From Giza to Granada , a grand tour of Egypt portugal and Spain

DAY 1 - CAIRO Tour Starts : Thursday- Weekly Year Round
Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur. Visa fee is included and will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for : Australian, NZ, American, EU , Canadian, Singaporean & Japanese citizens. You are responsible for having your passport in order valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival in Cairo.

The Egyptian visa will be issued upon arrival in Cairo .
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 your name .
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 to the hotel : Ramses Hilton or Sonesta Hotel or Shepheard's Hotel .

DAY 2 - CAIRO (BLD) - Friday
On your first full day in Egypt we show you the Egyptian Museum, including the "Mummies Room" , the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, lunch is included at a charming local restaurant. Dinner is included at your hotel ( pre-set menu).

DAY 3 - LUXOR ! Board your Nile Cruise (BLD) - Saturday
We fly to LUXOR ( or Aswan) , in Luxor we proceed to cross the Nile to the West Bank :
We tour today as the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings including Tut-Ank-Amon's tomb and the great temple of Queen Hatshepsut, we stop at the Colossi of Memnon on the way back to our cruise. and board our Nile cruiser in time for a delicious lunch. Complimentary welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin .The gigantic Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and the mighty Temple of Luxor are our goals in the afternoon. We'll return in time for the afternoon tea served on deck. You'll have a chance to explore your ship before dinner.
Sample Nile Cruises : M/S Lady Diana . M/S Nile Dream . M/S Ruby or similar

DAY 4 - LUXOR , EDFU (BLD) Sunday
We sail to Esna to go through the locks , and on to Edfu where we dock for the night. In the evening , we'll celebrate in Egyptian style, dressed in galabias, the flowing national costume, a galabya will be delivered to your cabin with our compliments)

DAY 5 - EDFU, KOM OMBO (BLD) Monday
We moor in Edfu, climb aboard horse-drawn carriages, and clip-clop through the town to the Temple of Horus, Egypt's best-preserved temple. Re-embarking on our Nile cruiser, we enjoy lunch as we sail further south upriver .
We disembark downstream at Kom Ombo to visit its twin temples of Haroeris, the sun god, and Sobek, the crocodile god, the continue our voyage to Aswan, while we party after dinner with music& dance.

DAY 6 - CAMEL CARAVAN, NUBIAN VILLAGE , ASWAN (BLD) Tuesday
First we tour Aswan dams, then on to the new Nubian Museum then the awesome Aswan dams, and next an ancient granite quarry complete with an unfinished obelisk. Then we go by motor launch to the Island temple of Philae , dedicated to the Ancient Goddess ISIS :

The Mystery of Isis : Two millennia ago the Mediterranean world was enthralled by the mystery of Isis:

"I, Isis, am all that has been, that is or shall be; no mortal man hath ever seen me unveiled."

Called Aset by the ancient Egyptians, the goddess was a Madonna in the Mediterranean tradition that stretches far, far back to the primitive Mother Goddess from Anatolia, home to some of the oldest human communities on earth.

Isis was the powerful and quick-witted protector of her son Horus, the Sun God. Ancient peoples throughout the Mediterranean regarded Isis and Horus as the perfect Madonna and Child. Another legend says she was also the mother of the fertility god Min who, judging from the depiction of him on temple walls, needed no help from Viagra!

Because of her wisdom and skill at protection, she was admired as a good magician capable of healing the sick and protecting the dead in their journey to the Underworld.

Isis is portrayed regally, as a queen seated on a throne (which may be the meaning of her name), often holding her son Horus as a baby. Other images show her with broad, magnificent gilded wings able to protect the world.

Isis, the great Mother Goddess. Come explore her mystery in timeless Egypt when you Travel in Style!

In the afternoon we enjoy a leisurely sail by graceful felucca on the Nile.
For those who are interested : a short camel caravan & ride is included to visit a local Nubian Village.

