From
Cairo to Cappadocia
Egypt & Turkey in 14 days
See
the top sites in these two ancient/modern countries
on this locally escorted tour . Start in Istanbul weekly , year
round
Click
here for a 15 day edition including a Nile cruise
Starting in Cairo ? Please
click here
DAY
1 - Friday - Istanbul:
Arrive
at Istanbul Airport ( morning arrivals ) and meet our local representative
at the exit gate for the transfer to your hotel. After checking- in
at the hotel and a brief rest , meet our guide and driver at your hotel
for a half day tour. We start the tour with lunch. After lunch, we visit
Topkapi Palace (including treasury) and Süleymaniye mosque. Overnight
at Accura Hotel or similar moderate 4 stars , in Istanbul.
DAY
2- Saturday - Istanbul:
Meet our guide at the hotel in the morning and start the tour.
The sights we visit today are very close to each other and to the hotel,
so we do not need the vehicle today. Visits to Hippodrome, Blue Mosque,
Hagia Sophia and Underground Cistern. After lunch we visit Turkish and
Islamic Arts Museum and Grand Bazaar. Overnight at Accura Hotel in Istanbul.
DAY
3- Sunday - Istanbul/ Kayseri :
Transfer from your hotel to Istanbul Airport for the 08:35 flight
to Kayseri. On arrival to Kayseri Airport, our driver and guide meet
you at the airport and start the tour there. Our first stop is the Soganli
valley, which is one of the earliest settlements in Cappadocia. After
this, we drive back to Mustafapasa through the unspoiled villages of
Cappadocia, surrounded by the “table-top” mountains. On the way we visit
the Medrese in Taskinpasa, a Theological School of the Seljuk Turks.
After lunch in Mustafapasa at an old Greek house hosted by a local family,
we descend towards the centre of the earth at the underground city of
Kaymakli, one of the largest and deepest of Cappadocia’s many such settlements.
From here we drive to Urgup. Dinner and overnight at Perissia
Hotel in Urgup.
DAY
4 - Monday - Cappadocia :
Our first real encounter with Cappadocia’s almost Martian landscape
is in the Dervent valley, where the rock formations are amazing. A walk
through the Zelve Open Air Museum is a journey into the past, with its
troglodyte houses. This is one of the earliest inhabited and latest
abandoned monastic settlements in Cappadocia. After Zelve we visit Pasabag’s
“fairy chimneys”, where the voice of the wind harmonizes with the songs
of the fairies. From here we pause at Avanos, a centre of terracotta
art since 3,000 BC, for a demonstration in a traditional pottery workshop.
After lunch in Avanos, we visit the famous Goreme Open Air Museum to
see the best examples of Byzantine art in Cappadocia. These are found
in rock-cut churches with frescoes and paintings dating from as early
as the 10th century. We complete the tour with a visit to the Uchisar
Rock-Castle, giving you a panoramic view of the valleys of Cappadocia.
Dinner and overnight at Perissia Hotel in Urgup or similar .
DAY
5 - Tuesday - Cappadocia / Ankara / Izmir :
We depart from Urgup and start driving to Ankara, the young capital
of the young Turkish Republic. We drive around the shore of Salt Lake,
the second biggest lake in Turkey. After lunch, we visit the Anatolian
Civilizations Museum, which was awarded the museum of the year in Europe
in 1997. The museum is very famous with its special collection from
the Hittite period. Then you take the 17:40 flight to Izmir. Our driver
meets you at Izmir Airport and transfers you to your hotel. Overnight
at Best Western Hotel Konak in Izmir or similar .
DAY
6 - Wednesday - Izmir / Ephesus / Istanbul :
Today we first drive to the Virgin Mary's House; after that we visit
Ephesus which was founded in the eleventh century BC by the Ionians.
Strolling through the streets of Ephesus, we will witness the perfection
of the Graeco-Roman Art. Later in the afternoon we will visit St John's
Basilica, believed to be the tomb of the Apostle John, Christ's beloved
disciple. From the basilica, we will be able to look down on the remains
of the temple of Artemis. We end the day with our visit to the Isa Bey
Mosque, and you take the 19:00 flight to Istanbul. Transfer from Istanbul
Airport to your hotel. Overnight at Accura Hotel or similar in Istanbul.
