From
Tokyo to Cairo
Here's
the best of the two worlds & two of the oldest civilizations, Japan
and Egypt
All in 20 days : , a good look at Tokyo ,Hakone, Kyoto , Nara , Cairo
and a cruise along the Nile, locally escorted
Day
1 - Sunday - Arrival Tokyo - Weekly year round
Arrive at Tokyo Narita International . Airport. After entry formalities
you will be met and escorted you to board the Airport Limousine , the
coach will stop at your hotel : the KEIO PLAZA INTERNATIONAL HOTEL
located in Shinjuku, or similar .
Day
2 - Monday -TOKYO (B)
Breakfast is included at the hotel. We allowed for this extra day for
you to rest after the trans-Pacific flight . Enjoy Tokyo as you wish,
full day at leisure , or simply join one of the available optional tours.
Photo Credit : By JNTO
Day
3, Tuesday -TOKYO (BL)
The all-day Dynamic Tour begins with the Tokyo Tower for a panoramic
view of this metropolis. Enjoy a tranquil opportunity at the Happoen
Garden and experience the tea ceremony. LUNCH at the Chinzanso Garden
for a Genghis Khan Barbecue treat. Your boat cruise on the Sumida River
highlights the new development surrounding the riverside and enjoy browsing
through the many colorful "nakamise" arcade shops at Asakusa Kannon
Temple. You may return to your hotel or you may end your tour at Ginza
and take a taxi or subway to your hotel.
Day
4 , Wednesday - TOKYO (B)
Today at leisure to enjoy this metropolis on your own. The department
stores offer a glimpse into the lifestyle of the people. Be sure to
visit the basement food area for an endless array of Japanese and western
delicacies.
Day
5 , Thursday -TOKYO - MT FUJI - HAKONE (BL)
Morning motorcoach sightseeing excursion to Mt. Fuji and drive to its
Fifth Station for a view of the surrounding lakes. Continue to Hakone
National Park and LUNCH at the Hakone Highlands Resort. Enjoy a cruise
on Lake Ashi . Accommodations at the KOWAKI-EN HOTEL. (3 stars)
Enjoy the public bath at this Hotel which is invigorating and is a "must."
Please note that large suite cases are not allowed onboard i, they will
catch up with you in Kyoto, so please make sure that you have a carry
on bag for your night stay at Hakone.
In Japan , only one large suite case is transported free of charge between
cities , for the 2nd suite case you 'll be charged $ 10 ( subject to
change , payable only locally , on the spot .
Day
6 , Friday -Hakone - NARA - KYOTO (B)
Morning Transfer to Tokyo Station to board the JR super Express Shinkansen
(Bullet) train to Kyoto. Upon arrival walk to your accommodation at
the New Miyako Hotel (5 stars) or similar. Afternoon enjoy a motorcoach
tour through the countryside to the ancient capital of Nara visiting
Todaiji Temple and its indoor Buddha and Deer Park. Tour The Kasuga
Shrine and its 1001 Hanging lanterns. Return to Kyoto early evening.
Day
7 , Saturday - KYOTO (B)
A glimpse into the history of Kyoto is significantly presented in your
visits today to the Golden Pavilion with its golden splendor reflected
like a mirror in the surrounding pond. Walking through the Nijo Castle
brings you into the residence of the shogun and understand the formality
of the Tokugawa period. The Old Imperial Palace as the former residence
of the Imperial Family presents the simplicity and nobility of the era.
The Kyoto Handicraft Center gives you an opportunity to observe artisans
of the area in their intricate craft as cloisonne, calligraphy and more,
take the shuttle back to your hotel. Afternoon at leisure .
Day
8 , Sunday - KYOTO (B)
Full day at leisure
or join one of our optional tours:
A- Kyoto including the Heian Shrine. Kiyomizu Temple, Sanjusangendo
Hall.
B- Night tour including a Tempura dinner and the Gion Corner for a program
of traditional Japanese arts.
Day
9 , Monday - KYOTO - OSAKA/KANSAI / CAIRO (B)
Airport Limousine transfer to Osaka Kansai International Airport. Subject
to availability we may fly out of Osaka non stop to Cairo, or connect
through Tokyo and on to Cairo , overnight on board your flight . Air
fare is included one way Between Japan and Egypt in economy class ,
with tax included .
Day
10-CAIRO - Tuesday (B)
Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your
hotel. Visa may be issued for a limited number of nationalities such
as : American , Canadians , Australians, NZ and Japanese citizens, please
pay the $ 15 USD ( in cash) ( subject to change), get the stamp, clear
customs and meet our local rep. after you exit , you are responsible
for having a valid passport. Welcome Egyptian pastries and sweets (hotel
room) .
