We'll take you through North Africa and the Land of the Sultans : Turkey /Anatolia , The Ancient Nile Kingdoms of the mighty Pharaohs, Cairo , Giza, enjoy a 5 day Nile Cruise, then its off to Carthage, capital of the legendary Hannibal, but there's much more to this tour. You'll also Continue west on across North Africa to Morocco. Marrakech, Fez & Casablanca. visit ancient cities, desert oases, curious troglodyte dwellings, Islamic splendors, and Roman ruins in Africa !

DAY 1 - ISTANBUL- Daily - Year Round - Choose your own date
Private car / driver always for all your transfers in Turkey .
Our local rep. meets your flight , or cruise port , arrive on any cruise line ( Oceania Cruises , Princess Cruises , Crystal Cruises or other Mediterranean cruises ), and escorts you to your hotel : Istanbul Four Seasons Hotel or Ciragan Palace Istanbul Kempinski Hotel.
When you're met 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. Welcome fruit basket in your room awaits you with our compliments.

Aaaaaaaah Istanbul : The true city of the Mighty Sultans :
While this tour starts daily , yet please keep in mind that we keep the right to substitute some sites in Istanbul based on the following: Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesday. Ayasofia is closed on Monday. Kariye Museum is closed on Wednesdays. The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays.

DAY 2 - Istanbul - The City of the Sultans (BL)
Private air-conditioned vehicle - Private Chauffeur - Private guide :
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. After lunch in a local restaurant ,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.

Day 3 - Istanbul - Kusadasi (BL)
Transfers are always on a private basis. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur .
Fly to Izmir ( airfare is always included in economy class , tax included ) , after landing in Izmir , your first stop on this fascinating tour is at the House of the Virgin Mary. Then, you will continue on to visit ancient Ephesus, one of the most magnificent and best-preserved ancient sites in the world.

See the Terrace Houses , the Odeon, the Market Basilica, Curetes Street, Bath, Celsus Library, Marble Street and the Great Theatre with a seating capacity of 25,000 people. See the Terrace Houses , the newly excavated site in Ephesus, excavation site for the ancient homes of richest ephesians.

After lunch , we visit the Ephesus Museum in Selçuk and see the Temple of Artemis, one of the wonders of the ancient world. View Basilica of St John and Isabey Mosque. En-route to Kusadasi enjoy the scenery and the local arts , enjoy possible shopping opportunity if you wish , then on to Sirince Village. This old Orthodox Village, 30 kilometers from Kusadasi, was once "Cirkince"(ugly). Indeed its inhabitants gave this name on the purpose as they did not want to be bothered by foreigners nor to share the beauty of their village. Still after years, visitors understood that the village was not ugly and called it "Sirince" (pretty). Today the village is a perfect synthesis of Turkish-Greek culture as of the 1920's; after the Turkish Independence War, people exchange between Greek and Turks has occurred and all the typical Greek houses, though they kept their original outside characteristics, have received the local layout inside. At Sirince Village you will have chance of seeing the local life at a village and purchasing some small local souvenirs and handicrafts. The village is also famous for its local grape and other fruit wines. During the lunch, mingle with the local people of the village as you will be a guest in their village for a simple cup of traditional Turkish coffee at the main coffee house of the village. Depending on the number of guests, a gypsy woman may read your fortune after you finish your coffee .

DAY 4 - APHRODISIAS - PAMUKKALE (BD)
Driving east along fertile river valleys crowded with fields and fruit orchards, we reach Aphrodisias, the City of Aphrodite, goddess of love. After our visit, we continue to Pamukkale, the "Cotton Fortress," where cascades of gleaming white calcium cover a hillside. The warm mineral-laden waters attracted the Romans, who built the spa-city of Hierapolis here. We tour its ruins, and enjoy the swimming pool at our hotel here in the evening. Dinner is included at the hotel : Colossea Hotel or similar (local 5 star)

DAY 5 - KONYA (BD)
After breakfast we start our drive towards the mystical Konya, the capital of the 11th-century Seljuk Turkish Empire and the home of the mystical whirling dervishes. We visit the Mevlana Museum, with the tomb of Jelaleddin Rumi, founder of the Whirling Dervish order, and also the Karatay Museum, a 13th-century theological seminary. Dinner is included at the hotel : Dedeman or Hilton Konya Hotel .

