Archive for Multi – Page 2

Grand Tour of Arabia (19 Days)

Private Tour Egypt, Dubai and Jordan a la Indiana Jones

For Guests who can afford and want
the best when touring the Near East.
A 19 day Ultimate Tour of Egypt,
The United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
Including Alexandria and Abu Simbel Temples

Sphinx and Pyramid

Sphinx and Pyramid © Mikhail Nekrasov | Dreamstime.com

Indiana Jones himself couldn’t squeeze more adventure into this journey: Cairo and the Pyramids, a cruise on the Nile, the fabled temples and tombs of Luxor and Thebes, Alexander the Great’s own city – Alexandria, diving in the Red Sea, the mountains of Sinai, and a trek to the mysterious ruins of Petra in Jordan. Dubai is a true modern rendition of the 1001 Arabian Nights. Tour this Emirate on the Arabian Gulf. A taste of Arabia with a cosmopolitan lifestyle. In Dubai you’ll find year round sunshine and un-crowded, clean sandy beaches.

Tour

DAY 1- CAIRO: Daily – Year Round – You choose your own dates
Our Egypt-based staff greets you in the bustling Cairo airport and escorts you to your hotel.
Grand Hyatt (Club level room), Conrad Cairo Hotel (Club level room), Sonesta, J. W. Marriott (Club level room), Mena House (Garden Wing – Pyramids View), or Meridien Pyramids – Pyramids view or similar. Egyptian visa may be issued upon arrival for a limited number of nationalities such as American, Australian, Canadian, NZ, EU, Korean (South), Singaporean & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival). Guests will pay the fee locally (about $15 USD – subject to change). After exiting the terminal our local representative will escort you by private vehicle to the hotel.

DAY 2 – CAIRO: (BLD)
Your exploration of the ancient world begins today! First stop is the Egyptian Museum, with its treasures of the ancient pharaohs: mummies, statuary, precious stones and metals. We’ll also stop at the Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque, before a walking tour of Khan El Khalili old district. Lunch is included at Naguib Mahfouz or similar. Dinner is included at the hotel. Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle.

DAY 3 – CAIRO: Tuesday (BLD) DAHSOUR – HOME HOSTED MEAL
After breakfast, we’ll motor to the edge of Cairo, to the mysterious Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza. The museum of the Royal Barge of Cheops The museum is built over the rectangular pit that housed the Royal Barge for thousands of years, the wooden boat was readied for the king’s daily journey with the sun god, Ra. Discovered in 1954, in a completely dismantled state, the 43-metre (140-foot) cedar boat is a rare window on the Royal boats used by the kings of Ancient Egypt.

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!

Continue to Dahshour, the newly-opened pyramid field south of Cairo. We visit the great pyramid of Senfru, father of Cheops, and other structures.

The “Discovery” of Dahshour:
For almost half a century, the great field of huge pyramids near the desert village of Dahshour, 25 miles south of Cairo, has been off limits to the public. Confined within the perimeter of a military base were many pyramids, including the great 4500-year-old pyramid built by Senfru, father of Cheops. Senfru’s pyramid, the largest in Egypt until his son built Giza’s Great Pyramid, is rhomboidal in shape: it tapers more distinctly on its upper half. All the pyramids were coated in thick plaster at one time. Most have lost these protective, decorative sheaths, but Senfru’s–miraculously–is still in place. Lunch is included at a local restaurant or at your hotel.

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! 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 dinner back at the hotel with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle.

Octavious visiting Alexander the Great's Tomb in Alexandria just after he defeated Cleopatra & Marc Anthony. He left his coat as a token of respect to Alexander the Great. The search continues for Alexander the Great's Tomb.

Octavious visiting Alexander the Great’s Tomb in Alexandria just after he defeated Cleopatra & Marc Anthony. He left his coat as a token of respect to Alexander the Great. The search continues for Alexander the Great’s Tomb.

DAY 4 – CAIRO / Alexandria: (BL)
After breakfast, your Cairo guide will be with you on board the train. We will escort you to the Cairo Railway station to board your first class air-conditioned train to Alexandria. Upon arrival at Sidi Gaber station we will start with our full day touring.

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 Palace was discovered, as well as Caesar Kiosk. Lunch is included at a local restaurant. On to the New Library of Alexandria before we head back to your hotel. Palestine Montazah Hotel in the Royal Gardens of the former Royal Palace of King Farouk or the Four Seasons San Stefano Hotel. Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle

DAY 5 – Alexandria & Wadi El Natroun Monasteries / Cairo (BLD)
After breakfast, we ‘ll visit the new museum in Alexandria, the building was originally built in 1926 for the US consulate in Alexandria and is a masterpiece in 1920’s architecture & Mediterranean style buildings, the USA sold the building at a token price to the Egyptian state to turn into a museum, then its off to the desert highway, heading south for Cairo, we’ll stop at Wadi El Natroun monastery almost midway to Cairo, 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 and your hotel. J. W. Marriott (Club level room) or similar. Dinner is included at the hotel.

Private Tour of Egypt & Turkey – Private Guide – Private Chauffeur

DAY 6 -CAIRO / ABU SIMBEL: (Private car/driver/Guide) (B, Lunch box, D)
After an early breakfast we fly to Abu Simbel (via Aswan).
In Abu Simbel your private guide & private chauffeur will be waiting for you at the airport

Ramses the Great – Master Builder: We tour the larger temple dedicated to the Mighty Pharaoh, colossal figures of Ramses are seated with the gods and attended by his queen and daughters.

The smaller temple is dedicated to Queen Nefertari, who appears as Hathor, the goddess of love, joy and fertility, symbolized by the benevolent cow. We explore these fine temples, after which retire to a comfortable hotel for refreshments, fly back to Aswan and your hotel: the Old Cataract, Nile View superior room, or Aswan Movenpick Hotel – Junior Suite. Dinner is included at the hotel

DAY 7 – ASWAN: Nile Cruise – Private Egyptologist for all Cruise Shore Excursions (BLD)
Sonesta M/S Star Goddess Nile Cruise – All Suites – All with Private Balconies (or similar), where we settle you into your cabin on your Nile steamer. Welcome drink served upon arrival. A complimentary fruit basket awaits you in your deluxe cabin.

We’ll visit the world famous Nubian Museum, the enormous dams at Aswan, then board a launch on Lake Nasser to visit the Temples of Philae, rescued from rising waters.

Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle

DAY 8 – KOM OMBO (BLD)
We cruise northward down the Nile today, at a stately pace, disembarking for a visit to Kom Ombo, the twin temple dedicated to the crocodile river god, Sobek. We’ll also see Haroeris, the solar disk. Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle

DAY 9 – EDFU and LUXOR (BLD)
Horse-drawn carriages or vans meet us at riverside to take us through Edfu to the Temple of Horus, best-preserved in all of Egypt. Then we’ll continue beside the Nile to take in an array of ancient splendors: the Valley of the Kings; the imposing tomb-temple of Queen Hatshepsut; and, back in Luxor, the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak.

Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle

DAY 10 – Disembark – Fly to SHARM EL SHEIKH – RED SEA (B)
Now that you’ve seen the best of the Egypt of the Pharaohs, our guides escort you to the airport. You’ll fly over the Sinai Peninsula and land at historic Sharm El Sheik on the Red Sea. You’re at the beach and free to swim, or explore under the waters.

Hotel: Hyatt Sharm El Sheikh (Club level room), or Four Seasons Sharm El Sheikh (Standard Room), or similar

DAY 11 – SHARM EL SHEIK (B)
Relax! Today is set aside as a strategic mid-journey break. Spend some time in the sun, but don’t miss your chance to snorkel or dive under Red Sea waters for an array of coral and glittering tropical fish.

DAY 12 – MOUNT SINAI (BL)
Our knowledgeable guides arrange a pre-dawn departure into the still-cool wilderness of Sinai, through which Moses led the Children of Israel to the Promised Land. Our goal is the Monastery of St. Catherine, built of rock at the base of Mount Sinai, at the site of the Burning Bush. We tour the monastery, rich in history, icons and sacred paintings, then return to Sharm El Sheik. Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle

DAY 13 – Sharm , Amman – Petra – Jordan
(B, Lunch Box, D)
Breakfast is included at the hotel. Lunch box will be prepared by your hotel chef. We’ll fly to Amman non-stop or via Cairo, our Jordan-based representative waits to greet you. You’ll drive north under a towering ridge of mountains, and arrive at your hotel in Petra for the night. Jordanian visa fee, please pay $30 upon arrival at Amman Airport. Visa issued upon arrival for a limited number of nationalities such as : for American, Australian, NZ, Canadian, EU Citizens, Singaporean & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival.

In the evening we will call on you for a unique experience:

Dine as a local: The Petra Kitchen is a delightful way to round out your Jordan travel experiences. Like any home kitchen, The Petra Kitchen is a relaxed, informal atmosphere where you’ll gather to prepare an evening meal, working alongside local women under the supervision of our chef.

Each evening meal includes soup, cold and hot mezza (appetizers), salads, and a main course all typical Jordanian dishes. You will have get an inside glimpse of the secrets behind the famous regional cuisine of the Levant.

The Petra Kitchen offers an evening of learning, fun and a very special dining experience, with each dish gaining the special flavor of a reward well-earned. Great care has been taken to make The Petra Kitchen a truly Jordanian experience right down to the furnishings, all crafted in Jordan, the tableware, all produced by the Iraq al Amir Women’s Co-operative, and the aprons and table linens, all hand-embroidered by the Jordan River Foundation.

Tour experience tonight includes the cuisine course, meal and all non-alcoholic beverages as well as take-home recipes for all dishes prepared that evening.

DAY 14 – PETRA (BD)
We’ll spend the entire day at Petra, the stunning desert city hewn by the Nabateans from solid cliffs of pink and violet sandstone. Petra was known in the bible as Sela, and rediscovered only in 1812. You’ll feel like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark as you penetrate into the city through a narrow sandstone gorge, the Siq, and wander among the Temple of the Winged Lion, tombs, Roman theater, and the imposing Treasury.

Petra has a lot to tell. The visit starts at the visitor’s center, where each person is assigned a Bedouin guided horse for the journey to the entrance of the lost city. After passing some tombs which are located outside the city, the visitor passes through the SIQ, an immense crack in the Nubian sandstone. It is a winding, one-kilometer-long fissure between overhanging cliffs that seem to meet more than 300 feet overhead.

Near the end of the passage, the SIQ, with great style, makes one last turn and out of the gloom in towering brightness appears Petra’s most impressive monument, el Khazneh – The Treasury. This is one of the most elegant remains of antiquity, carved out of the solid rock from the side of the mountain, is nearly 140 feet high and 90 feet wide.

Beyond el Khazneh the visitor is surrounded on both sides by hundreds of Petra’s carved and built structures, soaring temples, elaborate royal tombs, a carved Roman theater, large and small houses, burial chambers and much more. The Victorian traveler and poet, Dean Burgon, gave Petra a description which holds to this day – “Match me such a marvel save in Eastern clime, a rose-red city half as old as time.” After that, the group will return to the hotel to get prepared for a Moonlight dinner served at a Bedouin camp. This evening we have a fantastic traditional dinner under the stars in a Bedouin camp, at a site that dates back more than 2,000 years. Petra Marriott or Movenpick or similar.

Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle

DAY 15 – DEPARTURE FOR ARABIA (B)
DUBAI: We will fly to Dubai as we fly across the Arabian Peninsula to reach this charming Emirate on the Arabian Gulf. A taste of Arabia with a cosmopolitan lifestyle. In Dubai you’ll find year round sunshine and un-crowded, clean sandy beaches.

In this Arabian society you’ll find a very warm & welcoming team & society awaits you in Dubai. While shopping may not be high on your list, you will find Dubai’s tax free markets means bargains galore. Attractive traditional Middle Eastern gifts – coffee pots, rugs, silverware, jewelry, brass, and one of the world’s greatest gold trading centers offering unbeatable value. Hong Kong is no longer able to compete with Dubai with the wide selection of low – priced international brand name products – audio equipment, VCRs, cameras, watches, fashions, perfumes and more. And do not forget about the award-winning Dubai Duty Free at the airport. Upon arrival, our local rep will meet you and escort you to your hotel.

Arriving at Dubai International Airport you’ll be delighted to discover Travel in Style’s VIP Red Carpet welcome procedures: you are met by our English-speaking representative who escorts you from your plane to a comfortable air-conditioned lounge where you can freshen up and recover from your flight. While you relax, our representative completes your Immigration procedures, collects your luggage, clears it through Customs, and transfers it to your private, air-conditioned vehicle. Escorted from the lounge to your vehicle, your private chauffeur transfers you to your hotel, assisting with your luggage when you arrive. Red Carpet Treatment: that’s the Travel in Style difference.

DAY 16 – DUBAI (BLD)
Half Day Dubai City Tour: Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle
Sample the historic sites and vibrant cosmopolitan life of Dubai on this comprehensive tour. The Tour begins in Jumeira, the picturesque palace and residential area of Dubai, also home to the famous Jumeira Mosque. The next stop is Sheikh Saeed House (former residence of ruling family). The Tour then continues to Al Bastakiya, the old part of Dubai, to reach the museum located in Al Fahidi Fort. All guests board the Abra (water taxi) to cross the Creek to the spice souk. Before savoring the sights and sounds of the fish, fruit and vegetable market, there is time to shop in the most famous landmark of Dubai – the Gold souk. Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant. We will have a brief stop at Ski Dubai (guest who wish to ski will purchase tickets on own locally).

Evening Dhow Cruise Dinner:
For a fabulous relaxing evening join our fully fitted Arabian dhow for an evening’s cruise on the Creek. Enjoy a sumptuous feast of Arabic and Western cuisine while gently gliding past illuminated souks, banks and palaces.

DAY 17 – Desert Safari with dinner in the Arabian Desert – DUBAI (BD)
Half Day Desert Safari (4 Wheel Drive):
Morning at leisure, enjoy beach activities. This tour departs in the afternoon across the desert of Dubai with several photo-stops during an exciting dune drive to the first destination a camel farm. The drive continues across the desert. We stop to watch the beautiful sunset before reaching our campsite.

After working up an appetite enjoy a delicious barbecue dinner and a shisha (the most famous Arabic Water pipe). We conclude the evening with a true 1001 Arabian Nights tradition with a belly dancer performing her dance around the campfire before we head back to your hotel in Dubai or Sharja.

