The Best of the Near East (14 Days)

The Highlights of the Levant and the Near East
Egypt, Jordan, Palestine and Israel
A 14 –Day Adventure tour

Come and tour the 1001 Arabian Nights of the Near East. You will start with the throbbing capital of Egypt exploring key sites both within the city and nearby. Then it’s on to the old –new land of Luxor, the Ancient Capital of the first United Kingdom. Egypt was originally divided into two kingdoms, that was united by Ahmos I creating a United Kingdom in the Nile Valley.

Tour

DAY 1 – Monday – Weekly – Year Round – CAIRO – VIP Meet & Greet Service
Our representative greets you at Cairo airport and whisks you to your hotel. VIP Meet & Greet Service. Visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for a limited number of citizens such as: American, Australian, NZ, EU, Canadian, EU Singaporean and 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. Our local rep. will meet you with a sign that carries your name, and will be waiting for you with the prepaid visa stamps to proceed to the passports control to stamp your passports, then you claim your luggage. After you clear the passport and customs formalities and exit the terminal, our local representative will escort you by private vehicle to the hotel. A welcome fruit basket & Egyptian pastries await you in your room with our compliments.

DAY 2 –Tuesday Tour CAIRO – Tour Coptic Cairo – Home Hosted Dinner (BL)
We start with the best of Cairo: the Egyptian Museum, Manial Palace of the former Crown Prince Mohamed Ali, Citadel of Saladin and its Alabaster Mosque. After lunch, we walk the narrow streets of Old Cairo, once a Roman fort, later the Jewish Quarter, then the Coptic Christian Quarter. We visit the Coptic churches of Abu Serghius and Al Molaka, the Coptic Museum, and Ben Ezra synagogue. Finally, we wander through the alleys of Khan el –Khalili bazaar in search of souvenirs.

DAY 3 – Wednesday CAIRO (BL)
In the morning, we visit the majestic pyramids of Giza, the Valley Temple and the timeless Sphinx. Those who are fit and adventurous enough may wish to penetrate into the heart of the Great Pyramid, to the King’s Chamber. Your ticket is included with our compliments (or the interior of Kephren Pyramid). Taking a camel ride (included) is entirely your own choice!

After lunch we drive to Dahshour, the newly–opened pyramid field south of Cairo. We visit several ancient structures, including the great pyramid built by Senfru, father of Cheops.

DAY 4 – Thursday: LUXOR – CAIRO (BL)
We enjoy an early breakfast before we head for the airport and fly to Luxor, upon arrival your private guide will be waiting for you and then we we cross the Nile to visit the Valley of the Kings and the Colossi of Memnon. After lunch in Luxor, we tour the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and visit the Sacred Lake. We have a quick look at the great temple of Amon Ra at Luxor on our way to the airport for our flight back to Cairo, and our hotel.

Day 5 – Friday – Cairo – Amman – Petra: (BL)
Fly to Amman, on to Petra: air ticket is included in our rate in economy class, tax included. Our local rep. meets you at the airport and assist with your visa, issued on a complimentary basis for American, Australian, NZ, EU, Canadian, Korean, Singaporean & Japanese citizens, your passport must be valid and in order. From the airport in Amman: We proceed in your private air –conditioned vehicle and with your private English speaking guide to Petra, lunch is included enroute, finally we reach your hotel, check –in and overnight in Petra.

Day 6 – Saturday – Petra: (BL)
A full day tour of Jordan’s most famous site, the rose –red city of Petra. Venture through the Siq (the gorge between two towering mountains) until you reach the treasury which, like the most of the structures at Petra, is carved into the rose –red Nubian sandstone. In the afternoon, drive back to Amman and your hotel.

DAY 7 – Sunday Amman – Tel Aviv (BL)
After breakfast, our local rep. escorts you to the border for your drive to Tel Aviv and your hotel and overnight. Please make sure that you have your passport in order, valid for at least 6 month beyond your arrival date and with visa (if needed for Israel). Change of vehicles at the border, and on to Tel Aviv and your hotel, lunch is included enroute.

Day 8 – MONDAY – Tel Aviv – Beersheva – Arad – Massada – Jerusalem (BL)
Leave Tel Aviv – via Ashdod – Ashkelon – Beersheba. A short visit to the Negev capital. Continue via Arad to Massada. Ascend by cable car to the fortress, which was the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots in their war against the Romans. Visit the excavations, Herod’s palaces, the synagogue, bathhouse, etc. Enjoy the breathtaking view of the Roman camps and the Dead Sea. Descend for a possible “float” in the in the salty water of the world’s lowest place. Via Ein Gedi and Kalya, proceed to Jerusalem for overnight. Breakfast at the hotel. Lunch is included at a local restaurant.

