Let's Go to Turkey and Egypt

Private Tour of Egypt and Turkey: all in 17 Days
We have even included all the tips

Visit Turkey's top sights-- Istanbul, Ephesus, Pamukkale, Konya, Cappadocia and Ankara, then on to Cairo to see the best of Egypt: a good look at Cairo and a 5-day cruise along the Nile
Weekly in Istanbul on Wednesdays , year round , compare with 14-day or the Bodrum Edition

DAY 1 - ISTANBUL - Wednesday - Weekly year round
We meet your flight and escort you to your hotel . Deluxe : Conrad or similar
First Class (4-star) hotel : Senator ,Yenisehir or Aygun Plaza Hotel or similar.

DAY 2 - ISTANBUL- A Very Full Day - Thursday (cBLD)
Let us show you the city: the Blue Mosque, Byzantine Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia , then the Underground Cistern. walk thru the columns of this grand water reservoir and Topkapi Palace.
Lunch is included at a local restaurant.

In the after breakfast , drive to Balat along the Golden Horn where the Star of David appears on the facades of some buildings. See Ahrida Synagogue, built in the 15th century. See the Jewish Cemetery, where the martyrs of Neve Shalom are buried.
Continue to the centuries-old Jewish neighborhood, Galata, with its tower built by the Genoese. From the panorama balcony. See the stunning views of old constantinople, Bosphorus, Golden Horn and the Jewish quarters. Enjoy refreshments in this historical atmosphere. Afterwards see Neve Shalom Synagogue & Ashkenaz Synagogue, Afterwards drive to Ortaköy, first disembark point of Sepharads, welcomed by the Ottoman Sultan, and visit to Etz-Ahayim Synagogue.
Your last stop will be Zulfaris Synagogue, a 19th century synagogue which houses a museum. Here learn about the Turkish Jews who were welcomed by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century after Inquisition forced them to flee Spain.
There is an opportunity for rich collection of history books and novels about Turkish Jewry as well as CDs of Turkish Jewish folk music and lithurgical music, selection of souvenirs including Mezuzahs, Hamsa keyrings

DAY 3 - CANAKKALE Friday (cBLD)
After breakfast we start our scenic drive south to the famous Galipoli, we cross the strategic Dardanelles, to land in Asia ! , tour Troy , before we reach Çanakkale , dinner at your hotel: Iris (3 stars) or similar .

DAY 4 - PERGAMON & IZMIR Saturday (cBLD)
We drive to Pergamon to see its Acropolis, Temple of Trojan, Altar of Zeus and Temple of Dionysus, the Red Basilica, and the ancient medical center of the Asclepion, then continue to Izmir and Kaya Prestige or Konak hotel or similar for the night.

DAY 5 - EPHESUS & PAMUKKALE Sunday (cBLD)
We drive to Selçuk to visit the extensive ruins of Roman Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary. After lunch we continue to Pamukkale for a tour of the ancient Roman spa of Hierapolis and its warm calcium-rich mineral baths. Lycus River Hotel or similar.

DAY 6 - KONYA Monday (cBLD)
Passing through Turkey's fertile Lake District, we drive to Konya, capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum and home of the Whirling Dervishes. We visit the Mevlana Museum, where the founder of the dervish order is buried, Konya Ozkaymak Hotel (modest 3 stars - best available), or similar.

DAY 7 - CAPPADOCIA Tuesday (cBLD)
Enjoy your breakfast before continuing on to Cappadocia, stopping at the Sultanhan Caravanserai on the way. We descend into a labyrinthine Underground City at Kaymakli, then tour the rockhewn cave churches and monasteries of the Göreme Valley and the rockhewn natural citadel of Uçhisar. Cappadocia Inn Hotel , Perissia Hotel or, Kapadokya Lodge or similar

DAY 8 - ANKARA & ISTANBUL Wednesday (cB)
Heading north, we drive to Ankara for a visit to the monumental mausoleum of Atatürk, father of modern Turkey, then we tour the famous Museum of Anatolian Civilizations before heading to the airport for our flight to Istanbul.

DAY 9 - Istanbul / Cairo Thursday (cB)
We escort you to the airport for your flight to Cairo, air fare is included in our rate. Economy class Istanbul Cairo . Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel.
Visa fee for Egypt is included and visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for : 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.

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 10 - CAIRO - Friday (BL)
On your first full day in Egypt we show you the Egyptian Museum, including the " Mummies Room" , the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, the Citadel of Saladin, and the Mohammed Ali Mosque, made of alabaster. Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant. Evening sound and light show at Giza.

DAY 11 - CAIRO - Valley of the Whales
On Desert Safari for the Day - Fayoum Oases - And you thought the Pyramids were old , Saturday (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 12 - LUXOR - BOARD your NILE CRUISE - Sunday (BLD)
Morning flight to Luxor ( air fare is always included , in economy class , tax included) , on to the Cruise. Transfers are ALWAYS on a private basis.

Check in on your Nile cruiser at noon. After lunch, we visit the great temples of Luxor and Karnak, then return to our Nile cruiser in time for afternoon tea.

DAY 13 - VALLEY OF THE KINGS Monday (cBLD)
We tour today as well the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings, including Tut-Ankh-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.

DAY 14 - EDFU & KOM OMBO Tuesday (cBLD)
We cruise by Esna to Edfu, where we board horse-drawn carriages for the ride to the Temple of Horus. Returning to our ship, we set sail for Kom Ombo. In the evening, there's a jolly galabia party aboard.

DAY 15 - KOM OMBO & ASWAN Wednesday (cBLD)
We explore the twin Temples of Haroeris and Sobek at Kom Ombo, then sail south to Aswan. After lunch we board a graceful felucca and cruise among the islands, returning to our ship in time for tea.

DAY 16 - ASWAN ABU Simbel CAIRO Thursday (cB)
After breakfast we check out, visit the awesome Aswan dams, and next an ancient granite quarry complete with an unfinished obelisk, then board a motor launch to visit the Temples of Philae, returning to Aswan by late morning. Transfer is included ( private car/driver) back to Aswan airport.

A short flight to Abu Simbel.

If you wish to overnight in Abu Simbel & attend the Sound & Light show, please click here

in Abu Simbel : There we'll marvel at the temples dedicated to Ramses the Great and Queen Nefertari, saved from rising waters of the Nile when the High Dam was built, fly back to Aswan and connect with our returning flight to Cairo . Domestic air fare is included Aswan Abu Simbel Aswan as well as back to Cairo , in Cairo , we meet you at the airport & escort you back to your hotel .
Add an extra night in Cairo ?

DAY 17 - CAIRO- Friday- Departure (B)
Our representative escorts you to the airport for your homeward flight. Bon Voyage !

Itinerary is subject to change without notice. Bon Voyage

Rates per person in USD $

Tour starts in Istanbul every Wednesday, year round . Click here for the 12 days edition ( Without Egypt) . For group tour please note that we do not over night in Konya, rather in Cappadoccia.

YOUR TOUR INCLUDES:

• Al tips to drivers, guides, porters, crew on board any cruise during your trip

Rate doesn't include :

• International air fare.
  
• Visa Fee : in cash upon arrival,or from any of the Turkish Consulates
  
• Trip/travel insurance
  

More Choices :

• Click here for this tour with Egypt extension

• Compare with the 7 Day Heart Of Anatolia version

• compare with the 10 day edition

• Bodrum Edition

• The Jewish Heritage Tour of Turkey .

• Add Greece and the Peloponnese .

• Compare with the 9 Day Istanbul and Anatolia version .

• Click here for the 12 days edition, including air fare from JFK

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