lunch
Box)
After breakfast we check out of our floating hotel , we tour Aswan Dams,
followed
by a trip by motor launch to the Island temple of Philae , dedicated
to the Ancient Goddess ISIS ,
back on land then it is off to Aswan Airport for the short flight
to Abu Simbel
where your private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur and private
guide will be waiting for you . 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. Your lunch box does of course include one large bottle of water
for each guest . Fly back to Cairo , and your hotel. Air fare is always
included, economy class, tax included
DAY 12- CAIRO / SHARM EL SHEIK - Thursday & Sunday (BD)
Returning
by plane to Cairo connecting to Sharm El Sheikh . Relax!
These are your days to absorb all that you've seen and experienced so
far, not to mention the bright Egyptian sun and sparkling Red Sea. Evening
Dinner with the Bedouins on the edge of the Sahara, with Bedouin Music
DAY
13 - SHARM EL SHEIK - Dinner with the Bedouins - Friday & Monday
(BLD)
Relax! Today is set aside as a strategic mid-journey break.
Spend some time in the sun, but don't miss your chance to snorkel or
dive under Red Sea waters for an array of coral and glittering tropical
fish.
Lunch at the hotel. Meet the Bedouin and enjoy dinner in the Sinai.
DAY 14 - MOUNT SINAI - Saturday & Tuesday (BLD)
Our knowledgeable guides arrange a pre-dawn departure into the still-cool
wilderness of Sinai, through which Moses led the Children of Israel
to the Promised Land. Our goal is the Monastery of St. Catherine, built
of rock at the base of Mount Sinai, at the site of the Burning Bush.
We tour the monastery, rich in history, icons and sacred paintings,
then return to Sharm El Sheik and dinner at the hotel.
DAY
15 - AQABA, PETRA - Sunday & Wednesday (BLD)
We'll drive to the port of Nuweiba, where we'll board the Red Sea ferry.
Across the water in Aqaba, with Israel and Saudi Arabia in sight, our
Jordan-based representative waits to greet you. You'll drive north under
a towering ridge of mountains, and arrive at your hotel in Petra for
the night. Complimentary Jordanian visa fee (valid only for American
, Australian , Canadian, Dutch, German & Japanese citizens. Passports
must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival).
Complimentary welcome dinner at the hotel. Deluxe :
Movenpick, Marriott or similar
DAY
16 - PETRA-Amman Monday & Thursday (BLD)
We'll spend the entire day at Petra, the stunning desert city hewn by
the Nabateans from solid cliffs of pink and violet sandstone. Petra
was known in the bible as Sela, and rediscovered only in 1812. You'll
feel like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark as you penetrate
into the city through a narrow sandstone gorge, the Siq, and wander
among the Temple of the Winged Lion, tombs, Roman theater, and the imposing
Treasury. Lunch & Dinner are included today
: Deluxe : Sheraton , SAS Radisson or similar
DAY
17 - AMMAN / USA- Tuesday & Friday (B)
After breakfast,
our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home . Departure
tax is included
RATES per person in USD
| RATES per person in USD | Deluxe |
| Triple | US$
3750.00 |
| Double | US$
3840.00 |
| Single | US$
4490.00 |
Rates include
Hotel
Choices
Cairo
Deluxe Hotels : City Stars Inter.continental. Nile Hilton ,Sonesta
, J. W. Marriott Cairo Conrad or Grand Hyatt . Sofitel ,Meridien
Pyramids ,
Mena Garden ( for the Palace Wing of Mena House , please add $ 70 USD
per person in double per night) or similar
Sample Deluxe hotels in Sharm : Rotana, Savoy , Hyatt / Marriott
, Sonesta
Egyptian
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
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.
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:
Travel
With Children in Egypt:
From: "W. RUSSELL" <cwrussell1@.....................>
Date: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 3:47 PM
To: Omar@travelinstyle.com
Subject: Russell Family Trip
Attachments: (none) HTML | Plain Text | Header | Raw Content
Dear
Omar,
We are home and I am working my way through a mountainous pile of
laundry!
What a wonderful trip we had- everything was beautifully arranged
from transfers, to guides to flights to accommodation. We thought
the guides we had : Rania in Cairo, and Wa-el in Luxor were fantastic,
informative, friendly and great with the kids. Both were terrific
but I would especially recommend Wa-el, great person and couldn't
do enough to make our trips special.
Josef transferred us around without a hitch, our private van arrived
as if by magic each time we needed it.
We were so sorry that we couldn't visit Waafa at her house, but we
had to get up very early the next morning(3am) for our flight to Luxor
and it would not have been fair to the children to keep them out late.
Our first day in Luxor was extremely busy so we were glad that the
kids had some sleep the night prior. Our cruise ship was lovely, and
everyone on board were so friendly and kind to us. We had fruit baskets
in our room, and the chef came by each meal to see that everything
was fine and offering to make the kids anything special.
What a relief it was to have everything organized for us, after a
day of trekking around monuments, it was wonderful to see our van
appear to whisk us off to the hotel or ship.
Omar, I can't say enough about how professional and friendly everyone
was. Liam especially made a ton of friends both old and young, they
all seemed intrigued by his blond hair and cute smile!We brought back
Papyruses for Shona's classmates and she is regaling them with her
travel tales this week.
We would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending travel in style
to any of our friends. It was a wonderful experience from start to
finish and we hope to use your services again if not for Egypt, perhaps
for another destination.
Many thanks to all of your team Omar, it was a "once in a lifetime
experience" which we enjoyed so much.
Best wishes from us all,
Catriona, Bill, Shona and Liam
