The
Grand tour
Egypt , Jordan and Syria
The
Nile Cruise Version - 19
Days Near East Adventure
Start Weekly in Cairo
Start in Damascus or Amman
year round
Luxury
Nile Cruises
Here's
our own version of the Grand Tour. You'll journey on a deluxe cruise on
the Nile to view the temples of the ancient Pharaohs at Luxor
and Aswan , 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.
Add
Morocco ?
DAY
1 - CAIRO Tour
Starts Weekly on Thursday in Cairo
You may Arrive any day of the week for an additional : $ 300 per
person ( minimum 2 guests), subject to the Nile cruise availability on
your travel dates .
Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel.
Visa fee is included and will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport
for : Australian, NZ, American, EU , Canadian, Singaporean & Japanese
citizens. You are responsible for having your passport in order valid
at least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival in Cairo.
Hotels in Cairo : Grand Hyatt. Conrad Hotel Cairo . Sonesta. J. W. Marriott
or similar
The
Egyptian visa will be issued upon arrival in Cairo .
As you exit the gate, you will pass through a door or two , down some
stairs , then walk for 2-5 minutes , until you pass the duty free shops,
at the end of a wide corridor , you will see the security officers. There
you will be met by a local representative, who will be holding a sign
with your name “……………… “.
Our local representative will then take your passport to obtain a stamp
from the cashier / bank window and escort you to speak with the passport
officer. He will escort you through another last check on your passport
as you exit the passport control, into customs area, he will assist you
in collecting your luggage and clearing customs . After exiting the terminal,
our local representative will escort you (private air conditioned vehicle)
to the hotel . Comapre
with the 15-day version including Jerusalem , Palestine and Israel.
DAY
2 - CAIRO (BL) -Friday
On your first full day in Egypt we show you the Egyptian Museum, including
the "Mummies Room" , the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx,
the Citadel of Saladin, and the Mohammed Ali Mosque, made
of alabaster.
DAY
3 - LUXOR ! - Nile Cruise (BLD) -Saturday
We fly : in business class ( subject to availability), to LUXOR
( or Aswan) 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.
For
Private touring on board the cruise: Please add $250 per person for the
full cruise/shore excursions.
DAY
4 - LUXOR , EDFU (BLD) - Sunday
We tour today as well 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.
Afterward,
we'll continue on Luxor's 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.
We sail in the afternoon we cruise 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
5 - 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
6 - CAMEL CARAVAN, NUBIAN VILLAGE , 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 :
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!
In the afternoon we enjoy a leisurely sail by graceful felucca on the
Nile.
For those who are interested : a short camel caravan & ride is included
to visit a local Nubian Village.
Our
dinner this evening is a buffet of Egyptian specialties, followed by a
show featuring oriental performers, including of course a belly dancer.
DAY
7 - ASWAN , CAIRO (BL) -Wednesday
Board our return flight to Cairo. In the afternoon, wander through
the city on your own, or do your last-minute shopping. Lunch is included
at your hotel . Remainder of the day at leisure.
DAY
8 - CAIRO (B) - Thursday
Breakfast is included at your hotel. Full day at leisure, or return to
the Egyptian Museum.
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
9 - CAIRO - AMMAN - Friday
Our Cairo personnel 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
& Japanese citizens, visa will b issued upon arrival at the Airport,
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.
DAY
10 - MADABA, KERAK, PETRA - Saturday (BD)
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. At the end of the day, we reach fabled Petra.
Indiana
Jones himself couldn't squeeze more adventure into this journey
DAY
11 - PETRA - Sunday (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.
DAY
12 - WADI RUM, AMMAN - Monday (BD)
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. Our day of adventure concludes in Amman.
DAY
13 - JERASH, BOSRA & DAMASCUS - Tuesday (cBLD)
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.
For
American , EU , Canadian & Japanese citizens, the Syrian visa will
be issued upon arrival at the border, your passport must be valid at least
for 6 month beyond the date of arrival, our local rep will escort you
to your hotel.
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 Wednesday (cBLD)
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.
DAY 15 - PALMYRA - Thursday (cBLD)
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.
DAY
16 - KERAK Des Chevaliers Crusaders Castle , HAMA & ALEPPO - Friday
(cBLD)
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.
