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The
Grand tour
North Africa and the Middle East
From
Morocco to Jerusalem in 15 Days
Covering Morocco, Egypt , Jerusalem and Jordan , with Air Fare
from USA
Compare
with the 19-Day version touring : Morocco, Egypt, Jordan and Syria
Here's
Travel in Style's own
version of the Grand Tour. We'll take you to the walled desert city of
Marrakech, and across the sub-Saharan countryside of Morocco by train
to fabled Casablanca. You'll journey alongside the Nile from Cairo in
your private rail compartment to view the temples of the ancient Pharaohs
at Luxor, and live an Indiana Jones adventure at the Nabatean stone city
of Petra in Jordan. To conclude it all, you'll ascend to Jerusalem, the
goal of pilgrims and Crusaders over the centuries. "Grand Tour" is an
understatement for this incomparable feast of sights and experiences.
DAY
1 - DEPARTURE FOR MOROCCO - Tuesday - Weekly - Year Round
Take
off from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on a British
Airways jet, bound for Casablanca via London. Air fare add -on available
from major cities in the USA , for a supplement. Compare
with the 20-day version including Syria
DAY
2 - CASABLANCA, MARRAKECH - Wednesday
You'll
land at the international airport of fabled Casablanca . After the formalities,
you'll board a southbound flight to the magical city of Marrakech. Our
local staff will greet you and usher you directly to your accommodations.
Welcome mint tea.
Dinner is included at your hotel.
DAY 3 - MARRAKECH - Thursday (BLD)
This
morning you'll take a private tour of ancient Marrakech by horse-drawn
carriage. You'll see the Koutoubia, the landmark mosque of the city, and
perhaps you'll note its similarity to its sister tower, the Giralda of
Seville, in Spain. You'll continue to the Bahia palace, built in the nineteenth
century, with room after stately oriental room of intricate plaster work
and finely detailed columns, and sedate hidden gardens. Lunch will be
served in a restaurant redolent with local color. In the afternoon, you'll
take a walking tour through the labyrinthine souks, the bazaars where
goods from near and far have changed hands for centuries. Of course, you'll
want to try your hand at bargaining! After our eventful day,
in
the evening, enjoy a panoramic tour by a traditional horse carriage followed
by a transfer to Yacout the best gourmet Moroccan restaurant in Marrakech
.
DAY 4 - MARRAKECH - Friday (BD)
Now
that you've been introduced to Marrakech, it's time to adventure out on
your own! Head for the old city, and always-lively Djemaa El Fna Square,
populated by water sellers, magicians, peddlers, politicians, and animal
tamers, who carry on an endless flurry of activities straight out of the
middle ages. If you have a spare moment, the souks of Marrakech will always
keep you entertained. Return to bargain for that carpet or tea service
that caught your eye yesterday. Or pass part of the day at a sidewalk
café in the new city, where Paris and the Orient come together. Of course,
there are many restaurants where you can enjoy the culinary adventure
of Morocco's superb cuisine. We also offer optional tours, at an additional
fee, to a Berber village, or through the souks.
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 Marrakech ! 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
5 - BY TRAIN TO CASABLANCA - Saturday (BLD)
It's "all aboard" today as as our local personnel see you to the Marrakech
railroad station. You'll roll in comfort toward Casablanca past green
fields, fruit-laden orchards, and traditional villages, back dropped by
the stunning Atlas Mountains. Our escort provides commentary and answers
questions, filling us in on the daily life of Moroccans. Once you detrain,
you'll visit the Hassan II Great Mosque, a monument to Moroccan artisanry
and architecture, second in size after the Great Mosque of Mecca. Then
we'll continue to see modern Casablanca, and on to the traditional souks.
After dinner, we'll head for the airport, where we'll board the Royal
Air Maroc flight that will take us across the Sahara to Egypt.
DAY 6 - CAIRO - Sunday (BLD)
We
land at Cairo airport . Our local rep. escorts see us after you exit the
terminal.
