A Near East Fantasy Tour

A 25-Day Syria and Egypt Arabian Adventure

Here are all the splendors of Egypt, from the magnificence of the pharaohs to the glory of Alexandria to Siwa desert oases and the triumph of El Alamein. This itinerary includes a Nile cruise, of course, plus the attractions that most visitors miss. We'll show you as well the wonders of fabled Syria--Roman citadels, Biblical sites, great Omayyad mosques and the ancient/modern city of Damascus Weekly departure on Thursday , year round

DAY 1 - DEPARTURE Thursday
We take off from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, bound for Cairo. Overnight across the Atlantic.

DAY 2 - CAIRO - Friday
Our Cairo staff whisks you through the excitement and hubbub of the terminal, and onward through the desert to your hotel near the fabled Nile. Venture out amid the spice shops, cafes, peddlers from bygone days, modern-day professionals, and an unforgettable array of sights, sounds, and aromas. Visa fee is included & will be issued upon arrival for American, Canadian, British & Japanese Citizens.

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 - CAIRO - Saturday (BL)
Today you'll explore the wonders of the Egyptian Museum, with its treasures of the ancient pharaohs: mummies, statuary, and precious stones and metals. Travellers have long come to Cairo just to gaze on these sights, but your day includes much more. You'll see the Solar Boat Museum, and in Giza, on the edge of the desert, you'll view the mysterious Sphinx and the Pyramids.

DAY 4 - CAIRO, TRAIN DEPARTURE - Sunday (BLD)
Today, we'll get to know more of Cairo, both historic and contemporary. We'll set off for Khan el-Khalili, the labyrinthine bazaar district with its array of spice shops and clothing merchants and purveyors of baskets and brass ware and a thousand other specialties. We'll also stop at the Citadel of Saladin , the Alabaster Mosque, Sultan Hassan Great Mosque, a true master piece. The afternoon is devoted to seeing more of Islamic Cairo's sights: Ibn Touloun Mosque, City of the dead with it's architectural treasures from Medieval Cairo & more contemporary Ottoman Times, Including Khedives' tombs & Qait Bey. In the evening, we'll call on you, escort you to the railroad station, and settle you into your private sleeping compartment on the train bound southward along the banks of the Nile. Fall asleep as you watch the lights of villages reflect in the river.

DAY 5 - Arrive Luxor / Abydos - Monday (BL)
Good morning, Luxor! We'll detrain early, and proceed right to our Nile cruiser for breakfast. While our bags are looked after, proceed to your waiting coach and on to Abydos Temple ( Lunch box included)
Return to Luxor & your hotel late afternoon : ( Old Winter, Sonesta St. George, Hilton or Sheraton)

DAY 6- Nile Cruise - LUXOR - Tuesday (BLD)
Breakfast at leisure . We escort you to your Nile Cruiser, after lunch on board we'll set out for the imposing Great Temple of Amon at Karnak and the Temple of Luxor.

DAY 7 - VALLEY OF THE KINGS - Wednesday(BLD)
We'll set out across the Nile to view an array of ancient splendors: the tomb chambers of the Valley of the Kings; the imposing tomb-temple of Queen Hatshepsut in the Valley of the Queens.

Stop at the Colossi of Memnon before we head for Medinet Habu then back to the boat.

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 8 - ESNA, EDFU - Thursday (BLD)
We'll make our way up the Nile during the night. After breakfast, we'll proceed through the Esna locks, and on to Esna itself. Horse-drawn carriages meet us at riverside to take us to the Temple of Horus, best-preserved in all of Egypt. While we continue our sail up the Nile in the evening, we'll party in Egyptian style. You might well have bought a galabia, the flowing national dress. Now's your chance to wear it!

DAY 9 - KOM OMBO, ASWAN - Friday (BLD)
Soon after daybreak, we'll disembark at Kom Ombo to explore the twin temples of Haroeris, the sun god, and Sobek, the crocodile god, then continue our voyage to Aswan. All the while, you will have seen feluccas sailing the Nile. Now we'll experience Egypt at its most authentic, as we sail in one of these graceful craft. We'll include a tour of the Elephantine Island.
Return to your cruise late afternoon.

DAY 10 - Aswan Dam/ Philae/ Camel Caravan - Saturday (BL)
In the morning we check-out form your cabin.
Tour he awesome Aswan dams, and next an ancient granite quarry complete with an unfinished obelisk. Then we go by motor launch to the island temples of Philae , dedicated to the Ancient Goddess ISIS

Then to really immerse yourself, try your hand at a complimentary 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 & interact with local Nubians. We are proud to offer this insight into the Nubian way of life.