DAY
7 - Thursday - Istanbul - Cairo :
Our driver and guide meet you at the hotel and start the tour with
a visit to Rustem Pasha Mosque. After this, we visit Spice Market and
take a leisurely Bosphorus Cruise. It is time for lunch. After lunch
our driver drives you to Istanbul Airport for your flight to Egypt at
17:30 ( air fare is included in our rate in y economy class Istanbul
Cairo ) . CAIRO:
Our staff meets you at the airport and escorts you to your hotel. Vise
fee is included & issued upon arrival. Your passport must be valid
for at least 6 month beyond the date of arrival. Valid only for American,
Canadian, EU Citizens , S. Korean, Singaporean, Mexican & Japanese
citizens.
DAY
8 - Friday - CAIRO (aBLD)
We start with the best of Cairo: the Egyptian
Museum, Citadel of Saladin and its Alabaster Mosque. After lunch at
a charming local restaurant, after which we visit the majestic pyramids
of Giza, the Valley Temple and the timeless Sphinx. Finally 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.
DAY
9 - Saturday . Aswan (B)
We leave our train for breakfast at your hotel,after
which we visit the enormous dams at Aswan, then board a launch on the
Nile to visit the Temples of Philae, rescued from rising waters.
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!
Visit
as well the red granite quarries with their unfinished obelisk. Isis
Cornich Hotel or Basma or similar hotels.
DAY
10 - Sunday . Aswan / Edfu / Kom Ombo / Luxor (BL)
We board a private air conditioned sedan / vehicle , drive north heading
fro Luxor , visiting enroute :
Kom Ombo, the twin temple dedicated to the crocodile river god, Sobek.
We'll also see Haroeris, the solar disk. And at Edfu : Horse-drawn carriages
or vans meet us at riverside to take us through Edfu to the Temple of
Horus, best-preserved in all of Egypt. Then we'll continue beside the
Nile to the Ancient Capital of the mighty Pharaoh : Luxor. Luxor Hilton
or similar . Lunch box is included
DAY
11 - Monday . Luxor (B)
Cross the Nile to visit the
Valley of the Kings , including King Tut's Tomb, and the Colossi of
Memnon.
Return to your hotel for lunch ( on your own) .
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
12 - Tuesday : Luxor . CAIRO (B)
Morning
tour of the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and visit the Sacred Lake
and . As well as the great Luxor temple of Amon Ra .
Fly back to Cairo and your hotel
DAY
13 - Wednesday : CAIRO (B)
Breakfast is included
at the hotel. Full day at leisure .
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
14 - Thursday : CAIRO (B)
Early morning transfer
to Cairo Airport. Bon Voyage.
INCLUSIONS:
- One
way airfare Istanbul / Cairo , including tax , If you wish to have
land rate without international air, please deduct $300 from any of
the above listed rates.
Not
included:
Departure
Dates: Weekly, year round, on Friday
Children rate : 10 years or younger, sharing with parents in
same room : 25 % discount
Rates
per person in US $ : Start in Istanbul
| Rate
are per person in USD $ |
Modest
First Class Hotels |
Modest
5 Stars Hotels |
|
Triple |
$
3520.00 |
$
3950.00 |
| Double |
$
3640.00 |
$
4060.00 |
| Single |
$
4760.00 |
$
5090.00 |
Christmas,
New Year's & Easter weeks : %20 supplement will apply .
Sample
4 Stars / First Class Hotels in Turkey :
- Istanbul: Accura Hotel www.accurahotelistanbul.com
- Cappadocia: Perissia Hotel www.perissiahotels.com.tr
- Izmir: Best Western Hotel Konak www.bestwesternturkey.com/konakhotel.htm
Sample
5 Stars Hotels in Egypt:
- Cairo : Hilton . Sheraton. Sofitel
- Luxor : Steinberger . Sonesta St. George or similar
- Aswan : New Cataract . Old Cataract Movenpick or similar
VEHICLE:
Sedan or Minivan, depending on number of guests .
Minivan with large windows instead of a car would be the best choice.
Minivans are always more comfortable and allow us to accommodate your
luggage as well and we always use Mercedes, Japanese or Volkswagen minivans
on our tours.Bon
Voyage.
Grand
Tour ATHENS,ISTANBUL & NILE CRUISE
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