For a limited number of nationalities such as EU, Canadians, Australian,
NZ, American , Singaporean and Japanese citizens, visa will be issued
upon arrival at the Airport, pleas pay the $ 15 USD in cash upon arrival
, no photo required , your passport must be valid at least for 6 month
beyond the date of arrival, and onward through the awakening city to our
hotel.
After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private
air conditioned vehicle) to the hotel .
We'll
have breakfast and take a break to refresh, then head out to see the wonders
of this thriving metropolis. First, we'll explore the Egyptian Museum,
with its treasures of the ancient pharaohs: mummies, statuary, and precious
stones and metals. Travellers have long come to Cairo just to gaze on
these sights, but your day includes much more. We'll visit the Citadel
of Saladin with its Alabaster Mosque, and view the panorama of Cairo.
Then we'll set off for Khan el-Khalili, the labyrinthine bazaar district
with its array of spice shops and clothing merchants and purveyors of
baskets and brass ware and a thousand other specialties. After lunch at
a charming local restaurant, we'll return to our hotel. The rest of the
day is yours for exploring on your own. Venture out amid the shops, cafés,
peddlers from bygone days, modern-day professionals, and an unforgettable
array of sights, sounds, and aromas. Visit Cairo's museums, or try a restaurant
frequented by locals.
Dinner is included at the Zeitouni restaurant at the Four Seasons.
DAY
7 - CAIRO - Monday (BLD)
After
breakfast, we'll motor to the edge of Cairo, where we'll view the mysterious,
timeless Sphinx, the awesome Pyramids of Giza,Cheops Royal Barge Museum
and the Valley Temple. A brief camel ride is included ( if your wish)
, more of a photo opportunity with the Pyramids in the background. After
lunch at the Mena House , we'll continue southward to Dahshour, where
still more ancient wonders await. Among the monuments we'll visit is the
Great Pyramid of Senfru, the father of Cheops. Dinner is included at La
Bodega restaurant.
DAY
8 - LUXOR - Tuesday (BLD)
Very
early breakfast at the hotel. We fly to Luxor , air fare is included in
business class , tax included .
From the airport we cross the Nile to view an array of ancient splendors:
the tomb chambers of the Valley of the Kings; the imposing tomb-temple
of Queen Hatshepsut in the Valley of the Queens; and the Colossi of Memnon.
We'll be back in Luxor for lunch, then tour the imposing Great Temple
of Amon at Karnak, and visit the Sacred Lake and red granite quarry, with
its huge unfinished obelisk. We'll have time for a look at the Great Temple
of Amon Ra in Luxor on our way to catch a flight to Cairo. Dinner is included
at your hotel .
DAY 9 - AMMAN - Wednesday (BD)
As
always breakfast is included at the hotel. Our Cairo local rep. will see
you to the airport, where you'll board a flight for Amman. Upon landing,
our Jordan hosts will greet you, assist you with the formalities, for
American , EU , Canadian and Japanese citizens, visa may be issued upon
arrival at the Airport, please pay $15 in cash ( USD or Euro) , no photos
required, your passport must be valid at least for 6 month beyond the
date of arrival, our local rep will escort you to your hotel. You'll have
time to get acquainted with this city built on hills, its cafés and shops,
and its surprisingly cosmopolitan population of Bedouins, Palestinians,
and the descendants of migrants from the Caucasus. Dinner at a charming
local restaurant.
DAY
10 - MADABA, KERAK, PETRA - Thursday (BLD)
From Amman, we drive south along an ancient caravan route to Madaba, site
of a church containing the oldest known map of the Holy Land. At Mount
Nebo, we will behold the panoramic view of the Promised Land as seen by
Moses in his last moments. Further on, at Kerak, we walk among the ruins
of the Crusader castle of Renaud de Chatillon, one of a line that stretched
from Aqaba to Turkey. Lunch is included enroute. At the end of the day,
we reach fabled Petra, dinner awaits you at the hotel.