DAY 18 – DUBAI: East Coast Tour – Arabian Emirates (BL)
After breakfast, we head for Dhaid and then on to the Hajar mountains that offer a beautiful natural backdrop for Dubai. A stop at a local market, where the local shop for locally made pottery, fruits and carpets. We will stop as well in Dibba and a brief stop at the colorful local fish market, always with the fresh catch from the Arabian Gulf. We drive along the coast passing by enchanting small villages and fishermen wharfs, we arrive at Al Badiyah mosque, one of the earliest mosques built in the UAE, continue on to Khor Fakkan, a regional popular spot for diving and snorkeling, where there will be an opportunity to relax at the beach and have a refreshing swim, stopping as well as the Khor Fakkah souk. Continue to Fujairah where we stop at the renovated Fort. Before returning to Dubai, stop at the oasis of Bitnah and time to wander on the “Friday Market” in Masafi. Lunch is included enroute in a charming local restaurant.

DAY 19 – DUBAI: Departure (B)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home. Or, you may choose to add one of our extensions. Bon Voyage!

RATES per person in USD
Deluxe First Class
Triple US$ 8600. US$ 7980.
Double US$ 9001. US$ 8010.
Single US$ 12,100. US$ 10,130.
For Easter week, Christmas, New Year’s: please note that a 15% supplement will apply.

Prices include:

  • All transfers in all three countries. Always with a Private Guide – Private Chauffeur – Private air-conditioned vehicle.
  • Tips to all your drivers, porters, guides, and the crew on board your Nile cruise
  • One way air fare Cairo / Amman / Dubai in business class, tax included.
  • All domestic flights in Egypt, as per itinerary all in business class, tax included.
  • Air-conditioned hotel accommodations with tax and service charges
  • Nile cruise including all shore excursion and all meals while on board
  • Sightseeing with PRIVATE professional guide and entrance fees as indicated
  • Meals as indicated, with pre-set menu (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
  • United Arab Emirates and Egyptian visa fee (valid only for American, Australian, NZ EU, Canadian, Mexican, Singaporean & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival).
  • Dubai VIP Meet & Greet Service at the Airport :
    Arriving at Dubai International Airport you’ll be delighted to discover Travel in Style’s VIP Red Carpet welcome procedures: you are met by our English-speaking representative who escorts you from your plane to a comfortable air-conditioned lounge where you can freshen up and recover from your flight. While you relax, our representative completes your Immigration procedures, collects your luggage, clears it through Customs, and transfers it to your private, air-conditioned vehicle. Escorted from the lounge to your vehicle, your private chauffeur transfers you to your hotel, assisting with your luggage when you arrive. Red Carpet Treatment: that’s the Travel in Style difference.
  • 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.
Amman Sheraton Al-Nabil, Hyatt or similar Upgrade in Dubai
Dubai Hilton Dubai Jumeirah.Sheraton Jumeirahor similar Le Meridien Mina Seyahi:
Please add $450
Per person in doubleThe Jumeirah Beach Hotel. Royal Mirage.
The Arabian Court Hotel:Please add: $950
Per person in double
Petra Movenpick Petra Hotel, Marriott Petra Hotel, or similar For Burj Al Arab Hotel:
Please add $4555 per person in double SUITE
Including Rolls-Royce round-trip airport transfers in Dubai
Sample First class Hotels:
Amman Golden Tulip Hotel Amman or similar
Dubai Novotel Dubai, Dubai Four point Sheraton, Qamardeen hotel Dubai
Petra Golden Tulip Petra Hotel, or similar

 

Not included:

  • Personal expenses and beverages.
  • Tips
  • Additional meals and services
  • Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
  • International air fares from/to your home country
  • Jordanian visa fee in $ USD or Euros payable upon arrival for American, Australian, NZ, Canadian & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival).
Hospitality Trumps Bottom Line at Emirates – April 2010
Dust cloud over Europe! Passengers stranded worldwide, usually without assistance from their airlines, except …
In keeping with its core values and traditional hospitality, Emirates Airlines stepped forward to ensure that each and every one of thousands of passengers delayed in Dubai and elsewhere received three meals a day and accommodations.
The cost to Emirates is well over $2 million a day in addition to its lost passenger revenue. But to passengers who would have been left out in the cold by other airlines, the value is priceless.
Maybe it’s time for guests to consider travel with airlines that really care.

Quick Tour of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates (5 Days)

A Five Day Arabian Adventure – Private Touring

Dubai Marina at Night. © Typhoonski | Dreamstime.com

Dubai Marina at Night. © Typhoonski | Dreamstime.com

Dubai the true land of Arabia and 1001 Arabian Nights

Tour

DAY 01 – DUBAI: Daily Arrival – Choose your own date. Private Touring – Private Transfers
Please note that Friday is the weekend. We may switch tours around based on your arrival date, to accommodate local holidays and weekend.

Arrive at Dubai International Airport at the United Arab Emirate on the Arabian Gulf. Complimentary visa will be issued upon arrival for the following nationalities; UK, EU, Switzerland, Sweden, USA, Canada, Australia, NZ, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei. You are responsible for having a valid passport. Upon arrival, our local rep will meet you and escort you to your hotel.

A taste of Arabia with a cosmopolitan lifestyle. In Dubai you’ll find year round sunshine, un-crowded, clean sandy beaches. In this crime-free society you’ll find a very warm & welcoming team & society awaits you in Dubai. While shopping may not be high on your list, yet Dubai’s tax free markets means bargains galore. Attractive traditional Middle Eastern gifts – coffee pots, rugs, silverware, jewelry, brass, and one of the world’s greatest gold trading centers offering unbeatable value. Hong Kong is no longer able to compete with Dubai with the wide selection of low – priced international brand name products – audio equipment, VCRs, cameras, watches, fashions, perfumes and more, do not forget: the award-winning Dubai Duty Free at the airport.

Arriving at Dubai Inetranational Airort you’ll be delighted to discover Travel in Style’s VIP Red Carpet welcome procedures: you are met by our English-speaking representative who escorts you from your plane to a comfortable air-conditioned lounge where you can freshen up and recover from your flight. While you relax, our representative completes your Immigration procedures, collects your luggage, clears it through Customs, and transfers it to your private, air-conditioned vehicle. Escorted from the lounge to your vehicle, your private chauffeur transfers you to your hotel, assisting with your luggage when you arrive. Red Carpet Treatment: that’s the Travel in Style difference.

DAY 2 – DUBAI: (BLD)
Private Touring: Dubai City Tour and the Gold souks.
Sample the historic sites and vibrant cosmopolitan life of Dubai on this comprehensive tour. The Tour begins in Jumeira, the picturesque palace and residential area of Dubai, also home to the famous Jumeira Mosque. The next stop is Sheikh Saeed House (former residence of ruling family). The Tour then continues to Al Bastakiya, the old part of Dubai, to reach the museum located in Al Fahidi Fort. All guests board the Abra (water taxi) to cross the Creek to the spice souk. Before savoring the sights and sounds of the fish, fruit and vegetable market, lunch is included in a charming local restaurant.

In the afternoon we focus on the shopping and treasure hunt, we will take you to where the local go shopping as well as Dubai famous Gold souk. We will have a brief stop at Ski Dubai (guest who wish to ski will purchase tickets on their own locally).

Evening Dhow Cruise Dinner:
For a fabulous relaxing evening join our fully fitted Arabian dhow for an evening’s cruise on the Creek. Enjoy a sumptuous feast of Arabic and Western cuisine while gently gliding past illuminated souks, banks and palaces.

You'll have lots of choices for dining while in Dubai such as Al Khayal which is a fine dining Lebanese Cuisine Restaurant at the Jumeirah Beach hotel that has belly dancing and a live band.

You’ll have lots of choices for dining while in Dubai such as Al Khayal which is a fine dining Lebanese Cuisine Restaurant at the Jumeirah Beach hotel that has belly dancing and a live band.

DAY 3 – Desert Safari with dinner in the Arabian Desert – DUBAI: (BD)
Half Day Desert Safari (4 Wheel Drive):
Morning at leisure, or enjoy some beach activities.
This Desert Safari tour departs in the afternoon across the desert of Dubai with several photo opp -stops during an exciting 4 x 4 dune drive to the first destination a camel farm. The drive continues across the desert. Keep in mind that before we head into the dunes area your driver will deflate the wheels of the 4X4 to allow for a smoother ride across the Sahara.

Dune bashing has become known as a fun experience – you will feel the thrill of desert driving as your professional driver takes you up and down on golden dunes. We stop to watch the beautiful sunset before reaching our campsite where you have the opportunity to do camel riding. After working up an appetite enjoy a delicious barbecue dinner and a shisha (the most famous Arabic Water pipe). We conclude the evening with a true 1001 Arabian Nights tradition and With a belly dancer performing her dance around the campfire before we head back to your hotel in Dubai.

DAY 4 – DUBAI – East Coast Tour: (BL)
After breakfast, we head for Dhaid and then on to the Hajar mountains that offer a beautiful natural backdrop for Dubai. A stop at a local market, where the local shop for locally made pottery, fruits and carpets. We will stop as well in Dibba and a brief stop at the colorful local fish market, always with the fresh catch from the Arabian Gulf, We will then drive along the coast passing by enchanting small villages and fishermen wharfs arriving at Al Badiyah mosque, one of the earliest mosques built in the UAE. Continue on to Khor Fakkan, a regional popular spot for diving and snorkeling, where there will be an opportunity to relax at the beach and have a refreshing swim. Stop as well as the Khor Fakkah souk. Continue to Fujairah where we stop at the renovated Fort. Before returning to Dubai, stop at the oasis of Bitnah and time to wander on the “Friday Market” in Masafi. Lunch is included enroute in a charming local restaurant.

DAY 5 – DEPARTURE FOR HOME (B)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home. Or, you may choose to add one of our extensions.

Rates per person in USD
Deluxe Ultra Deluxe
Burj Al Arab Hotel
(Double Suite) or similar
Triple US$ 2035. US$ 6385.
Double US$ 2150. US$ 6590.
Single US$ 2960. US$ 7610.
Children Discount: 25 % Discount when sharing with parents same room. Children: 11 years of age and younger. Infants: 2 years and younger; Free.

Prices include:

  • All transfers on a private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.
  • Air-conditioned hotel accommodations with tax and service charges
  • Sightseeing with professional guide and entrance fees as indicated
  • Meals as indicated, with pre-set menu (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
  • UAE visa fee (valid only for a limited number of nationalities such as: American EU, Australian, NZ and Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival).
  • Dubai VIP Meet & Greet Service at the Airport:
    Arriving at Dubai Inetranational Airort you’ll be delighted to discover Travel in Style’s VIP Red Carpet welcome procedures: you are met by our English-speaking representative who escorts you from your plane to a comfortable air-conditioned lounge where you can freshen up and recover from your flight. While you relax, our representative completes your Immigration procedures, collects your luggage, clears it through Customs, and transfers it to your private, air-conditioned vehicle. Escorted from the lounge to your vehicle, your private chauffeur transfers you to your hotel, assisting with your luggage when you arrive. Red Carpet Treatment: that’s the Travel in Style difference.

Dubai Deluxe Hotels – Sample Hotels or similar:
Hilton Dubai Jumeirah, Beach Sheraton Jumeirah, Le Meridien Mina Seyahi, JW Marriott, Kempinski Dubai, Park Hyatt, Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort or similar.

Not included:

  • Personal expenses and beverages
  • International air fare from / to your home country
  • Gratuities
  • Additional meals and services
  • Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
Hospitality Trumps Bottom Line at Emirates – April 2010
Dust cloud over Europe! Passengers stranded worldwide, usually without assistance from their airlines, except …
In keeping with its core values and traditional hospitality, Emirates Airlines stepped forward to ensure that each and every one of thousands of passengers delayed in Dubai and elsewhere received three meals a day and accommodations.
The cost to Emirates is well over $2 million a day in addition to its lost passenger revenue. But to passengers who would have been left out in the cold by other airlines, the value is priceless.
Maybe it’s time for guests to consider travel with airlines that really care.
Burj Al-Arab Hotel

Burj Al Arab Hotel at sunsetDesigned to resemble a billowing sail, the hotel soars to a height of 321 metes, dominating the Dubai coastline. At night, it offers an unforgettable sight, surrounded by choreographed colour sculptures of water and fire. This all-suite hotel reflects the finest that the world has to offer.

With your chauffeur driven Rolls Royce, discreet in-suite check in, private reception desk on every floor and a brigade of highly trained butlers who provide around-the-clock attention, you can be assured of a highly personalized service throughout your stay.

Tour of Arabia (14 Days)

A Grand 14-day Tour of Egypt and Dubai
The Two Gems of Arabia and the Near East
Including a 5-Day Luxury Nile Cruise

Sailing the Nile on a Felucca

Sailing the Nile on a Felucca. © Temistocle Lucarelli | Dreamstime.com

Indiana Jones himself couldn’t squeeze more adventure into this journey: Cairo and the Pyramids, a cruise on the Nile, the fabled temples and tombs of Luxor and Thebes, diving in the Red Sea. And Dubai is a true modern rendition of the 1001 Arabian Nights. Tour this Emirate on the Arabian Gulf. A taste of Arabia with a cosmopolitan lifestyle. In Dubai you’ll find year round sunshine and un-crowded, clean sandy beaches.

Tour

DAY 1 – CAIRO: Sunday – Weekly Year Round
Our local representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. VIP Meet & Greet Service at Cairo Airport.
Visa fee is included and 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 shop., 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 your name.

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 by private vehicle to the hotel.

DAY 2 – CAIRO- Giza: Monday (BL)
Your exploration of the ancient world begins today! First stop is Giza and the mysteries of the Pyramids and the enigmatic Sphinx, we visit as well Cheops Royal Barge Museum. Lunch is served at the Mena House. Afternoon tour of the Memphis, Sakkara, the Step Pyramid and Imhotep Museum.

Great Sphinx of Giza (foreground) Pyramid of Menkaure

Great Sphinx of Giza (foreground) Pyramid of Menkaure

DAY 3 – CAIRO: Tuesday (BL)
Breakfast is included at the hotel. Today we show you the Egyptian Museum, including the ” Mummies Room” and King Tut’s Gold Treasure Pavilion. Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant such as Naguib Mahfouz or Hadaik el-Azhar, tea or coffee as well as one large bottle of water is included for each guest with our compliment with your lunch. In the afternoon we’ll enjoy a leisurely walking tour of the 12-century old district of Khan El Khalili and the ancient bazaar district, tour of the Citadel of Saladin, and the Mohammed Ali Mosque, made of alabaster. Private air conditioned vehicle, private Egyptologist, and chauffeur for your tour in Cairo.

