Mediterranean Fantasies
Luxury Nile Cruise & The Greek Isle of Santorini

14 - day Mykonos Edition - Boarding the Nile Cruise in Luxor

DAY 1 - Athens
Arrive in Athens any day (subject to the Nile cruise availability in Egypt : Apr-Oct)
Our local rep will meet you at Athens Airport and assist with your transfer to your hotel.

If you arrive early morning from the USA on Olympic Airways then you'll have time on your own to explore the Greek capital, browse for treasures and curios, and venture to a terrace cafe or a fine meal in the old Plaka district.

DAY 4 - MYKONOS (B)
The day is totally yours. There's no need to venture beyond the grounds of your lovely hotel. But on the other hand, there's plenty of reason to do so, starting with 350 whitewashed churches and chapels, dramatic cliffs, blue seas, and secluded beaches.

Maybe this will be your day to stay put. Or maybe you'll mix relaxation with walks to photograph the famed windmills of Mykonos, or to watch fishermen at work along the sea.

DAY 5 - Santorini (cB)

We'll rendezvous with you to go to the port , and board the ferry ( business class ) on to Santorini , choices are available between , Villas, flats & hotels, please advise us of your preference. Luxuriate for two days on the beach at Santorini , mecca for Honeymooners & the perfect romantic getaway. Sample Villas in Santorini:

DAY 6 - Santorini (cB)

Enjoy your lovely hotel (or Villa),or venture out on your own ,to explore Akrotiri,reputedly the site of fabled Atlantis. Then maybe on to Athinios port to take a boat across to the dormant volcano, and ascend through a crater-pocked moonscape to the crater.

DAY 7 - Santorini / Athens/ Cairo (B)
After breakfast, we escort you to the airport for your flight to Athens connecting same day to Cairo on Egyptair or Olympic Airways.

In Cairo 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 : EU , American, Australian, NZ , 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. Complimentary welcome fruit basket.

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

DAY 8 - CAIRO (BLD)
On your first full day in Egypt we show you the Egyptian Museum, the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, the Citadel of Saladin, and the Mohammed Ali Mosque, made of alabaster. Lunch is included at a local restaurant. Evening dinner and a belly dance show .

DAY 9 - Luxor , Board your Nile Cruise : (BLD)
We fly to Luxor ( or Aswan ) and board our Nile cruiser in time for a delicious lunch. Complimentary welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin. Your cabin may not be ready early in the morning as other guests are still checking-out, yet you 'll have access to all the public areas on board the boat. Maybe you 'll wish to explore the water front and Luxor souks. Check-in around noon, in time for a delicious lunch. Complimentary welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin .

Cabin amenity: Local sweets platter. 2 large bottles of water.

DAY 10 - Luxor (BLD)
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.

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. 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)

Cabin amenity: Fruit basket- 2 large bottles of water

DAY 11 - EDFU, KOM OMBO (BLD)
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 12 - ASWAN (BLD)
First we tour Aswan dams, then on to 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.

Our farewell dinner this evening is a buffet of Egyptian specialties, followed by a show featuring oriental performers, including of course a belly dancer.

DAY 13- CAIRO (B)
After breakfast , check out , fly back to Cairo. In the afternoon, wander through the city on your own, or do your last-minute shopping. Add an extra night in Cairo ? Please click here

DAY 14 - CAIRO/Departure (B)
Our representative escorts you to the airport for your homeward flight.

RATES per person in USD (Apr - Oct)

This tour starts daily in Athens, but subject to Nile Cruise availability.
All tour rates are subject to change without notice.

For the Ultra Deluxe M/S Amarco, M/S Liberty , M/S TiYi : Please add 20 % to the deluxe rate

The tour includes...

• Greek Domestic airfare and Athens Cairo air fare all in economy class " Y " class, with tax
• Greek Ferry ticket as per itinerary business class
• As well as domestic air between Cairo & the Nile Cruise in " Y " class , with tax.
• All transfers in Greece and Egypt
• Private transfers, private car/driver .
  Private touring in Cairo, private air-conditioned car/driver in Cairo.
• Hotel accommodations , including all taxes and service charges, based on the rate category you choose. In Santorini you have the choice of staying in a condominium/ Villa or a hotel .
• 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.
  
  
  
  
• Pre-set menu meals as shown including B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner
• Guided, escorted sightseeing tours in Athens, the Nile Cruise and Cairo as indicated in the itinerary, including all entry fees

Not included:

• Tips.
• Trip Cancellation/travel insurance
• International air fare from/to USA, please ask for information on these fares or use your own free air miles.

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