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Indiana Jones himself couldn't squeeze more adventure into this journey:
Cairo and the Pyramids, a cruise on the Nile, the fabled temples and
tombs of Luxor and Thebes, diving in the Red Sea, the mountains of Sinai,
and a trek to the mysterious ruins of Petra in Jordan.
DAY
1 - DEPARTURE - The First Sunday of each and every month - Year Round
We take off aboard Lufthansa ,Swiss , KLM or British Airways jet from
New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. Add on is available
from most major cities . When you handle your own air fare , please
deduct $ 500 from the listed rates.
DAY
2 - AMMAN - JORDAN - Monday
We'll land in Amman , our Jordan-based representative waits to greet
you. You'll drive to Amman and your hotel for the night. Complimentary
Jordanian visa fee (valid only for American, EU, Canadian, Australian,
NZ , Korean , Singaporean & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid
for at least 6 month upon arrival).
DAY
3 - Dead Sea Scrolls - PETRA - Tuesday (BLD)
After breakfast , a brief stop at Amman Museum :
THE SECRET DEAD SEA SCROLLS – A TALE OF WANDERING
The
peoples of the Holy Land have wandered from homeland to dispersion,
across the parted waters of the Red Sea, back to their homeland. So
too, the Dead Sea Scrolls have followed an epic journey, from hazy origins
in the time of the Second Temple, to secret caches, to their repositories
today, where they are revered as the heritage of mankind.
It
was in 1947 that the first scrolls were rediscovered by Bedouin shepherds
in the Qumran Caves overlooking the Dead Sea. Inscribed in Hebrew and
Aramaic and Greek on parchment and papyrus, unmolested since before
the time of Christ, they were the earliest original holy writings ever
brought to light. Only dimly appreciated at first, they embarked on
a journey that took them through the hands of dealers and connoisseurs,
to Bethlehem, Lebanon and New York, and finally to Jerusalem.
Discoveries
continued, as 11 caves were explored, revealing scrolls and fragments
of sacred texts and historical records of the construction of the Second
Temple. Most found their way to the Rockefeller Museum, and later were
incorporated into today’s Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem.
But
other treasures made their way to the Jordan Archaeological Museum,
where they are displayed in an alcove at one end of the building, in
an unpretentious setting that belies their importance. The collection
includes a fragment of the Book of Isaiah, and the Dead Sea Bronze Scroll,
an inventory of caches of valuables, composed in Aramaic characters,
the vernacular language of Palestine at the time of Christ.
As
you gaze and at the scrolls in the museum, reflect on the Biblical events
of which they speak that took place in what is now Jordan. Lot’s
wife was turned into a pillar of salt, and Lot fled to a cave in what
is now Safi. Lot’s descendants ruled over Moab in Central Jordan.
Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire. Jesus preached in the Decapolis,
the ten Roman cities of northern Jordan and southern Syria. The Israelites
crossed this land on the way to exile in Persia; and Moses viewed the
Holy Land from Mount Nebo, and expired.
Then
we'll drive to Petra where we spend the entire day, the stunning desert
city hewn by the Nabateans from solid cliffs of pink and violet sandstone.
Petra was known in the bible as Sela, and rediscovered only in 1812.
You'll feel like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark as you penetrate
into the city through a narrow sandstone gorge, the Siq, and wander
among the Temple of the Winged Lion, tombs, Roman theater, and the imposing
Treasury. Lunch is included enroute . Overnight :Petra
In
the evening we will call on you for a unique experience :
Dine as a local : The Petra Kitchen is a delightful way to round out
your Jordan travel experiences. Like any home kitchen, The Petra Kitchen
is a relaxed, informal atmosphere where you’ll gather to prepare
an evening meal, working alongside local women under the supervision
of our chef.
Each
evening meal includes soup, cold and hot mezza ( appetizers ) and salads,
and a main course—all typical Jordanian dishes. You will have
get an inside glimpse of the secrets behind the famous regional cuisine
of the Levant.