DAY 4 – ASWAN: Wednesday, Nile Cruise (BLD)
After and early breakfast we fly to Aswan in Aswan, where we settle you into your cabin on your Nile steamer. Welcome drink served upon arrival. A complimentary fruit basket awaits you in your deluxe cabin. We’ll visit the enormous dams at Aswan, then board a launch on Lake Nasser to visit the Temples of Philae, rescued from rising waters. 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!

In the afternoon we’ll have the opportunity to experience Egypt at its most authentic, as we sail the Nile in a graceful Felucca, the age-old sailing vessel of the river to visit Elephantine Island and the Botanical Garden. In the evening our local guide will call on you once again for a horse-drawn carriage ride throughout Aswan and the local souks.

DAY 5 – KOM OMBO: Thursday (BLD)
We cruise northward down the Nile today, at a stately pace, disembarking for a visit to Kom Ombo, the twin temple dedicated to the crocodile river god, Sobek. We’ll also see Haroeris, the solar disk.

DAY 6 – EDFU and LUXOR: Friday (BLD)
Horse-drawn carriages or vans meet us at riverside to take us through Edfu to the Temple of Horus, best-preserved in all of Egypt. Then we’ll continue beside the Nile to take in an array of ancient splendors: the Valley of the Kings; the imposing tomb-temple of Queen Hatshepsut; and, back in Luxor, the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak.

DAY 7 – Luxor – Cairo: Saturday (B)
Morning tour of Deir El Medinah: on Luxor’s west bank you 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, we include as well a tour of Madinet Habu and the Ramesseum. Now that you’ve seen the best of the Egypt of the Pharaohs, our guides escort you to the airport. You’ll fly over the Nile Valley back to Cairo and your hotel. Sample Deluxe: Fairmont Heliopolis, City Stars InterContinental or similar.

DAY 8 – Cairo: Sunday (B)
Breakfast is included at the hotel. Morning tour of Muez LedeenAllah Street. Cairo old gates and walls. Beit El Sehiimi and more. Afternoon at leisure. Relax! this afternoon is set aside as a strategic mid-journey break. Spend some time in the sun, or explore Cairo as you wish on your own.

DAY 9 – Cairo – Giza: Monday (BL)
Today we drive to the edge of the Sahara and Giza. Tour includes the Sphinx, the Pyramids of Giza, and the Cheops Royal Barge Museum. Complimentary short Camel ride is included to allow you a photo opp with the Pyramids in the background. Time is limited so please do not go for what the camel driver tries to convince you, i.e. go for a long ride around the Pyramids. Lunch is included at the Mena House.
On to Memphis, Sakkara and the Step Pyramid. We return to your hotel late afternoon.

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! 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, just let us know your preferences.

DAY 10 – DEPARTURE FOR ARABIA: Tuesday (B)
DUBAI: We will fly to Dubai as we fly across the Arabian Peninsula to reach this charming Emirate on the Arabian Gulf. A taste of Arabia with a cosmopolitan lifestyle. Air fare is included one way Cairo Dubai in business class, tax included. In Dubai you’ll find year round sunshine and un-crowded, clean sandy beaches. In this Arabian society you ‘ll find a very warm & welcoming team & society awaiting you in Dubai. While shopping may not be high on your list, you will find that Dubai’s tax free markets means bargains galore. Attractive traditional Middle Eastern gifts – coffee pots, rugs, silverware, jewelry, brass, and one of the world’s greatest gold trading centers offering unbeatable value. Hong Kong is no longer able to compete with Dubai with the wide selection of low – priced international brand name products – audio equipment, VCRs, cameras, watches, fashions, perfumes and more. And do not forget the award-winning Dubai Duty Free at the airport. Upon arrival our local rep will meet you and escort you to your hotel.

Arriving at Dubai International Airport you’ll be delighted to discover Travel in Style’s VIP Red Carpet welcome procedures: you are met by our English-speaking representative who escorts you from your plane to a comfortable air-conditioned lounge where you can freshen up and recover from your flight. While you relax, our representative completes your Immigration procedures, collects your luggage, clears it through Customs, and transfers it to your private, air-conditioned vehicle. Escorted from the lounge to your vehicle, your private chauffeur transfers you to your hotel, assisting with your luggage when you arrive. Red Carpet Treatment: that’s the Travel in Style difference.


Dubai by drone. Video by Visit Dubai.

DAY 11 – DUBAI: Wednesday (BL)
Half Day Dubai City Tour – Group Tour:
Sample the historic sites and vibrant cosmopolitan life of Dubai on this comprehensive tour. The Tour begins in Jumeira, the picturesque palace and residential area of Dubai, also home to the famous Jumeira Mosque. The next stop is Sheikh Saeed House (former residence of ruling family). The Tour then continues to Al Bastakiya, the old part of Dubai, to reach the museum located in Al Fahidi Fort. All guests board the Abra (water taxi) to cross the Creek to the spice souk. Before savoring the sights and sounds of the fish, fruit and vegetable market, there is time to shop in the most famous landmark of Dubai – the Gold souk. Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant.

DAY 12 – Desert Safari with dinner in the Arabian Desert – DUBAI: Thursday (BD)
Half Day Desert Safari (4 Wheel Drive):
Morning at leisure, enjoy beach activities. This tour departs in the afternoon across the desert of Dubai with several photo-stops during an exciting dune drive to the first destination a camel farm. The drive continues across the desert.

We stop to watch the beautiful sunset before reaching our campsite where you have the opportunity to do camel riding. After working up an appetite enjoy a delicious barbecue dinner and a shisha (the most famous Arabic Water pipe). We conclude the evening with a true 1001 Arabian Nights tradition and With a belly dancer performing her dance around the campfire before we head back to your hotel in Dubai or Sharja.

DAY 13 – DUBAI: Friday (B)
Breakfast is included at the hotel. Full day at leisure , to explore Dubai as you wish.

DAY 14 – DUBAI – Departure: Saturday (B)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home. Bon Voyage!

RATES per person in USD
Deluxe First Class
Triple US$ 4600. US$ 4195.
Double US$ 4810. US$ 4255.
Single US$ 6150. US$ 4940.

For Easter week, Christmas, and New Year’s: please note that a 10 % supplement will apply.

Prices include:

  • All transfers in Egypt & Dubai, always on a private basis: private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur
  • International air fares: one way Cairo to Dubai in business class, tax included.
  • All the tips for your drivers, porters, guides and the crew on board your Nile cruises.
  • As well as all flight within Egypt all in business class.
  • Air-conditioned hotel accommodations with tax and service charges
  • Sightseeing with professional guide and entrance fees as indicated
  • Meals as indicated, with pre-set menu (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
  • Luxury Nile cruise, with all meals, a welcome fruit basket, complimentary bottle of water for each guest, delivered to your cabin daily while on board the cruise. As well as bottled water and tea or coffee with each meal while on board the cruise
  • All shore excursions, aboard, these luxury Nile cruises: M/S Amarco, Monaco, M/S Royal Lotus M/S Mojito, Movenpick M/S Royal Lotus, Movenpick M/S Royal Lily, Movenpick M/S Radamis, Sonesta M/ S Sun Goddess, M/S Queen of Hansa, or the M/S Princess Sara, subject to availability.
  • VIP Meet & Greet Service at Cairo Airport upon arrival.
  • United Arab Emirates Visa Fee, as well as Egypt’s Visa fee: included and will be issued upon arrival at airports 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.
  • Dubai VIP Meet & Greet Service at the Airport:
    Arriving at Dubai International Airport you’ll be delighted to discover Travel in Style’s VIP Red Carpet welcome procedures: you are met by our English-speaking representative who escorts you from your plane to a comfortable air-conditioned lounge where you can freshen up and recover from your flight. While you relax, our representative completes your Immigration procedures, collects your luggage, clears it through Customs, and transfers it to your private, air-conditioned vehicle. Escorted from the lounge to your vehicle, your private chauffeur transfers you to your hotel, assisting with your luggage when you arrive. Red Carpet Treatment: that’s the Travel in Style difference.
Sample Deluxe Hotels:
Dubai The Jumeirah Beach Hotel, The Kempinski Hotel, Hyatt Hotel or similar Upgrades in Dubai: Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Hotel: Please add $450 USD per person in double. Royal Mirage. The Arabian Court Hotel. Please add: $ 950 Per person in double
Sample First class Hotels:
Dubai Novotel Dubai, Dubai Four point Sheraton, Qamardeen hotel Dubai

Not included:

  • Personal expenses and beverages.
  • Tips.
  • Additional meals and services.
  • Trip interruption and cancellation insurance.
Hospitality Trumps Bottom Line at Emirates – April 2010
Dust cloud over Europe! Passengers stranded worldwide, usually without assistance from their airlines, except …
In keeping with its core values and traditional hospitality, Emirates Airlines stepped forward to ensure that each and every one of thousands of passengers delayed in Dubai and elsewhere received three meals a day and accommodations.
The cost to Emirates is well over $2 million a day in addition to its lost passenger revenue. But to passengers who would have been left out in the cold by other airlines, the value is priceless.
Maybe it’s time for guests to consider travel with airlines that really care.

The United Arab Emirates and The Sultanate of Oman (9 Days)

Discover Dubai and Oman
All in 9 Days

A Grand Arabian Adventure – Private Touring

Girls in an underwater world zoo, Dubai.

Girls in an underwater world zoo, Dubai.
© Jeroen Van Den Broek | Dreamstime.com

Guests arriving Salalah Oman by cruise, please click here

More and more of our repeat customers are considering new “off the beaten track” destinations. Be one of the first to adventure into Arabia: Oman! where Desert traditions and warm hospitality are part of everyday life, adventure is a given. The call of the muezzin and the dhows of sea traders from all over infuse your visit with the exotic. It’s a whole new world, but we’ll ease your way by arranging the most comfortable lodgings available, along with tours that will provide an exceptional window into local ways, while allowing time for optional excursions and your own discoveries. Here we have combined Oman with a true exotic gem on the Arabian Gulf: Dubai. A taste of Arabia with a cosmopolitan lifestyle. In Dubai you’ll find year round sunshine and un-crowded, clean sandy beaches. In this crime-free society you’ll find a very warm & welcoming team & society awaits you in Dubai. While shopping may not be high on your list, you will find Dubai’s tax free markets means bargains galore. Attractive traditional Middle Eastern gifts – coffee pots, rugs, silverware, jewelry, brass, and one of the world’s greatest gold trading centers offering unbeatable value. Hong Kong is no longer able to compete with Dubai with the wide selection of low – priced international brand name products – audio equipment, VCRs, cameras, watches, fashions, perfumes and more. And do not forget the award-winning Dubai Duty Free at the airport.

Tour

DAY 01 – NYC or SFO – Fly Emirates Airlines to DUBAI:
Daily. Choose your own date. Private Touring
Board your LUXURY Emirates Airlines flight in NYC or SFO. Enjoy the ultimate in comfort on board. The world’s only Luxury Airline.

DAY 2 – DUBAI- VIP Meet & Greet Service:
Daily Arrival – Choose your own date. Private Touring – Private Transfers
Please note that Friday is the weekend in Arabia. We may switch tours around based on your arrival date to accommodate local holidays and weekends.

Arrive at Dubai International Airport at the United Arab Emirate on the Arabian Gulf. Complimentary visa will be issued upon arrival for the following nationalities; UK, EU, Switzerland, Sweden, USA, Canada, Australia, NZ, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei. You are responsible for having a valid passport. Upon arrival our local rep will meet you and escort you to your hotel. For the Ultra Deluxe Hotel Category, your private airport transfers are based on using a deluxe Rolls Royce in Dubai.

Arriving at Dubai International Airport you’ll be delighted to discover Travel in Style’s VIP Red Carpet welcome procedures: you are met by our English-speaking representative who escorts you from your plane to a comfortable air-conditioned lounge where you can freshen up and recover from your flight. While you relax, our representative completes your Immigration procedures, collects your luggage, clears it through Customs, and transfers it to your private, air-conditioned vehicle. Escorted from the lounge to your vehicle, your private chauffeur transfers you to your hotel, assisting with your luggage when you arrive. Red Carpet Treatment: that’s the Travel in Style difference.

Emirates Airlines operate one of the youngest fleets in the world. And regular upgrades mean we'll continue to provide our passengers with a superior flight experience.

Emirates Airlines operate one of the youngest fleets in the world. And regular upgrades mean we’ll continue to provide our passengers with a superior flight experience.

DAY 3 – DUBAI: (BLD)
Private Touring — Dubai City Tour and the Gold souks:
Sample the historic sites and vibrant cosmopolitan life of Dubai on this comprehensive tour. The Tour begins in Jumeira, the picturesque palace and residential area of Dubai, also home to the famous Jumeira Mosque. The next stop is Sheikh Saeed House (former residence of the ruling family). The Tour then continues to Al Bastakiya, the old part of Dubai, to reach the museum located in Al Fahidi Fort. All guests board the Abra (water taxi) to cross the Creek to the spice souk. Before savoring the sights and sounds of the fish, fruit and vegetable market, lunch is included in a charming local restaurant.

In the afternoon we focus on the shopping and treasure hunt where we will take you to where the locals go shopping as well as Dubai famous Gold souk. We will have a brief stop at Ski Dubai (guests who wish to ski will purchase tickets on their own locally).

Evening Dhow Cruise Dinner:
For a fabulous relaxing evening join our fully fitted Arabian dhow for an evening’s cruise on the Creek. Enjoy a sumptuous feast of Arabic and Western cuisine while gently gliding past illuminated souks, banks and palaces.

DAY 4 – Desert Safari with dinner in the Arabian Desert – DUBAI (BD)
Half Day Desert Safari (4 Wheel Drive):
Morning at leisure, or enjoy some beach activities. The Desert Safari tour departs in the afternoon across the desert of Dubai with several photo op stops during an exciting 4 x 4 dune drive to the first destination at a camel farm. The drive continues across the desert. Keep in mind that before we head into the dunes area your driver will deflate the wheels of the 4X4 to allow for a smoother ride across the Sahara. Dune bashing has become known as a fun experience – you will feel the thrill of desert driving as your professional driver takes you up and down on golden dunes.