Our farewell dinner this evening is a buffet of Egyptian specialties, followed by a show featuring oriental performers, including of course a belly dancer.

DAY 7 - ASWAN , CAIRO (BL) Wednesday
Board our return flight to Cairo. In the afternoon, wander through the city on your own, or do your last-minute shopping. Lunch is included at your hotel . Sample hotel : Ramses Hilton or Sonesta Hotel or Shepheard's Hotel .

A 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 8 - On Desert Safari for the Day - Fayoum Oases - And you thought the Pyramids were old , Thursday (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

DAY 9 - CAIRO- Departure for Madrid (B) Friday
Our representative escorts you to the airport for your Madrid flight, airfare is included in our rate , in economy class , tax included . In Madrid our local driver will await you at the airport and escort you to your hotel in Madrid.

Day 10. MADRID - Saturday - in Madrid (B)
Breakfast is included at your hotel : Full day on your own to explore Madrid as you wish.

Day 11. MADRID - LISBON - (B) - Sunday
Pick up from your hotel in Madrid : C class : Emperador or Convencion . T Class : Puerto de Toledo or similar
Your tour coach proceeds our of Madrid and on to the Portuguese border. (Lunch not included.)
We reach Lisbon late afternoon / early evening . Overnight.

Day 12 . LISBON - Monday
Breakfast and overnight. Morning, panoramic city sightseeing. Afternoon at leisure. Optional sightseeing tour to Sintra, Cascais and Estoril.

Day 13 . LISBON - FATIMA - LISBON - Tuesday
Breakfast and overnight. Morning departure toward Fatima. (Lunch not included.) Back to Lisbon and free time.

Day 14 . LISBON - ARACENA - SEVILLE - Wednesday
Breakfast and departure to the Spanish border to arrive in Aracena, charming mountain village. Free time leaving in the afternoon departure to Seville. Dinner and overnight.

Day 15 . SEVILLE - Thursday (B
We’ll stay all day in Seville, where the Moors have left their mark in whitewashed houses, tile roofs, graceful archways, and a warren of intimate lanes with surprises at every turn. Our visit will take us to the monumental and stunning tower of La Giralda, the Cathedral that once echoed with daily calls to prayer, and the Palace of the Alcazar, with its delicately carved stonework and pleasure gardens that still delight. Your afternoon is free to wander the alleyways of Seville on your own, and perhaps to stop in and sample the tapas at an inviting establishment.

Day 16 . SEVILLE - Puerto De Sanra Maria - CADIZ - ALGECIRAS - Friday
After breakfast, we’ll motor southward through the famous grape-growing region around Puerto de Santa Maria , and even have a chance to stop at a winery where world-famous Xeres wine—sherry to the rest of the world—is matured. Samples will be available, of course. After the tasting, we’ll reach the port of Cadiz, almost surrounded by water and long Spain’s window on the world that it ruled. We’ll tarry a while appreciate the old walled city and its cobbled streets, then continue to our overnight stop in Algeciras, near the very southern tip of Spain.

Day 17 . ALGECIRAS - TANGIER - RABAT - Saturday
After breakfast, we’ll board the ferry to North Africa, and the mysterious city of Tangier, where Spaniards in suits and Moroccans in burnooses intermingle with souls from every continent. We’ll look around the old city and its treasures, before we board the coach for seaside Rabat, the capital of the nation. We’ll look around at monumental sights that include the Royal Palace, and have dinner and stay the night.

Day 18 . RABAT - CASABLANCA - MARRAKECH - Sunday
It’s on the road again after breakfast, to fabled Casablanca, where a great modern city with wide streets and fine shops and restaurants stretches from the old quarter. We’ll sample both parts, of course, and then continue our route through rolling terrain, into lush valleys of fruit orchards and over mountain passes, until we reach the desert city of Marrakech, where dinner and our overnight accommodations await.

