North Africa and Near East Adventure
Private Tour of Tunis , Egypt and Jordan a la Indiana Jones
we have even included all the tips
A
20 day grand Tour
Skip
Sinai and fly between Cairo and Amman ?
Indiana
Jones himself couldn't squeeze more adventure into such a journey
: In
Tunisia : We'll take you through Carthage,Dougga , Thuburbo Majus desert
oases, curious troglodyte dwellings, Islamic splendors, a Roman amphitheater,
a medieval synagogue, and unspoiled beaches. You'll appreciate the breathtaking
beauty of a land that has drawn wanderers over the centuries.
In Egypt : Tour Cairo , Sakkara , Memphis, Dahshour 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. Add
Safaris in Kenya . Skip
Sinai and fly between Cairo and Amman . .
Compare with the Ultra Deluxe Version
DAY
1 - Amman - Weekly-Year Round- Thursday (B)
Arrive Amman . Visa fee is included for a limited number of nationalities
such as : USA, EU, Canada, Japaan, Singapore, Mexico , Australia, NZ
etc. Upon arrival, our local rep. will escort you to your hotel.
DAY 2 - Amman -Petra- Friday (BL)
Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.
After breakfast we head south for Petra, where your local private guide
awaits you .
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. Lunch is included enroute.
DAY
3 - WADI RUM DESERT / AMMAN - Saturday (BL)
Visit the Wadi Rum Desert (with a short ride in a 4 Wheel Drive vehicle)
and its awesome moonlike landscape, where the film “Lawrence of Arabia”
was shot. On to Amman on the Desert Highway. Lunch is served enroute
at a local restaurant. Overnight in Amman.
DAY
4 - Amman - CAIRO - Sunday
Our Egypt-based staff greets you in bustling Cairo airport and escorts
you to your hotel . Complimentary Egyptian visa fee (valid for
American, Australian , NZ, EU , Canadian, Mexican & Japanese citizens.
Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival). At your
hotel, complimentary coffee or tea ( please advise your preference),
one bottle of water for each guest, and a platter of Egyptian sweets
will await you at your room.
Visa
will be issued upon arrival.
As you exit the gate, you will pass through a door or two , down some
stairs , then walk for 2-5 minutes , until you pass the duty free shops,
at the end of a wide corridor , you will see the security officers.
There you will be met by a local representative, who will be holding
a sign with the name you prefer to use for the sign .
Our local representative will then take your passport to obtain a stamp
from the cashier / bank window and escort you to speak with the passport
officer. He will escort you through another last check on your passport
as you exit the passport control, into customs area, he will assist
you in collecting your luggage and clearing customs . After exiting
the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private vehicle)
to the hotel
DAY
5 - CAIRO- Dahshour, Memphis, Sakkara - Home Hosted Dinner - Monday
(cBLD)
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 newly-opened 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.
In
the evening, we return to the Pyramids for an awe-inspiring sound-and-light
show.
Dinner
is included at a local home:
Meet the locals,
you may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family (
T shirt , small souvenirs of your home town):
This
evening we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right
into the homes of some of the people of Cairo l! You'll be invited to
a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties,
you'll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way
of life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your
new friends, they're sure to have questions about your own background.
Once the ice is broken, you'll enjoy a lively evening, and find that
you have more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, you may
enjoy dinner in a quiet restaurant with your travel companions, by letting
us know your preferences.
DAY
6 - CAIRO and Giza Pyramids Tuesday (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. Then it's on to Giza and the mysteries
of the Pyramids and Sphinx, before touring 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. Dinner at La Bodega restaurant in Zamalek
.
DAY
7 - ASWAN- Nile Cruise Wednesday (BLD)
After breakfast , fly to Aswan ( economy class tax included ) , where
we settle you into your cabin on your Nile steamer. Complimentary
welcome fruit basket.
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.
DAY
8 - KOM OMBO - Nile Cruise 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
9 - EDFU and LUXOR- Nile Cruise - 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 10 - Cairo - Saturday (BLD)
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 the J.W. Marriott or the Grand Hyatt , or similar hotel.
DAY
11 - DEPARTURE FOR TUNISIA - Sunday (B)
Our staff escorts you to the airport , air fare is included in our rate
Cairo / Tunis, in economy class , tax included .