DAY
11 - PETRA - Friday (BD)
We'll
spend the entire day at Petra, 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. Our discoveries
complete, we'll savor another evening and overnight in Petra.
Petra
has a lot to tell. The visit starts at the visitor’s center, where
each person is assigned a Bedouin guided horse for the journey to the
entrance of the lost city. After passing some tombs which are located
outside the city, the visitor passes through the SIQ, an immense crack
in the Nubian sandstone. It is a winding, one-kilometer-long fissure between
overhanging cliffs that seem to meet more than 300 feet overhead.
Near the end of the passage, the SIQ, with great style, makes one last
turn and out of the gloom in towering brightness appears Petra’s
most impressive monument, el Khazneh - The Treasury. This is one of the
most elegant remains of antiquity, carved out of the solid rock from the
side of the mountain, is nearly 140 feet high and 90 feet wide.
Beyond el Khazneh the visitor is surrounded on both sides by hundreds
of Petra’s carved and built structures, soaring temples, elaborate
royal tombs, a carved Roman theater, large and small houses, burial chambers
and much more. The Victorian traveler and poet, Dean Burgon, gave Petra
a description which holds to this day - “Match me such a marvel
save in Eastern clime, a rose-red city half as old as time.” After
that, we will return to the hotel to get prepared for a Moonlight dinner
served at a Bedouin camp. This evening we have a fantastic traditional
dinner under the stars in a Bedouin camp, at a site that dates back more
than 2,000 years.
DAY
12 - WADI RUM, AMMAN - Saturday (BLD)
It's
a day of desert adventure, as we board four-wheel-drive vehicles for an
expedition to Wadi Rum, the "Valley of the Moon," where Lawrence of Arabia
organized the Arab Revolt against the Ottomans during World War I. As
you pass Bedouin encampments, you'll believe that nothing has changed
in the intervening years. We will break for tea with the bedouins . Lunch
is included enroute . Our day of adventure concludes in Amman, where dinner
awaits you at the hotel.
DAY
13 - JERASH, JERUSALEM - Sunday (BD)
We
drive to Jerash, among the best-preserved cities of the Romans, and walk
among its churches, theaters, and colonnaded temples. We then cross the
Jordan River to the West Bank, and ascend to our goal for the evening:
Jerusalem. Dinner awaits you at the hotel in Jerusalem along with local
dates and pastries in your room with our compliments .
Estimated times and general info on the crossing : From the border to
Jerusalem is about 45 minutes to an hour drive . Always air conditioned
vehicle ; Sedan / Minivan You change cars/drivers at the borders
DAY
14 - JERUSALEM - Monday (BLD)
Set
out, in a private air-conditioned vehicle , with your private chauffeur
and private guide , to see the wonders of Jerusalem: the Old City, Temple
Mount, the ancient Western Wall, and the splendid Dome of the Rock, the
Garden of Gethsemane, Via Dolorosa and Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Lunch
is included at a charming local restaurant . Dinner
is included at the hotel.
Day 15 - DEPARTURE - Tuesday (B)
Our Jerusalem-based rep. will call for you after breakfast, and see
you to the Airport, for your flight home. Compare
with the 20-day version including Syria
RATES
per person in USD FROM JFK IN $:
| Hotel
Category |
Deluxe |
First |
Modest
Tourist
Class Hotels |
| Triple |
$
8050 |
$
7190 |
$
6510 |
| Double |
$
8198 |
$
7230 |
$
6620 |
| Single |
$
9760 |
$
8920 |
$
8401 |
Flying
Business Class
RATES per person in USD FROM JFK IN $:
West Coast Passengers need not to fly via JFK, you'll fly on LH, KL, or
BA non-stop West Coast to Europe
( Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam etc., then onward to Morocco ) . West Coast
add -on applies ( $900 roundtrip with tax included )
| Hotel
Category |
Deluxe |
| Triple |
$
13,660. |
| Double |
$
13,810. |
| Single |
$
15,050. |
-
Holiday supplement: For
departures during the weeks of Easter, Christmas, and New Year's, Dec
20 - Jan 3 )
please add a supplement of 15 percent to the above rates.