The
Petra Kitchen offers an evening of learning, fun and a very special
dining experience, with each dish gaining the special flavor of a reward
well-earned. Great care has been taken to make The Petra Kitchen a truly
Jordanian experience—right down to the furnishings, all crafted
in Jordan, the tableware, all produced by the Iraq al Amir Women’s
Co-operative, and the aprons and table linens, all hand-embroidered
by the Jordan River Foundation.
Tour
experience tonight includes the cuisine course, meal and all non-alcoholic
beverages as well as take-home recipes for all dishes prepared that
evening.
DAY
4 - PETRA - JERASH - Wednesday (BL)
We
drive back north visiting Jerash, among the best-preserved Roman cities
in the world, to tour its temples, theaters, churches and colonnaded
streets. Lunch is included enroute . From Jerash, we will escort you
back to Amman
and your hotel.
DAY
5 - AMMAN - CAIRO - Thursday (B)
Air ticket: Amman / Cairo is included ( issued and delivered in
Amman).
Transfer to Amman Airport, fly to Cairo . Our Egypt-based local rep.
greets you in bustling Cairo airport and escorts you to your hotel .
Egyptian visa may be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport, please pay
the fee locally: $15 per person ( subject to change ) , no photos required
, (valid only for a limited number of nationalities such as : American,
EU, Canadian, Australian, NZ , Korean , Singaporean and Japanese citizens.
Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival).
DAY
6 - CAIRO -Home Hosted Dinner Friday (BLD)
Your exploration of the ancient world begins today! First stop is the
Egyptian Museum, with its treasures of the ancient pharaohs: mummies,
King Tut's gold treasure room , statuary, precious stones and metals.
We'll also stop at the Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque.
Then it's on to Giza and the mysteries of the Pyramids and Sphinx with
a tour of Cheops Royal Barge Museum . Lunch is included at the Mena
House .
This
evening we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right
into the homes of some of the people of Cairo ! 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 dinner in a quiet restaurant with your travel companions, by letting
us know your preferences.
You may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family (
T shirt , small souvenirs of your home town).
DAY
7 - Luxor- Board your Nile Cruise- Saturday (BLD)
After an early breakfast , we fly to Luxor Luxor , upon arrival we proceed
to your Nile cruise for a breakfast snack and coffee, after you freshen
up we proceed to tour the Luxor Museum , then head to the West Bank
to 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. Tour Medinet Habu and the Ramesseum
before we head back to the Nile cruise ,
where we settle you into your cabin on your Nile steamer.
Complimentary welcome drink is served upon arrival, as well as a welcome
fruit basket awaits you in your cabin . After lunch, we visit the great
temples of Luxor and the mighty Karnak. In the evening we head
back to Karnak Temples for the Sound and Light show. Add
an extra night in Luxor ?
DAY
8 - VALLEY OF THE KINGS -Sunday (BLD)
We
tour today as well the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings,
including Tut-Ankh-Amon's tomb, and the great temple of Queen Hatshepsut,
we stop at the Colossi of Memnon on the way back to our cruise. Afternoon
tea is served on board . In the evening your guide will call on you
for a private horse-drawn carriage ride to tour Luxor souks and water
front.
DAY 9 - EDFU - KOM OMBO - Monday
(BLD)
We cruise by Esna to Edfu, where we board horse-drawn carriages for
the ride to the Temple of Horus. Returning to our ship, we set sail
for Kom Ombo. In the evening, there's a jolly galabia party aboard.
DAY
10 - KOM OMBO & ASWAN - Tuesday (BLD)
We explore the twin Temples of Haroeris and Sobek at Kom Ombo, then
sail south to Aswan. After lunch we board a graceful felucca and cruise
among the islands, returning to our ship in time for tea.
DAY
11 - ASWAN ABU SIMBEL - Disembarkation - Cairo - Wednesday (cB)
After breakfast we check out, visit the awesome Aswan dams, and next
an ancient granite quarry complete with an unfinished obelisk, then
board a motor launch to visit the the Island temple of Philae , dedicated
to the Ancient Goddess 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.