In the afternoon we check in at your hotel ( Deluxe : Old Cataract or Elephantine Island i. First class : Basma Hotel)

DAY 11 - Abu Simbel - Sunday (B)
Ramses the Great's huge desert temple at Abu Simbel marked the southern border of the pharaoh's dominions. Rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser by an international effort, it is a marvel of sacred engineering. Twice a year‹and only then‹the sun penetrates to the Holy of Holies, illuminating the stone figures of Ramses and Nefertari. We've planned our visit to maximize your Abu Simbel experience. 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 temple while the air is clean, clear and cool, and the sun's light still golden‹just right for photographs. We explore the huge temple by ourselves, admire its ancient aura and artistry, then retire to a comfortable hotel for refreshments. Just as planeloads of visitors arrive to throng the temple we begin our leisurely drive back along the shore to Aswan, arriving late afternoon.

DAY 12 - CAIRO, ALEXANDRIA - Monday (BD)
After breakfast, and proceed to the airport of Aswan, where we'll board a plane to fly northward to Cairo. We'll be met at the airport, then proceed northward overland to the great port of Alexandria, where we'll settle in to our hotel.

Conqueror of the Mediterranean Coast - Alexander the Great
In 332 BC, Egypt was laboring under Persian military control when Alexander the Great arrived to drive out the invaders without the shedding of a drop of blood. The Persian governor surrendered and the conquering hero was hailed as a liberator and given Egypt¹s double crown symbolizing control of Upper and Lower Egypt. Alexander reinstated Egypt's traditional government and founded the city of Alexandria at the country¹s most important crossroads: where the Nile meets the Mediterranean. .

DAY 13 - ALEXANDRIA, EL ALAMEIN - Tuesday (BLD)
We'll cross into another era of history today, as we motor westward through the dunes along the Mediterranean coast, following the route of Field Marshall Montgomery to El Alamein. Here we'll visit the fields of battle where Rommel's advance on Cairo was finally halted. We'll visit the museum, and stay the night.

As the gateway to Egypt, the Nile and Africa, Alexandria has been contested by armies and navies ever since. In 1798, Lord Nelson defeated Napoleon¹s navy just east of Alexandria.

In 1807 the British occupied the city. In 1941, General Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps stormed across North Africa all the way to El Alamein, only 70 miles west of Alexandria.

Rommel was driven back in desperate fighting by British forces under the command of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery yet another of the many generals to have struggled for control of this strategic land.

In Alexandria a brief stop at : Qayet Bey Fortress was built on the same site of the ancient wonder of the world : the famous Alexandria Light House. 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 , then its off to the new site for the Alexandria Library before heading to 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.

Time permitting we 'll visit the new museum in Alexandria , the building was originally built in 1926 for the US consulate in Alexandria and is a masterpiece in 1920's architecture & Mediterranean style buildings.

Photo Credit Osama Abdel A'al

DAY 14 - SIWA, ORACLE OF AMON - Wednesday (BLD)

It's back to ancient days as we follow the pilgrimage route of Alexander the Great to the Oracle of Amon. He marched westward along the Mediterranean coast, then inland (south) to the great oasis of Siwa. His aim was to visit the great temple of Amun which, tradition says, his legendary "ancestors" Heracles and Perseus had visited. He entered the temple and was hailed by the priests as pharaoh, the son of Amun. He then had a private audience with the High Priestess of the oracle, who proclaimed him to be a god, the son of Zeus. She predicted that he would conquer vast territories. He did. Leaving Egypt, he marched into Persia conquering all who came before him, all the way to what is now Lahore in Pakistan.

On his return trip, however, he fell ill and died‹at the ripe age of 33 in Babylon.

According to ancient inscriptions, Alexander's body was returned to Egypt and buried‹but where?

Both Siwa and Alexandria are possibilities. His tomb has not yet been identified for sure. At Gebel Mawta, we'll see tombs of the Greco-Roman era, including one that's reputed to be Alexander's own tomb. At Siwa, we'll see an ancient fortress with winding alleyways, and the Temple of Amon, where Alexander's divinity and legitimacy were proclaimed. Within a short distance, we'll traverse centuries as we visit Cleopatra's Pool, a Roman outpost, and a Ptolemaic temple. Our lunch break will be at the springs of Ain Sharouf, where we might get to take a dip.

DAY 15 - SIWA, ALEXANDRIA - Thursday(BLD)
We'll retrace the desert route to Alexandria this morning (the portion never completed by Rommel), and have the rest of the day free, to stroll the Corniche, acquire mementos of our trip, or look in on daily life in the ancient capital of Cleopatra.