The Turkish Hamam is a tradition that still thrives in Jordan and Syria
Add a Spa package to your stay
DAY
17 - ALEPPO - Saturday (cBLD)
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.
DAY
18 - SERGELLA, APAMEA & MAALOULA - Sunday (cBLD)
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.
DAY
19 - RETURN HOME - Monday (cB)
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 $
| |
Deluxe
Hotels |
| In
Triple Occupancy |
$
6590.00 |
| In
Double Occupancy |
$
6705.00 |
| In
Single Occupancy |
$
8150.00 |
For
Private touring on board the cruise
Please add $150 per person for the full cruise/shore excursions
: Private guide/Egyptologist
Private air conditioned Vehicle
/fourseasonscairo/images/NileGuest%20Room.jpg)
To
upgrade to the Four Seasons Hotel in Cairo
Please add : $ 350 per person in double or triple
Sample Standard Room at the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo
Holiday supplement:
For departures during Easter ( 2 weeks) of, Christmas, and New Year's,
please add a supplement of 15 percent to the above rates.
Prices
include:
-
Regional air fare between the countries listed in this itinerary , in
Business Class , including
tax.
- Domestic
air fare within Egypt as per itinerary in Business
Class , including tax.
- All
ground transportation as described in itinerary, including all airport
transfer .
- 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 Syria , Jordan & Egypt. (Valid only for : American, EU ,
Canadian & Japanese citizens), your passports should be valid at
least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival. For
other nationalities, please contact the consulates or visa service in
your home country.
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 .
-
Jordanian departure tax.
- For
your deluxe Nile cruise :
Complimentary welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin.
- Complimentary
galabya on board the cruise for the costume party.
- Large
bottle of water ( one per person) delivered to your cabin daily while
you are on board the cruise.
- Tea
or coffee /bottled water with each meal while on board the cruise.
- Deluxe
Nile cruise with all meals on board and all shore excursion as listed
with the service of an English guide/Egyptologist ( Please advise if
you prefer another language)
Upgrade
your stay on the Nile
For the Ultra Deluxe Nile Cruise :
Please add 20 % to the listed deluxe rates for :
The ultra deluxe MS Queen TiYi ,MS
Nile Vision , MS Radamis II, or Movenpick
Royal Lotus , Sonesta
MS Moon Goddess , or the new Sonesta MS Star Goddess ( all cabins
with Balconies ), on the ultra deluxe Amarco
( All Suites )
A
sample suite on M/S Amarco ( all suites )
Nile
Cruise : Dining Room Reservations: Meet other passengers :
YOU will not require any, our dining rooms do accommodate all our guests
in one seating, one less thing to worry about while you are on the Nile.
Enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere with several different languages being
heard at dinner.
Nile Cruise : Do we get sea sickness while sailing the Nile ?
This is river sailing, so do not expect any waves , no rough seas
! Your Nile cruises is actually a floating hotel that moves from place
to place along the Nile. Actual cruising times are short and pleasant.
Our
hotels include the following, as available, similar hotels may be substituted:
| |
Deluxe
Hotels |
| Amman |
Sheraton
or SAS Radisson |
| Petra |
Movenpick |
| Damascus |
Le
Meridien |
| Plamyra |
Cham
Palace |
| Aleppo |
Cham
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:
Upgrade
to the legendary Four Seasons Amman
Welcome
to Four Seasons Hotel Amman, Jordan.
Four Seasons offers Amman's finest setting for business or leisure. Its
dramatic hilltop location presents breathtaking views of the surrounding
cityscape.
Intuitive
Four Seasons care melds with Jordan's ancient traditions of hospitality.
Enjoy dramatic views from Amman's largest guest rooms. Asian and Mediterranean
dining and spa secrets from the Dead Sea await you – all in easy
reach of shops, museums and intriguing Roman ruins.
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
More
choices :
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.
The Talisman is a luxury «charm» hotel situated in the old
town of Damascus, twenty minutes from the airport, a hundred yards from
the old Roman straight way (Medhat Pacha) and the historical Bab Sharqi,
famous now for its souks and street markets. This old Jewish palace, built
in a quiet side street and easily accessible by car, has been restored
in the most authentic tradition of an Arab house.
