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Magic
of Istanbul and the Nile
A Grand 16 day Tour :Turkey, Istanbul and a Nile Cruise
Including air fare from JFK- Fayoum Oases and even Abu Simbel Temples
Add
Sinai and St. Catherine Monastery .
Add
Syria
,
or Rome
compare with the Grand Tour ATHENS,ISTANBUL & NILE CRUISE
DAY
1 - Wednesday . Departure weekly from USA - Year Round
Board your comfortable wide body jet at JFK International Airport.
( add on air fare : available from major cities please inquire ) Overnight
across the Atlantic. (International air fare is included in our listed
rates as well as taxes ).
DAY
2 - Thursday . ISTANBUL (B)
Upon arrival at Istanbul , you're met at the airport by our representative,
who sees you to your hotel, and answers any questions you may have about
getting to know the city. As you ride into the great metropolis from
the airport, two thousand years of history are revealed: towering Roman
walls, ancient Byzantine churches, slender minarets framing the bulbous
domes of graceful mosques. These ancient monuments float on the skyline
of a bustling modern metropolis of ten million people. Private
air-conditioned vehicle , private chauffeur for all your transfers in
Turkey and Egypt .
DAY
3- Friday . ISTANBUL (BL)
The center of ancient Constantinople and Istanbul
was on Seraglio Point, framed by the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and
the Sea of Marmara. We visit the Blue Mosque, built by Sultan Ahmet
III to challenge the architectural primacy of neighboring Sancta Sophia.
We then walk next door to compare achievements in Justinian's great
Sancta Sophia. Right behind Sancta Sophia is our next stop, sumptuous
Topkapi Palace, the sultans' seraglio for centuries, filled with breathtaking
exhibits of priceless jewels, golden thrones, delicate colored tiles,
and lavish court costumes.
We finish up in the bustling Grand Bazaar, where you can find jewelry,
carpets, goat-hair rugs, hand-painted ceramics, copper and brass in
labyrinthine streets holding nearly 4000 shops. Private
air-conditioned vehicle , private chauffeur and private guide
DAY 4- Saturday . CAPPADOCIA
(B)
Morning flight to biblical Cappadocia and our
Hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure . Air fare is included within
Turkey , in economy class , tax included. Private
air-conditioned vehicle , private chauffeur and private guide
Day
5- Sunday . CAPPADOCIA (B)
We explore the "moonscape" of Cappadocia, visiting
the painted churches in the Göreme and Zelve Valleys, the rockhewn dwellings
in Ortahisar, the pottery-making center of Avanos, and the incredible
underground city of Kaymakl (or Derinkuyu). Private
air-conditioned vehicle , private chauffeur and private guide
Day
6- Monday . CAPPADOCIA / KAYSERI / IZMIR, EPHESUS (B)
Proceed
by private car to Kayseri, board your flight on to Istanbul and connect
to Izmir , and your hotel. Air fare is included in economy class, with
tax . Remainder of the day at leisure.
Private air-conditioned vehicle , private chauffeur fro all your transfers
in Turkey & Egypt.
DAY
7- Tuesday . Ephesus / ISTANBUL (B)
We proceed to time capsule & the gem of ancient cities of the Greco
Roman world: Ephesus, the capital of Roman Asia Minor, we spend most
of the day in Ephesus and touring the Basilica of St. John, said to
mark his tomb. Then fly back to Istanbul & our hotel, one last chance
for shopping spree in the legendary covered Bazaar. Istanbul is all
yours, any way you like it. Grab your Lonely Planet guidebook and stroll
along the restored 19th-century thoroughfare of Istiklal Caddesi, once
known as the Grand Rue, DE Péra. Search for spices and folk remedies
in the Egyptian Bazaar. Admire the medieval mosaics in the city's many
Byzantine churches. Shop in the chic boutiques around Taksim Square.
Climb the Galata Tower, built by the Genoese six centuries ago, for
a panoramic view of Old Istanbul. Private
air-conditioned vehicle , private chauffeur and private guide
DAY
8- Wednesday . ISTANBUL, CAIRO (B)
After breakfast our local representative will take you to the airport
to catch your flight for Cairo, air fare is included in economy class,
tax included , in Cairo our local rep. whisks you through the excitement
and hubbub of the terminal, and onward through the desert to your hotel
.
Visa fee is included, issued upon arrival for (Western) European , American,
Japanese and Australian citizens, passports must be valid for at least
6 month beyond the date of arrival. You are responsible for your passport
being valid & in order.
Visa
will be issued upon arrival.
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 the name you prefer to use for the sign .
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 vehicle)
to the hotel . Private
air-conditioned vehicle , private chauffeur for all your transfers in
Egypt & Turkey .
