The
Grand tour
North Africa and the Middle East
Morocco, Egypt, Jordan and Syria
From
Morocco to Damascus
Including Egypt and Jordan in 20 Days, Air fare is Included from
New York
Departure Weekly on Tuesday , year round
Compare
with the Nile Cruise Version
Here's
our 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 fly over the Egyptian Delta
and the Nile from Cairo to Luxor 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 Damascus, the goal of merchants 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 an Air
France or British Airways jet, bound for Casablanca via London or Paris
. Air fare add-on available from major cities in the USA , for a supplement.
Comapre with the
15-day version including Jerusalem , Palestine and Israel.
DAY
2 - CASABLANCA, MARRAKECH - Wednesday (D)
You'll land at the international airport of fabled Casablanca . After
the formalities, our local rep. will be waiting with a sign in your name,
you'll board your private air-conditioned vehicle and off to the magical
city of Marrakech. Our local rep. will greet you and usher you directly
to your accommodations. Welcome mint tea. Dinner awaits you at the 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, dinner will
be served at our hotel.
DAY 4 - MARRAKECH - Friday (BLD)
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.
Complimentary
lunch 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):
Today
we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right into
the homes of some of the people of Marrakech l! You'll be invited to a
family lunch , 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. Of
course, you may enjoy a quiet lunch 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, backdropped 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 (B)
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
. Our day of adventure concludes in Amman, where dinner awaits you at
the hotel.
DAY
13 - JERASH, BOSRA and DAMASCUS - Sunday
(BLD)
We travel overland today to Jerash, among the best-preserved cities of
the Romans, and walk among its colonnaded temples and theaters. We then
cross the border into Syria to visit Bosra, a Roman City with a 15,000-
seat amphitheater, before continuing to our next destination: Damascus.
We drive to the Syrian Jordanian borders.
The Syrian visa fee is included in our rate, please make sure to scan
and e.mail us a legible copy of your passports at least 45 days prior
to your departure. Syria
will not issue you a visa , if your passport has any Israeli stamps or
visa for Israel, you are responsible for ensuring that your passport is
valid and in order .
DAY
14 - DAMASCUS- Monday (BLD)
Our tour of Damascus includes the National Museum, the Old Bazaar, Omayyad
Mosque, Azem Palace, Via Recta, the House of Anania, the Eastern Gate
(Bab ash-Sharqi) in the walls of the Roman City, and St. Paul's Window.
If there's time left over, the merchants of the city will be pleased to
welcome you with a cup of tea, to ask after your family, and to negotiate
a purchase, if you're interested.
Lunch is included at a local restaurant. Dinner is included at the hotel.
DAY 15 - PALMYRA - Tuesday (BLD)
We leave Damascus today and visit Palmyra. The many sites of this ancient
city include the museum, the temples of Bel, Baal Shamin and Nebo, the
Roman baths, the Tetrapylon, Diocletian's Camp, and the Valley of the
Tombs. It'll take us all day to see it all, so we spend the night here.
Lunch is included enroute. Dinner is included at the hotel.
DAY
16 - KERAK, HAMA and ALEPPO- Wednesday (BLD)
Today we reach Kerak, the Krak des Chevaliers, the most spectacular
of the castles erected by the Crusaders in Holy Land. After an appreciation
of this military outpost, we'll continue to Hama, known for its giant
water wheels. By nightfall, we arrive in Aleppo. Lunch is included enroute.
Dinner is included at your hotel.
DAY
17 - ALEPPO - Thursday (BLD)
We see the sights of Aleppo today, including the museum, the Grand Mosque,
the Citadel, and the old bazaar stretching fully eight kilometers in length.
We'll also have a chance to see traditional caravansaries. In the afternoon,
we visit St. Simeon's Cathedral, named for St. Simeon Stylites, a 5th-century
Byzantine ascetic who lived atop a pillar for 40 years. Lunch is included
enroute. Dinner is included at your hotel.
DAY
18 - SERGELLA, APAMEA and MAALOULA - Friday (BLD)
Today we follow in the footsteps of Biblical peoples, visiting Sergella,
one of the 500 Dead Cities of the North, which flourished between the
fourth and seventh centuries but then was mysteriously deserted. Then
it's on to Apamea, the Hellenistic City of a thousand columns established
by Seleucus Nicator. Finally, we visit the village of Maaloula, where
the inhabitants still speak Aramaic, the very language spoken by Jesus.