DAY 16 - ALEXANDRIA, CAIRO - Friday (BL)
Today, we'll get to known Alexandria in depth, as we visit the Roman Amphitheater, the Koum El Shougafa Tombs, the fortress of Kayet Bey . After lunch in an Alexandrine restaurant, we'll travel to Cairo through the lush delta of the Nile River, the source of the wealth of ancient Egypt.

DAY 17 - Pharaonic Giza , Saturday (cBL)
Today we tour Memphis and Sakkara, including the Step Pyramid of Zoser & Nobles tombs/Mastabas, The Serapeum, Unas, Pyramid of Teti and key Mastabas.
In the afternoon the tour takes us to Dahshour, the pyramid field south of Cairo:only-opened few years back after Sadat signed the peace treaty with Israel, and the Army did let go of this strategically "important" area.

DAHSOUR - we'll motor to the edge of Cairo, to Dahshour, the newly-opened pyramid field south of Cairo. We visit the great pyramid of Senfru, father of Cheops, and other structure:

The "Discovery" of Dahshour:
For almost half a century, the great field of huge pyramids near the desert village of Dahshour, 25 miles south of Cairo, has been off limits to the public. Confined within the perimeter of a military base were many pyramids, including the great 4500-year-old pyramid built by Senfru, father of Cheops. Senfru's pyramid, the largest in Egypt until his son built Giza's Great Pyramid, is rhomboidal in shape: it tapers more distinctly on its upper half. All the pyramids were coated in thick plaster at one time. Most have lost these protective, decorative sheaths, but Senfru's--miraculously--is still in place. We'll tour as well the famous "Bent" Pyramid.

DAY 18 - CAIRO - Sunday (cBLD)
The Culture of Cairo

Today we’ll explore deep into the heart of Cairo, and get to know its daily rhythms, its spirituality, its history, and its modern diversions. We’ll start early, with a visit to a local market, with an immense variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables on offer, both familiar and exotic.

You’ll see that shopping in Cairo goes far beyond a supermarket experience. Be prepared for whispers, gestures, shouting, and controlled chaos. It’s all part of the bargaining process, engaged in by women in traditional modest garb as well as others in Western dress.

Then it’s on to the Museum of Islamic Art, with its tapestries, textiles, swords and other objects exemplifying one of the world’s great decorative traditions. We’ll continue to the Gayer-Anderson House, a serene and classic domestic oasis, right down to its central fountain and exquisite furnishings. Our visit is also a journey into a vanished way of life—the residence is actually two traditional medieval Cairo houses restored by an English physician to a former king. We’ll stop for lunch at a restaurant where Cairenes go, then visit the Bab an-Nasr, the Gate of Victory in Cairo’s old walls. You’ll even see graffiti that survives from soldiers of Napoleon and of the British Empire, among the many who passed this way.

DAY 19 - Cairo - Damascus - Monday (BD)
After breakfast, our Cairo staff will accompany you to the airport, where you'll board your flight to Damascus . Our local rep. greets you at Damascus International Airport and escorts you to your hotel.
Dinner is included at the hotel.

DAY 20 - DAMASCUS - Tuesday(BL)
Today we explore the Syrian capital, visiting the National Museum, with treasures dating from the 1400s BC; the bustling Old Bazaar, the Eastern Gate (Bab ash-Sharqi) in the Roman city walls; the Street Called Straight (Via Recta); the house of Anania; and the chapel with a window from which disciples lowered St. Paul so he could escape those who sought to kill him (Acts 9:24-25). Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant.

DAY 21 - PALMYRA -Wednesday (BLD)
We drive to ancient Palmyra (Tadmor), in a desert oasis on the trade route between the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia, to visit its museum, the temples of Bel, Baal Shamin and Nebo, the Roman baths, the Tetrapylon, Diocletian's camp, and the Valley of the Tombs, before settling in at our Palmyra hotel.
Lunch is included enroute. Dinner is included at the hotel.

DAY 22 - KRAK DES CHEVALIERS, HAMA & ALEPPO - Thursday (BLD)
Get your camera ready, for today we see the famously photogenic Krak des Chevaliers, the most spectacular 12th-century Crusaders' castle of all. From this marvel of military architecture we head north to Hama, one of Syria's prettiest towns, to see its great norias (water wheels), some up to 65 feet in diameter, scooping water from the fabled Orontes River. We continue to Aleppo for the night.
Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant. Dinner is included at the hotel.