After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you
(private air conditioned vehicle) to the hotel
Day
11- CAIRO - Wednesday (BLD)
Breakfast is always included daily while you are in Egypt.
On your first full day in Egypt we show you the Egyptian Museum, including
Tutankhamon treasures and the Mummies Room , lunch is included at Abu
El-Sid restaurant or similar . Afternoon tour of Saladin's Citadel,
The Alabaster Mosque , Sultan Hassan Madrassa and the 12th century district
of Khan El Khalili bazaar district . Dinner is included at La Bodega
restaurant.
Day 12 - CAIRO - Thursday (BLD)
Today we drive to the edge of Cairo and off to
Giza to tour the Pyramids of Giza, the enigmatic Sphinx, and Cheops
Royal Barge Museum.
The
museum of the Royal Barge of Cheops The museum is built over the rectangular
pit that housed the Royal Barge for thousands of years , the wooden
boat was readied for the king's daily journey with the sun god, Ra .
Discovered in 1954, in a completely dismantled state, the 43-metre (140-foot)
cedar boat is a rare window on the Royal boats used by the kings of
Ancient Egypt.
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 !
Lunch is included at the Mena House Museum . The afternoon is devoted
to Memphis , Sakkara, the Step Pyramid of Zoser , the small yet charming
museum of Imhotep, and the Nobles Mastabas. Dinner is included on board
Hyatt dinner cruise .
DAY
13 - On
Desert Safari for the Day - Fayoum Oases - And you thought the Pyramids
were old ,
Friday
(BLD)
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
at a local restaurant . Dinner as well is included back at the hotel
in Cairo .
Day 14 -CAIRO- LUXOR - Nile Cruise - Saturday (BLD)
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.
DAY
15 - 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
16 - 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
17 - , 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 :
"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!
In the afternoon we enjoy a leisurely sail by graceful felucca on the
Nile.
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
18 - ASWAN , CAIRO (BD)
Wednesday
After breakfast, check -out , we head to the Nubian Museum , and for
those who are interested : a short camel caravan & ride is included
to visit a local Nubian Village, then off to the airport : Board
our return flight to Cairo. Air fare is always included with
tax ( in economy class ) and your hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure
. Dinner is included at the hotel.
DAY
19 - CAIRO (B) Thursday
Full day at leisure, AAAAAH , finally a break !, enjoy your hotel facilities,
or explore the city as you wish on your own . In the evening : 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
20 - CAIRO - Departure Thursday (B)
Our representative escorts you to the airport for your homeward flight.
Bon Voyage
RATES are per person in USD $ :
| |
Deluxe |
First
Class
Hotels |
| Double |
$
8595 |
$
7610 |
| Single |
$
11,075 |
$
9570 |
First class and deluxe hotels apply to Egypt hotels and Nile cruises
The hotel listed in Japan will be used for both categories
High
Season : For Easter, Christmas/New Year's week, add 15% to the rates.
The
rates include :
- All
domestic airfares within the destinations as per itinerary , in economy
class , tax included.
- Train
tickets and transfers within Japan and Egypt.
- Hotel
accommodations including tax and service charges.
-
Meals as listed: continental breakfast daily in Japan, but American
breakfast or Buffet in Egypt, L/D: preset menu lunch/dinner.
- Guided
sightseeing as listed including all entrance fees.
- International
airfare between Japan and Egypt as indicated , in economy class with
tax included .
Please note that itinerary is subject to change.
- Hotels
used in Japan ( or similar) :
Intercontinental Keio Plaza (5 Stars) Kwai -en (4 stars) New Miayko
(5 Stars) Hotels used in Egypt:
*
For Deluxe we use hotels such as: Grand Hyatt , Conrad , Hilton/Meridien
or similar.
* For First Class we use: Pyramids Park / Oases/ Maadi Hotel
.
- Tips
in Egypt to all your drivers, guides, porters, and the crew on board
your Nile cruise.
The
rate Does NOT include :
- Trip
Cancellation Insurance, Travel Insurance
- Beverages.
- Meals
that are not specified.
- International
air fare from/to your home country
- Visa
for Egypt may be issued for a limited number of nationalities such
as : American , Canadians , Australians, NZ and Japanese citizens,
please pay the $ 15 USD ( in cash) ( subject to change), get the stamp,
clear customs and meet our local rep. after you exit , you are responsible
for having a valid passport. Welcome Egyptian pastries and sweets
(hotel room) .
After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you
(private air conditioned vehicle) to the hotel
Enjoy Japanese onsen/hot springs during your stay
More choices:
|