Returning
to Aswan Airport by late morning. A short flight to Abu Simbel.
There we'll marvel at the temples dedicated to Ramses the Great and
Queen Neferatri, saved from rising waters of the Nile when the High
Dam was built. In the larger temple, colossal figures of Ramses are
seated with the gods and attended by his queen and daughters.
The smaller temple is dedicated to Queen Nefertari, who appears as Hathor,
the goddess of love, joy and fertility, symbolized by the benevolent
cow. We explore these fine temple then fly back to Aswan . Domestic
air fare is included , issued & delivered in Egypt: Aswan Abu Simbel
Aswan .
Connect in Aswan and on to Cairo by air . Domestic air fare is included
as well back to Cairo .
In Cairo , we meet you at the airport & escort you back to your
hotel
DAY
12 - SHARM EL SHEIK - RED SEA - Thursday (B)
Now that you've seen the best of the Egypt of the Pharaohs, our guides
escort you to the airport. You'll fly over the Sinai Peninsula and land
at historic Sharm El Sheik on the Red Sea. You're at the beach and free
to swim, or explore under the waters.
DAY
13 - SHARM EL SHEIK - Friday (BD)
Relax! Today is set aside as a strategic mid-journey break. Spend some
time in the sun, but don't miss your chance to snorkel or dive under
Red Sea waters for an array of coral and glittering tropical fish.
Evening Bedouin dinner theme in the Sahara
DAY 14 - MOUNT SINAI - Saturday (BL)
Our knowledgeable guides arrange a pre-dawn departure into the still-cool
wilderness of Sinai, through which Moses led the Children of Israel
to the Promised Land. Our goal is the Monastery of St. Catherine, built
of rock at the base of Mount Sinai, at the site of the Burning Bush.
We tour the monastery, rich in history, icons and sacred paintings,
then return to Sharm El Sheik and connect to Cairo and your Hotel .
DAY
15 - Cairo Fayoum -Sunday (BL)
On
Desert Safari for the Day - Fayoum Oases - And you thought the Pyramids
were old
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
16 - CAIRO / DEPARTURE FOR HOME - Monday (B)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home. Or, you may
choose to add one of our extensions( at a supplement of course ! ) ,
and return at a later date but at no additional charge on your air fare.
Bon Voyage
RATES
per person in USD:
| |
Deluxe |
First
Class |
Tourist
Class |
| Triple |
US$
5100 |
US$
4855 |
US$
4590 |
| Double |
US$
5210 |
US$
4995 |
US$
4689 |
| Single |
US$
6320 |
US$
6190 |
US$
5801 |
Easter, Christmas, New Year's ( Dec 20 - Jan 3 ) : 15 % supplement
will apply.
Air
fare notes:
-
For
departures from most west coast cities, please add $450 to the above
rates. This doesn't apply when you handle your own air fare.
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For
travel May through end of Sep , please note that a $450
air-fare supplement is added to the above rates.
-
When
you handle your own air fare, please deduct $500 from the listed
rate.
Inclusions:
Not
included:
-
Personal
expenses and beverages
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Additional
meals and services
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Trip
interruption and cancellation insurance
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Egyptian
visa may be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport, you pay the fee
locally , no photos required , (valid only for a limited number
of nationalities such as : American, EU, Canadian, Australian, NZ
, Korean , Singaporean and Japanese citizens. Passports must be
valid for at least 6 month upon arrival).
Supplement
to Upgrade to the Ultra Deluxe Nile cruise :
Please add % 20 to the deluxe rates
Sample
5-stars Ultra Deluxe Nile Cruises:
Alexander the Great Nile Cruise
Movenpick Radamis II and Movenpick Royal
Lotus Nile Cruise
M/S Amarco
The all suites with private
balconies Nile Cruise:
Sonesta : M/S
Star Goddess ( Mozart Suite ) or Sonesta M/S Moon Goddess ( all
state rooms do offer private balconies)
More
Choices :
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Compare
with the 16 Day version with Alexandria and Abu
Simbel
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Compare
with the 22 days Wonders
of Egypt & Arabia
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