DAY 6 - KONYA -CAPPADOCIA (BD)
We travel eastwards along the ancient Silk Road, stopping at the camel caravanserai of Sultanhan for a look at this "caravan motel." Entering biblical Cappadocia, we descend into the ground at Derinkuyu or Kaymakli to explore an entire city carved from the soft volcanic rock by ancient Christians. Dinner is included at the hotel : Cave Suites Hotel , if your prefer non-cave hotel, then we will use Dedeman or one of the top boutique hotels .

DAY 7 -CAPPADOCIA (BD)
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) to explore an entire city carved from the soft volcanic rock by ancient Christians

DAY 8 - ISTANBUL (B)
Always private car / driver for all your transfers in Turkey:
After breakfast , fly back to Istanbul and your hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure to explore Istanbul as you wish . For deluxe hotels : Ceylan Intercontinental Istanbul , Hyatt Istanbul , Hilton Istanbul , Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul or similar.

DAY 9 - Istanbul - CAIRO - Cairo Airport VIP Hall (B)
Our local representative will escort you to the airport for your flight to Cairo . Air fare is included in business class , tax included : Istanbul Cairo .
Our representative greets you at the airport Visa may be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for a limited number of nationalities such as : Australian, NZ, American, EU , Canadian & 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, no photos required, please pay the $15 in cash upon arrival or in Euros. Our local rep. will meet you with a sign that carries your name and whisks you to your hotel.
For guests booking with us at least 60 days in advance, the you will be using the VIP Arrival Hall at Cairo Airport .
Four Seasons Nile Plaza , or Four Seasons First Residence or similar.

DAY 10 - CAIRO- Monday (BL)
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 the Mena House .

DAY 11 - ASWAN, Camel Caravan! Board your Nile Cruise -Private car and Egyptologist for all your cruise shore excursions (BLD)
We fly to Aswan and board our Nile cruiser in time for a delicious lunch. Complimentary welcome fruit basket awaits you in ear cabin. In the afternoon we enjoy a leisurely sail by graceful felucca on the Nile. Only for those who are interested: a short camel caravan & ride for almost half an hour to visit a local Nubian Village.

DAY 12 - ASWAN & KOM OMBO- On Board Your Nile Cruise (BLD)
First we tour 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 temples of Philae. Re-embarking on our Nile cruiser, we sail downstream to Kom Ombo to visit its twin temples.

DAY 13 - EDFU - ESNA- On Board Your Nile Cruise (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, we cruise to Esna and its great temple dedicated to Khnum, the creator-god. Afternoon tea is served on deck. Evening finds us in Luxor.

DAY 14 - LUXOR - On Board Your Nile Cruise
The Workers Village , the first known workers strike in history (BLD)
We tour the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings and the great temple of Queen Hatshepsut, we stop at the Colossi of Memnon before we l 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.

Back to your cruise in time for lunch. Afternoon tea is served on deck. The gigantic Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and the mighty Temple of Luxor are our goals in the afternoon

DAY 15 - LUXOR -Fly Back to CAIRO (B)
Breakfast, check-out from your Nile Cruise and your return flight to Cairo in business class . Al domestic flights are included in our rate . In the afternoon, wander through the city on your own, or do your last-minute shopping.

DAY 16 - 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-Hi tan 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

All of our transfers are always on a private basis !

DAY 25 - MARRAKECH (BLD)
Full day tour : There is much to see in this great city which Winston Churchill called "the most beautiful place in the world at sunset." your private guide will meet you after breakfast and explore Marrakech with you ! The top sights today include : the stately Koutoubia Minaret, the hidden tombs of the Saadian dynasty, the Menara pavilion and gardens, the ruins of sprawling Badi Palace, the Bahia Palace Museum, the Ben Yousef medersa, and the Koubba (chapel) of el-Ba'adiyn. Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant. After a break at the hotel fro siesta, your guide will call on you for a horse -drawn carriage ride throughout the palm trees grove on the edge of the Sahara . Dinner is included at a Moroccan restaurant with local music and/or local folk show.

