From
Paris to the Nile!
A grand 14 - Day Tour - Alexandria
Edition
Sunday Edition- Weekly year round. Tour starts in Paris
Please click here for Monday Departure
-
Add Jerusalem
Sheer
romance, sheer adventure! This itinerary includes a tour of Egypt's top
sights, a free day for shopping in Cairo's bazaars, Alexandria &
Wadi El Natroun Monasteries, a sleeper-train ride up the Nile, a 5-day
cruise to the temples along the Nile, and two nights in Paris--all in
13 days, at unbeatable rates. And even a home hosted meal to meet the
locals, (Extend your stay with extra nights in Paris, Cairo, Luxor, or
in the Red Sea resorts of Hurgada or Sharm El Sheikh--ask us how.) Compare
with Paris & Jerusalem , or Extend to Jordan
& Petra ?
DAY
1 - Sunday, weekly, year round, tour starts in PARIS
Arrival in Paris! our staff will meet you at the airport and escort you
to your hotel, centrally located near the Champs-Elysées. Drop
your luggage, grab your Lonely Planet guidebook (we'll give you a copy
of the Paris guide at no extra charge), and head out into the City of
Light. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy as you please: strolling
the boulevards, watching boats on the Seine, shopping in the markets and
boutiques, or people-watching in a cozy cafe.
DAY
2 - Monday PARIS (cB)
Come with us on a half-day panoramic motorcoach tour of the city. We'll
stop by the Place de l'Opera, Place de la Concorde, Champs-Elysées,
Arch de Triomphe, Trocadero, Eiffel Tower (tickets to the first level),
Le Bastille and Notre Dame. Then we'll take a short cruise on the Seine
before we let you go to find your own favorite Parisian haunts, led there
by your Lonely Planet guidebook.
Evening Tour of Paris : CityRama Tour : The Magic of Paris at night: Magical
and magnificent by night , a drive through Paris with its beautiful illuminated
buildings should not be missed by any visitor to Paris. Every evening
at 7 PM (Except on Dec 31) , also every evening at 10 PM , except on Jun
21 and July 14 . Duration 1:30 Hour. Transfer is included from hotel to
Cityrama terminal , but return on your own to the hotel after the tour,
or add $ 20 (total for the transfer at the end after the tour). Tour ends
at the Opera Pyramids Square.
Day
3 - Tuesday PARIS TO CAIRO (cB)
After breakfast, we escort you to the airport to catch your nonstop EgyptAir
flight to Cairo. During the flight, study your Lonely Planet guidebook
to Egypt, which we present to you with our compliments. Upon landing in
Cairo, our staff meets you, assists with entry formalities, and whisks
you downtown to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to get a glimpse
of this great, timeless city on the Nile, the "Paris of Africa."Complimentary
visa issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport, valid only for American, EU,
Canadian , Australian , NZ & Japanese citizens. Passports must be
valid for 6 month at least at time of arrival.
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
Le
Meridien Etoile Hotel in Paris ( with the deluxe rate)
DAY
4 - Wednesday CAIRO (BL)
Today we show you the greatness of Cairo on a full-day tour: the Egyptian
Museum, Pyramids of Giza, the Great Sphinx, the Citadel of Saladin, and
Muhammed Ali's splendid Alabaster Mosque.
DAY
5 - ASWAN-Abu Simbel - Thursday (BLD)
An early morning flight takes us to Aswan where we connect to the beautiful
temples of Abu Simbel to visit the mighty temples of Ramses the Great
& his Queen Nefertari the Beautiful, connect back in Aswan , in time
for lunch at the hotel. ( Deluxe : Movenpick , or add : $120 per person
for the Old Cataract. First Class : Basma or similar)
In the afternoon we tour the the Nubian Museum . Dinner is included at
the hotel.
DAY
6- ASWAN, KOM OMBO - Friday : (BLD)
Visit the Aswan High Dam, the red granite quarries of the ancient pharaohs,
and the temples of Philae, reconstructed on an island in the middle of
the Nile . After a shipboard lunch, we set sail for Kom Ombo, where we
explore the twin Temples of Haroeris and Sobek. We continue our cruise
to Edfu, where we dock for the night.
DAY
7 - EDFU & LUXOR Saturday (BLD)
We board horse-drawn carriages (or motor vans) for the ride to Edfu's
Temple of Horus, one of the best-preserved Ancient Egyptian temples
on the Nile. After lunch , relax
on deck as our luxury riverboat casts off and gently cruises upstream
to the Esna locks.
Pass through the locks, as we continue our cruise down the Nile to Luxor.
Afternoon tea is served on the sun -deck. Dinner & entertainment on
board.
DAY
8 - LUXOR & THEBES Sunday (BLD)
Today we tour the Valley of the Kings, Queen Hatshepsut's Temple
of El Deir El Bahari , and the Colossi of Memnon. After lunch,
the afternoon is free for shopping. Afternoon tea is served on deck. Dinner
& folk dance show on board.
DAY
9 - LUXOR Monday (B)
we check out from our cabins after breakfast.
Set out to see the best first: the gigantic, awesome Great Temple of Karnak
and the smaller but still mammoth Temple of Luxor. Fly back to Cairo and
your hotel.
DAY
10 - Tuesday - Fayoum Oases and HOME Hosted Dinner CAIRO (B)
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
A
special treat in tonight as we have you join an Egyptian family for 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
11 - CAIRO / ALEXANDRIA - Wednesday (BL)
We start early at first light , private air conditioned vehicle, private
chauffeur , private guide will escort you from Cairo , drive to the Egyptian
Mediterranean coast and the City of Alexander the Great , bottled water
is available on board your vehicle with our compliemnts . Lunch is included
. Today in Alexandria visit the new Library of Alexandria, the Museum,
Zanket el-Satat and the local souks . In the evening your guide will call
on you for a night out in Raml district with tea or coffee included at
one of the local pastry shops .
