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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 .
From
New York |
Deluxe |
First Class
|
| Triple |
US$
5400 |
US$
4835 |
| Double |
US$
5550 |
US$
4980 |
| Single |
US$
7620 |
US$
6910 |
-
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:
| Sample
Hotels
Subject to Change |
Deluxe
Hotels |
First
Class Hotels |
| Damascus |
Cham
Palace |
Fardos
Tower/ Carlton |
| Plamyra |
Cham
Palace |
Heliopolis |
| Aleppo |
Cham
Palace |
Amir
Palace |
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
againand 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 :
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
Sample Deluxe Hotels ( Or similar)
( Hotels in the Oases are usually modest and basic comfort
|
| Cairo
|
Grand Hyatt , Conrad, Inter.Continental, Marriott , Le Meridien
Pyramids
|
| Luxor |
Le Meridien, Sheraton, Hilton
|
| Nile
Cruise |
Radamis I , Diamond , Beau Soleil.
Please add %15 supplement for :
Nile Vision, Amarco, Liberty
, Sonesta: Sun Goddess, Moon
Goddess
|
| Aswan |
Elephantine Island Aswan, Old
Cataract
|
| Alexandria |
Sheraton , Palestine Montazah
|
| Siwa |
Hilton Borg El Arab or Safari Paradise Siwa
|
| El
Bahariya |
Beshimo hotel
|
| El
Farafra |
Tent / Camping ( please click
for info on your camping experience
|
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