TUNIS . This is a private tour - Private vehicle, private chauffeur
Our local staff will meet you upon arrival at Tunis Carthage International
Airport. You'll be assisted with the formalities, and escorted to the
fine Hotel El Hana International. There will be time to relax and recuperate
from your journey, and enjoy the excellent facilities. If you wish,
you can adventure into the center of Tunis to start your exploration
of the winding alleys of the souk, filled with treasures of beaten brass
and basketry and carpets, and merchants who will welcome you with traditional
mint tea.
DAY
12 - THUBURBO MAJUS & DOUGGA - Private vehicle, private chauffeur
(BLD)
After breakfast at the hotel, we start our full day to Thuburbo
Majus:
This town of Libyan and then Punic origin sided with Carthage and thus
had to pay a tribute to Rome . Thuburbo Maius reached its apogee in
the 2nd c with 10,000 inhabitants and and impressive array of of monuments:
the forum, built in 161-2, the capitol (168) and a number of temples
(Temple of peace, Temple of Mercury, Temple of B'a alat, Temple of Caelestis,
Temple of Saturn) of which one later became a basilica, we'll tour as
well the market, Roman bath and the amphitheater. We'll enjoy lunch
at a local restaurant before proceeding to Dougga: A Numidian city,
mentioned in the 4th century B.C. by Diodorus the Sicilian as Tocai,
tukka was from the 2nd to 1st century B.C. one of the residences of
the Massyle Kings (MASSINISSA, MICIPSA,JUGURTHA). In Roman times the
municipal land was split into two parts; the Numidian city, and a pagus
(rural area) under the authority of Carthage, Whole again, thugga was
a municipium in 205 and honorary colonia in 261. With some 5,000 residents,
thugga had a municipal bourgeoisie which endowed her with a number of
rich monuments. The monuments are incredibly well preserved, allowing
us to imagine the infrastructure this small Proconsular town possessed:
12 temples, 3 of which were transformed into churches in the 4th Century
, 3 Roman baths, numerous fountains, aqueducts and more. Thugga slowly
lost its glory, though it still enjoyed brief periods of revival in
the 3rd, the 4th and 6th centuries (Byzantine fortress) .Though it was
never deserted, archaeological research required the removal of its
residents to a new Dougga lying below classical thugga. Return early
evening to our hotel in Tunis in time for dinner.
DAY 13 - CHARTAGE, SIDI BOU SAID (200 Kilometers) - Private vehicle,
private chauffeur (BLD)
we'll marvel at the ruins of Carthage, a true metropolis of the
ancient world, as evidenced by its theater, circus, baths, port installations,
and extensive urban plan. We'll lunch at a fine local restaurant, then
speed forward in time to the middle ages, as we visit the picture-perfect
Moorish village of Sidi Bou Said. With its whitewashed walls and narrow
laneways, it's the perfect setting as we stop for traditional mint tea.
Back in Tunis, we'll stop at the Bardo Museum, to view the most extensive
Roman mosaics in the world. We'll thenhead for the Medina, the old quarter
of the city, with its warrens of shops filled with wares ranging from
humdrum to exotic.
DAY
14 - HAMMAMET, SOUSSE, EL DJEM, SFAX , GABES, DJERBA -Private vehicle,
private chauffeur (BLD)
After breakfast, we'll set off to explore! Hammamet, a cosmopolitan
port where sun-worshippers from all over happily coexist with fishermen
and traditional ways. We'll stop at the port of El Kantaoui, and then
proceed back into time to venerable Sousse, once the Phoenician City
called Hadrumatum. We'll stroll through the medina, the old quarter,
cooled by sea breezes, and visit the museum as well as the Ribat, a
stronghold of the warriors of Islam. Continuing to Sousse, once
the Phoenician city of Hadrumatum, we walk through the medina (old city),
cooled by breezes off the harbor, and visit the Roman catacombs and.
Our next stop is El Jem, which boasts a Roman coliseum very similar
to the famous one in Rome. Our busy day continues with a drive to the
coastal city of Gabes, a Roman outpost of old and a traditional market
center where, for centuries, goods from across the sea and across the
desert have changed hands. We'll visit the oasis, where palm groves
and gardens flourish. We'll then cross to Djerba, an island where Ulysses
once encountered the legendary Lotus-Eaters.
DAY
15 - GABES, DJERBA (250 Kilometers) -Private vehicle, private chauffeur
(BLD)
Today we explore the old quarters, including the synagogue of Hara Sghira,
Hara Kebira with its modern Jewish community, and Guellala, with its
craft stalls, and to see the waterfront and fishing fleet, and the lively
town of Houmt Souk. After a lunch stop, we'll cross back to the mainland.