- Airfare
Supplement: $350 for traveling : May - Sep . (This supplement doesn't
apply when you handle your own air fare.
- West
cost special add on (Subject to availability): $ 450 for most west
coast cities , economy class, and $ 900 for the business
Prices
include:
-
International air fare from New York City to Amman via Casablanca, and
back to New York from Tel Aviv , including tax. in economy class.
(Add-on air fare is available . Please contact us about add-on fares
available from other cities.) .
- Domestic
air fare within each of the countries listed , including tax. All air
fare is in business class .
- All
ground transportation as described in itinerary, including first-class
seating on day train from Marrakech to Casablanca, with tax and service
charges.
- All
airport transfers in the four countries are on a private basis .
- Hotel
accommodations including tax and service at fine deluxe ,first-class
,or tourist -class hotels as selected.
- Meals
as specified from pre-set menu (B = continental breakfast, aB = full
American or buffet breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner).
-
Sightseeing with guide and entrance fees as indicated .
- Visa
fee for Jordan (Valid for : American, Canadian , EU , Australian , NZ
and Japanese citizens), your passports should be valid at least for
6 month beyond the date of your arrival. Israel & Morocco do not
require visa for these listed nationalities. For other nationalities,
please contact the consulates or visa service in your home country.
-
Jordanian departure tax.
Not
included:
Back
to Jordan Tour List
| Egypt Home Page | Syria
Home Page
Suggested
tips: Per Person : Never required. Always Appreciated :
Drivers : $ 3 USD for Transfers or :$5 for Full Day
Guides : $ 10 USD for Full Day
DAMASCUS
: By Dr. Illman : Touring Syria and Jordan 2009
1.
It was disorienting arriving in the old city at midnight. Nearly all the
shops were closed, streets dark and wandering as we walked to our hotel.
2. Amazing hotel. Our room had fancy light fixtures. The furniture was
covered with inlay mother of pearl. The hotel had two lovely courtyards
with reflecting pools.
3. Everywhere there was smoking.
4. Our guide and driver were terrific – Walid and Fadi.
5. The House of Ananias and the church built around it was a real highlight.
Read Acts 9 to refresh your memory on the scriptural significance.
6. Next door to Ananias we stopped at a shop. The shopkeeper knew someone
from Ellettsville, Indiana. He is Mark Vanest. Mark went to school with
the kids and taught this man English for several years during the time
Mark lived in Damascus.
7. It was cool in Syria with highs in mid-50’s to low 60’s.
8. I was thrilled to walk the Street called Straight.
9. The Souk had shops for everything. I took a lot of video.
10. The Large mosque – Umayyad Mosque was really crowded as it was
Mother’s Day and a holiday from school. Marilyn had to wear a full
robe with a hood. She looked like a Star Wars’ cast member.
11. The call to prayer is 5 times a day. There are so many mosques and
the calls all seem to start a few seconds apart and are sung at slightly
different tempo. We saw the muezzin at Umayyad do his call.
Sample
Charming Boutique Hotels in Syria :
Talisman Hotel: Damascus
Talisman is more than an hotel: it is more like a home. We will provide
you all the services and luxury of a five stars residence. Two wide opened
courtyards with outdoor swimming
pool. Private and exclusive Turkish Hammam, read more .
Zenobia hotel: Palmyra
built in 1920 … Agatha Christy was one of the welcomed guests ,
the Zenobia Hotel is ideally located in the middle of Palmyra archeological
site; rooms offers a wonderful view of the traces of past civilizations,
which you can explore at your ease, read more .
Beit Wakil Hotel: Aleppo
A true example of the distinguished 16th century Aleppine architecture,is
a charming palace situated just outside the old city walls.This perfectly
preserved structure which has stubbornly defied the destructive elements
of time,ranks among the most elegant and
beautiful palaces in the region, read more .
More
choices :
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