We'll visit the St. Sergius chapel, then continue to Damascus. Lunch is
included enroute. Dinner is included at your hotel.
DAY
19 - Damascus - Saturday (BLD)
Breakfsat is included at the hotel. Morning leisure
guided walking tour of the local souks and bazaar . Lunch is included
at a charming local restaurant. The afternoon is yours at leisure.
In
the evening : Complimentary
Dinner is included at a local home:
Meet the locals,
very few people will ever get to experience this in Syria. We are proud
to be one of the very few travel firms that allow you to experince the
local home cuisine and meet the good people of Syria.
This
evening we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right
into the homes of some of the people of Damascus 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 - RETURN HOME Sunday (B)
Our staff escorts you to Damascus International Airport for your return
flight. Comapre
with the 15-day version including Jerusalem , Palestine and Israel.
RATES
are per person in USD From JFK : Air fare is always subject to change
| |
Deluxe
Hotels |
First
Class Hotels |
| In
Triple Occupancy |
$
8700. |
$
7890. |
| In
Double Occupancy |
$
8898. |
$
7930. |
| In
Single Occupancy |
$
10,460. |
$
9620. |
Holiday supplement:
For departures during the weeks of Easter, Christmas, and New Year's,
please add a supplement of 15 percent to the above rates
( Dec 20 - Jan 3 .
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 )
Flying
Business Class (
air fare is always subject to change)
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, Londin, Amsterdam etc.,
then onward to Morocco ) . West Coast add -on applies ( $ 900 roundtrip
tax included )
| Hotel
Category |
Deluxe |
| Triple |
$
14,260. |
| Double |
$
14,501. |
| Single |
$
15,050. |
Prices
include:
-
International air fare from New York City , in economy class , to Amman
via Casablanca, and back to New York from Damascus , including tax.
(Add-on air fare available upon request .) .
- Domestic
air fare within the listed countries , 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, sleeper accommodations
on train from Cairo to Luxor, and tax and service charges.
- All
airport transfers in the three 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 only for : American, Western Europe , Canadian
& 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.
Our
hotels include the following, as available, similar hotels may be substituted:
| |
Deluxe
Hotels
or similar |
First
Class Hotels
or similar |
| Amman |
Sheraton
or Hyatt |
Landmark
Hotel |
| Petra |
Movenpick |
Forum |
| Damascus |
Le
Meridien |
Fardos
Tower/ Carlton |
| Plamyra |
Cham
Palace |
Heliopolis |
| Aleppo |
Cham
Palace |
Amir
Palace |
Every effort is made to adhere to the planned itinerary, however, for
reasons beyond our control, it may be necessary to change routings, sequence
of visits, and departure times.
Not
included:
-
Personal
expenses and beverages
-
Gratuities
-
Additional
meals and services
- Trip
interruption and cancellation insurance .
-
Egypt
Visa : 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
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.
More
choices :
THE
LANGUAGE OF THE JESUS IN THE LAND OF THE BOOK
Syria
is truly the Land of the Book. The ancient alphabets of the Near East
grew into Aramaic and then Hebrew, and finally Arabic and the modern Latin
script that you're reading!
Jesus
spoke to His Disciples in Aramaic. And nowhere else in the Holy Land does
His language live as in Maaloula, where His words may still be heard exactly
as He spoke them. For the believer, or for anyone who values traditions
of faith, it is a deeply moving experience.
Maaloula
is just a short drive from Damascus, and home to Christian community that
thrives after 2000 years.
As
much as any land, Syria is the birthplace of the Christian faith. St.
Paul converted on the road to Damascus, and in the early centuries of
the Church,
six Syrian bishops were elevated to the Holy See as popes. The grand Omayyad
Mosque is built on a sacred site shared by Muslims and Christians for
centuries,
expressing the true brotherhood at the center of both faiths. Two million
Syrians worship as Christians.
The
full panoply of the Christian experience in the Near East has been played
out in Syria. The Krak des Chevaliers is the unique never conquered Crusader
fortress
that stands intact as if ready to host the Knights of the Cross once again––and
is a must stop for the visitor of faith to the holy sites.
Extend
your stay in Syria for one day and visit Maaloula
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 .
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