DAY 23 - ALEPPO - Friday (BL)
The sights of Aleppo (Halab) include the Grand Mosque, the vast Ottoman bazaar, the 12th-century Citadel, and a camel aravanserai. We visit them all, then continue to the church (Qala'at Samaan) built to honor the Byzantine ascetic St. Simeon Stylites, who lived atop a column for over 35 years in the 5th century. We return to our comfortable Aleppo hotel for the night. Lunch is included at a local restaurant.
Dinner is on your own tonight

DAY 24 - SERGELLA, APAMEA, MAALULA & DAMASCUS - Saturday (BL)
We head south to Sergella, one of the 500 Dead Cities, fabled ghost towns built between the 4th and 7th centuries which were abandoned mysteriously around the 9th century. Our next stop is Apamea (Qala'at al-Mudiq), the Hellenistic "city of a thousand columns" built by Seleucus I Nicator in the 2nd century BC and named in honor of his wife. We continue to Maalula, where villagers still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus, for a visit to the chapel of St. Sergius, before returning to Damascus for the night.
Lunch is included . Dinner is on your own tonight

DAY 25 - DEPARTURE - Sunday (B)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home.

Photo Credit: Osama Abdel A'al
Please Click here for more images from the Oases

RATES per person in USD $ , based on departure from New York .

• Air fare supplement : Doesn't apply when you handle your own air fare :
  For travel in May /July/August/ Sep , please note that a $300 airfare supplement is added to the above rates.
  
• Air fare from your home city:
  
  For departures from most west coast cities, as well as Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Orlando or Atlanta please add $350 to the above rates. Boston, Miami : $250
  
• Tour operates weekly , year round.

Rate includes:

* All ground transportation to and from airports and while touring overland .

* Hotel accommodations with tax .

* Airfare from New York to Cairo and return from Damascus, in economy class , tax included.

* Airfare from Cairo to Damascus in economy class , tax included.

* Airfare within Egypt in economy class , tax included.

* Sightseeing with guide and entrance fees as indicated .

* Meals as indicated, preset menu (B:Breakfast, L: Lunch, D: Dinner) .

* Egyptian and Syrian visa fees, visas are limited to specific nationalities, such as USA< EU, Canada, Australia, NZ, Mexico, Brazil, and Japan, forother nationalities please inquire. You are resposnible for having a valid passport on you . Your passport must be valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival in Cairo . To be able to obtain the Syrian visa, we must have legible scans of your passport information page, at least 45 days prior to arrival .

* Cabin on Nile cruise vessel, with all meals & shore excursions.

Your Nile Cruise will always Include :

• 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.

Photo Credit Osama Abdel A'al : Fun in the Sun

Hotels in Syria include the following, as available, similar hotels may be substituted:

Visa information : Important
Syria will not issue visas for any passport holder that may carry any stamp or visa for Israel. Border crossings may take some time, depending of several circumstances (traffic, police, documentations, visas, etc.)

THE LANGUAGE OF THE JESUS IN THE LAND OF THE BOOK

Syria is truly the Land of the Book. The ancient alphabets of the Near East grew into Aramaic and then Hebrew, and finally Arabic and the modern Latin script that you're reading!

Jesus spoke to His Disciples in Aramaic. And nowhere else in the Holy Land does His language live as in Maaloula, where His words may still be heard exactly
as He spoke them. For the believer, or for anyone who values traditions of faith, it is a deeply moving experience.

Maaloula is just a short drive from Damascus, and home to Christian community that thrives after 2000 years.

As much as any land, Syria is the birthplace of the Christian faith. St. Paul converted on the road to Damascus, and in the early centuries of the Church,
six Syrian bishops were elevated to the Holy See as popes. The grand Omayyad Mosque is built on a sacred site shared by Muslims and Christians for centuries,
expressing the true brotherhood at the center of both faiths. Two million Syrians worship as Christians.

The full panoply of the Christian experience in the Near East has been played out in Syria. The Krak des Chevaliers is the unique unconquered Crusader fortress
that stands intact as if ready to host the Knights of the Cross once again––and is a must stop for the visitor of faith to the holy sites.

Not included:

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

More Choices :

• Compare with the 16 Day Siwa edition

• Compare with the 17 day Ultra Deluxe Version

• El Bahariya & El Farafra Oases Edition 15 -days
  

• Extra nights in Aswan & Luxor - 19 days Edition
  

• El Bahariya & El Farafra Oases Edition - 22 days
  

• Add a Cruise on Lake Nasser in Nubia

• Add Mount Sinai
  
  

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