Video by UNESCO

Day 9 – TUESDAY – Jerusalem – sightseeing of the new city (BL)
Drive to Mt. Scopus for a panoramic view of Jerusalem. On to the Garden of Gethsemane and Church of the Agony. Drive to Mt. Zion for a visit to the tomb of King David, the Room of the Last Supper and Dormition Abbey. Sightseeing in the new city including the Israel Museum’s Shrine of the Book with the famous Dead Sea scrolls, new Supreme Court bldg. Mt. Herzl. Then visit the model of the Herodian city of Jerusalem dating back to the time of the Second Temple. Afternoon visit of the Hadassah medical center in the synagogue with Marc Chagall stained glass windows, then via Ein Karem (the birth place of John the Baptist). Return to Hotel. Breakfast at the hotel. Lunch is included at a local restaurant.

Day 10 – WEDNESDAY – Jerusalem – (Old City) – Bethlehem (BL)
Walk through one of the Gates to the walled Old City: the renewed Jewish Quarter; the Western Wall, the “Tunnel”, the Temple area; the colorful bazaars; Via Dolorosa, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Continue to Bethlehem to visit Rachel’s Tomb and the Church of the Nativity and return to Jerusalem for overnight. Breakfast at the hotel. Lunch is included at a local restaurant.

Day 11 – THURSDAY – Jericho – Tiberias – Galilee (BL)
Leave Jerusalem, driving via Bethany to Jericho*, the oldest city in the world. Visit the excavations and then continue northward via Jordan Valley and the new settlements to Beit Shean. After a short visit proceed to Tiberias, the old center of Jewish learning. Drive along the shores of the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum to visit the ruins of the ancient synagogue. Continue to a Kibbutz hotel for overnight. Breakfast at the hotel. Lunch is included at a local restaurant.

Day 12 – FRIDAY – Upper Galilee and Golan Heights – Nazareth (BL)
Drive to the Golan Heights. Visit the former Syrian fortifications, Birkat Ram, and the Druze villages, Via Banias, source of the Jordan River. Proceed via Kiryat Shmone and the Hula Valley to Safed, city of the Kabala, to visit synagogue and the artists’ colony and then to Nazareth to visit the Christian Holy Sites. Return to the Kibbutz hotel for overnight. Breakfast at the hotel. Lunch is included at a local restaurant.

Day 13 – SATURDAY – Acre – Haifa – Tel Aviv (B)
After Breakfast drive west to Acre for a visit of the old, famous Crusader stronghold and medieval fortifications. Continue to Haifa, sightseeing tour of Haifa, including the Bahai Shrine, Persian Garden and Mount Carmel for a panoramic view of the city. Proceed southwards to Caesarea to visit the Roman theater and the Crusader fortress. Continue south for a short city tour of Tel Aviv –Jaffa and to hotel for overnight. Breakfast

DAY 14 – Sunday DEPARTURE (B)
Breakfast at the hotel. We’ll escort you to the airport to catch your homeward –bound flight. Salam! For crossing back into Jordan, please add: $ 150 per person for the private transfer to the border, change of cars, and then a Jordanian sedan will meet you at the border and continue on to Amman or Petra.

Prices include:

• All ground transportation, including service between airport and hotels
• Meals as indicated, with preset menu (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner)
• Guided sightseeing with professional guide and all admission fees
• Hotel accommodations, including tax and service charges
• Air fare Cairo Amman in economy class, tax included
• Domestic air & sleeper train tickets in Egypt. Economy class, tax included
• Visa fee for Jordan for American, Australian, NZ, EU, Canadian, Korean, Singaporean & Japanese citizens, your passport must be valid
• Visa for Egypt will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for a limited number of citizens such as: American, Australian, NZ, EU, Canadian, EU Singaporean and 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. Our local rep. will meet you with a sign that carries your name, and will be waiting for you with the prepaid visa stamps to proceed to the passports control to stamp your passports, then you claim your luggage. After you clear the passport and customs formalities and exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you  by private vehicle to the hotel. Welcome fruit basket & Egyptian pastries await you in your room with our compliments.

Not included:

• Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
• Personal expenses such as laundry and phone calls
• Visa for Israel ( if /when needed)