We stop to watch the beautiful sunset before reaching our campsite where you have the opportunity to do camel riding. After working up an appetite enjoy a delicious barbecue dinner and a shisha (the most famous Arabic Water pipe). We conclude the evening with a true 1001 Arabian Nights tradition with a belly dancer performing her dance around the campfire before we head back to your hotel in Dubai.

You'll have lots of choices for dining while in Dubai such as Al Khayal which is a fine dining Lebanese Cuisine Restaurant at the Jumeirah Beach hotel that has belly dancing and a live band.

You’ll have lots of choices for dining while in Dubai such as Al Khayal which is a fine dining Lebanese Cuisine Restaurant at the Jumeirah Beach hotel that has belly dancing and a live band.

DAY 5 – DUBAI -East Coast Tour: Home Hosted Dinner (BL)
After breakfast we head for Dhaid and then on to the Hajar mountains that offer a beautiful natural backdrop for Dubai. A stop at a local market where the local shop for locally made pottery, fruits and carpets. We will stop as well in Dibba and a brief stop at the colorful local fish market, always with the fresh catch from the Arabian Gulf. We drive along the coast passing by enchanting small villages and fishermen wharfs. We arrive at Al Badiyah mosque, one of the earliest mosques built in the UAE, and then continue on to Khor Fakkan, a regional popular spot for diving and snorkeling, where there will be an opportunity to relax at the beach and have a refreshing swim stopping as well as the Khor Fakkah souk. Continue to Fujairah where we stop at the renovated Fort. Before returning to Dubai, stop at the oasis of Bitnah and take time to wander on the “Friday Market” in Masafi. Lunch is included enroute in a charming local restaurant.

DAY 6 – Dubai – Muscat, Oman (B)
Our local rep. escorts you to the airport for your flight to Muscat Oman. Air fare is included in economy class, ticket issued and delivered in Dubai. You fly in over the blue Arabian Sea, soar over the desert of sand and ochre rocks, and touch down at the airport of Muscat. The air and light have a purity you might never have experienced. Our representative will be on hand to see you through the formalities and arrange your transportation to a luxury hotel such as the Grand Hyatt. The rest of the day and evening are yours to rest, dine, and discover the city on your own.

Day 7 -Muscat (BL)
After breakfast we’ve arranged for a private half-day tour of Muscat. You’ll see the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque renowned for its graceful architecture throughout the Muslim world. Please note that modest dress is required of men and women (no shorts or bare skin, and ladies should cover their heads with a scarf). We’ll continue to Bait Al Zubair, once the town home of a prominent family, and now a museum that honors Omani traditions with antiques and artifacts from desert and village life. In the Muttrah souq, or market, we’ll gaze at the wares of gold and silversmiths, traditionally used not only for personal adornment and household decoration, but as a way to store wealth. The crafting of wedding jewelry goes back centuries. You’ll also see household items from fabrics to spices to utensils, many reflecting a simpler life that disappeared from your own country long ago. Don’t overlook them as souvenirs! In the center of the Old Town you’ll visit Al Alam, the palace of Sultan Qaboos, the ruler of Oman, and walk by the Royal Diwan to the sixteenth-century forts built by the Portuguese to guard the harbor. We’ve arranged for lunch today at a charming local restaurant.

Day 8 – Muscat, Wahiba Sands (BL)
You’ve seen the town side of Oman, and now it’s time to experience the desert in all its glory. You’ll leave Muscat after breakfast, heading to the Hajar Mountains that separate the endless sands of Arabia from the coast. We’ll rise and twist and turn through the majestic rocks, until the red dunes of the Wahiba Sands reveal themselves below, stretching to the Gulf of Oman. Here in the protected area of Jiddat Al Harassis, biblical animals like the oryx and gazelle thrive along with a variety of lizards. Sir Wilfred Thesiger brought knowledge of the sands to the wider world, and now you can have the rare experience of experiencing them for yourself. You’ll abandon the road to cross trackless territory with a guide who finds his way by the sun and natural landmarks, until you reach a Bedouin camp. Here you can learn the most useful skill of camel riding, or explore further by motorized vehicle. On our way back, we’ll stop to gaze at the old watchtowers of Mudairib village. Lunch is served enroute in a local restaurant.

Day 9 – Departure: Fly Back to the USA on Board your Luxury Emirates Airlines Flight (B)
We’ll call for you after breakfast and see you to the airport to begin your homeward journey in comfort on board Emirates Airlines back to NYC or SFO (please advise us in advance of your preference).

Rates per person in USD
Private Touring
With Air fare on Emirates Airlines From/To USA (NYC and SFO)

Ultra Deluxe Deluxe
Triple US$ 20,210. US$ 6710.
Double US$ 20,332. US$ 6832.
Single US$ 22,985. US$ 8485.
Hotels used in Dubai Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai
Double Suite
Airport Transfers using Rolls Royce or similar
Sheraton Jumeirah, Hilton Jumeirah, Park Hyatt Dubai, Kempinski, or similar
Flights from and to the USA Business class on the World
Luxury Airline: Emirates
from/to
and/or New York or San Francisco
Flying on board Emirates Airlines in comfort
in Economy from/to
New York and/or or San Francisco

Children Discount: 25% Discount when sharing with parents same room. Children: 10 years of age and younger. Infants: 2 years and younger (free).

Sample Deluxe Hotels
Dubai: Ultra Deluxe Burj Al-Arab Hotel or similar
Dubai: Deluxe J. W. Marriott, Park Hyatt Dubai, Kempinski, or similar
Muscat- Oman Grand Hyatt Muscat, Al-Bandar Hotel Muscat, or similar

Prices include:

  • Air fare on board Emirates Airlines from NYC or San Francisco with all taxes include.
  • All transfers on a private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.
  • Air fare Dubai to Muscat Oman in economy class, tax included.
  • Air-conditioned hotel accommodations with tax and service charges
  • Private sightseeing (yet the desert safaris for example) and the dhow cruise, you will be sitting with other guests enjoying the same Dhow cruise and BBQ desert camp dinner in Dubai.
  • Private professional guide during touring.
  • All entrance fees as indicated
  • Meals as indicated, with pre-set menu (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)
  • UAE visa fee (valid only for a limited number of nationalities such as American EU, Australian, NZ and Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival).
  • Dubai VIP Meet & Greet Service at the Airport :
    Arriving at Dubai Inetranational Airport you’ll be delighted to discover Travel in Style’s VIP Red Carpet welcome procedures: you are met by our English-speaking representative who escorts you from your plane to a comfortable air-conditioned lounge where you can freshen up and recover from your flight. While you relax, our representative completes your Immigration procedures, collects your luggage, clears it through Customs, and transfers it to your private, air-conditioned vehicle. Escorted from the lounge to your vehicle, your private chauffeur transfers you to your hotel, assisting with your luggage when you arrive. Red Carpet Treatment: that’s the Travel in Style difference.

Not included:

  • Personal expenses and beverages
  • International air fare from / to your home country
  • Gratuities
  • Additional meals and services
  • Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
Fly Emirates Airlines:

Arrive at your destination fully refreshed with our Flat-bed seats. Every Business Class seat on the Emirates A380 converts into a flat bed at the touch of a button. Using the touch screen controller, you can adjust your seat to suit your own preferences and comfort. Each seat extends to form a flat bed up to 79 inches long.

The Flat-bed seats are tailored to the way you like to travel, with an in-seat power supply for laptops, dual port USB and extra-large table provide a comfortable workspace, and over 1,200 channels of entertainment are available on our ice Digital Widescreen TV. And there is even a built-in mini-bar in every seat, along with a personal storage area and a privacy divider.

Upgrade and fly First Class on Emirates Airlines. Please ask us for details:

Shower and Spa on board your flight on Emirates between USA and Dubai

Shower and Spa on board your flight on Emirates between USA and Dubai

When flying with Emirates you will be able to refresh mid-flight in the Emirates A380 signature Shower Spa. We understand that air travel can be tiring, especially during long flights. That’s why two onboard Shower Spas are included as part of the First Class experience on the Emirates A380.

From the state-of-the-art shower system to the classic walnut and marble design to fine linens, the Shower Spas were conceived with your pleasure and convenience in mind. And, to complete the spa experience, we offer our signature Timeless Spa shower kits, made from the finest natural ingredients.

A relaxing visit to the Shower Spa can help ensure you arrive at your destination ready to take on the day.

Hospitality Trumps Bottom Line at Emirates – April 2010
Dust cloud over Europe! Passengers stranded worldwide, usually without assistance from their airlines, except…
In keeping with its core values and traditional hospitality, Emirates Airlines stepped forward to ensure that each and every one of thousands of passengers delayed in Dubai and elsewhere received three meals a day and accommodations.
The cost to Emirates is well over $2 million a day in addition to its lost passenger revenue. But to passengers who would have been left out in the cold by other airlines, the value is priceless.
Maybe it’s time for guests to consider travel with airlines that really care.
Burj Al-Arab Hotel

Burj Al Arab Hotel at sunsetDesigned to resemble a billowing sail, the hotel soars to a height of 321 metes, dominating the Dubai coastline. At night, it offers an unforgettable sight, surrounded by choreographed colour sculptures of water and fire. This all-suite hotel reflects the finest that the world has to offer.

With your chauffeur driven Rolls Royce, discreet in-suite check in, private reception desk on every floor and a brigade of highly trained butlers who provide around-the-clock attention, you can be assured of a highly personalized service throughout your stay.

Mediterranean Fantasies Voyage (12 Days)

Private Tour of Egypt and The Greek Isle of Santorini
Luxury Nile Cruise Boarding Luxor

Summer relaxation in GreeceThis 12 -day itinerary combines a Nile Cruise of Ancient Egypt with Classical Athens and the romance of the honeymoon Greek Isle of Santorini. Compare with the 14-day version with extended stay in Egypt.
Extend your stay in the Greek Isles: Add Crete

Tour

DAY 1 – Athens:
Daily arrival in Athens: Apr Oct, subject to the Nile cruise availability in Egypt. 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 2 – Athens – Private Tour (BL)
A half-day private morning guided city tour will orient you to the high points of Athens. This tour gives you an opportunity to observe the striking contrasts that make Athens such a fascinating city. Your expert private guide will take you to see the Panathenaic Stadium where the first Olympic Games of modern times were held in 1896 (short stop). Continue and pass by the Prime Minister’s residence (ex Royal Palace) guarded by the Euzones in their colorful uniform, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Hadrian’s Arch, the Parliament and the memorial to the Unknown Soldier, the Academy, the University, the National Library, and the Constitution Square (Syntagma). On the Acropolis visit the Architectural Masterpieces of the Golden Age of Athens: The Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion and finally “the harmony between material and spirit”, the monument that “puts order in the mind”, the Parthenon. Continue and visit the place where at last the statues found their home and admire the wonders of the classical era: The new Acropolis museum. Lunch is included in a charming local restaurant , followed by a leisurely walking tour of the Plaka District. Return to your hotel late afternoon or early evening. Remainder of the day at leisure.

Acropolis of Athens. Photo by Ron Guay.

Acropolis of Athens. Photo by Ron Guay.

DAY 3 – Santorini (B)
Fly to Santorini. Luxuriate on the beach at Santorini, mecca for Honeymooners and the perfect romantic getaway. Remainder of the day at leisure. Maybe visit on your own Thirassia Island (enjoy lunch on you own at a local restaurant /tavern) and watch the sunset in Oia. Usually you return to your hotel/villa early evening.

DAY 4 – Santorini (cB)
Enjoy your lovely hotel 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. You may have some free time to enjoy a swim in a hot spring!!

DAY 5 – Santorini – Athens – Cairo (cB)
After breakfast, we escort you to the airport for your flight to Athens connecting same day to Cairo on Egyptair or Olympic Airways. Air fare in economy class is included in our rate with tax. VIP Meet & Greet upon arrival at Cairo Airport. Visa issued locally in Cairo (for a limited number of nationalities) no photos required. Our representative will greet you at the airport and whisk you to your hotel. 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 for at least 6 months 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 (private vehicle) to the hotel. Welcome fruit basket and Egyptian pastry awaits you in your room with our compliments.

Sample Deluxe Hotels: Ramses Hilton, Cairo Sheraton, Sonesta, Cairo Marriott, Cairo Conrad, Semiramis InterContinental Hotel or similar.

DAY 6 – 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 the Mena House. Dinner is included at La Bodega restaurant.

DAY 7 – Luxor (or Aswan), Board your Nile Cruise! (BLD)
We fly to Luxor (or Aswan) we proceed to cross the Nile to the West Bank. We tour today the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings including Tut-Ank-Amon’s tomb and the great temple of Queen Hatshepsut, and we stop briefly at the Colossi of Memnon. 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.

Head back to your cruise and board our Nile cruiser in time for a delicious lunch. Complimentary welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin.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. Late afternoon your guide will call on you for a horse drawn carriage ride throughout Luxor and the waterfront. Cabin amenity: Local sweets platter and 2 large bottles of water. Evening Sound and Light show at Karnak, please bring a jacket.

DAY 8- On Board Your Nile Cruise (BLD)
We sail 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).

DAY 9 – On Board Your Nile Cruise EDFU, KOM OMBO – Aswan (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 and dance. In the evening, there’s a jolly galabia party aboard. Cabin amenity: Fruit basket- 2 large bottles of water


Temple of Isis from Philae on Agilkia Island in Lake Nasser, Egypt. Video by Xandra Dekker.

DAY 10 -ASWAN – Cruising The Nile  (BLD)
First we tour Aswan dams, the Nubian Museum 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.

In the afternoon we enjoy a leisurely sail by graceful felucca on the Nile then on to Soheil Island and a Nubian Village. After noon horse-drawn carriage ride throughout Aswan souks and waterfront. Evening Sound and Light show at Philae, bring a jacket.

DAY 11- Aswan – CAIRO (BL)
Breakfast on board, followed by a return flight to Cairo. Air fare is always included. Transfers are always on a private basis. Lunch is included in Cairo at the hotel.

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! 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, if you prefer, you may enjoy a quiet evening by letting us know your preferences.

DAY 12 – CAIRO/DEPARTURE (B)
Our representative escorts you to the airport for your homeward flight. If you wish to fly back to Athens we are happy to assist with the air fare. All tour rates are subject to change without notice.

