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Legends
of the Greek Isles and the Nile
Santorini Edition
A Grand 18 day Mediterranean Honeymoon Wishes Tour
:
Greek cruise, a Stay in Santorini and a Nile Cruise
AAAAH-
Honeymoon on the Nile !!!
Tour
starts weekly in Athens on , March through November . You may add extra
days pre or post
Among the most treasured memories of many travellers are a cruise to
the Greek Isles and a journey on a Nile steamer. You'll experience both,
along with the high points of Classical Greece, on this tour.
If you prefer a land tour
of Greece rather than by cruise Please Click here for the 15 day Edition
Grand
Tour ATHENS, ISTANBUL & NILE CRUISE . Compare with the
14 day version , handling
your own air fare ? please click here . Compare
with Egypt , Palestine and Israel version . Add
the Red Sea Riviera : Hurgada , el-Gouna and Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh
DAY
1 - USA/JFK or Major Gateway Cities - Weekly-
Thursday : Mar - Nov
JFK Passengers : We take off from New York's John F. Kennedy
International Airport, bound for Athens ,
For west coast passengers : you need not to fly thru JFK, usually we
will use Lufthansa, or British or Air France etc, so you fly non-stop
to Europa then a short flight to Athens .
DAY
2 - ATHENS - Friday
Our local personnel meets you at the airport and escorts you to
your hotel. Sample
Athens hotels :
Deluxe: Divani
Palace Acropolis. First : Titania . Electra Palace
. Tourist : Stanley
DAY 3- ATHENS- Private Tour - Private Guide - Saturday (BLD)
Today in Athens we'll cover the high points of the city :the towering
Acropolis and the adjacent museum. You'll visit Syntagma Square, at
the very heart of the city, and see the Parliament, and guards in colorful
traditional outfits. After lunch at a local restaurant, we return to
the hotel with the remainder of the afternoon is free for further exploring
or shopping, or you could well be drawn back by the charm of the Plaka.
In the evening, we'll take in our dinner with traditional Greek entertainment.
Day
4 – Argolis – (BL)-
Sunday
Private
Air Conditioned Vehicle - Private Chauffeur - Private Guide
Breakfast at the hotel. Lunch is included at a local restaurant . Bottled
water / tea or coffee : included with your lunch. Drive through Corinth
crossing the famous canal to Mycenae where visits are Included to the
Lion Gate, Tombs of Agememnon and Clytemnestra, and the Palace. Luncheon
at the seaside resort town of Nauplion. Afterward, a short drive to
the world famous theater of Epidaurus, known for its perfect acoustics.
Visit the museum and Askelpeion. Return to Athens in the early evening.
For the lunch we will either stop in Mycenae or Nauplion.
Some
detail on your drive today :
- Athens
- Corinth canal is about 1.15 hours drive (depending on traffic)
- The
distance is 85 kilometers.
- Corinth
canal - Mycenae is around 30 minutes. The distance is 45 kilometers.
- Mycenae
- Epidaurus is 45 minutes. This distance is 60 kilometers.
- Epidaurus
- Athens (via the coastal road) is around 2:15hrs. The distance is
approx. 150 kilometers.
DAY
5 - CRUISE TO MYKONOS - Monday (BLD)
Our staff will escort you to Piraeus, the port of Athens, where
you'll embark on your three-day cruise to the Greek Isles. You'll sail
into the Aegean, and by sunset, reach the jet-set isle of Mykonos. Stroll
at your own pace along lanes lined with whitewashed houses, up to the
Church of Paraportiani, or along the shore to the island's signature
windmills. Enjoy an ouzo or a glass of retsina at a waterside cafe.
Re-embark for a nighttime sailing.
DAY 6 - RHODES (BLD)
Our cruise ship arrives early at the harbor, allowing a full day
on the Island of Roses. The compact, cobbled medieval city is perfect
for exploring on your own. You'll want to visit the Palace of the Knights
of St. John, take a look at the wares in the boutiques, and spend some
time in a seaside cafe. Or discover a hill-fringed beach a short walk
or taxi ride from town. We also offer an optional excursion to the Acropolis
of Lindos and the Valley of the Butterflies. Spend a restful night on
board as we sail to our next destination.
DAY 7 - KUSADASI (Turkey), PATMOS (BLD)
We anchor at 7 a.m. in Kusadasi, on the Turkish mainland, gateway
to ancient Ephesus. Stroll the streets and stop in at shops filled with
leather goods and bargains in gold. Our optional tour takes you to Ephesus,
one of the best-preserved archaeological sites in the world. You'll
reboard in time for an afternoon sailing. In the late afternoon, your
ship will call at the island of Patmos. Here you can visit the Monastery
of St. John where the Book of Revelations was written.