DAY 26 - MARRAKECH - Home Hosted Dinner (BD)
Why not devote today to Marrakech's fabulous medieval souk (bazaar)? Penetrating the labyrinthine souk, you'll see some of the age-old guilds at work, including the dyers and tanners. Save an hour--and bring your camera--for famous Djemaa el-Fna square with its fun circus atmosphere of itinerant dancers, jugglers, acrobats, storytellers, soothsayers, snake charmers, medicine men and public scribes. Find a cozy bistro for lunch.

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 Marrakech 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 dinner in a quiet restaurant with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

DAY 27 - MARRAKECH TO CASABLANCA BY TRAIN (B)
Today you board the Marrakech Express bound for Casablanca! (train ticket/first class is included ,issued & delivered in Morocco). Roll across the beautiful Moroccan countryside, admiring the towering Atlas Mountains in the distance, and the timeless scenes of North African village and town life right beside the rails. When you arrive in Casablanca, our staff meets your train and embank on a panoramic tour of the city including the great mosque of Hassan II before escorting you to your hotel. Once you're settled in, take out your guidebook and explore Morocco's commercial capital.

DAY 28 - CASABLANCA TO FEZ (B)
After breakfast, board your first-class train to Fez (train ticket included) , another of Morocco's four royal cities. When you arrive in Fez, our staff will escort you to your hotel, and the city is yours to explore, guidebook in hand. The Lonely Planet guide includes all the important things to see, and recommendations for restaurants in all price ranges, so you'll never be at a loss for advice.

DAY 29 - FEZ (B)
Oldest of Morocco's four Imperial Cities, Fez is endlessly fascinating, and today we have included in our rate a full day covering the top sights include the medina (old city), the 15-century Borj Nord Arms Museum, the gateway of the royal palace, the fortifications of the Kasbah, the 9th-century Karaouine Mosque and University, the medersas (theological seminaries) of Bou Inania and Attarine, the shrine of the city's founder Moulay Idris II, the Nejjarine Fountain, the monumental gateway of Bab Boujelloud, the old harem gardens, Dar Batha Museum, and the artisans' guilds in the souks.

Rates per person in us $

	Deluxe*
In Triple occupancy	US$ 14,910.
In Double occupancy	US$ 15,275.
In Single occupancy	US$ 17,480.

Inclusions:

• Round-trip transportation between airport and hotels, always on a private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.
  
  
• Air fare Istanbul / Cairo in business class tax included.
  
  
• Air fare Cairo/ Tunis/Marrakech. In business class Tax included.
  
  
• Hotel Accommodations as mentioned in itinerary, in comfortable Five or four-star (first-class) hotels
  
  
• Five days deluxe Nile Cruise including all shore excursions and all meals.
  
  
• Meals as indicated from preset menu (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner).
  
  
• Private Guided sightseeing as indicated in air-conditioned vehicle , including all admission fees.
  
  
• One-way first-class train transportation Marrakech-Casablanca and Casablanca-Fez, or vice-versa.
  
  
• Travel guidebook for Turkey Tunis, Morocco, Egypt .
  
  
  
• A complimentary home hosted family dinner in Marrakech
  
  
  
• Bottled water ( one per person) delivered to your cabin daily while you are on board the Nile cruise.
  
  
• Tea or coffee /bottled water with each meal while on board the Nile cruise.

• Gratuities for all local personnel : tips to the guides, drivers, porters and crew on board your cruise .

	Web www.travelinstyle.com

Not Included:

• International air transportation from/to your home country
• Optional excursions,
• Any meal not specifically mentioned beverages, and personal expenses.
• Travel insurance .
• Airport taxes.
• Visa fee for Turkey, paid in Cash upon arrival ( for USA, Canadian , EU, Japanese , Australian citizens ), or secure from the Turkish Consulate before your departure.
• Visa for Egypt may be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for a limited number of nationalities such as : Australian, NZ, American, EU , Canadian & 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, no photos required, please pay the $15 in cash upon arrival or in Euros. Our local rep. will meet you with a sign that carries your name and whisks you to your hotel.

 

 

 

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