Rates per person in USD (Apr – Oct)
Per Person Sharing in: Deluxe Hotel
Deluxe Nile Cruise
First Class
Hotels – Nile Cruise
Triple Occupancy US$ 6270.00 US$ 5760.00
Double US$ 6405.00 US$ 5820.00
Single US$ 7870.00 US$ 6940.00


The tour includes…

  • Airfare Athens Cairo in economy class, with tax included.
  • Airfare Athens Santorini Athens in economy “Y” class, with tax
  • As well as domestic air between Cairo and the Nile Cruise in economy class, tax included or fly  in Business Class  within Egypt when you choose to book Deluxe Hotel/Nile Cruise category.
  • All transfers in Greece and Egypt always on a private basis, private air -conditioned car/driver.
  • Private touring in Cairo and Athens, private air-conditioned air-conditioned car, private chauffeur.
  • Hotel accommodations, including all taxes and service charges, based on the rate category you choose.
    For Ultra Deluxe Upgrade: Cairo: Four Seasons Hotel (Premiere room) and Grande Bretagne Hotel in Athens, please add: Supplement of: %15 to the Deluxe rate.
  • 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 coffee and water with each & every meal while you are on board the Nile cruise.
  • Welcome drink upon arrival on board the Nile Cruise.
  • 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
  • VIP Meet & Greet At Cairo Airport
    Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. Visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport (photos are not required). Egyptian Visa will be issued 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 for at least 6 months 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 (private vehicle) to the hotel. Welcome fruit basket & Egyptian pastry awaits you in your room in Cairo upon arrival with our compliments

Not included:

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

 

Sample Hotels:

 

Sample Accommodation in Santorini:

  • Dana Villas, in Firostefani with view of the volcano.
  • Chromata Apartments, in Imerovigli with a view of the volcano.

Sample hotels in Athens:

  • Deluxe: Divani Palace Acropolis. First: Electra Palace. Stanley

Sample hotels in Cairo:

  • Deluxe: Hilton. Sheraton. Sonesta. Kempinski. Semiramis InterContinental. Conrad Cairo Hotel. Marriott. JW Marriott or similar
    First: Helnan Shepheard’s. Oases or similar

 

 

Upgrade to a suite with a private pool in Santorini , Crete or Mykonos

Upgrade to a suite with a private pool in Santorini , Crete or Mykonos

Mediterranean Fantasies Voyage Greece and Egypt – Luxury Private Tour (14 Days)

Luxury Nile Cruise and The Greek Isle of Santorini

Have a romantic vacation in beautiful Santorini.

This 14-day private itinerary combines a Nile Cruise of Ancient Egypt (boarding in Aswan) with Classical Athens and the romance of the Greek Isle of Santorini. Extend your stay in the Greek Isles: Add Crete

Tour

DAY 1 – Athens
Daily arrival in Athens: Apr – Oct – subject to the Nile cruise availability in Egypt. 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. Private air-conditioned Vehicle. Private Chauffeur.

DAY 2 – Athens- Private Tour (BL)
A half-day private morning guided city tour will orient you to the high points of Athens. This tour gives you an opportunity to observe the striking contrasts that make Athens such a fascinating city. Your expert private guide will take you to see the Panathenaic Stadium where the first Olympic Games of modern times were held in 1896 (short stop). Continue and pass by the Prime Minister’s residence (ex Royal Palace) guarded by the Euzones in their colorful uniform, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Hadrian’s Arch, the Parliament and the memorial to the Unknown Soldier, the Academy, the University, the National Library, and the Constitution Square (Syntagma). On the Acropolis visit the Architectural Masterpieces of the Golden Age of Athens: The Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion and finally “the harmony between material and spirit”, the monument that “puts order in the mind”, the Parthenon. Continue and visit the place where at last the statues found their home and admire the wonders of the classical era: The new Acropolis museum. Lunch is included in a charming local restaurant , followed by a leisurely walking tour of the Plaka District. Return to your hotel late afternoon or early evening. Remainder of the day at leisure.

DAY 3 – Santorini (B)
After breakfast, our local representative in Athens will assist with your private transfer to Athens Airport where you will board your flight to Santorini (domestic air fare in Greece is always included in our rate). Fly to Santorini. Luxuriate on the beach at Santorini, remainder of the day at leisure.


Incredible Santorini. Video by Chillout Channel.

DAY 4 – Santorini (B)
Honeymooners… this is your dream “fantasy island.” Santorini is the perfect romantic getaway. Remainder of the day at leisure, maybe visit on your own Thirassia Island, enjoy lunch on your own at a local restaurant /tavern and watch sunset in Oia.

DAY 5 – Santorini (B)
Enjoy your lovely hotel 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. You may have some free time to enjoy a swim in a hot spring!!

DAY 6 – 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. Air fare in economy class is included in our rate with tax. VIP Meet & Greet upon arrival at Cairo Airport. Visa issued locally in Cairo (for a limited number of nationalities) no photos required. Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. 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 for at least 6 months 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 (private vehicle) to the hotel. Welcome fruit basket & Egyptian pastry awaits you in your room with our compliments.

Sample Deluxe Hotels: Ramses Hilton, Cairo Sheraton, Sonesta, Cairo Marriott, Cairo Conrad, Semiramis InterContinental Hotel or similar.

DAY 7 – CAIRO (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. Private air-conditioned Vehicle. Private Chauffeur. Private Egyptologist.

DAY 8 – Tanis – Suez Canal – (B. Lunch Box)
Breakfast is included at the hotel, lunch box will be prepared by your chef with bottled water.

To the Lair of Rameses and the Suez Canal
Venture where few visitors have gone before, away from trafficked pathways and neatly packaged tours, to the legendary capital of Rameses II, the Great. So unusual is this full-day adventure, and so select are the people who take it, that special permits are required from the Egyptian Department of Antiquities. And if this opportunity is not enough to whet your appetite, we’ll round out a spectacular day with a journey forward through the centuries, to the modern wonder of the Suez Canal.

Arrange your wake-up call… we’ll be heading out from Cairo at 6 a.m. on our day of discovery. We’ll make our way through busy streets, and beyond, to the fertile farmlands of the Nile Delta, seemingly unchanged since the time of the pharaohs, watered by a web of canals running from the life-giving Nile, worked by villagers with hand tools and the aid of camels and donkeys. We’ll pass through Zagazig, a bustling cotton and grain farming center, and stop at nearby Bubastis, capital of the 22nd and 23rd dynasties. Here, the cat was more than a king, it was honored as a goddess, and sacred cats were buried in chambers that lie behind an Old Kingdom Chapel. Parts of temples erected by Osorkon II and Nectanebo II also remain.

But this is only prologue… We’ll continue to Tanis–modern San El Hagar–famed in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark as the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. Tanis was the capital of Smendes, founder of the 21st Dynasty, a grand center whose rich remains include the main temple of Amun, and a royal Necropolis with the only Pharaonic burials never touched by ancient tomb raiders. There are even artificial lakes contained by limestone blocks.

So grand was Tanis that many believe that it was the capital of Rameses the Great. Among the layers of cities and palaces might lie the site of the Pharaoh’s court that was built by the labor of the ancient Hebrews before Moses led them out of Egypt.

Tanis is a restricted site because of its ongoing excavations and its intact burial chambers that are still yielding treasures and understanding of the ancients. It will be your privilege to make your own discoveries as one of the few to tread these stones. Because our path is away from the usual routes of visitors, we will travel with provisions, including a box lunch, and of course, bottled water.

After our discovery of Tanis, we’ll journey northeastward through the delta and across the centuries to a wonder of the modern world. The Suez Canal opened in 1869 to international celebration that included the commissioning of the opera Aida, after ten years of excavation that employed more than a million laborers. The canal was the technological feat of its day, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, cutting trade routes to the East in half, and changing the course of history. Even today it is the mainstay of Egypt’s economy, its neutrality guaranteed by treaty.

We’ll visit Ismailia, where the historic Canal headquarters are located. We’ll soak up the atmosphere of worldwide commerce passing through this sash of the sea, and conjure up the international intrigues of bygone days, as we take a break for tea and sandwiches at a local establishment. If time permits, we’ll see the fortifications of the Bar Lev line, held by Israel after the Six Day War of 1967, and demolished by water cannon in 1973 in a surprise Egyptian attack.

After a day of encounters with ancient and modern history, we’ll continue on our way back to Cairo.

DAY 9 – ASWAN (or Luxor), Board your Nile Cruise: Camel Caravan! (BLD)
We fly to Aswan (or Luxor) and board our Nile cruiser in time for a delicious lunch. Complimentary welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin. Morning Tour of the Nubian Museum. In the afternoon we enjoy a leisurely sail by graceful felucca on the Nile. Only for those who are interested: a short camel caravan and boat ride to visit a local Nubian Village. Cabin amenity: Local sweets platter and 2 large bottles of water. In the evening your guide will call on you for a private horse-drawn carriage ride to explore Aswan souks and the water front.

DAY 10- ASWAN – KOM OMBO- Sailing The Nile (BLD)
First we tour 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. Cabin amenity: Egyptian Galabya with our compliments.

DAY 11 – EDFU – Luxor – Cruising The Nile (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, pass through the locks. Evening finds us in Luxor. Cabin amenity: Fruit basket- 2 large bottles of water

DAY 12 – LUXOR- Deir El Medina Village- Cruise The Nile (BLD)
Today’s tour includes the Ancient Workers Village at Deir El Medineh, the first known “Workers Village.” These were the true creative heroes who built the temples and tombs for the mighty Pharaohs of the Nile Kingdom.

Deir El Medinah is on Luxor’s west bank where you get a totally different perspective on ancient Egyptian life at the ancient workers’ settlement. 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.

Today’s tour include as well a visit to the Valley of the Kings including Tut-Ank-Amon’s tomb, temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahari, and Colossi of Memnon, returning to our Nile cruiser for lunch. Following lunch aboard, we visit the great Temple of Luxor, and the gigantic Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, returning to our vessel in time for tea. Evening Sound and Light show at Karnak, please bring a jacket with you.

DAY 13- LUXOR – CAIRO (B)
After breakfast, we fly back to Cairo. In the afternoon, wander through the city on your own, or do your last-minute shopping.

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! 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, if you prefer, you may enjoy a quiet evening with your travel companions – just let us know your preferences.

DAY 14 – CAIRO/DEPARTURE (B)
Our representative escorts you to the airport for your homeward flight. Bon Voyage!

RATES per person in USD: Apr – Oct 
Per person
Sharing in:
Deluxe Hotel
Deluxe Nile Cruise
First Class
Hotels – Nile Cruises
Tourist Class
Hotels – Nile Cruises
Triple Occupancy
US$ 6920.00
US$ 6260.00
US$ 5770.00
Double
US$ 7055.00
US$ 6320.00
US$ 5890.00
Single
US$ 8520.00
US$ 7740.00
US$ 6980.00

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

 

The tour includes…

  • Airfare Athens Cairo in economy class with tax included.
  • Airfare Athens Santorini Athens in economy “Y” class, with tax included.
  • Domestic air between Cairo & the Nile Cruise in economy “Y” class, with tax included. But in BUSINESS class when you book the Deluxe Hotel/Nile Cruise Category.
  • All transfers in Greece and Egypt always on a private basis, private air -conditioned car/driver.
  • Private touring in Cairo and Athens, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.
  • Hotel accommodations, including all taxes and service charges, based on the rate category you choose.
  • Hotel accommodations, including all taxes and service charges, based on the rate category you choose.
    For Ultra Deluxe Upgrade: Cairo: Four Seasons Hotel Premiere room and Grande Bretagne Hotel in Athens, please add: Supplement of: %15 to the Deluxe rate.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 coffee 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
  • VIP Meet & Greet At Cairo Airport
    Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. Visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport (photos are not required).
  • Egyptian Visa will be issued 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 for at least 6 months 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 (private vehicle) to the hotel. Welcome fruit basket & Egyptian pastry awaits you in your room in Cairo upon arrival with our compliments

Not included:

  • Trip Cancellation/travel insurance.
  • Tips
  • International air fare from/to home country.

 

 

Sample Hotels:

  • Sample Accommodation in Santorini:
    Dana Villas, in Firostefani with view of the volcano.
    Chromata Apartments, in Imerovigli with a view of the volcano.
  • Sample hotels in Athens:
    Deluxe: Divani Palace Acropolis. First: Titania, Stanley
  • Sample hotels in Cairo:
    Deluxe: Hilton. Sheraton. Sonesta. Kempinski. Semiramis InterContinental. Conrad Cairo Hotel or similar
    First: Helnan Shepheard’s. Oases or similar

 

Upgrade to a suite with a private pool in Santorini , Crete or Mykonos

Upgrade to a suite with a private pool in Santorini , Crete or Mykonos

The Grand Maghreb and the Near East (16 Days)

Tour Jerusalem, Marrakech and the Nile
All in 16 Days: Tour Starts Daily. Year Round
This is a private tour. Choose your own travel date

The Siesta by Frederick Arthur Bridgman.

The Siesta by Frederick Arthur Bridgman.

Explore the two gems of North Africa – Morocco and Egypt – then on to explore the splendors of Israel and Palestine, on this 16-day tour. Visit Casablanca, Marrakech, Cairo, Jerusalem and Luxor!

Tour

DAY 1 – MARRAKECH – Daily Arrival – This is a private tour – Choose your own date
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight to Marrakech. Air fare from Paris to Marrakech is included in our rates. Our international flight arrives in Casablanca. After completing customs and immigration formalities, we connect with our flight which takes us south to mystical Marrakech. Our staff escorts us to our hotel. Welcome mint tea & Moroccan sweets.

DAY 2 – MARRAKECH (BLD)
We board a horse-drawn carriage for a clip-clop tour of this ancient royal capital, including the Kotoubia, a former royal palace, and of course the labyrinthine souks (bazaars). Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant.

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! 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. Of course, if you prefer, you may enjoy a quiet evening with your travel companions – just let us know your preferences.