DAY
8 - HERAKLION (CRETE), SANTORINI (BLD)
We drop anchor in the port of Heraklion at 7 a.m. You can explore
the old Venetian section of town on your own, or take an optional excursion
to the 5000-year-old Minoan Palace at Knossos and the archaeological
museum. We sail at midday. In a few hours, we'll reach Santorini, where
the lost civilization of Atlantis flourished. Enjoy outdoor cafes and
wander the lanes of Thira, lined with craft and clothing shops and bakeries
and cafes. Ride the funicular to the cliff top, or be adventurous, and
do it on mule-back! Either way, you'll be rewarded with a spectacular
sunset over the Aegean.
Where
the lost civilization of Atlantis flourished. You'll disembark for your
stay in your apartment/villa/or hotel.
Sample
optional tours available based on Private arrangement or Local Group
tour
.
Sample
hotels in Santorini:
Dana Villas, in Firostefani with view of the volcano.
Chromata Apartments, in Imerovigli with a view of the volcano.
DAY
9 - SANTORINI (B)
You'll take a leisurely breakfast on your private terrace. An optional
tour to the archaeological site of Akrotiri is offered. Or, you can
spend the day relaxing, and take in breathtaking views of the volcano
and caldera. You might take a boat across to the dormant volcano, and
ascend through a crater-pocked moonscape to the crater. Or savor a soak
in hot sulphur springs.
DAY 10 - ATHENS, CAIRO (BD)
Fly back to Athens ( air ticket is in economy class and is included
in our rate) , connect to your flight for Cairo ( air ticket is included
in our rate). Our
local representative greets you at Cairo Airport and whisks you to your
hotel. Visa may be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for a limited
number of citizens such as : American, EU , Canadian , EU Singaporean
and Japanese citizens. For Americans , please pay the $ 15 USD fee in
cash upon arrival . You are responsible for having your passport in
order valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival in
Cairo. Our local rep. meets with a sign that carries your name you after
you clear the passport and customs formalities . After exiting the terminal,
our local representative will escort you (private vehicle) to the hotel
:
Sample Deluxe Hotels :
Ramses Hilton , Nile Hilton , J. W. Marriott, Cairo Conrad , Grand Hyatt
or similar .
Sample First Class Hotel : Sonesta Hotel or similar
Sample Tourist Class Hotel : Novotel or similar
Private chauffeur, private air conditioned vehicle for all your
airport transfers while you are in Greece and / or Egypt with us .
DAY
11 - CAIRO (BLD)
Today, you'll explore the wonders of the Egyptian Museum, with its
treasures of the ancient pharaohs: mummies, statuary, precious stones
and metals. Travellers have long come to Cairo just to gaze on these
sights, but your day has just started. You'll also see the Citadel of
Saladin and the alabaster mosque of Mohammed Ali. In Giza, on the edge
of the desert, you'll gaze in awe at the mysterious Sphinx and the Pyramids,
for those interested a complimentary ticket is included fro entry to
the King's chamber inside the Pyramid, you must be physically fit to
be able to climb.
DAY
12 - ASWAN- Board Your Nile Cruise (BLD)
Our Cairo personnel will escort you to the airport to board your
flight to Aswan in Upper Egypt. You'll arrive in time to take lunch
aboard your Nile cruiser. We'll have the opportunity to experience Egypt
at its most authentic, as we sail the Nile in a graceful felucca. If
you wish, try your hand at camel riding! We'll take a traditional caravan
to enjoy tea with Nubian villagers. Sample
Nile Cruise : Deluxe : M/S Monaco . M/S Mojito or similar . Sample First
Class : M/S Nile Dream. M/S Ruby , these same First Class cruise will
be used for the Tourist class rate as well.
DAY
13 - ASWAN, KOM OMBO (BLD)
After breakfast on board, we'll visit the dams at Aswan,
including the High Dam, a modern wonder in this ancient land. At the
ancient granite quarry, we'll see an obelisk left unfinished, then board
a launch on Lake Nasser to visit the Temples of Philae, rescued from
rising waters. Back aboard our cruiser, we'll sail northward down the
Nile at a stately pace, disembarking for a visit to Kom Ombo, the twin
temple dedicated to the crocodile river god, Saber.