Each
of the 16 rooms and suites at Talisman is unique with its personalized
lay-out and decoration. All the rooms are equipped with the latest commodities:king
size bed, mini bar, central heating, individual air-conditioning, plasma
television set with decoder so that you may choose any channel you please,
DVD reader, wi-fi internet connection, telephone. Executive suites are
larger and have a desk corner. The bathrooms are spacious and planned
for your rest and well-being: finely worked wooden basins with their matching
mirrors, old cement tiled or beige marble floors, bath tub or shower cabin,
or both, hair-drier and comfortable bathrobes.
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.
The
26-room hotel offers a wonderful view of the traces of past civilizations,
which you can explore at your ease. The hotel is a masterpiece of elegance
and warm hospitality that is part of our commitment to tradition particularly
amidst this historical surrounding. You are welcome to the world of Zenobia
hotel where you relive the past and feel the glorious days of Palmyra.
The hotel rooms; all are air-conditioned, with central heating and a telephone.
The Countess suite is a duplex room, with two double beds and a private
bathroom on each deck. ( Supplement applies, and you must really book
in advance to get this suite)
The
Oasis restaurant offers a wide variety of delicious cuisine whether it
is indoors or in the open air with a direct view on the ruins.
Palmyra
was known as the bride of the desert, where once stood as one of the greatest
Roman oasis cities of all times. The extensive roman ruins, only a three-minute
walk from the hotel; stand gracefully to remind us of the glory of Palmyra's
past
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.
The
Hotel is in " Jadidah" which is a particularly picturesque quarter.
Next to the main Maronite church is Sissi Street, which is full of old
Arab residences. Most have now been converted into small boutique hotels
and restaurants serving the delicious local Arab-Syrian cuisine for which
Aleppo is famous. Beit Wakil is one of the loveliest examples. Simple
on the outside, but you enter a beautiful courtyard with a fountain, a
majestic arch, coloured marble flooring and arabesque glass windows. You
can descend past an underground bar into stone-built cellars with a labyrinth
of tunnels, said to lead all the way to the Aleppo Citadel.
Beit
Wakil,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.
Faithful to the old Aleppine tradition the exterior is castle like,simple
and void of any decoration,but as soon one enters inside a magical oriental
story like world comes into existence
The
beautiful courtyards with breathtaking relief and tracery work of their
walls, the marble fountains among the jasmine and lemon trees, the unique
iwan with its majestic arch and colors marble flooring,the elegant arabesque
woodwork of the wall cupboards,the hand drawn wooden ceilings with corniche,
the famous central Qa'a (large room: Lobby ) with its suspended dome and
coloured arabesque glass windows,the stone built cellars and the lime
stone caves below with a labyrinth of tunnels , one of which , links the
palace to the Citadel of Aleppo , are just few of the many elements which
distinguishes the Aleppine masonry art and Arabian architectural genius
Today,
Beit Wakil welcomes its guests as a four star hotel with all the modern
comfort facilities. Beit Wakil rooms and suits are centrally air conditioned,
with traditional comfortable Aleppine furniture, minibar, music, T. V
and satellite services, phone and private bathrooms. Both our summer and
winter restaurants offer a wide verity of delicious Aleppine mezes and
specialties together with an oriental entertainment program of classical
Arabic music and dancing.
Aleppo
includes a virile population, a splendid architecture,and a fine Arab
tradition. Aleppo AL-Chahba, 355 Kilometers from Damascus, has been a
prosperous city since the 3rd millennium B.C. and has maintained its status
through town development and an increasing population. It has played a
vital role in the history of the area from the time of the Akkadian and
Amorite Kingdoms. Until recently it has always been the center of the
junction of the ancient trade routs. The old city was surrounded by a
wall incorporating defense towers and fortified gates built during the
Islamic period. A large part of the wall still standing, for example Bab
Qinisrin, Bab Al-Nasser, Bab Al-Hadid, Bab Antakia. Aleppo is also known
for its mosques and churches and is considered the third city in the Islamic
world because of the number of its mosques and schools. The Archaeological
Museum contains exhibits from the stone age to modern times. It has particularly
interesting collection of antiquities from some of the most ancient site
in Syria (Mari, Ugarit, Ebla) , objects found in the Euphrates Basin,
Hama, Tell Halaf and Ein Dara, in addition to remains from Greek, Roman,
Arab and Islamic periods. Most famous of Aleppo's sights is the citadel,
from where all of the city can be seen.
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