DAY 3 – OURIKA VALLEY, THE POTTERS VILLAGE OF TAFZA (BLD)
This morning, we’ll head 30 kilometers outside of Marrakech to the lush valley of the Ourika River, which winds down from the peaks of the High Atlas, through clusters of mud-walled houses. Our visit coincides with one of the regular market days, and we’ll walk among the stands of butchers and vegetable-sellers, merchants of cereals and olive oil, itinerant blacksmiths and sellers of patent medicines and herbal remedies. A barber sets up shop with nothing more than a scissors, hand clipper, and stiff wooden chair, an open-air eatery offers hot food freshly prepared on a brazier. We’ll continue to Tafza to see how vases and lamp bases are made in home workshops, and to view quartz and amethyst and other minerals of the region. We’ll be received for tea in the customary local manner. We’ll meet up with local villagers at a well, help to draw water, and join in preparing a Berber meal of soup, tanurt (bread), and tajine (meat and vegetables cooked in a clay pot). Our hosts are modest local persons who will appreciate offerings of useful small items, such as pencils or notebooks, or even small treats, such as candy. We’ll return to Marrakech through the stunning scenery of the valley. Dinner is included at a local Moroccan dinner with folk show.

http://youtu.be/b-RMLRPhzKI
Ourika Valley – A Day Trip from Marrakech, Morocco. Video by cookingwithalia.

Henna party (For ladies only):
One of the “insiders” excursions into Moroccan culture, a chance to attend a henna party, the painting of hands and body with this natural red dye is a symbol of joy at weddings and regarded as a way to enhance one’s beauty, if interested in attending a Henna party, please let’s know in advance.

Young woman's hand with artistic henna design. © Catwoman | Bigstock

Young woman’s hand with artistic henna design.
© Catwoman | Bigstock

Day 4 – BY TRAIN TO CASABLANCA (BLD)
“Getting there is half the fun!” We board the train for our return to Casablanca, cruising through the lovely countryside past green fields, fruit-laden orchards, traditional villages and modern towns, with the lofty Atlas Mountains soaring in the distance. Our tour escort points out interesting features, and fills us in on Moroccan life and culture. After arriving in Casablanca, we visit the majestic new Grand Mosque of King Hassan II, second only to the Great Mosque at Mecca in size. We continue on a panoramic tour of the city and its souks. After dinner, we drive to the airport for our Royal Air Maroc night flight across North Africa to Egypt, air fare is included in our rate.

Day 5 – CAIRO (BD)
We arrive in Cairo with the dawn. Complimentary visa issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport, valid only for American, Canadian, Australian, NZ, EU & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 months at time of arrival.

We drive through the awakening city to our hotel for breakfast and a bracing cup of coffee or tea. Refreshed, we visit the Citadel of Saladin and its Alabaster Mosque, enjoying spectacular views of the city below. We descend from the Citadel into Khan el-Khalili, the bazaar district, in search of Egyptian treasures. The rest of the day is yours: find a little local restaurant for lunch, go museum-hopping, take a nap, or stroll along the Nile, as you like. Dinner at the hotel.

Visa will be issued upon arrival, for a limited number of nationalities: such as American, Australian, Canadian, EU, Japanese, and NZ. Please pay the $ 15 fee in cash upon arrival (only in USD$ or Euros). Photos are not required, passports must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of arrival. You are responsible for your passport being valid and in order. After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private vehicle) to the hotel.

DAY 6 – CAIRO (BLD)
Today we visit Cairo’s most famous monuments: the awesome pyramids of Giza, the Valley Temple and the timeless Sphinx. After lunch at the Mena House we drive to Dahshour, the newly opened pyramid field south of Cairo, where we visit several ancient structures, including the great pyramid built by Senfru, father of Cheops. Camel ride is included, it is more of a photo op with the Pyramids in the background, as you have a very full day. Dinner cruise on board the Hyatt Yacht.

Pyramids and stone walls surrounding the workmen's tombs at Deir el Medina.  West Bank of the Nile at Luxor.

Pyramids and stone walls surrounding the workmen’s tombs at Deir el Medina.
West Bank of the Nile at Luxor. © BasPhoto | Bigstock

DAY 7 – LUXOR (BL)
Very early morning flight to Luxor, upon arrival: proceed to cross the Nile and explore the city that was the Pharaohs capital for more than 20 centuries: Start with the Ramesseum, Medinet Habu and the Ancient Workers Village at Deir El Medineh, the first known “Workers Village” these were the true creative heroes who built the temples & tombs for the mighty Pharaohs of the Nile Kingdom.

Deir El Medinah is on Luxor’s west bank. Here you get a totally different perspective on ancient Egyptian life at the ancient workers’ settlement. 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.

Of course there is more: We visit the Valley of the Kings (including King Tut’s Tomb), Valley of the Queens including Queen Hatshepsut Deir El Bahari Temple and the Colossi of Memnon.

Lunch is included at Al-Moudira, or return to your hotel for lunch. Afternoon horse drawn carriage ride through the local village and souks, stop for a tour at the small yet charming Luxor Museum. For your tours: Private air-conditioned vehicle. Private Egyptologist.

DAY 8 – LUXOR/ Cairo (B)
This morning tour the stupendous Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and visit the Sacred Lake and red granite quarry with its huge unfinished obelisk. We tour as well the great temple of Amon Ra, on our way to the airport for our flight back to Cairo and your hotel, all tours and transfers are on a private basis. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide for the tours.

DAY 9 – CAIRO – Home Hosted Dinner -(BL)
The world-famous Egyptian Museum, which holds the treasures of Tutankhamon, is our first stop today, after which we wander the narrow streets of Old Cairo (once a Roman fort). We go on to the Jewish Quarter, then the Coptic Christian Quarter, stopping at the churches of Abu Serghius and Al Molaka, the Coptic Museum, and the Ben Ezra synagogue. Lunch is included at Hadaik Al-Azhar or similar.

Meet the locals – Complimentary Family dinner:
This evening we’ll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread… right into the homes of some of the people of Cairo and Egypt, of course, if you prefer, you may enjoy a quiet evening with your travel companions – just let us know your preferences.

DAY 10 – 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, and 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 11 – TEL AVIV – JERUSALEM (B)
Air fare is included Cairo to Tel Aviv in economy class, tax included. Our local rep. meets you at the airport, assists with arrival formalities, and escorts you to your Jerusalem hotel. When you choose your own date, we may have to change tours / sites visits around to accommodate religious holidays and Sabbath. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide for the tours.

DAY 12 – JERUSALEM (tours are subject to change in Jerusalem subject to the weekend and religious holidays) (B)
We start our explorations of Jerusalem, holy city to Christians, Jews and Muslims, with a drive to the Mount of Olives, which offers panoramic views. We visit the Church of Pater Noster and the Chapel of the Ascension on our way to the Garden of Gethsemane. From the Garden, we enter Jerusalem’s walls to the Old City for a visit to the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock. We follow in Jesus’ footsteps along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide for the tours.

DAY 13 – JERUSALEM (B)
Now that you’ve had a tour of the city, set out on your own to discover its charms: the narrow bazaar streets of the Old City, the cheerful cafés of New Jerusalem, and the broad boulevards surrounding the modern city.

DAY 14 – JERUSALEM & BETHLEHEM (B)
We start our tour at the scale model of Jerusalem as it appeared in Herod’s time, then go on to the Shrine of the Book to see the sacred Dead Sea Scrolls. Then it’s on to Ein Kerem and Bethlehem for a visit to the Church of the Nativity, stopping at the Shepherds’ Field on the way back to Jerusalem. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide for the tours.

DAY 15 – BETHANY, DEAD SEA & MASADA (B)
We drive to Bethany and the site of the Good Samaritan’s inn, then continue through the Judean Hills down to the Dead Sea, below sea level. At Qumran, we see the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. We go on to the verdant oasis of Ein Gedi, and return to Jerusalem passing by fabled Jericho, the oldest city in the world. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide for the tours.

Day 16 – DEPARTURE (B)
After breakfast, our staff escorts you to the airport. Bon Voyage. This tour starts in Marrakech weekly, year round.

 RATES per person in USD
 
Deluxe Hotels
First Class
Triple
US$ 8410.
US$ 7412.
Double
US$ 8580.
US$ 7590.
Single
US$ 9801.
US$ 9186.

Your tour includes:

  • Regional airfare from Casablanca / Cairo / Tel Aviv, including tax in economy class with tax.
  • Domestic airfares within Egypt and Morocco as well as Cairo Tel Aviv, all in economy class, including tax
  • First-class day train Marrakech-Casablanca and sleeper train Cairo-Luxor, including tax and service
  • All airport and train station transfers in Morocco and Egypt as described in the tour itinerary, always on a private basis
  • Your hotel room at a carefully-selected deluxe, first class, whichever you prefer, including tax & service. Egypt: we use Hilton/ Sheraton/Meridien/ Sonesta for Deluxe or for First Class: Shepherd’s or similar
  • B = Breakfast, (or aB, American Buffet Breakfast), L = Lunch, D = Dinner and all Egyptian airport taxes.
  • Private guided sightseeing as listed in the itinerary including all entrance fees. US, Australian, EU, Canadian, NZ, and Japanese passport holders need a visa to enter Egypt. You will obtain a visa at the airport upon arrival in Cairo With our compliments, as long as you have an American or Japanese passport that is valid for at least 6 month. Visas are not required of US and Canadian passport holders for entry into Morocco.

What’s not included:

  • Insurance of any kind.
  • Tips.
  • International air fare from/ to your home country

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE ON LUGGAGE: When flying between North Africa cities and Tel Aviv you will be allowed only one piece of luggage to be checked in plus one for the carry on.

Sample Hotels (or similar):

Jerusalem Hotel

Quiet European elegance, comfort, and affordability meet in the Jerusalem Gold Hotel to create a hidden sanctuary amid the overwhelming blaze of history, diversity, and faith that is Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Gold Hotel along with a world renowned architect has designed a haven of tranquility and warmth set into the very hub of local and national transportation in Jerusalem, thus allowing guests to enjoy the seemingly impossible combination of calm and serenity, with the ultimate accessibility.

Jerusalem is one of the most popular and cherished cities in the world. The Jerusalem Gold hotel is an up scale hotel, situated a mere 25 minutes from the Israel’s International Airport. The Jerusalem Gold Hotel is located at the gateway to Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel, touching the heart of the city center, at 234 Jaffa Street. The 11 story, hotel stands across from “Binyaney Hauma”, Israel’s International Convention Center, and is adjoining the new modern Egged Central Bus station with its contemporary shopping mall.

The Jerusalem Gold Hotel is walking distance from the city center and right near the central bus station, from which you can find transportation to every city in Israel.

Pray at the West Wall, visit the Old City of Jerusalem, the City of David, the Israel National Museum, the Knesset- Israeli Parliament, the famous Mahane Yehuda Shuk, the Rose Gardens, and so much more.

Whether you are a tourist, or on a business trip rest assured that the staff at the Jerusalem Gold Hotel will offer you a unique lodging experience with genuine hospitality.

Guest Rooms
The hotel has 196 elegant rooms, rooms for handicapped, (Brail numbers on all doors) including 24 Jr. Suites. Every room has sound-proof window frames, equipped with, television, internet, E-mail, video games, mini fridge, safety deposit boxes (laptop size), telephone with international line, bathroom with a bath, Air-conditioning, elegant Mahogany furniture, etc.

Triangle of Ancient Lands

A 12-Day Private Tour
of Egypt, Palestine, Israel and Greece

Visit the Triangle of Ancient LandsCome with us on a grand 12-day triangle tour of these three awe-inspiring lands of antiquity… all in 12 Days.

Tour

DAY 1 – CAIRO – Thursday Weekly – Year Round
VIP Meet & Greet Service at Cairo Airport
Our local representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. VIP Meet & Greet Service at Cairo Airport.

Visa fee is included and 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 for at least 6 months 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 your name.

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.

Welcome fruit basket & Egyptian pastry awaits you in your room with our compliments. Sample Deluxe Hotels or similar: Cairo Marriott, Hilton, Cairo Conrad, InterContinental Hotels or similar

DAY 2 – CAIRO – Friday (BLD)
Private car, private driver, private Egyptologist. Welcome to the City of the pharaohs and sultans! We visit the top sights in an all-day tour. Our first stop is the Egyptian Museum, filled with the wealth of the pharaohs. Following lunch at a local restaurant, we head for the Khan El-Khalil Bazaar district then off to the old Coptic and Jewish quarter and the Coptic museum as well as al-Moalaka Church. In the evening, we host you for dinner on a Nile cruise complete with exotic Egyptian entertainment. All meals today are included.

DAY 3 – Giza Pyramids: DAHSOUR – HOME HOSTED MEAL – Saturday (BL)
Private car, private driver, private Egyptologist. After breakfast, we’ll motor to the edge of Cairo, to the mysterious Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza. The museum of the Royal Barge of Cheops The museum is built over the rectangular pit that housed the Royal Barge for thousands of years, the wooden boat was readied for the king’s daily journey with the sun god, Ra. Discovered in 1954, in a completely dismantled state, the 43-metre (140-foot) cedar boat is a rare window on the Royal boats used by the kings of Ancient Egypt.

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!

Continue to Dahshour, the newly-opened pyramid field south of Cairo. We visit the great pyramid of Senfru, father of Cheops, and other structures:

The “Discovery” of Dahshour
For almost half a century, the great field of huge pyramids near the desert village of Dahshour, 25 miles south of Cairo, has been off limits to the public. Confined within the perimeter of a military base were many pyramids, including the great 4500-year-old pyramid built by Senfru, father of Cheops. Senfru’s pyramid, the largest in Egypt until his son built Giza’s Great Pyramid, is rhomboidal in shape: it tapers more distinctly on its upper half. All the pyramids were coated in thick plaster at one time. Most have lost these protective, decorative sheaths, but Senfru’s–miraculously–is still in place. Lunch is included at the Mena House.

DAY 4 – CAIRO TO JERUSALEM – Sunday (B)
Today we board your flight across the Sinai peninsula to Israel. Air fare is included in economy class. Tax included. Upon arrival We drive up into the Judean Hills to Jerusalem, where our local representative meets you at the airport and assist with your private transfer to your hotel in Jerusalem.

DAY 5 – JERUSALEM and BETHLEHEM – Monday (B)
Private car, private driver, private guide. The Holy City is at our feet. We visit the Western Wall, Temple Mount, the Via Dolorosa, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Roman Cardo, fabled Mount Zion, and King David’s Tomb, then drive to biblical Bethlehem to visit Rachel’s Tomb and the Church of the Nativity, returning to our Jerusalem hotel in the evening.