Day 19 . MARRAKECH - Monday
There’s too much to see in Marrakech and too much excitement to simply move on. We’ll take a tour in the morning, concentrating on the walled city that has been a mecca of desert caravans for centuries. We won’t miss the Koutoubia, with its tower that recalls the Giralda in Seville. The Menara gardens and the souks along winding alleys will also have our attention. After lunch, you’re on your own for shopping, or to watch the daily excitement in Jemaaa el-Fna square, where water-sellers, jugglers and magicians never allow a forgettable moment.

Day 20 . MARRAKECH - MEKNES - FEZ - Tuesday
After breakfast, we depart Marrakech and roll out toward the Meknes, site of imperial palaces, the impressive Sidi Said mosque, and the Moulay Ismail mausoleum. And there are also stunning views of the green Agdal valley. After a tour, we’ll continue to Fez for dinner and our overnight stop.

Day 21 . FEZ - Wednesday
We’ll spend a full day in Fez, and with good reason, for this is the spiritual and cultural capital of Morocco, with its largest old city, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. We’ll stroll the winding lanes and alleys to the venerable Attarin Medersa where theology has been taught over the centuries, and see impressive city gates and traditional mansions with archways of carved cedar and shady courtyards. After lunch, you’re free to wander on your own, to see tanners at work over great vats, and to negotiate for carpets and brassware.

Day 22 . FEZ - TANGIER - ALGECIRAS -COSTA DEL SOL - Thursday
We head northward in the morning, back to Tangier to board the ferry that crosses to Spain, with a new appreciation of the currents that connect two continents and two cultures. Past Algeciras, we’ll follow the dramatic Mediterranean coast of Spain, rimmed with spectacular beaches. We’ll stop for the night and appreciate the fine resort life of Spain: sand, a dinner in good company, and the sound of waves gently breaking on shore.

Day 23 . COSTA DEL SOL - GRANADA - Friday
There will be time after breakfast to continue the Costa del Sol experience: sun, sand, and perhaps shopping. Then it’s back onto the coach for our trip inland and over gentle mountains to the heritage city of Granada.

Day 24 . GRANADA - MADRID - Saturday
Have we saved the best for last? The Palace of the Alhambra inspired caliphs, conquerors, and writers as noted as Washington Irving, and you’ll understand why as you walk through its magnificent rooms and along its intricately decorated Moorish archways. We’ll include its fabled Generalife gardens in our visit, of course, before heading back to Madrid, with a break for lunch en route( not included ) . Tour ends at the terminal in Madrid .

Rate per person in USD :

	First Class Class " C"	Tourist Class Class " T "
Triple Occupancy	US$ 5590.00	US$ 4920.00
Double	US$ 5633.00	US$ 5050.00
Single	US$ 6863.00	US$ 6489.00

For Dec 15 - Jan 3 , Easter , please add % 15 supplement to any of the listed rates.

From Giza to Granada
A Grand Mediterranean Tour
Touring Egypt , Morocco , Portugal and Spain

Here's the best of Portugal , Spain, Morocco and Egypt in 25 Days
a good look at Cairo and a 5-day cruise along the Nile.
Locally Escorted . Tour Starts weekly in Cairo year round

Rates includes

Other choices :

Flying from Madrid Spain ?

Start from Madrid Spain - Group departure

Honeymooners , Private Parties ? Ask for a Private Cruise .

En Espanol ? or Extend to Andalusia Spain after Egypt

Honeymoon Egypt : with an extended stay in Sharm El Sheikh - 13 Day Version

The family edition at the Conrad Hotel or J. W. Marriott in Cairo

The one week Ultra Deluxe with Four Seasons Hotel

Add Petra A La Indiana Jones

Egypt in a Week and Santorini in Greece

From Giza to Granada A Grand Mediterranean Tour Touring Egypt , Morocco , Portugal and Spain

Here's the best of Portugal , Spain, Morocco and Egypt in 25 Days a good look at Cairo and a 5-day cruise along the Nile. Locally Escorted . Tour Starts weekly in Cairo year round