DAY
14 - EDFU, ESNA (BLD)
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. Later,
we'll cruise to Esna, and by evening, we'll be in fabled Luxor.
DAY
15 - LUXOR (BLD)
We'll 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, on the way back to
the ferry landing, the Colossi of Memnon.
DAY
16 - LUXOR, CAIRO - HOME HOSTED
FAMILY DINNER (BD)
We'll visit the imposing Great Temple of Amon at Karnak and the
great Temple of Luxor before heading to the airport to catch our flight
to Cairo. After we settle you into your hotel, you'll have your last
opportunity to experience the excitement of this great city and, of
course, do some last-minute shopping. 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.
DAY
17 - On
Desert Safari for the Day - Fayoum Oases - And you thought the Pyramids
were old ,
(BL)
We leave Cairo by sunrise ( private air conditioned car/driver/guide):
Full day Fayoum Oases including:
Hawara Pyramid, El Lahoun Pyramid, Ruins of Karanis, drive by Lake Qarun,
lunch is included at a local restaurant.
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
18 - RETURN HOME (B)
Our
Cairo-based local rep. escorts you to the airport for your flight home.
Add a stay in Crete ? please click here . Bon Voyage.
- RATES
per person in double occupancy in US$:
- Rates
based on Greek (outside Cabin B category) and Nile cruise in an outside
standard cabin with two lower beds.
| Rate
per person in $
|
First Class |
Deluxe
Hotel |
| Sharing
in Double |
US$
6610 |
US$
7020 |
| Or
in Single |
US$
8302 |
US$
8805 |
AIRFARE
NOTES
- Our
airline partners for departures from New York are British Airways,
Lufthansa, Swiss International
For
Boston, Chicago , DC : Please add:$250 , Miami, Orlando Houston
: $300.
Most West Coast cities : $ 350
In addition, for any departures from May 15 Through Sep 30
please add $250 high-season airfare surcharge to the rates shown
above.
Rate
includes:
- International
airfare from New York, US departure tax, economy class .
- Lonely
Planet travel guides to Greece and Egypt
- 3-day
cruise to Greek Isles and Turkey, including meals. Royal Olympic Cruises,
or Golden Sun, we'll confirm the specific ship before you send us
your deposit. Outside cabin Category B or similar with 2 lower beds
- 5-day
Nile cruise, including all meals , afternoon tea served on deck daily
, and shore excursions.
- One
large bottled water per person delivered to your cabin daily while
you are on board the Nile Cruise . Plus a small bottle of water with
each & every meal on board the cruise
- Tea
or coffle and water with each & every meal while you are on board
the Nile cruise.
- Complimentary
welcome drink upon arrival on board the Nile Cruise.
- Complimentary
welcome fruit basket on board the Nile Cruise.
- Hotel
accommodation as mentioned in Athens , Santorini and Cairo, including
tax and service charges, and breakfast daily.
- Meals
as indicated, with preset menu (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner).
-
Airport greeting and assistance. Transportation between airports,
hotels, and port.
-
One-way air transportation from Athens to Cairo .
- Port
taxes.
-
Domestic air transportation in Egypt , economy class .
- Egyptian
visa fee, available only for American, Canadian, Australian, NZ ,
EU & Japanese citizens. Must have a valid passport. Issued upon arrival
at Cairo airport.
- One-way
Santorini/Athens airfare .
- Villa
accommodation in Santorini, sample villas that are used:
For First Class 4 stars accommodation:
Villa style, Sun Rocks in Firostefani" , Astra Apartments
, On The Rocks in Imerovigli, or Chromata
Grotto Villas in Firostefani in a 1 or 2 bed-room apartment.
- Sample
Athens hotels :
Deluxe: Divani
Palace Acropolis. First : Titania . Electra Palace
. Tourist : Stanley
Not
Included:
- Trip
interruption and cancellation insurance
- Shore
excursions from Greek cruise ships
(Please note that the Egyptian Nile Cruise does include all shore
excursions as part of our service and rate).
- Additional
personal expenses, beverages, and meals not specifically mentioned
in the itinerary
- All
the tips to drivers, guides, Nile cruise crew etc.
-
Egyptian
visa may be issued upon arrival for a limited number of nationalities
such as for American, Australian, NZ, EU , Canadian & Japanese
citizens etc. , Please pay the $ 15 USD in cash upon arrival in
Cairo , your passport must be valid at least for 6 month beyond
the date of arrival
. After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort
you (private vehicle) to the hotel
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