DAY 6 – JERUSALEM  – Tuesday (B)
Today fabled Jerusalem is yours to explore as you like, guidebook in hand.

DAY 7 – THE DEAD SEA Wednesday (B)
We drive down below sea level to the Dead Sea for a visit to one of its mineral spas. Try a swim in the Dead Sea’s saline waters, where you’ll be as buoyant as a cork! Private car, private driver, private guide.

DAY 8 – TEL AVIV – ATHENS  – Thursday – Private Transfers (B)
Our local representative escorts you to Tel Aviv’s airport for your flight to Athens (airfare is included in tour rate with tax).
VIP Club Transfer Services at the airport in Tel Aviv.
Upon arrival in Athens, our local rep. meets you and escorts you to your hotel in the Greek capital private transfer. The rest of the day is yours: Athens awaits you!

DAY 9 – ATHENS – Private Tour – Friday (BL)
A half-day private morning guided city tour will orient you to the high points of Athens. This tour gives you an opportunity to observe the striking contrasts that make Athens such a fascinating city. Your expert private guide will take you to see the Panathenaic Stadium where the first Olympic Games of modern times were held in 1896 (short stop). Continue and pass by the Prime Minister’s residence (ex Royal Palace) guarded by the Euzones in their colorful uniform, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Hadrian’s Arch, the Parliament and the memorial to the Unknown Soldier, the Academy, the University, the National Library, and the Constitution Square (Syntagma). On the Acropolis visit the Architectural Masterpieces of the Golden Age of Athens: The Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion and finally “the harmony between material and spirit”, the monument that “puts order in the mind”, the Parthenon. Continue and visit the place where at last the statues found their home and admire the wonders of the classical era: The new Acropolis museum. Lunch is included in a charming local restaurant , followed by a leisurely walking tour of the Plaka District. Return to your hotel late afternoon or early evening. Remainder of the day at leisure.

DAY 10 – GREEK ISLANDS CRUISE Saturday (BL)
We drive to the Marina Trocadero and board a boat for a tour of the Saronic Gulf and its islands: Aegina, Poros and Hydra. After our delightful day at sea, the evening brings us traditional Greek dancing and entertainment, a fitting celebration of our three-country Triangle Tour, after which we return to our Athens hotel.

DAY 11 – ATHENS MARKETS Sunday (BL)
Ride the new Athens Subway alongside the locals today! We take pride in affording you this experience, entirely by public transportation, with orientation by our English-speaking representative. You’ll get to tour Athens fascinating vegetable & fruit markets by subway and/or taxi. Enjoy lunch at a charming local restaurant (included) before we head back to the hotel. Your private guide will always be there to answer any question you may have, this is a private tour.

DAY 12 – DEPARTURE -Monday (B)
Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel before meeting our local representative to escort you to Athens airport for your flight home. Bon Voyage!

 

Rates in USD $ (per person)
 Hotel Category
Deluxe
First Class
Tourist Class
Triple
US$ 7160.00
$ 6596.00
$ 6059.00
Double
US$ 7290.00
$ 6648.00
$ 6184.00
Single
US$ 8728.00
$ 8197.00
$ 7289.00

Inclusions:

 

  • Hotel accommodation (including tax, service charge and continental breakfast daily)
  • Sightseeing tours, always on a private basis: Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide
  • Transfers while on tour as described in the itinerary, always on a private basis.
  • Air fare Cairo Tel Aviv Athens in economy class, tax included, yet in Business Class when you book the Deluxe Hotels category.
  • Pre-set menu meals as listed: cB (Continental breakfast). L/D pre-set menu lunch/dinner
  • VIP Meet & Greet At Cairo Airport
    Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. Visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport (photos are not required). Egyptian Visa will be issued 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 for at least 6 months 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 (private vehicle) to the hotel
  • VIP MEET & GREET at Tel Aviv Airport: the local rep. will meet you just before the immigration, at Tel Aviv Airport, then walk you through the immigration and luggage claim, on to the arrival hall and meeting the guide/driver and drive on to your hotel.Vip Club Airport Transfers Service (Tel Aviv Airport)
    Description of service

Flights: Incoming/Arrival
Porter services included

    • Meeting the guest at the exit of the plane’s sleeve.
    • Transfer to passport control with luxury car.
    • Quick transfer through passport control.
    • Pickup luggage, porter service included.
    • Quick transfer through Customs and exiting to the Arrivals Hall.

Outgoing / departure flights:
Porter services included

    • Meeting the guest at departure hall, gate 32.
    • Quick transfer through security check.
    • Porter service is included.
    • Check-in for flight and deposit of baggage at designated counter,
    • Quick transfer at hand bags security.
    • Quick transfer during boarding.

 

Not Included:

  • International air fare from/to your home country.
  • Tips
  • Travel insurance 

 

Sample Hotels in Israel/Palestine:

Sample Hotels in Athens:

  • Deluxe: Divani Palace Acropolis. First: Electra Palace. Stanley

Sample Hotels in Cairo:

  • Deluxe: Hilton. Sheraton. Sonesta. Kempinski. Semiramis InterContinental. Conrad Cairo Hotel. Marriott. JW Marriott or similar
  • First: Helnan Shepheard’s. Oases or similar

 

Egypt and Jordan a la Indiana Jones (19 Days)

A 19 day In-Depth touring of Egypt and Jordan
We have even included all tips to your
drivers, guides, crew on board the cruise

No Hidden charges. No Additional Tax

The Treasury in Petra

The Treasury in Petra
By Jean Housen (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Indiana Jones himself couldn’t squeeze more adventure into this journey: Alexandria, Cairo, Memphis, Sakkara and the Pyramids, a cruise on the Nile, the fabled temples and tombs of Luxor and Thebes, diving in the Red Sea, the mountains of Sinai, and a trek to the mysterious ruins of Petra in Jordan.

Tour

DAY 1 – CAIRO – Daily- Subject To Nile Cruise Schedule & Availibilty – Year Round
Arrive in Cairo. Our local representative will be waiting for you with a sign and a warm welcome and will whisk you to your comfortable hotel. Visa may be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport.
Cairo Airport VIP Meet & Greet
Visa issued locally in Cairo (for a limited number of nationalities) no photos required. Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. 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 and 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. Welcome fruit basket & Egyptian pastry awaits you in your room with our compliments.

DAY 2 – Alexandria (BL)
Breakfast at leisure. We leave Cairo: private air conditioned car/driver/guide) and we drive across northern Egypt and the Nile Delta heading northwest for Alexandria for a full day tour, we’ll get to known Alexandria in depth, as we visit the National Museum in Alexandria, the building was originally built in 1926 for the US consulate in Alexandria and is a masterpiece in 1920’s architecture & Mediterranean style buildings.the Roman Amphitheater, Qayet Bey Fortress which was built on the same site of the ancient wonder of the world: the famous Alexandria Light House Koum El Shougafa Catacombs, Eliahou Halevi (or Hanabi) synagogue (Nabi Daniel Street), a 150-year-old synagogue, it is the only active synagogue in Alexandria,and houses the treasurers of the seven other older and / or closed Alexandrian synagogues, and an afternoon horse-drawn carriage ride on the water front, and inspect the exterior of the mosque of the Alexandrine local “saint”: Morsi Abu-Al-Abbas, a leisurely walk through the local souks and Zanket-El Setat to get a fell of this charming old part of Alexandria, followed by Lunch (included) in an Alexandrine restaurant, dinner is is included at your hotel tonight in Alexandria.

Alexander the Great's tomb

Octavious visiting Alexander the Great’s Tomb in Alexandria. Octavious had just defeated Cleopatra and Marc Anthony armies. He left his coat at Alexander the Great’s tomb as a token of respect. The search continues for Alexander the Great’s Tomb.

DAY 3 – Alexandria (BL)
Breakfast at leisure at the hotel. A brief stop at “El Selsela” the site of the Underwater reserve where Cleopatra Place was discovered, as well as Caesar Kiosk, then it’s off to the new site for the Alexandria Library. Lunch at a local restaurant before heading to Wadi El Natroun monastery almost midway to Cairo, 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 and your hotel.

DAY 4 – CAIRO- Dahshour, Memphis, Sakkara (BL)
A morning tour takes us to the time capsule treasure of Dahshour, the newly-opened pyramid field south of Cairo. DAHSOUR – we’ll motor to the edge of Cairo, to Dahshour, the pyramid field south of Cairo. We visit the great pyramid of Senfru, father of Cheops, and other structure:

The “Discovery” of Dahshour:
For almost half a century, the great field of huge pyramids near the desert village of Dahshour, 25 miles south of Cairo, has been off limits to the public. Confined within the perimeter of a military base were many pyramids, including the great 4500-year-old pyramid built by Senfru, father of Cheops. Senfru’s pyramid, the largest in Egypt until his son built Giza’s Great Pyramid, is rhomboidal in shape: it tapers more distinctly on its upper half. All the pyramids were coated in thick plaster at one time. Most have lost these protective, decorative sheaths, but Senfru’s–miraculously–is still in place.

After lunch at a local restaurant: The afternoon is for Memphis and Sakkara, including the Step Pyramid of Zoser & Nobles tombs/Mastabas, and the small yet charming Imhotep Museum.

DAY 5 – CAIRO- Giza – Home Hosted Dinner (BL)
Morning tour to Giza and the mysteries of the Pyramids and Sphinx, including the Solar Boat Museum.
Lunch is included at the Mena House.
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! 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, if you prefer, you may enjoy a quiet evening with your travel companions – just let us know your preferences.

DAY 6 – CAIRO (BL)
Your exploration of the ancient world begins today! First stop is the Egyptian Museum, with its treasures of the ancient pharaohs: mummies, statuary, precious stones and metals. We’ll also stop at the Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque. Lunch is included at Naguib Mahfouz Restaurant, the Ritz Hotel next to the Museum. Afternoon walking tour of Khan El-Khalili Bazaar district and time permitting Muez-LedeenAllah Street.

DAY 7 – ASWAN ABU SIMBEL (BL)
Abu Simbel excursion: private guide:
After an early breakfast, we head for the airport and your flight to Abu Simbel, via Aswan. In Abu Simbel: You’ll have your own private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur and private guide waiting for you at the airport and we will head for the temples site over looking Lake Nasser. In the larger temple, colossal figures of Ramses are seated with the gods and attended by his queen and daughters. The smaller temple is dedicated to Queen Nefertari, who appears as Hathor, the goddess of love, joy and fertility, symbolized by the benevolent cow. We explore these fine temple, after which retire to a comfortable hotel for lunch and refreshments. Just as planeloads of visitors arrive to throng the temples we fly back to Aswan, and your hotel. Evening Sound and Light show at Philae.

DAY 8 – ASWAN – Nile Cruise – (BLD)
After breakfast at your hotel, we tour the Nubian Museum then head for Soheil Island. We will be back to Aswan and your Nile Cruise in time for lunch, where we settle you into your cabin on your Nile steamer. We’ll visit the enormous dams at Aswan, then board a launch on to visit the Temples island of Philae, dedicated to the Ancient Egyptian Goddess of Isis, that was later worshiped in Rome as well as Ancient Greece. The temple was rescued from rising waters and reassembled on this island. Back to the cruise in time for tea. Then we will enjoy a felucca sailing on the Nile.

DAY 9 – KOM OMBO- Nile Cruise(BLD)
We cruise northward down the Nile today, at a stately pace, disembarking for a visit to Kom Ombo, the twin temple dedicated to the crocodile river god, Sobek. We’ll also see Haroeris, the solar disk.

DAY 10 – EDFU and LUXOR – Nile Cruise (BLD)
Horse-drawn carriages or vans meet us at riverside to take us through Edfu to the Temple of Horus, best-preserved in all of Egypt. Then we’ll continue beside the Nile to take in an array of ancient splendors: touring the Valley of the Kings; the imposing tomb-temple of Queen Hatshepsut; and, back in Luxor on the East Bank: the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak as well as Luxor Temple. Evening Sound and Light show at Karnak (please bring a jacket and a flash light). Add an extra night in Luxor

DAY 11- SHARM EL SHEIK – RED SEA  (B)
Now that you’ve seen the best of the Egypt of the Pharaohs, our guides escort you to the airport. You’ll fly over the Sinai Peninsula and land at historic Sharm El Sheik on the Red Sea. You’re at the beach and free to swim, or explore under the waters.

DAY 12 – SHARM EL SHEIK  (B)
Relax! Today is set aside as a strategic mid-journey break. Spend some time in the sun, but don’t miss your chance to snorkel or dive under Red Sea waters for an array of coral and glittering tropical fish.

DAY 13 – St. Catherine Monastery (BL)
Our knowledgeable guides arrange a pre-dawn departure into the still-cool wilderness of Sinai, through which Moses led the Children of Israel to the Promised Land. Our goal is the Monastery of St. Catherine, built of rock at the base of Mount Sinai, at the site of the Burning Bush. We tour the monastery, rich in history, icons and sacred paintings, then return to Sharm El Sheik.

DAY 14 – PETRA (BL)
We’ll fly to Amman: non-stop from Sharm El-Sheikh or via Cairo, air fare is included in our rate in business class, tax included, between Egypt and Jordan. In Amman: our Jordan-based representative waits to greet you. You’ll drive south, and arrive at your hotel in Petra for the night. Lunch is included en-route.

DAY 15- PETRA (BD)
We’ll spend the entire day at Petra, the stunning desert city hewn by the Nabateans from solid cliffs of pink and violet sandstone. Petra was known in the bible as Sela, and rediscovered only in 1812. You’ll feel like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark as you penetrate into the city through a narrow sandstone gorge, the Siq, and wander among the Temple of the Winged Lion, tombs, Roman theater, and the imposing Treasury.

In the evening we will call on you for a unique experience:
Dine as a local. The Petra Kitchen is a delightful way to round out your Jordan travel experiences. Like any home kitchen, The Petra Kitchen is a relaxed, informal atmosphere where you’ll gather to prepare an evening meal, working alongside local women under the supervision of our chef.

Each evening meal includes soup, cold and hot mezza (appetizers) and salads, and a main course—all typical Jordanian dishes. You will have get an inside glimpse of the secrets behind the famous regional cuisine of the Levant.

The Petra Kitchen offers an evening of learning, fun and a very special dining experience, with each dish gaining the special flavor of a reward well-earned. Great care has been taken to make The Petra Kitchen a truly Jordanian experience—right down to the furnishings, all crafted in Jordan, the tableware, all produced by the Iraq al Amir Women’s Co-operative, and the aprons and table linens, all hand-embroidered by the Jordan River Foundation.

