The Best of the Near East
A 14-Day Adventure tour


The Highlights of
Egypt , Jordan , Palestine and Israel

14 Days Tour - Compare with the 10-Day or the 11-day version
Weekly on Mondays in Cairo , year round . Add Dubai and Egypt
Compare with the 14-Day Israel & Palestine Christian Tour Version

Here's the best way to see the best of Egypt , Petra , Jordan , Israel and Palestine. Cairo - Luxor - Tel Aviv - Beersheva - Arad - Massada - Jerusalem. Bethlehem -Jericho - Tiberias - Galilee - Upper Galilee and Golan Heights - Nazareth- Acre - Haifa - Tel Aviv.

Now you tour the highlights of the Near East : You'll start with the throbbing capital of Egypt, and an exploration of the key sites both within the city and nearby. Then it's on to the old-new land of Luxor, the Ancient Capital of the first United Kingdom , Egypt was originally divided into two kingdoms, that got united by Ahmos I ) thus creating a United Kingdom in the Nile Valley.

DAY 1 - Monday - Weekly - Year Round - CAIRO
Our staff meets you at the airport and escorts you to your hotel, visa will be issued on a complimentary basis for American, Australian, NZ,EU , Canadian,Korean , Singaporean & Japanese citizens, your passport must be valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of 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 -Tuesday CAIRO- Home Hosted Dinner (cBL)
We start with the best of Cairo: the Egyptian Museum, Manial Palace of the former Crown Prince Mohamed Ali, Citadel of Saladin and its Alabaster Mosque. After lunch , 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. Finally, we wander through the alleys of Khan el-Khalili bazaar in search of souvenirs.

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 3 - Wednesday CAIRO (cBLD)
In the morning, we visit the majestic pyramids of Giza, the Valley Temple and the timeless Sphinx. Those who are fit and adventurous enough may wish to penetrate into the heart of the Great Pyramid, to the King's Chamber your ticket is included with our compliments (or the interior of Kephren Pyramid). Taking a camel ride (Included) is entirely your own choice!

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. In the evening, we board our first-class sleeper train. Dinner is served in our private compartments as we speed southward along the banks of the Nile. The sleeper is officially rated 4 stars, we do rate it however as only 3 stars, if you are not a train buff, then we suggest that you fly, in which case , please add $ 150 to any of the rate, then you spend tonight in your hotel in Cairo , and fly tomorrow to Luxor.

DAY 4 - Thursday LUXOR CAIRO (cBL)
We leave our train for breakfast in a luxury hotel, after which we cross the Nile to visit the Valley of the Kings and the Colossi of Memnon. After lunch in Luxor, we tour the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and visit the Sacred Lake . We have a quick look at the great temple of Amon Ra at Luxor on our way to the airport for our flight back to Cairo, and our hotel.

Day 5 - Friday Cairo Amman- Petra : (BL)
Fly to Amman , on to Petra : air ticket is included in economy class, tax included . Our staff meets you at the airport and assist with your visa, issued on a complimentary basis for American, Australian, NZ,EU , Canadian,Korean , Singaporean & Japanese citizens, your passport must be valid and in order .
We proceed to Petra for check-in and overnight at the hotel of your choice.

Day 6 - Saturday - Petra : (BL)
A full day tour of Jordan's most famous site, the rose-red city of Petra. Venture through the Siq (the gorge between two towering mountains) until you reach the treasury which, like the most of the structures at Petra, is carved into the rose-red Nubian sandstone. In the afternoon, drive back to Amman and your hotel

DAY 7 - Sunday Amman / Tel Aviv (B)
After breakfast, our staff escorts you to the border for your drive to Tel Aviv and your hotel and overnight. Please make sure that you have your passport in order and with visa ( if needed for Israel) . Change of vehicles at the border

Day 8 - MONDAY - Tel Aviv - Beersheva - Arad - Massada - Jerusalem (B)
Leave Tel Aviv - via Ashdod - Ashkelon - Beersheba. A short visit to the Negev capital. Continue via Arad to Massada. Ascend by cable car to the fortress, which was the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots in their war against the Romans. Visit the excavations, Herod’s palaces, the synagogue, bathhouse, etc. Enjoy the breathtaking view of the Roman camps and the Dead Sea. Descend for a possible “float” in the in the salty water of the world’s lowest place. Via Ein Gedi & Kalya, proceed to Jerusalem for overnight. Breakfast