DAY
16 - MATMATA, KEBILI, DOUZ - ( 300 Kilometers) -Private vehicle,
private chauffeur
(BLD)
Our route takes us through terrain of increasingly sparse grasses and
shrubs, into the desert to Matmata. We'll stop to look in on a community
of miniature underground houses, where the earliest settlers sheltered
from the extremes of the desert above -- as do the Berbers of today.
We'll
enjoy a full day of desert adventure, we'll visit the village of Kebili,
largest of a cluster of oases, islands of life in a harsh landscape,
then proceed to Douz, fabled as the Gateway to the Sahara. There, a
special treats waits, the opportunity to sample a caravan trek! This
close encounter with a camel is entirely at your option!
DAY 17 - TOZEUR - (280 Kilometers) - Private vehicle, private chauffeur
(BLD)
We set off across the Chott El Djerid, a great dry salt lake, for Tozeur.
Here, we'll wonder at the ancient irrigation works .We'll learn more
about oases today . Despite the dryness of its surface, great aquifers
underlie the Sahara. Where they spill their riches out in springs, they
create the green havens of Tunisia's oases. We'll see a dramatic example,
as we explore the irrigated fields around Tozeur and motor overland
to the great mountain oases of Chebika and Tamerza ( in 4 wheel drive)
. We'll return to Tozeur late afternoon, after which you're free until
dinner. You can choose to enjoy the unique desert resort comforts at
your hotel. Or, you might decide to wander the streets of Tozeur, look
in on daily life, admire the classic North African houses built around
patios on terraces above a river fed by springs, and shop for baskets
and capes of camel hair.
DAY
18 - TOZEUR, GAFSA, SBEITLA, KAIROUAN, TUNIS - Private vehicle, private
chauffeur (BLD)
We'll delve more into Tunisia's rich and varied past today, as we motor
overland through pleasant, rolling coastal lands. At Gafsa, we'll see
the Roman pools of Capsa, the ancient crossroads between desert oases
and the cultivated coastal lands. We'll wonder at the Roman ruins of
Suffetula, as well as the great mosque. Later in the day, we'll reach
Kairouan, an ancient, holy, and vibrant city noted for its historic
mosques and centers of learning. We'll lunch at the five-star Hotel
La Kasbah. Kairouan also is noted for its souk, and the crafting of
carpets and leather goods. Of course, there will be time to check out
these wares, before we depart to Tunis, or Hammamat where a night's
rest and dinner await us once again at the Hotel El Hana.
DAY
19 -At Leisure- (B)
Full day at leisure or relax on the beach .
DAY 20 - DEPARTURE -(B)
After breakfast, our local personnel will escort you to the international
airport, where you'll start your homeward journey.Private vehicle, private
chauffeur
RATES
per person in USD
|
|
Deluxe |
First
Class |
| Triple |
US$
6750 |
US$
5775 |
| Double |
US$
6810 |
US$
5925 |
| Single |
US$
8710 |
US$
7640 |
Easter
( two weeks) , Christmas, New Year's Dec 20 - Jan 5 : 15 % supplement
will apply.
Prices
include:
- All
transfers on a private basis..
- Air
fare between Amman Cairo and Tunis, as well as within Egypt , all
in economy class, tax included
- Nile
Cruise with all meals & shore excursions, cabins are always outside
with large panoramic windows.
- Complimentary
welcome fruit basket on board the Nile Cruise.
- Bottled
water ( one per person) delivered daily to your cabin
- Bottled
water / tea / coffee with every meal on board the Nile Cruise.
-
Air-conditioned hotel accommodations with tax and service charges
- Hotel
accommodation as per itinerary with tax, breakfast daily as per itinerary
- Private
guided sightseeing with professional guide and entrance fees as indicated
, you will have a private guide , private vehicle, private chauffeur
even for the cruise shore excursions
- Meals
as indicated, with pre-set menu (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
- Lonely
Planet guidebook to Jordan and Egypt
- Jordanian
visa and Egyptian visa fee (valid for Canadians , American, Australian,
NZ, EU & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6
month upon arrival). For these nationalities , there is no visa requiremnet
for Tunisia
- Jordanian
departure tax.
- Gratuities
, all tips to drivers, guides, your crew on board the cruise etc.
Not
included:
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-
-
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Add
the Ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis and the Step Pyramid
in Sakkara
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-
-
-
The
Wonders of Egypt & Arabia 22
days
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