DAY
9- Thursday . CAIRO (BL)
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.
Private air-conditioned vehicle , private chauffeur and private guide
DAY
10 - Friday . 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
11 - Saturday - Cairo / Abu Simbel / Nile Cruise (BLD)
Very
early breakfast , before we head for the airport and your flight to
Abu Simbel via Aswan in Upper Egypt .
In Abu Simbel : Your private air conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur
and private guide will be waiting for
you . Today we tour
: Temple
of Queen Nefertari :
The great funerary temple built in the 12th century BC by Ramses the
Great for Queen Nefertari is unique in Egyptian history. Beautifully
restored with American aid, it's the only such temple built by a pharaoh
for his queen. Ramses the Great Abu Simbel Temple :
Ramses the Great's huge desert temple at Abu Simbel marked the southern
border of the pharaoh's dominions. Rescued from the rising waters of
Lake Nasser by an international effort, it is a marvel of sacred engineering.
Twice a year‹and only then‹the sun penetrates to the Holy of Holies,
illuminating the stone figures of Ramses and Nefertari.
Jacquie
Kennedy & Abu Simbel:
All Americans alive during the 1960s remember President John F Kennedy
and First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Most Americans from that
time also remember Abu Simbel, the dramatic, ancient Pharaonic temple
threatened by the rising waters blocked by the new Aswan High Dam. Read
More
After
the tour of Abu Simbel : we fly back to Aswan, arriving in
time
to take lunch aboard your Nile cruiser.
This
afternoon 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.
DAY
12 - Sunday . 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, Sobek.
DAY 13 - Monday . 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
14 - Tuesday . 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, the Colossi of Memnon.
DAY 15 - Wednesday . LUXOR, CAIRO, HOME HOSTED DINNER
(B)
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 a quiet evening with your travel companions,
by letting us know your preferences.
DAY
16 - Thursday . RETURN HOME (B)
Our
Cairo-based staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home.
Bon
Voyage.
RATES
per person in double occupancy in US$:
All cabins on the Nile cruise are outside cabins with two lower beds,
all with panoramic windows.
Rates
From JFK:
Rates
From JFK: |
Deluxe
Hotels |
First
Class
Hotels |
Tourist
Class Hotels |
|
Sharing in Triple
Occupancy |
$
5755.00 |
$
5414.00 |
$
4950.00 |
| In
Double Occupancy |
$
5867.00 |
$
5534.00 |
$
5038.00 |
| In
Single Occupancy |
$
6969.00 |
$
6580.00 |
$
6001.00 |
Sample Deluxe Nile Cruise:
M/S Mojito , M/S Monaco or M/S Monte
Carlo Nile Cruise, M/S Adonis ,
M/S Beau Soleil , M/S Florence
For
Ultra Deluxe Cruise M/S
Tuya , M/S TI-YI .
Or the All Suites/ All with private balconies : Moon
Goddess , or M/S Senator
The All Suites Amarco , please
add % 20, to the deluxe rate
For
Dec 20 - Jan 5 , Easter : Please add 20 % supplement to any of the rates
Rate
includes:
-
Lonely
Planet travel guides to Turkey and Egypt
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International airfares from/to NYC including tax. When you handle
your own air fare , please deduct $ 500 from any of the rates for
( JFK ISTANBUL & Cairo JFK)
For May - Aug please add $300 air fare supplement.
For Boston , Chicago , Miami & Houston , please add $ 350 .
For most of West Coast cities please add $400. This doesn't apply
when you handle your own air fare.
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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 coffee and water with each & every meal while you are on
board the Nile cruise.
-
Complimentary
welcome drink upon arrival on board the Nile Cruise.
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Complimentary
welcome fruit basket on board the Nile Cruise.
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Guided
tours as listed , including all entrance fees.
-
Hotel
accommodation as mentioned in Turkey and Cairo, including tax and
service charges, and breakfast daily.
-
Meals
as indicated, with preset menu (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner).
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Airport greeting and assistance. Transportation between airports,
hotels, and port.
-
One-way air transportation Istanbul and Cairo .
-
Port
taxes.
-
Domestic air transportation in Egypt in economy class , tax included
.
-
Egyptian
visa fee, available only for American, Australian, NZ, Canadian,
EU , Singaporean & Japanese citizens. Must have a valid passport.
Issued upon arrival at Cairo airport.
For
children : 2-10 years of age : 25 % discount will apply when sharing
with parents in a double room
Not
Included:
- Trip
interruption and cancellation insurance
- Turkish
Visa fee, you may contact the Turkish Consulate nearest to you to
secure your visa before you travel, or upon arrival at Istanbul in
this case cash only
- Additional
personal expenses, beverages, and meals not specifically mentioned
in the itinerary .
More
choices :
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