Day 9 - TUESDAY - Jerusalem - sightseeing of the new city (B)
Drive to Mt’ Scopus for a panoramic view of Jerusalem. On to the Garden of Gethsemane and Church of the Agony. Drive to Mt’ Zion for a visit to the tomb of King David, the Room of the Last Supper and Dormition Abbey. Sightseeing in the new city including the Israel Museum’s Shrine of the Book with the famous Dead Sea scrolls, new Supreme Court bldg. Mt’ Herzl and Yad Vashem (the memorial to the six million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust). Then visit the model of the Herodian city of Jerusalem dating back to the time of the Second Temple. Afternoon visit of the Hadassah medical center in the synagogue with Marc Chagall stained glass windows, then via Ein Karem (the birth place of John the Baptist). Return to Hotel. Breakfast

Day 10 - WEDNESDAY - Jerusalem - (Old City) – Bethlehem* (B)
Walk through one of the Gates to the walled Old City: the renewed Jewish Quarter; the Western Wall, the Temple area; the colorful bazaars; Via Dolorosa, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Continue to Bethlehem* to visit Rachel’s Tomb and the Church of the Nativity and return to Jerusalem for overnight.
Breakfast

Day 11 - THURSDAY - Jericho* - Tiberias - Galilee (B)
Leave Jerusalem, driving via Bethany to Jericho*, the oldest city in the world. Visit the excavations and then continue northward via Jordan Valley and the new settlements to Beit Shean. After a short visit proceed to Tiberias, the old center of Jewish learning. Drive along the shores of the Sea of Galilee to
Capernaum to visit the ruins of the ancient synagogue. Continue to a Kibbutz hotel for overnight. Breakfast

Day 12 - FRIDAY - Upper Galilee and Golan Heights - Nazareth (B)
Drive to the Golan Heights. Visit the former Syrian fortifications, Birkat Ram, and the Druze villages, Via Banias, source of the Jordan River. Proceed via Kiryat Shmone and the Hula Valley to Safed, city of the Kabala, to visit synagogue and the artists’ colony and then to Nazareth to visit the Christian Holy Sites. Return to the Kibbutz hotel for overnight. Breakfast

Day 13 - SATURDAY - Acre - Haifa - Tel Aviv (B)
After Breakfast drive west to Acre for a visit of the old, famous Crusader stronghold and medieval fortifications. Continue to Haifa, sightseeing tour of Haifa, including the Bahai Shrine, Persian Garden and Mount Carmel for a panoramic view of the city. Proceed southwards to Caesarea to visit the Roman theater and the Crusader fortress. Continue south for a short city tour of Tel Aviv-Jaffa and to hotel for overnight. Breakfast

DAY 14 - Sunday DEPARTURE (B)
Breakfast at the hotel.
We'll escort you to the airport to catch your homeward-bound flight. Salam & Shalom!

For crossing into Jordan , please add : $ 150 per person for the private transfer to the border , change of cars, and then a Jordanian sedan will meet you at the border and continue on to Amman or Petra

RATES per person in US:

High-season supplement: please add 20 % to the above rates during the following holidays :

• Passover
• Shavuot(Pentecost) (first week in Jun )
• The full month of July/August
• Christmas – New Year : Dec 20- Jan 2
• The Month of Oct : Yom Kippur , then Sukkot (Tabernacles)

Bon Voyage.

Prices include:

• All ground transportation, including service between airport and hotels
• All tips / Gratuities to drivers, guides etc.
• Meals as indicated, with preset menu (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner)
• Guided sightseeing with professional guide and all admission fees
• Hotel accommodations, including tax and service charges
• Air fare Cairo Amman in economy class, tax included
• Domestic air & sleeper train tickets in Egypt. Economy class, tax included
• Visa fee for Egypt and Jordan for American, Australian, NZ,EU , Canadian,Korean , Singaporean & Japanese citizens, your passport must be valid
• Jordan Departure tax

Not included:

• Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
• Personal expenses such as laundry and phone calls
• Beverages
• Visa for Israel ( if /when needed)

General Hotel Listing

General info on Hotels in Israel and Palestine : Four stars - Modest sample hotels used or similar :
Novotel (http://www.inisrael.com/novotel/index.html) which is a four-star Accor Hotel very close to the Old City of Jerusalem – around a 7 minute walk .
The Notre Dame Hotel The Notre Dame (http://www.notredamecenter.org/index.phtml) is a nice hotel just across the New Gate leading into the Old City, but the rooms are Spartan – no TV’s, refrigerators or room service, yet very clean with a good homey atmosphere.

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