Hotels: , subject to availability :First class : the Cecil Hotel with
the old world charm, or Sheraton .
Deluxe : Hilton ( suite) or Palestine Montazah Hotel ( suite ) , or the
Four Seasons ( standard room) .
DAY
12 - Alexandria & Wadi El Natroun Monasteries- Thursday (BL)
Full day tour of the Greceo Roman Catacombs, the Roman Amphitheater, Qayet
Bey Fortress , built on the same site of the ancient wonder of the world
: the famous Alexandria Light House. A brief stop at " El Selsela"
the site of the Underwater reserve where Cleopatra Place was discovered,
as well as Caesar Kiosk. Lunch at a local restaurant , before heading
back to Cairo .
We stop at Wadi El Natroun monastery , where early Coptic Christians retreated
here to escape the Roman persecution in the 4th century AD. The Egyptian
Pope of Alexandria is always chosen from the Monks of wadi El Natroun.
Reach Cairo early evening .
DAY
13 - Cairo-Giza - Friday (BL)
Today we drive to the edge of the Sahara , cross the Nile to Giza , to
visit : The Pyramids of Giza, the great Sphinx, and the Cheops Royal Barge
Museum , the oldest know wooden royal barge in the world. Lunch is included
at the Mena House. Afternoon tour of Memphis and Sakkara, including the
Step Pyramid and Nobles Mastabas.
DAY
14 - Saturday- Departure (B)
Breakfast
is served at your hotel,our local rep escort you back to the airport,
the air fare is included back to Paris . Extend to Jordan
& Petra ?
Rates
per person in USD $ from PARIS
| |
Deluxe |
First
Class |
| Sharing
in Triple Occupancy |
US$
4962.00 |
US$
3870.00 |
| In
Double Occupancy |
US$
5095.00 |
US$
3990.00 |
| In
Single Occupancy |
US$
6185.00 |
US$
4980.00 |
DEPARTURE
DATES AND NOTES
This tour starts every Monday, in Paris. If you need assistance with air
fare from USA , please do let's know, we'll be glad to help with very
special deals on Air France  or
American & United .
For
Christmas, New Year's & Easter week, Please add %20 supplement.
Your
hotel nights in Paris are at :
For
Deluxe - 4 stars :
Hotel
New Roblin Le Warwick - Champs Elysees, Meridien
Montparnasse, Meridien Etoile,
Sofitel Grand Arche -La Defense or similar.
For
First Class - 3 stars :
A simple, clean, comfortable, centrally-located 3-star hotel, such as
the Primotel Empire, Fertel Etoile or Tilsitt. If Paris hotels are heavily
booked for a major exposition or trade show during your visit, we may
be required to add full fare 3 or 4 -star hotel rates to the tour rates;
contact us for exact dates and details.
Your
tour includes:
- Round-trip
airfare between Paris and Cairo, and domestic air within Egypt.
- All
transfers within Egypt, as well as the transfer in Paris
- Sleeper
train ticket within Egypt, private compartment on board. The
train is modest , not the Orient Express. Private compartment, upper
& lower berth. Tow toilets are available in each car, one at each
end of the car.
- Guided
sightseeing according to the itinerary, including all entrance fees
- Meals
as indicated in the itinerary: cB = continental breakfast, B = full
breakfast; L = set-menu lunch; D = set-menu dinner
- One-way
first-class sleeper train ticket from Cairo to Luxor
- Five-day
deluxe Nile cruise including all meals and shore excursions as described
in the itinerary
- Complimentary
welcome drink upon arrival on board the Nile Cruise.
- Complimentary
welcome fruit basket on board the Nile Cruise.
- Large
bottle of water ( per person ) delivered to you cabin daily while you
are on board the Nile Cruise.
- Tea
or coffee and bottled water with each / every meal while you are on
board the Nile Cruise.
- Hotel
accommodation as indicated, including all taxes and service charges
- Complimentary
Lonely Planet guidebooks to Paris and Egypt
- Complimentary
visa issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport, valid only for Australian,
Canadian, American, NZ, EU, Korean , Singaporean & Japanese citizens.
Passports must be valid for 6 month at least at time of arrival.
What's
not included:
- Insurance
of any kind. (We'll be glad to mail you a flyer).
- Round-trip
airfare between USA& Paris.
- Tips.
Click
here for more info on these luxurious cruises:( Supplement : 10 % to be
added to the
Deluxe rate : The Ultra deluxe Queen TiYi
, M/Senator yacht all suites (17) all with private balconies , Radamis
( Swiss Management) , Moon Goddess
all suites with private balconies
Moon
Goddess ( all state rooms do offer private balconies)
The all suites M/S
Amarco
The
Ultra Deluxe all suites M/S Amarco
For
PRIVATE GUIDE/CAR/DRIVER :
For the full duration of the Nile Cruise & shore excursions: please
add $ 250 per person .This supplement doesn't apply when you have at least
6 guests in your party, as you'll have always your own private car/driver/guide.
DINING
NOTES
The set-menu meals included in your tour are indicated in the itinerary:
B = Breakfast, (or cB, Continental Breakfast), L = Lunch, D = Dinner.
On our luxury Nile cruise vessels, our spacious dining rooms accommodate
all passengers at one seating, so there is no need to worry about making
reservations ,
one less thing to worry about while you are on the Nile. Enjoy the cosmopolitan
atmosphere with several different languages being heard at dinner. Smart
Casual dress is suggested for dinner . No tie / Formal dress requirement
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