Tour experience tonight includes the cuisine course, meal and all non-alcoholic beverages as well as take-home recipes for all dishes prepared that evening.

DAY 16 – PETRA – WADI RUM  (BL)
After breakfast at the hotel, we board four-wheel-drive vehicles for an expedition to Wadi Rum, the “Valley of the Moon” where T. E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia”) organized Arab resistance to Ottoman rule during World War I. After our visit, we enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.

DAY 17 – JERASH (BL)
After breakfast at the hotel, we head north, we enjoy lunch enroute. Today we tour Jerash, among the best-preserved Roman cities in the world, to tour its temples, theaters, churches and colonnaded streets. From Jerash, we will escort you back to Amman and your hotel.

DAY 18 – MADABA, KERAK – PETRA (BL)
Full day includes: Madaba to visit the church containing the oldest known map of Palestine and the Holy Land. Continuing to Mount Nebo, we enjoy the panoramic view of the Promised Land the way Moses saw it for the first time. Further on, at Kerak, we tour the ruins of its romantic Crusaders’ castle of Renaud de Chatillon, one of a line which stretched from Aqaba to Turkey. Lunch is included at a local restaurant. Head back to Amman and your hotel.

DAY 19 – DEPARTURE FOR HOME  (B)
Our staff escorts you to the airport of Amman for your flight home. Or, you may choose to add one of our extensions, and return later from Jordan at no additional cost for your air fare.

RATES per person in USD
Deluxe First Class
Triple US$ 7512.00 US$ 6311.00
Double US$ 7810.oo US$ 6660.00
Single US$ 9301.00 US$ 7970.00

For Easter (2 weeks season), Christmas, New Year’s (Dec 20 – Jan 3): 10 % supplement will apply.
Children Discount: 30 % on the adult double rate, child must be younger than 12 years of age, must be traveling with a minimum of 2 adults.

Sample 5-stars Deluxe Nile Cruises:
M/S Monaco, M/S Monte Carlo, M/s Mojito, M/s Queen of Hansa

 

Inclusions:

  • All transfers in Egypt and Jordan, always on a private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.
  • Domestic flights within Egypt with tax included, in business class, yet some Aswan Abu Simbel flights may operate only with economy class configuration.
  • Air fare Cairo Amman, in business class, tax included
  • Hotel accommodations with tax and service charges
  • Sightseeing with professional guide and entrance fees as indicated, private touring, private guide in Cairo, the Nile cruise, Abu Simbel and Jordan, in Jordan your Amman guide will escort you throughout.
  • Meals as indicated, with pre-set menu (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
  • Nile cruise as listed, including all shore excursions and entrance fees, all touring on the cruise based on using a private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur & private guide.
  • While on board the cruise: Large bottle of water (per person), delivered daily to your cabin on board the Nile cruise.
  • Small bottle of water (per person) with each meal, while you are on board the Nile Cruise.
  • Tea or coffee with each meal while you are on board the Nile cruise
  • In Jordan: For your convenience: Wi-Fi internet access and mineral water with soft drinks are available in Jordan on board of all the vehicle for our VIP guests
  • Visa for Jordan. Limited to specific nationalities such as: Australian, NZ, USA, Canada, EU, Japan and others (please check with us if needed at the time of booking).
  • All tips in Cairo and Jordan to your drivers, guides, crew on board the cruise etc.

Not included:

  • Personal expenses and beverages
  • Additional meals and services
  • Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
  • International air fares from/to your home country
  • Upgrade to the Ultra Deluxe Nile cruise: Please add 20 % to the deluxe rate.

Sample 5-stars Ultra Deluxe Nile Cruises:

  • Movenpick Radamis II and Movenpick Royal Lotus Nile Cruise
  • M/S Amarco
  • The all suites with private balconies Nile Cruise:
  • Oberoi MS Philae
  • Sonesta: M/S Star Goddess or Sonesta M/S Moon Goddess (all state rooms do offer private balconies)

From Istanbul to the Nile with a Foray into Cappadocia (15 Days)

Sunset in Cappadocia. Photo by John Compton.

A Private Tour of Egypt and Turkey in 15 days. See the top sites in these two ancient/modern countries on this locally escorted tour. Click here to add a Nile cruise on the 16-day version, adding Cappadocia and even a foray into Nubia to tour the Mighty Temples on Ramses the Great.

Tour

DAY 1 – Daily – Year Round – Istanbul:
Arrive at Istanbul Airport (morning arrivals) and meet our local representative at the exit gate for the transfer to your hotel. After checking-in at the hotel and a brief rest, meet our guide and driver at your hotel for a half day tour. We start the tour with lunch. After lunch, we visit Topkapi Palace (including treasury) and Süleymaniye mosque. For all your transfers and tours in Egypt in Turkey: Private air-conditioned vehicle, private Chauffeur.

DAY 2- Istanbul (BL)
Meet our guide at the hotel in the morning and start the tour. The sights we visit today are very close to each other and to the hotel, so we do not need the vehicle today. Visits to Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Underground Cistern. After lunch we visit Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum and Grand Bazaar. For all your tours in Egypt in Turkey: Private air-conditioned vehicle, private Chauffeur and private guide.

DAY 3- Istanbul – Kayseri- Cappadocia (BL)
Transfer from your hotel to Istanbul Airport for the 08:35 flight to Kayseri. On arrival to Kayseri Airport, our driver and guide meet you at the airport and start the tour there. Our first stop is the Soganli valley, which is one of the earliest settlements in Cappadocia. After this, we drive back to Mustafapasa through the unspoiled villages of Cappadocia, surrounded by the “table-top” mountains. On the way we visit the Medrese in Taskinpasa, a Theological School of the Seljuk Turks. After lunch in Mustafapasa at an old Greek house hosted by a local family, we descend towards the centre of the earth at the underground city of Kaymakli, one of the largest and deepest of Cappadocia’s many such settlements. Return to hotel in Cappadocia. For all your tours in Egypt and in Turkey: Private air-conditioned vehicle, private Chauffeur and private guide.

DAY 4 – Cappadocia (BL)
Our first real encounter with Cappadocia’s almost Martian landscape is in the Dervent valley, where the rock formations are amazing. A walk through the Zelve Open Air Museum is a journey into the past, with its troglodyte houses. This is one of the earliest inhabited and latest abandoned monastic settlements in Cappadocia. After Zelve we visit Pasabag’s “fairy chimneys”, where the voice of the wind harmonizes with the songs of the fairies. From here we pause at Avanos, a centre of terracota art since 3,000 BC, for a demonstration in a traditional pottery workshop. After lunch in Avanos, we visit the famous Goreme Open Air Museum to see the best examples of Byzantine art in Cappadocia. These are found in rock-cut churches with frescoes and paintings dating from as early as the 10th century. We complete the tour with a visit to the Uchisar Rock-Castle, giving you a panoramic view of the valleys of Cappadocia. For all your tours in Egypt and in Turkey: Private air-conditioned vehicle, private Chauffeur and private guide.

DAY 5 – Cappadocia – Izmir (Kusadasi) (BD)

Breakfast is included daily at your hotels. Transfer to Kayseri Airport, where we board your flight heading for Izmir (via Istanbul). Our local rep. / driver meets you at Izmir Airport and transfers you to your hotel in Kusadasi and overlooking the Mediterranean.

DAY 6 – Izmir / Ephesus / Istanbul (B)
Today we first drive to the Virgin Mary’s House; after that we visit Ephesus which was founded in the eleventh century BC by the Ionians. Strolling through the streets of Ephesus, we will witness the perfection of the Graeco-Roman Art. Later in the afternoon we will visit St John’s Basilica, believed to be the tomb of the Apostle John, Christ’s beloved disciple. From the basilica, we will be able to look down on the remains of the temple of Artemis. We end the day with our visit to the Isa Bey Mosque, and you take the 19:00 flight to Istanbul. Transfer from Istanbul Airport to your hotel.

DAY 7 – Istanbul – Bosphorus Cruise (B)
Istanbul’s history was formed by the Bosphorus, the winding strait that separates Europe and Asia, connecting the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. Now, as in ancient times, it is a maritime vital link between the countries bordering the Black Sea and those in the rest of the world. Today we take a leisurely cruise northward along this historic waterway. Along its shores are ranged palaces great and small-Topkapi, Dolmabahçe, Beylerbeyi, Küçüksu, Hünkar Iskelesi. Four great fortresses rise on the hills, reminding us that to control the Bosphorus was to control the destinies of nations. Our afternoon cruise (morning cruise for Oct-Apr season) of two continents, crossing from Europe to Asia and back, includes visits to the Navy’s Museum (showing some magnificent boats used by the Ottoman Sultans), the Bosphorus Bridge, Çamlica Hill lookout, and stupendous Dolmabahçe Palace.

Day 8 – Cairo (B) VIP Meet & Greet Service at Cairo Airport
Our local representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. VIP Meet & Greet Service at Cairo Airport. Visa fee is included and will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for: Australian, NZ, American, EU, Canadian and Japanese citizens. You are responsible for having your passport in order valid for at least 6 months 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 your name. 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 and into the 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 9 – CAIRO (BL)
We start with the best of Cairo: the Egyptian Museum including King Tut’s Gold Treasure Pavilion and the Mummies Grand Hall, Citadel of Saladin and its Alabaster Mosque. After lunch (included) at the Mena House we visit the majestic pyramids of Giza, the Valley Temple and the timeless Sphinx. For all your tours in Egypt and in Turkey: Private air-conditioned vehicle, private Chauffeur and private guide.

DAY 10 – Aswan (B)
We leave Cairo in the early hours of the morning and fly to Aswan. Upon arrival we proceed to visit the enormous dams at Aswan, then board a launch on the Nile to visit the Temples of Philae, rescued from rising waters. 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! Visit as well the red granite quarries with their unfinished obelisk.

For all your tours in Egypt and in Turkey: Private air-conditioned vehicle, private Chauffeur and private guide.

DAY 11. Aswan / Edfu / Kom Ombo / Luxor (BL)
We board a private air conditioned sedan / vehicle, drive north heading for Luxor, visiting enroute Kom Ombo, the twin temple dedicated to the crocodile river god, Sobek. We’ll also see Haroeris, the solar disk. And at Edfu horse-drawn carriages or vans will meet us at riverside to take us through Edfu to the Temple of Horus, best-preserved in all of Egypt. Then we’ll continue beside the Nile to the Ancient Capital of the mighty Pharaoh: Luxor. Luxor Hilton or similar. Lunch box is included. For all your tours in Egypt and in Turkey: Private air-conditioned vehicle, private Chauffeur and private guide.

DAY 12. Luxor (BL)
Cross the Nile to visit the Valley of the Kings, including King Tut’s Tomb, and the Colossi of Memnon. Return to your hotel for lunch (included).

Deir El Medinah is on Luxor’s west bank you 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. For all your tours in Egypt and in Turkey: Private air-conditioned vehicle, private Chauffeur and private guide.

DAY 13: Luxor. CAIRO (B)
Morning visit to the small yet charming Luxor museum, then cross back to the West Bank to visit the village of Gourna as well as Deir El Medinah is on Luxor’s west bank you 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. Later in the day head for the airport for our flight back to Cairo, and our hotel For all your tours in Egypt and in Turkey: Private air-conditioned vehicle, private Chauffeur and private guide.

DAY 14: CAIRO (B)
Breakfast is included at the hotel. Full day at leisure.

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! 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, if you prefer, you may enjoy a quiet evening with your travel companions. Just let us know your preferences.

DAY 15: CAIRO (B)
Early morning transfer to Cairo Airport. Bon Voyage.

Rates per person in US $: Based on: 2-3 Guests
First Class
Hotels
Deluxe
Hotels
Triple $ 6220. $ 6650.
Double $ 6340. $ 6760.
Single $ 7460. $ 7690.
Rates per person in US $: Based on: 4-5 Guests
First Class
Hotels
Deluxe
Hotels
Triple $ 5710. $ 6130.
Double $ 5820. $ 6240.
Single $ 6840. $ 7080.

Christmas, New Year’s, and Easter weeks: 10% supplement will apply.

Sample 4 Stars / First Class Hotels in Turkey:

  • Istanbul: Accura Hotel www.accurahotelistanbul.com
  • Cappadocia: Perissia Hotel www.perissiahotels.com.tr
  • Izmir: Best Western Hotel Konak www.bestwesternturkey.com/konakhotel.htm

Sample 5 Stars Hotels and best available in Turkey:

  • Istanbul: Conrad Hotel, Hyatt Hotel, Inter.Continental or similar.
  • Boutique hotel in Istanbul: If you prefer a boutique style Ottoman Mansion Hotel, please let’s know in   advance: Sample: Blue House. Arena. Yesil Ev, Sultanahmet Sarayi, Sultanhan or similar
  • Cappadocia: Cave Suites Hotel or similar (local 4 star)
  • Izmir: Hilton or Kusadasi:Korumar -5 Stars and Kismet Hotel – Special Category

Sample 5 Stars Hotels in Egypt:

  • Cairo: Hilton. Sheraton. Sofitel
  • Luxor: Steinberger. Sonesta St. George or similar
  • Aswan: Old Cataract, Movenpick Aswan, Isis Island Aswan or similar
  • Movenpick Nile Cruises: M/S Royal Lotus. M/S Royal Lily

Inclusions:

  • One way airfare Istanbul / Cairo, including tax, in economy class.
  • Domestic airfare within Turkey & Egypt, in economy class, tax included.
  • Meals, as listed: B = Continental breakfast, L/D = Preset men lunch/dinner. * Guided sightseeing, all transfers in Turkey & Egypt, as per itinerary, including all entrance fees.
  • Hotel accommodations, including tax and service charges.
  • Locally hosted guide will escort you at all times during sightseeing.
  • All transfers within Egypt & Turkey: private air-conditioned vehicle and private chauffeur
  • VIP Meet & Greet Service at Cairo Airport
    Our local representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. VIP Meet & Greet Service at Cairo Airport. Visa fee is included and 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.Egyptian 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 your name. 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.

Not included:

  • Personal expenses and beverages
  • Gratuities.
  • Additional meals and services
  • International air fare from / to your home country.
  • Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
  • Visa Fee: (procure yours online in advance of travel at www.evisa.gov.tr/en/)